A trained software engineer, Sachin Sanghe spends most of his free time sculpting sticks of chalk into beautiful artworks, from portraits of celebrities, to depictions of Hindu gods.

As a high-school student, Sachin Sanghe was  always called to the front of the class to write notes on the blackboard, so it’s no surprise that he formed a special connection to the humble chalk. He started carving sticks of chalk with his geometry tools as a hobby, and as time went by, he got better at it. But then he got into an engineering college, and his art had to take a backseat to his academic responsibilities. However, after finishing school and getting a job, Sachin was free to return to his special hobby again. He did so, and became so good at it that the self-taught artist is now being hailed as one of the world’s best chalk sculptors.

“In school, I always had dividers, a compass, a sharpener and also safety pins in my geometry box. I gradually started carving letters and then names, and would gift it to friends and relatives,” Sanghe told The News Minute. “There was no Google at the time, nor had I seen anyone making micro-sculptures then. I had to start from scratch.”

Sachin says that his simpler chalk sculptures take anywhere between five to six hours to complete, while the more intricate one can take up to 130 hours. He has created more than 200 chalk miniatures, from Indian celebrities to a breathtaking miniature replica of the Taj Mahal, with the latter reportedly taking him 80 hours to finish.

Sachin Sanghe has been making his tiny chalk sculptures for 15 years now, but says he still has much too learn and it still honing his skills. To see more of his chalk masterpieces as well as his pencil tip sculptures, check out his official Facebook page, Sachin Sanghe’s Chalk & Lead Sculptures.