Making a good point: The King of miniature sculpture carves tiny Elvis (and a host of other amazing objects) into pencils



Many artists have used pencils to create beautiful pieces of work - but only one creates stunning masterpieces on the tip of one.

Microscopic artist Dalton Ghetti spends up to two-and-a half years painstakingly crafting each handmade piece on the graphite of a pencil.

Mr Ghetti, who works as a carpenter, has been working with pencils for about 25 years and his stunning sculptures include Elvis, the entire alphabet, linking chains and even an entire church which is just 10mm tall.

The King is lead: Elvis carved on on lead is just one of hundreds of pencil creations by artist Dalton Ghetti



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.’ 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.

2B in love: Two pencils with different types of hearts carved in them Ghetti's incredible works



He said: ‘I'm quite old fashioned, I hold the piece myself when I'm working on it and if it's sunny I'll work outside.

‘It's hard to explain but for me it's like a sort of meditation.

At the sharp end: Graphite carved into a saw

‘I'm alone with no music on in my studio and in a deep state of concentration, it's like another mind state I float about in.

‘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.’ 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.

‘However, I don't have a favourite piece, I always say my favourite piece is the one I'm working on at the moment.’



When Mr Ghetti, 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 less pencils, and although I still do break them, it's not as often.

‘Normally I'll start a different piece, but there was a hammer I was sculpting and I broke it about five or six times and I couldn't rest until it was done.

Drawing attention: All 26 letters of the alphabet have been painstakingly crafted

‘Also, I never buy the pencils, my friends are always giving me them to sculpt or sometimes I use ones I find in the street.’

Basic tools: Mr Ghetti carves with a razor blade

Mr Ghetti, 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.’

Mr Ghetti has made about 100 carvings, and is currently on an epic piece inspired by the September 11 attacks on the World Trade Center.

He said: ‘When September 11 happened I was in tears all day and couldn't do much for a while.

‘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.

‘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.’

Boot-iful: More sculptures by the amazing Mr Ghetti



Fine art: An incredibly small ladle and a screw which appears to have been screwed into the nib





