Weekly Reader | Lead Story | Pencil-Tip Picasso

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alton Ghetti has the smallest shoe you probably will ever see. No, he doesn’t have tiny feet. The shoe is a miniature boot carved from the tip of a pencil! Ghetti is an artist. He makes intricate carvings out of pencils. He has made a boat, the alphabet, and even a giraffe. He recently exhibited his tiny creations at a library and art gallery in Connecticut, where he lives.

Today, a pencil can be sharpened in a few seconds. When Ghetti was a child in Brazil, however, sharpening pencils was not as easy. He did not have a pencil sharpener, so he had to sharpen his pencils using a razor blade.

When he was 8 years old, Ghetti began using razor blades for more than just sharpening pencil tips. He began making designs in the wood of pencils, as well as in tree bark, soap, and chalk. As Ghetti shaved away at more and more pencils, he discovered that the graphite center was the medium with which he wanted to work. He prefers carving in graphite because it is a smooth material. Wood has a grain, so it is harder to make wood carvings as precise as graphite carvings.

Ghetti uses a razor blade and a sewing needle to create his sculptures. He does not use a magnifying glass to zero in on the mini masterpieces. Instead, he works under a very bright light. He carves pencils for only about one and a half hours a day. If he works any longer, his eyes get tired.

Ghetti told Connecticut’s Easton Courier that he is fascinated by all things small. “I have an interest in small things in life—insects, moths, spiders. I spend a lot of time observing them. There’s a whole microscopic world out there that people don’t even notice.”

Critical Thinking

If you were Dalton Ghetti, what object would you sculpt out of a pencil? Why?

Most of Ghetti’s sculptures take months to complete, and some take years. One of his pieces is made up of 26 different pencils. Each pencil tip is carved into the shape of one of the letters of the alphabet. The alphabet carvings took about two and a half years for him to complete. That may sound like a long time, but Ghetti says his art is about patience. Working on his sculptures helps him to slow down and focus.

Sculpting pencils may look fun, but you shouldn’t try this type of art yourself. Using a tool such as a razor is dangerous unless you’re a pro like Ghetti. There is a lesson to be learned from Dalton Ghetti, however. Look around you. There may be something in your everyday world that you can safely turn into a beautiful piece of art!

Click here to view more of Dalton Ghetti's creations.

Click here to learn more about fine art with Inside Art’s interactive story.

Click here to play art games at the Albright Knox Art Gallery Web site.

Are you an artist in the making? Try your hand at our artist tool word search.