Unlike many local practitioners who resist being called commercial artists, thread portrait artist Alfred Cheng takes pride in the sales of his artworks. After self-learning for a year, he created his first work in 2017 — a portrait of the famous Marvel character Loki — using a single black thread of 6000 meters to loop around 250 stainless steel nails on a white circle canvas with a diameter of 50 centimeters. His thread portraits have since included more popular figures like Audrey Hepburn and Harry Porter, earning him a feature in Insider Media.

A former nutritionist and businessman in the beauty industry, Cheng has always looked for something more challenging to showcase his talent. He became interested in thread art after learning about Greek artist Petro Vrellis in 2016. “I was shocked when I first came across his thread works,” Cheng says. “I have always loved painting since I was a kid, but I never expected to find someone who could create art with such an everyday item.”

The unconventional art form not only requires Cheng to learn the trade himself, it also propels him to improvise due to a lack of professional tools in the market. All his tools are made or repurposed by himself — his thread spool holder is transformed from a mobile phone stand; the rotating easel for the canvas is built on a lazy Susan bearing; his painting desk is actually a mahjong table.

Cheng always starts with the digital image of the portrait he wants to create, analyzing its grayscale distribution and mapping the facial features with black and white contrast. Then, he uses algorithms to calculate the precise thread route around the nails on the frame, creating the outline and shadows by crisscrossing straight lines. With no knowledge in algorithms, he needed to spend five to six hours every day learning about computer science and develop his weaving skills in the early days.

The start is a bumpy ride with heaps of mistakes, such as breaking the thread, knotting the thread wrongly, or warping the image. “Like after weaving an eye, I discover that the smiling face has turned into a sad face.” On one occasion, he spent a few weeks finishing a thread portrait, only to find that it did not look exactly the same as the image he set out to create. Tearing the portrait apart, he told his client that he could not deliver the artwork on time. “Had I made a more precise algorithm, such a mistake would have been avoided.”

Today, he is not only able to create delicate thread portraits, he even applies algorithms to three-dimensional thread sculptures, including a colored model of human heart he has been working on. Cheng believes that there are infinite possibilities in thread artworks. While his thread portraits prioritize delicacy, he can express more of his ideas and feelings with 3D art displays. To him, while a skilled painter can make an exact replica of the character, the value of an artist rests on how he or she inspires people to think and feel.

Cheng often creates portraits of celebrities, not only because they are recognizable, they are also more competitive in the commercial art world. To him, thread portrait is both art and strategy. “I would proudly say commercialization of art is important.” The commissions of thread portraits have given him more time and motivation to explore other artworks such as his 3D heart piece.

The artist recalls being cautious about charging his portraits for a recent exhibition. Showcased alongside other more conventional artworks, he initially worried that clients would find his thread “paintings” overpriced. But the appreciation for his works, whether in the form of purchases or feedback online, has empowered him to have more confidence as an artist. “A compliment or a share on social media are encouraging, but a client purchasing and hanging my artwork in their home is even more motivating.”

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