From pugs to Tom Riddle’s diary, this Chennai artist makes paper miniatures

Miniature art is gaining traction worldwide. Many artists have adopted this form of art, replacing large canvases with smaller ones. Coins, stamps, snow globes aren't the only popular miniatures now. From making Ramen bowls the size of a coin to Veena that’s no bigger than a few centimeters, meet Chennai’s very young miniature origami artist - Oorjitha Dogiparthi.   A post shared by Oorjitha (@oorugami) on Apr 28, 2018 at 5:34am PDT  A post shared by Oorjitha (@oorugami) on Apr 22, 2018 at 9:38am PDT  A post shared by Oorjitha (@oorugami) on Apr 7, 2018 at 10:51pm PDT Oorjitha has been working with paper from a very young age of six. “I remember making those paper boats and jumping frogs. I’ve always had this fascination for origami,” she shares. But she began working on it seriously only 6 years ago. Having completed her post graduation from Loyola in Food Chemistry and Food processing, Oorjitha says that she learnt all about origami by watching online tutorials.   A post shared by Oorjitha (@oorugami) on Jun 25, 2017 at 4:32am PDT  A post shared by Oorjitha (@oorugami) on Jun 4, 2018 at 3:03am PDT “It is pretty easy, provided you have the interest,” she adds. While we’ve got plenty of artists working with clay to make miniature models, Oorjitha shares that paper too is becoming popular. Does she use special tools to work in such a small scale? “No special tools. I only use scissors, glue and some tweezers,” she laughs. Her recent Ramen bowl, an intricate work with noodles, eggs, broccoli, peas and pieces of meat in a black bowl took just about a day she says. “Sometimes when I don’t find it satisfying, I start again. The time it takes for me to complete one miniature depends on the details I add to it,” she says. She has made plates of pooris, rolls of pootharekulu (a traditional Andhra sweet), the tiniest Pringles tin… It might be hard coming to terms with the fact that it’s all just made using paper!   A post shared by Oorjitha (@oorugami) on Jun 2, 2018 at 11:11pm PDT “Everyone thinks it is ‘just paper’ but it really is an underutilised, versatile craft material,” says Oorjitha. From coloured papers to tissues to newspapers, Oorjitha says almost anything can be used. Oorjitha posts her work on Facebook and on her Instagram page - Oorugami. Her next work? “I was thinking of miniature musical instruments,” she smiles. Also Watch: Also Read: Tea kadais to flower sellers: This Chennai-based artist captures Madras in miniature