Pencil Lead Sculptor

November 15, 2002 1:25 PM

Amazing Pencil Lead Sculptor Dante Ghetti carves intricate, tiny sculptures out of the lead of draftsman's pencils, using the pencil stub as the mount for the finished piece; amazing. I realize this post doesn't offer much in the way of vigorous debate ("I like tiny sculptures" "They suck. You suck!"), but what can I say, I think it's pretty damn cool. (from BoingBoing)
posted by jonson (21 comments total)

i love art that has a lunacy to it. thanks for the link.
posted by Peter H at 1:29 PM on November 15, 2002

I like tiny sculptures.
posted by Danelope at 1:37 PM on November 15, 2002

Some more microminiature sculptures here, courtesy of the spectacular Museum of Jurassic Technology -- the place where art and lunacy not only meet, they sit down and have a nice long chat over coffee and a slice of mouse pie.
posted by scody at 1:39 PM on November 15, 2002 [1 favorite]

They suck!
posted by Holden at 1:47 PM on November 15, 2002

Using only his naked eye, Dalton Ghetti carves miniature sculptures of everyday objects from pencil lead.

Best damn eye carvings I ever saw.
posted by Frank Grimes at 1:49 PM on November 15, 2002

You suck!
posted by eddydamascene at 1:50 PM on November 15, 2002

Using only his naked eye, Dalton Ghetti carves miniature sculptures of everyday objects from pencil lead.

Dangling Modifiers Suck!

These sculptures however, are quite cool. Thanks, Jonson.
posted by Ufez Jones at 1:54 PM on November 15, 2002

(Not really a dangling modifier, since it was quite obviously Dalton Ghetti who used only his naked eye. A true DM would look something like: "Using only his naked eye, the miniatures of everyday objects were sculpted from pencil lead.")

I loved the boot -- very cool. This is actually the sort of MeFi link I crave: offbeat, unlikely to float onto my radar.
posted by minnesotaj at 2:01 PM on November 15, 2002

Pencil baby, #2 lady, utilitarian
Mini art, two linked hearts, the smallest in the land
No museums, but you can see 'em, in jpegs on the web
I keep them with me, always with me, tiny sculpture in my lead.

Sorry.

I've always loved miniature sculpture. In kindergarten I went to a museum where they showed us pictures of a sculpture in a grain of rice, and since then I've been hooked. Here's another article about a micro sculptor that I've had bookmarked for a while.
posted by Nothing at 2:02 PM on November 15, 2002 [1 favorite]

tiny sculpture in my lead

If this is the kind of MeFi post that minnesotaj craves, then Nothing's song tribute is the kind of comment that I crave. Very clever, showed some thought, and extended the subject with a link elsewhere. The gold standard of posts. I'm taking this to MetaTalk!!
posted by jonson at 2:08 PM on November 15, 2002

Aw - that's not so impressive. I thought it was a regular pencil. Look at that photo - it's an extra-big pencil. I could do that any day.
posted by soyjoy at 2:16 PM on November 15, 2002

Great link! Thanks, jonson.
posted by timeistight at 2:24 PM on November 15, 2002

You'll go blind doing that. Or is it supposed to grow hair on your palms? I always confuse the two.
posted by Ogre Lawless at 2:38 PM on November 15, 2002

I've been carving tiny sculptures onto the ends of pencils for nearly thirty years now, but I only carve ice cream cones and teepees, so no one's ever noticed.
posted by mr_crash_davis at 2:46 PM on November 15, 2002

heh.
posted by modge at 2:56 PM on November 15, 2002

Do I really have to be the first one to point out that none of the pencils made in the last few decades have lead? It's all about carbon, baby. Carbon everywhere.
posted by blindcarboncopy at 3:11 PM on November 15, 2002

graphite, not carbon in pencils...

The sculptures? Great! I wish there were more pictures!
posted by sir walsingham at 3:30 PM on November 15, 2002

Oh my God, I think I have one of the pencils that mr_crash_davis carved. I'm looking at it right now. It's so beautiful!

Thanks for this post, jonson. It's something that I never would have found on my own unless I googled for miniature carvings in the lead of draftsmen's pencils.
posted by iconomy at 3:30 PM on November 15, 2002

sir walsingham: graphite, not carbon in pencils...

It's all slang from the same gang.
posted by eddydamascene at 3:37 PM on November 15, 2002

My eyes hurt just from thinking about doing that.
posted by HTuttle at 8:10 PM on November 15, 2002

scody - I would just like to say (and no slight to the original post intended) that your link to the Museum of Jurassic Technology is easily one of the best I have ever seen posted to MeFi. It should have had its own Front Page post. Thanks!
posted by anastasiav at 10:32 PM on November 15, 2002