An artist is making mini versions of old buildings by looking at Google Maps

By YVETTE TAN From Mashable

From a discarded milk carton on the ground, to slightly worn-out posters, the details on Joshua Smith’s models are so realistic it’s hard to believe they’re not real.

Smith, a miniaturist, has been creating tiny intricate models of dilapidated buildings and objects around the world for the past two years.

His latest project? A miniature model of a building in Hong Kong.

Smith, who is based in South Australia and has never been to Hong Kong, said he was viewing buildings in the city using Google Street View when he came across this one, located on Temple Street.

“I created the entire building using nothing but Google Street View and reference photos taken by friends visiting Hong Kong as well as Hong Kong-based followers sending me photos,” Smith told news outlet HKFP.

The Temple Street model took him three months to finish, working up to sixteen hours a day, seven days a week.

Smith uses spray paint, acrylic paint and chalk pastels to create a realistic look for his models.

Some of his other projects include an old workshop building in Adelaide, and a miniature version of a New York dumpster.

Here’s the real building on Google Maps for comparison:

We can’t wait to see what Smith comes up with next.

IMAGES:

IMAGE: JOSHUA SMITH

IMAGE: JOSHUA SMITH

IMAGE: JOSHUA SMITH

IMAGE: JOSHUA SMITH

IMAGE: JOSHUA SMITH

IMAGE: GOOGLE MAPS

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