Insect wings, grape seeds, cactus needles and thumbtacks are among the tiny objects that become canvases for stunningly detailed works of art by miniaturist Hasan Kale. The Turkish artist works on an incredibly small scale, often painting scenes from his native Istanbul, complete with reflections of the city’s characteristic architecture on rippling bodies of water and microscopic seagulls.

Kale’s works are so small, he doesn’t even need a palette – he mixes the minuscule amounts of paints required for each piece right on his own finger. The 53-year-old painter has been creating tiny works like these since the 1980s.

Using extremely fine paintbrushes, Kale faithfully renders these scenes with a remarkably steady hand. Many of the paintings are ephemeral, painted on perishable items like breadsticks.

Kale adds many more photos of his work on a regular basis at his Facebook page.