Mosaic artist uses biscuits to make famous faces

In London, a talented mosaic artist named Ed Chapman has taken on a unique challenge by creating stunning portraits of well-known figures using digestive biscuits. The portraits feature Sir Trevor McDonald, the legendary news presenter, the iconic musician David Bowie, and the esteemed actress Dame Judi Dench. Ed was both excited and a bit anxious when he received a call from McVitie's, the famous biscuit brand, asking him to create these portraits for their 100th birthday celebration of the chocolate digestive biscuit. He thought to himself, 'Can I really make art with biscuits? What if they crumble all over the place? ' However, he decided to embrace the challenge and see what he could do. To begin his artistic journey, Ed went out to purchase various types of biscuits to experiment with. He discovered that there are several kinds of digestive biscuits, including white chocolate, gold chocolate, dark chocolate, and milk chocolate. Each type has its own unique color, and when flipped over, the plain biscuit side adds even more variety. This assortment of colors became Ed's 'palette,' allowing him to create vivid and lifelike portraits. The process of making these biscuit portraits was no small feat. Ed dedicated around 180 hours to complete the three portraits, using thousands of biscuits provided by McVitie's. He faced some challenges due to the warm weather, which could potentially cause the biscuits to melt. To combat this, he kept the biscuits in his north-facing studio and even placed them in the fridge to make cutting them easier. Ed took extra precautions by applying several layers of varnish to protect the biscuits, ensuring they would last longer, although he knew they couldn't withstand direct sunlight. The response to his work has been overwhelmingly positive, with many people praising his creativity and skill. Ed has also worked on campaigns for other organizations, such as Keep Britain Tidy. The biscuit portraits will be on display at The Strand in London from May 2 to May 5, showcasing Ed's incredible talent and the fun side of art.