And then, it strikes you that these photographic images are barely larger than your thumbnail. Lorra...

1. Hand-painted masterpieces smaller than a thumbnail
And then, it strikes you that these photographic images are barely larger than your thumbnail.
Lorraine Loots, an artist based in Cape Town, has dedicated her life to making "paintings for ants;"
miniatures that measure somewhere between 8 and 30 millimeters, making them smaller than coins
or the nib of a pencil.
An hour a dayIt all started in 2013, when Loots was pursuing a career beyond art -- "a real job" - as a
production manager at photo shoots.
"I didn't want to stop painting, though, so I constructed this borderline-OCD project where I had to
spend an hour a day creating something."
With a steady hand and an eye for detail, she set forth painting random items that took her fancy
every day.
Eventually, the project took over her days and became a full-time commitment, resulting in a book
called 365 Paintings for Ants.
Dedicated to Cape TownIn 2014, to coincide with Cape Town's designation as World Design Capital,
she did it all over again, creating 365 postcards related to her home town in some way -- referencing
the city's exotic landscape or one of its native birds.
Each one of her intricate images became viral sensations on Instagram and racked up big sales on
Etsy.
This year, she has decided to limit her paintings to just 100, focusing around four different themes --
space, books, animals and miscellaneous.
So far, she has created meticulous images of horses, sloths, planets and nebulas, The Great Gatsby
and The Hobbit. And Bill Murray, because why not.

2. And, in case you're wondering, no -- she doesn't use a magnifying glass.
Attention to detailWhat defines this type of artistry? "Selective attention to detail," says Loots.
"At times, my studio is so chaotic that I need to clear a small space on my desk amidst the pile of
papers, paints, plants and figurines just to be able to work, but I'd spend an hour erasing and
rewriting a letter that's a fraction of a millimeter too low/high/big/small."
Her creative process starts with external sources of inspiration: "I'll search encyclopedias or the
internet for reference pictures - I normally work from about 10 references per painting, as each
reference would capture a different specific detail I need.
"Next, I find the spot with the best light, find something small to fill with water, set up my tools and
select a new podcast to listen to.
"I draw the boundary circle in the middle of one of my pre-cut pages, sketch the rough outlines in
watercolor pencil and then hack away at it with brushes and watercolor paint until I feel like I've
captured whatever I'm painting."
Listening to the followersBecause of the nature of the project, there's not much room for creative
block: "Besides, there's always something I feel like painting. If I'm really stuck, which rarely
happens, I'll turn to my followers and ask for their suggestions - it makes for a great change of
pace."
But having a working routine that must be met every day isn't always easy: "I've had sick days
during which I was only able to drag myself out of the bed for that hour it takes to do the painting,
and it's taken all my willpower.

3. "We lost a close family member on the last day of 2013's project, the day before I was going to take
on 2014. That was incredibly hard. Life just goes on and sometimes you have to make big sacrifices
if you want to stay committed."
There's an element of pressure in having to create something for someone every single day: "But the
incredible feedback and the feeling of being one step closer to achieving a much bigger goal is what
keeps me going.
"The reward is huge."
Loots will be exhibiting all her miniatures from 2013 and 2014 at the Three Kings Studio in New
York from July 8 -- 15th.
Her paintings are available online on Etsy.
http://www.cnn.com/2015/04/24/world/paintings-for-ants/