Pencil Sculptures and Pop up books

Pop up books are so awesome, I have loved them ever since I was a little kid. It's facinating that someone can make a delicate sculptures that can fold away and be carried with you. I have been planning to design my own using characters I have sold in my shop. Thinking about it when I make a soft sculpture it is a similar mind set used when making pop ups. I have never fully understood how my mind can picture and design things that are three dimensional without even putting pencil to paper. Maybe I required this skill long ago and never really tapped into it until I started my plush making.

Another mini project I have been thinking about is to re visit sculpting the end of pencils. I was inspired many years ago by the work of a Brazilian artist named Dalton Ghetti. Just one sculpture sometimes takes him months and even years to complete (as well as all the pencils he breaks in the process) Here is one of my favourite pieces by him:

In my second year of university I was exhibiting micro sculptures for my exhibition. I decided to have a go at this pencil sculpting and see how difficult it was. I have to say I snapped many a pencil and didnt exactly have the best tools in the world (or macro lens camera either) but managed to complete one myself (the night before the exhibition that is) and was proud of my efforts. Here is my own sculpture of a woman with short hair. Although some people have commented saying how at first they thought it was Darth Vader haha

I have been wanting to make another one for a while but just havent got round to doing it yet. Then in work an idea popped into my head. My friend is moving into his new flat this week and I could make a tenny tiny house on the end of a pencil as a house warming gift :) I am sure he will love it... just need to think of a way to frame it?... Maybe get a deep frame and glue the pencil to the bottom really good so it doesnt fall over when being moved..... I am sure I will think of something :D I will be posting a picture of the final sculpture so watch this space....