These Celebrity Portraits Are Made From Tiny Painted People

Craig Alan creates wonderfully unique portraits which at first glance appear like aerial photographs but are actually painted. In his series of hand-painted portraits named “Populis Series”, Alan depicts numerous celebrities and icons of different ages, including Merilyn Monroe, Audrey Hepburn, John F. Kennedy, and Nelson Mandela. Those are created by painting tiny human figures in small or big groups which results in large-scale art pieces.

It sounds unusual and improbable, but by looking closely at his extraordinary work you will realize that every feature of the portrait is created with 400 to 1,800 miniature human figures, depending on the size of the painting.

According to Alan: “art needs to be responsible to its purpose; to inspire and enhance”. Born in San Bernardino, California, and raised in the Atlanta area, his passion for art and visual interpretation started at a young age. After finishing an introductory drawing class in school, he continued to develop technically and conceptually through independent studies. Today Alan’s artwork is exhibited at numerous galleries across the United States and Europe.