![I Carved A Family Of Elephants Into A Pencil I Carved A Family Of Elephants Into A Pencil](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbNM_7XVx8-G-gBA3c5Lt0HmzkOJ4XHvWwD5RGDUxJczEfPHLOeJIUkzh1bRTHOYBRqefIwcxEDtGU7liMNATDrcsjsJdCneHr3K9evRJ-JnzPEQ7-SCpXFV3Q5INcVMglBc7QfrAEGUE/s1600/I+Carved+A+Family+Of+Elephants+Into+A+Pencil.png)
My first pencil carving at this scale was of a train – and in December of 2015 it went viral across Facebook and the Internet! I was even featured on a TV show in Barcelona.
My most elaborate design has been the Elephant Walk, commissioned by the Epiphany Elephant Museum. The design started out simple, an Elephant with a foil stamped logo. Then I got carried away… after looking at reference I decided that I needed to carve a family of elephants walking across the Serengeti, because carving just one elephant wasn’t challenging enough! So I stopped keeping track of the hours… but it took a few days.
I carved the train using a 5x diopter magnifying lamp. Then I bought a 10x diopter floor lamp. Still feeling like I could get more detail, I bought a 90x Trinocular on an arm, which is basically a microscope that can be setup for a long field of working distance. I would never have been able to get the detail that I was able to get in the elephant’s skin or the baby’s trunk, which was REALLY crazy hard to carve without breaking… I found myself holding my breath a lot.
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Using the wood of a pencil I carved the tree tops, and the trunks are made from the graphite lead
![I Carved A Family Of Elephants Into A Pencil - Using the wood of a pencil I carved the tree tops, and the trunks are made from the graphite lead I Carved A Family Of Elephants Into A Pencil - Using the wood of a pencil I carved the tree tops, and the trunks are made from the graphite lead](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNK6357GD_E5Cn6O9koA1LlgN5ghG1l7DvasmEMDBbbGjnrpTUEaQPJ_N3ySu3c74h7dtIAdaWsi-Yk4psy64_6SLnPQF37UXDvrhffI96sdjw0Ng3XxlNvfTDmN_JyjPz2ixLFX81RkA/s1600/I+Carved+A+Family+Of+Elephants+Into+A+Pencil+-+Using+the+wood+of+a+pencil+I+carved+the+tree+tops%252C+and+the+trunks+are+made+from+the+graphite+lead.jpg)
![I Carved A Family Of Elephants Into A Pencil - Using the wood of a pencil I carved the tree tops, and the trunks are made from the graphite lead I Carved A Family Of Elephants Into A Pencil - Using the wood of a pencil I carved the tree tops, and the trunks are made from the graphite lead](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMV0JxTD-vyRnc5Pafrbr0khNvWO3H7tM689_aHcXmzT4eqknQA_YzZrA-1zyh56rfDC94hgtfT-TotL8k94-rMb3NukjNpIUaYmOadGOw8aQBneHxx-v2ZqrO8FFmHALtK4sNMz9mlnU/s1600/I+Carved+A+Family+Of+Elephants+Into+A+Pencil+-+Using+the+wood+of+a+pencil+I+carved+the+tree+tops%252C+and+the+trunks+are+made+from+the+graphite+lead.jpg)
![I Carved A Family Of Elephants Into A Pencil - Using the wood of a pencil I carved the tree tops, and the trunks are made from the graphite lead I Carved A Family Of Elephants Into A Pencil - Using the wood of a pencil I carved the tree tops, and the trunks are made from the graphite lead](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivCsHegPadZDLOjRkePWkbhET9CqTUzm4GjEpPS1tO4c7YvpHH-d7LPRQqgwuJ5mT3GCagvOEvqjYA8f-4mxr74OMq8c6Rqf9aS6DGKl0yh7nlsPxR6kYydSdE7fT0Oyqa7pyiUR0YMPo/s1600/I+Carved+A+Family+Of+Elephants+Into+A+Pencil+-+Using+the+wood+of+a+pencil+I+carved+the+tree+tops%252C+and+the+trunks+are+made+from+the+graphite+lead.jpg)
I scored the wood of the pencil to create the look of grass
![I Carved A Family Of Elephants Into A Pencil - I scored the wood of the pencil to create the look of grass I Carved A Family Of Elephants Into A Pencil - I scored the wood of the pencil to create the look of grass](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQma1RlMrQiFoRGl5GFsbEO4nzBHM2xyJcKLVkuaIK1NvGS33qhC4jZmDNg4mq3UfGi_Q5UK2XWifh3nRZR0am2cHlsRQKW72eg9e1b-Thyphenhyphen7gJ7kRm1JKb1ikjyJZxXYNmX_JOlTYtJNI/s1600/I+Carved+A+Family+Of+Elephants+Into+A+Pencil+-+I+scored+the+wood+of+the+pencil+to+create+the+look+of+grass.jpg)
![I Carved A Family Of Elephants Into A Pencil - I scored the wood of the pencil to create the look of grass I Carved A Family Of Elephants Into A Pencil - I scored the wood of the pencil to create the look of grass](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimEN48YGt9j92Vy3VEzW1DTCtu2Y-LzOG2Z_qa-stJJ5YCTLZXv4Ai6_7nhyDgh9lxYuIdqZrl58YUPcamkLYMs9ly1lnRQgtK0eKwinhbXRmSskZZAsPk7nmtfJ-kIOZfjGGy4vnXFTg/s1600/I+Carved+A+Family+Of+Elephants+Into+A+Pencil+-+I+scored+the+wood+of+the+pencil+to+create+the+look+of+grass.jpg)
I carved the elephants from different pencils
![I Carved A Family Of Elephants Into A Pencil - I carved the elephants from different pencils I Carved A Family Of Elephants Into A Pencil - I carved the elephants from different pencils](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYpEPhqPAqFnIcZL3pS-ITNPRpy4-hX_mMpALGU0puEEfixNcmPHHY58eCkSdLjXNZ7mc_hmWSZp2QsAZBO9lfHyDjMgploQBx1t5HUkg_uEcNGqlBeBOPciXMiPIAg1MRte0SDfEXGwE/s1600/I+Carved+A+Family+Of+Elephants+Into+A+Pencil+-+I+carved+the+elephants+from+different+pencils.jpg)
I start with a carpenter pencil, adding rough grid lines for reference
![I Carved A Family Of Elephants Into A Pencil - I start with a carpenter pencil, adding rough grid lines for reference I Carved A Family Of Elephants Into A Pencil - I start with a carpenter pencil, adding rough grid lines for reference](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUAoyRwQUbvWzAua8J6mvfcb7-iHJP9-MmPtIdFF4mHu_5ljF-nNBEcx5ubxOBsJgVMT7-wQZv7kaxxpg0JLrJAm4MUfZKGZJBzI3dSf0KWVCvUOVakmWTo3NHo9a8_FWrTgu5vYx6Krk/s1600/I+Carved+A+Family+Of+Elephants+Into+A+Pencil+-+I+start+with+a+carpenter+pencil%252C+adding+rough+grid+lines+for+reference.jpg)
I rough the basic shape out using my magnifying lamp
![I Carved A Family Of Elephants Into A Pencil - I rough the basic shape out using my magnifying lamp I Carved A Family Of Elephants Into A Pencil - I rough the basic shape out using my magnifying lamp](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg97spFQlVQShLXf5LIcjUmnMyOYXFx_B4FcVfZIZTw5LznkLYno-i5BxCsn-Tqn5UtIjqpTbGEZnOMlrf7iFej7U3fU2MSqczc9MmuWEJuUB9DR0QriOBzlsIn7PH1jDDQekOxsbV82Oo/s1600/I+Carved+A+Family+Of+Elephants+Into+A+Pencil+-+I+rough+the+basic+shape+out+using+my+magnifying+lamp.jpg)
Sometimes I also make some of my own tools because I can’t always find points that are small enough
![I Carved A Family Of Elephants Into A Pencil - Sometimes I also make some of my own tools because I can’t always find points that are small enough I Carved A Family Of Elephants Into A Pencil - Sometimes I also make some of my own tools because I can’t always find points that are small enough](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigONHKp8oQWsfODtTPhY5A1lgiJ17-FWkjgOh8U86j_rCPPPm-I2eb0COUFFXbSELdeEJp44PfLWM9Mfyg8MVyHDwkQEGiygaE4D8v7fdtYkyUeYw_kUY-6KMHSN2HbZK9Wr_-IbRm1GE/s1600/I+Carved+A+Family+Of+Elephants+Into+A+Pencil+-+Sometimes+I+also+make+some+of+my+own+tools+because+I+can%25E2%2580%2599t+always+find+points+that+are+small+enough.jpg)
I complete the elephant with skin texture
![I Carved A Family Of Elephants Into A Pencil - I complete the elephant with skin texture I Carved A Family Of Elephants Into A Pencil - I complete the elephant with skin texture](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2lgEve8NBiI75h-tG3lnhSL7bNDvlUeLCdkLbPoxTT8aPNZgwSjepfnkxIvcGLvhYcsjp_4ZUm0lccuVltQnAlh5QVOvR5P7Ri1-6QKpKQA62hZR7tunqj_xkbzxfGjoTb8Ro9YQDvs8/s1600/I+Carved+A+Family+Of+Elephants+Into+A+Pencil+-+I+complete+the+elephant+with+skin+texture.jpg)
My work station complete with a magnifying lamp and a trinocular
![I Carved A Family Of Elephants Into A Pencil - My work station complete with a magnifying lamp and a trinocular I Carved A Family Of Elephants Into A Pencil - My work station complete with a magnifying lamp and a trinocular](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsSvicRbYb8EjOIIGaXgIlMc1wHAVzFrLIFhVMLg2H9be8QBqrMCyadzX6T3p0_tgu73ua2tQViQclaHwJreJH2ckV61MUFzRDBCH6abpu89YsaGIQTrCwdlSklQogHbXF3jC0IgbGaYw/s1600/I+Carved+A+Family+Of+Elephants+Into+A+Pencil+-+My+work+station+complete+with+a+magnifying+lamp+and+a+trinocular.jpg)
I have also carved other tiny things, like this graphite mitt
![I Carved A Family Of Elephants Into A Pencil - I have also carved other tiny things, like this graphite mitt I Carved A Family Of Elephants Into A Pencil - I have also carved other tiny things, like this graphite mitt](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5nsnskGXyjIHedZPXMR8gjMt_delGB4c73BKuBNapgXI8KnG3sWg9ir6GOo3W9Wg2laHJxUOOUFInYDfhE_YDV3Gw3X-cCB5kj8ZCqLBjhWpVEBSWPC4K4U3cliN2tKvIfgE_3_xJqpo/s1600/I+Carved+A+Family+Of+Elephants+Into+A+Pencil+-+I+have+also+carved+other+tiny+things%252C+like+this+graphite+mitt.jpg)
![I Carved A Family Of Elephants Into A Pencil - I have also carved other tiny things, like this graphite mitt I Carved A Family Of Elephants Into A Pencil - I have also carved other tiny things, like this graphite mitt](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiRM1t9WczC4NGmltqkmxe-ABEQaNxZ7gV6Guvl8ooCULlef-71kFK8_09JFCeQoSchc2OvrGH8Tqf_1CSWFt3ifrtI_kkMBLxkZOHpI7aQhU-a2OW-9RUHPv-4MI8jB2NhuSb19XbAdw/s1600/I+Carved+A+Family+Of+Elephants+Into+A+Pencil+-+I+have+also+carved+other+tiny+things%252C+like+this+graphite+mitt.jpg)
Inside art
![I Carved A Family Of Elephants Into A Pencil - Inside art I Carved A Family Of Elephants Into A Pencil - Inside art](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjLMYmXa-1qTegMB_ZDLKGBRKfdT3vvDzag2lX-iUk1ksuVTWLMR951M3lVJCG-kQ3YJjsjxngtgRfvPcxcdaOFqDuK3FulrS685ouqihWCc_mVu-A29f3q4jYzQmMBQ6bfZ0oCTPYrDY/s1600/I+Carved+A+Family+Of+Elephants+Into+A+Pencil+-+Inside+art.jpg)
![I Carved A Family Of Elephants Into A Pencil - Inside art I Carved A Family Of Elephants Into A Pencil - Inside art](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihqrMPfsO-AInWPNAh9qPZBvHFbvpX-R9uLIhi0YfR7Lh8mREg0nPJn2lVPrLWePVjSdxEWH-nZEEPFnrJYpUQUcb2Nlso3s-c4dzLQQ5yVOV8zrvOsb0CgJoFlSAe0VFL2Karh7JnRZA/s1600/I+Carved+A+Family+Of+Elephants+Into+A+Pencil+-+Inside+art.jpg)
The beast
![I Carved A Family Of Elephants Into A Pencil - The beast I Carved A Family Of Elephants Into A Pencil - The beast](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2MpK9rDerT08Lc8octBOcwkTX-n5Dzq8D6uWhC5MeCxVceP3Zc-c5LFFSP0DUSlZ9Jf9OACKjzEuGD-ZIcK5u1FOiK7wIB6dAy6ZSE8uaNfTgIgC25bStSJoQm8s1uHgVh9m2ewfpoaQ/s1600/I+Carved+A+Family+Of+Elephants+Into+A+Pencil+-+The+beast.jpg)
A day at the beach
![I Carved A Family Of Elephants Into A Pencil - A day at the beach I Carved A Family Of Elephants Into A Pencil - A day at the beach](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbDL_Il0w4Dvxs2wfYnOBloxRS5nXcBDspUMDtQeD07PTz_k1FPUcHXo32PfPVdIMuGXLVoV4NLk87pTffBQJgh2kakDOsqkNL3mzsVJ2jPFolvA7n6wM6RRzR3vicWTCAZmSwwFRzuYQ/s1600/I+Carved+A+Family+Of+Elephants+Into+A+Pencil+-+A+day+at+the+beach.jpg)
![I Carved A Family Of Elephants Into A Pencil - A day at the beach I Carved A Family Of Elephants Into A Pencil - A day at the beach](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjI01rY3qmem-r8d5kUdJItumLjwoHyU4zv31vXEHCGe7NntUwbmE6An1EY8Fd_HbL8SL7H45isKBrStldDFEMsLrwdq_VxXVoLwYdncAYfqpMk8CRxzSDC1IjNAbn4FpgbPDxXr3bf5bM/s1600/I+Carved+A+Family+Of+Elephants+Into+A+Pencil+-+A+day+at+the+beach.jpg)
You can see more works on Etsy
Source: Bored Panda
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