<img title="Key, Chair" src="http://images.mid-day.com/images/2017/jan/Pencils-point-1.jpg" alt="Key, Chair" /> Key, Chair
As the morning sunlight casts a warm glow on a terrace in Andheri, Yash Soni hands us a small glass bottle with a cork stopper. It fits between our thumb and index finger. Glinting at us from within is a tiny guitar carved out of the nib of a pencil.
<img title="Mic and fist, Eiffel Tower" src="http://images.mid-day.com/images/2017/jan/Pencils-point-2.jpg" alt="Mic and fist, Eiffel Tower" /> Mic and fist, Eiffel Tower
A &lsquo;wow&rsquo; escapes our lips as we squint to check out the intricate details &mdash; there are strings, tuning pegs, a saddle and Soni&rsquo;s name carved on the instrument&rsquo;s body. &ldquo;It took me four hours to make it,&rdquo; says the 26-year-old artist, one of the few in the city creating microscopic art out of pencil lead. This weekend, he will present a live carving session at Maker Mela, an event that celebrates art, engineering and science with a DIY mindset, at KJ Somaiya&rsquo;s Vidyavihar campus.
<img title="Watch, Guitar" src="http://images.mid-day.com/images/2017/jan/Pencils-point-3.jpg" alt="Watch, Guitar" /> Watch, Guitar
Russian inspiration With a professional background in event management, Mumbai-born Soni&rsquo;s tryst with pencil art began two years back, when he came across the works of experimental Russian artist Salavat Fidai on Instagram. &ldquo;He carved a heart within a heart on a pencil. I was fascinated. Since art had been a hobby (he has created graffiti and speed painting works), I decided to try this too. I bought a pencil, a five-rupee cutter, and tried to carve a heart in a car, while travelling to Thane, and I was able to do it,&rdquo; recounts the self-taught artist, who watched Fidai&rsquo;s art-making videos repeatedly to learn the finger movements. &ldquo;Now, we correspond too. His advice to me: be gentle and use minimal movements with fingertips,&rdquo; he says.
<img title="Yash Soni with spool-and-needle carved on a pencil tip. Pics/Sayyed Sameer Abedi" src="http://images.mid-day.com/images/2017/jan/Yash-Soni.jpg" alt="Yash Soni with spool-and-needle carved on a pencil tip. Pics/Sayyed Sameer Abedi" /> Yash Soni with spool-and-needle carved on a pencil tip. Pics/Sayyed Sameer Abedi
Be patient Till date, Soni has created over 50 pencil carvings, including a key, a stiletto, a champagne glass, a watch, a chair, the Eiffel Tower, a fist with a detachable mic, a windmill with rotating blades and even a needle and spool, carved entirely out of the wood and lead of the pencil. On his wishlist are a scooter, a neckpiece and Mukesh Ambani&rsquo;s tower of blocks, Antilla.
<img title="Soni&rsquo;s tool set comprises two scalpels and a needle" src="http://images.mid-day.com/images/2017/jan/Yash-Soni-tool.jpg" alt="Soni&rsquo;s tool set comprises two scalpels and a needle" /> Soni&rsquo;s tool set comprises two scalpels and a needle
&ldquo;Carving on pencil requires a lot of patience. Since I prefer to focus on the details, it takes about four to five hours to make a piece, though I can make a heart in 20 minutes,&rdquo; reveals Soni. The artist uses three basic tools &mdash; two scalpels with surgical blades and a needle fitted into a pen-like holder. &ldquo;I start by shaving the wood with the scalpel and then, use a needle to carve the finer shape and details,&rdquo; he adds. When we ask if he works in a particular kind of light, he confesses, &ldquo;Initially, I would use a USB LED lamp attached to my laptop as a source of light when I needed to carve at night. My parents were anxious about it affecting my eyesight. Now, I&rsquo;ve become more careful but I can work from any spot,&rdquo; he adds.
Pencil matters Soni uses a range of pencils, from 2B to 8B leads with a shiny finish, graphite pencils featuring matte-finish leads and carpenter pencils with a flatter surface. &ldquo;Indian pencils aren&rsquo;t great in quality and often, the lead within the pencil is already broken. The biggest challenge is breakage. 8B leads are thicker which helps me carve more intricately,&rdquo; says Soni, who preserves the pencils in glass bottles or in customised frames.
Last week, he conducted a workshop-cum-exhibition at IIT-Chennai. Now, he also customises his works and sells them, starting from '4,000. &ldquo;Most people are dismissive of the art since it&rsquo;s on a pencil. My aim is to give micro sculpting the credibility it deserves,&rdquo; he signs off.

Ahead of his live carving session this weekend, meet a 26-year-old micro sculptor who creates the Eiffel Tower, spool-and-needle and guitars on the tips of pencils

Make a point with pencils at this micro sculpting session

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Ahead of his live carving session this weekend, meet a 26-year-old micro sculptor who creates the Eiffel Tower, spool-and-needle and guitars on the tips of pencils

Make a point with pencils at this micro sculpting session

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Make a point with pencils at this micro sculpting session

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