Amazing Pieces of Pencil Art

Pencil sculptures: 

miniature masterpieces carved into graphite by Dalton Ghetti

Many artists have used pencils to create works of art – but Dalton Ghetti creates miniature masterpieces on the tips of pencils. The Brazilian born, Connecticut based artist carefully crafts the tips of pencils into amazing micro sculptures

Dalton, who is originally from Brazil, has a box full of more than 100 sculptures that have broken while working on them that he affectionately calls 'the cemetery collection'. He said: "I have quite a few broken pieces so I decided to glue them on pins and into styrofoam for a display case. People might think it's weird I keep them but they're still interesting. I worked on them for months so they might be dead now but at one point I gave them life" 

Dalton uses three basic tools to make his incredible creations - a razor blade, sewing needle and sculpting knife. He even refuses to use a magnifying glass and has never sold any of his work, only given it away to friends. He said: "I use the sewing needle to make holes or dig into the graphite. I scratch and create lines and turn the graphite around slowly in my hand"
 

 1. The alphabet, all carved from 26 pencil tips

Many artists have used pencils to create works of art - but Dalton Ghetti creates miniature masterpieces on the tips of pencils

2. Hanging, Linked Heart

These miniature masterpieces are a side project for the professional carpenter, who has been perfecting this art for the last 25 years "I don't make any money from it but that's not what it's about for me. However, I would love for a gallery owner in England to fly me over to put on a show," he said
Dalton hollowed out the centre of the wood, then carved the central column of graphite to create this hanging, linked heart

3. Tiny hammer, and Screw

One of the most fascinating things about these tiny works of art is that he has never sold them, he has only given them away to friends as gifts.That is carved from the graphite in a normal pencil: A tiny hammer, and  
4.  Miniature graphite chair

He works as a carpenter and carves pencils in his free time - often putting in just an hour or so before his eyes get tired. It can take years to finish an especially complicated piece - a linked chain in the middle of a pencil took him two years, and a carefully crafted giraffe even longer.  
5. Highly-detailed boot

Along with his other projects, Ghetti is slowly carving a tiny graphite tear for every 9/11 victim, finishing one each morning before he goes to work, and estimates it will take him 10 years to finish and display them together.    6. Tiny saw, using both, the wood and graphite of a single pencil.

The 49 year old said: "At school I would carve a friend's name into the wood of a pencil and then give it to them as a present. Later, when I got into sculpture, I would make these huge pieces from things like wood, but decided I wanted to challenge myself by trying to make things as small as possible. I experimented sculpting with different materials, such as chalk, but one day I had an eureka moment and decided to carve into the graphite of a pencil"  

7. Mini mailbox on a post

It's a mini mailbox on a post with high detail carving
 
8. Elvis Face

A sculpture of Elvis Presley wearing shades, carved from a single pencil.     9. Tiny Button

Carved from the graphite in a normal pencil: A tiny button 

10. a Tiny Cross Sculpture

Dalton has a box full of more than 100 sculptures that have broken while working on them. He affectionately calls them ‘the cemetery collection.'Using the eraser end of a pencil, Dalton created a tiny cross sculpture from the internal graphite  

10. A tiny key hangs from a ring

  When Dalton, from Connecticut, USA, first started he would become frustrated when a piece would break before being finished after he had spent months working on it. He said: "It would drive me mad when I would be just a bit too heavy handed and the pencil's tip would break. I would get very nervous sometimes, particularly when the piece was almost finished, and then I would make a mistake. I decided to change the way I thought about the work - when I started a new piece my attitude would be 'well this will break eventually but let's see how far I get. It helped me break fewer pencils, and although I still do break them, it's not as often"   
11. Two interlocking hearts
  Dalton has made about 100 carvings, and is currently working on an epic piece inspired by the September 11 attacks on the World Trade Center. He said: "I decided to make a teardrop pencil carving for each of the people who died in the attack, about 3,000. Since 2002 I have carved one every day, it takes me under an hour. When I'm done they will form one big tear drop. It will take me about 10 years but it will be worth it"
Two interlocking hearts, carved from one pencil

    12. Goblet Being Held by a Hand

 This carving shows a goblet being held by a hand, all carved from one pencil's graphite     13.  interlinking chains

The longest Dalton has spent on one piece was two and half years on a pencil with interlinking chains. A standard figure will take several months. He said: "The interlinking chains took the most effort and I was really pleased with it because it's so intricate people think it must be two pencils"

 source : http://www.telegraph.co.uk