Beautifully intricate, detailed and realistic – meet David the creative genius behind David Miniatures. Formerly an art director and graphic designer, David found his passion for replicating the world on a small scale as a teen. What started out as a hobby of toying with modelling kits grew into creating his own museum-quality pieces: from architectural designs to a myriad of dioramas based on his love of 80’s classic movies, even catching the attention of the film’s producers (Hey, Robert Zemeckis + Steven Spielberg!!) and ours.
As fate would have it, David was commissioned to create a not-so-mini gift for a very special client to commemorate where they had their first date (hint…The Drake Hotel), and you know we couldn’t pass the opportunity by to get to know him, his work, and we invite you to as well.
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+We’re seeing several ambitious art projects and dioramas that showcase miniature models, from Karine Giboulo’s ‘Housewarming’ at the Gardiner Museum to the ‘Little Canada’ exhibit, and you just reached 2 million views on TikTok (!) Why do you think these miniature scenes are so appealing to people?
I think it’s a factor of two things. Deep down I think realistic miniatures like the ones I create spark a joy in people because it reminds them of being a kid. When we are kids we don’t notice that our cheap plastic toys are not very realistic, our imagination fills in the blanks. As adults, seeing miniatures reignites that I think. Also, in a world that is predominantly digital I think people still like to see things that are handmade.
+ Seeing as you work in multiple scales, how do you choose which scale a certain piece should be?
Sometimes the choice is made for me by my clients or by something I need to include in the build that I cannot make, such as a car for example. Sometimes I choose based on the subjects real size. For The Drake Hotel for example I chose 1:43rd scale, which is my favorite. It’s large enough to show all the details but small enough to display on a shelf. If I would have built it at some of the more common larger scales it would have been the size of a coffee table.
+ How did your background in graphic design and art direction help with your current practice?
I think being in any visual field helps a ton with what I do. Everything I build has to be drawn out to scale before hand. Lots of signage has to be recreated etc. So for this it’s super valuable knowledge
+ What inspired this particular project?
The Drake Hotel had a special meaning to the client. It was a gift for his wife for Christmas. It’s always fun to build something when it’s for a gift. I even included a small Easter egg in one of the marquees. It’s their names and wedding date.
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+ What has been your most challenging project to date?
Every pieces poses new challenges. It’s kind of what keeps me going. If it was easy I think I would get bored. I would have to say however, seeing as most of my work is based on movies and created for collectors or museums, the most challenging part is always nailing the scene I’m recreating and all it’s details. People that view my work are usually super fans and serious collectors so they will notice if anyone is off.
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