Sculptor Willard Wigan creates three wise men in eye of needle

With no room at the inn for even a couple at Christmas, how could three men possibly fit into the eye of a needle?

But micro-sculptor Willard Wigan managed it. He used an eyelash to decorate the Nativity’s kings along with camels, he said, that were smaller than a full stop.

Mr Wigan, from Birmingham, who specialises in tiny crafts, said he wanted to bring “light to the world”.

“We’re living in troubled times and sometimes we need to see something that’s going to bring some happiness to us and pleasure and fun,” he explained.

Mr Wigan worked 16 hours a day across four weeks to create the piece entitled Three Little Kings. Its camels are made from nylon while the crowns are 24-carat gold.

The artist said he worked between heartbeats, holding his breath to limit any disturbance that might ruin his work.

He described the process as “trying to put a pin through a bubble without bursting the bubble”.

Mr Wigan was made an MBE for services to art in 2007, and has been creating microscopic sculpture since the age of five when he made houses for ants.

The artist, who has autism and was told at school he would “amount to nothing”, wants to share his journey to inspire people to follow their passions.

“Because I’m autistic, because I can’t read, I found my own journey and I inspire people with what I do, so people can see who I am and what I’m about,” he said.

“Sometimes we need role models so it can inspire them to become what they want to become within their own field.”