This Artist Creates Intricate Micro Portraits on Matchbooks

We’re used to seeing incredible micro portraits done by tattooers on skin and are constantly amazed by their ingenuity. Artist Will Picaro brings popular culture to life on a small scale, instead choosing matchbooks as his canvas. Matchbooks were in their hay day during the 1940s and 1950s, thanks to clever and colorful advertising. However, due to the invention and manufacturing on the lighter, they eventually fell out of fashion. Now, they’re the perfect blend of nostalgic yet practical for Picaro’s masterpieces.

Picaro did his first matchbook portrait in 2013, creating Heath Ledger’s Joker using colored pencils, graphite and a red crayon. In total the piece took him six hours to complete and now, seven years later, he’s honed his craft. Picaro has created hundreds of matchbook designs, with subjects ranging from popular film and television characters to beloved pets created for submission. His work has been featured on a variety of fine art platforms, including World of Pencils, Artist A Day and Cargo Collective.

We’ve curated some of our favorite Picaro portraits from recent years in the gallery below, take a peek at his teeny creations and let us know your favorite matchbook in the comments section on social media.