"I posted a photo of it before it was finished," Salathiel says, "people seemed to really like it and started asking for their own versions and it’s just snowballed from there."
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A quarter next to one of his creations helps lend perspective as to how tiny these works of art actually are.
"Each project presents its own set of challenges," Salathiel says, adding that one of the main difficulties is "capturing as much detail in miniature form as possible while making sure that everything looks true to the original."
Salathiel even created a replica of one of the barriers that feature the social distancing raccoon.
This Toronto Star newspaper box is at a scale of 1:25.
Just look how tiny this coffee cup is!
Although Salathiel doesn't keep track of how many hours are spent on each creation, he says "they can take anywhere from a week or two, to a few months," usually because he has a number of projects on the go at a time.
The weathering process is what Salathiel enjoys the most. He says "it really brings a pretty bland looking piece of plastic to life and is very satisfying seeing the result."
