Artist You’ll Love: Dalton Ghetti

How much do you wish Leah had her own blog? Here's her latest guest post. She's been racking them up over the past two weeks, and I am SO appreciative! P.S. Hope you've enjoyed the past few weeks. Many thanks to everyone who pitched in...I'll be back starting September 20. See you soon! xo

This guy's work has been making the blog rounds lately, but every time I see it I still can't help but stop and stare. Think that's just a picture of some used-up stubby pencils? Think again and look a little closer. Those are little tiny letters sitting atop each pencil lead. Carved. From the pencil lead. All in one piece. ONE PIECE!Carpenter Dalton Ghetti has been carving things ever since he was a kid, finally settling on pencils about 25 years ago when he realized how smoothly a sharp blade could cut through the graphite. He uses only 3 tools: a razor blade, sewing needle and sculpting knife -- no magnifying glass! -- and most creations take several months, though some have taken a year or two.

There's a piece on him in the NYTimes from several years ago and more recently in the Telegraph where you can see more images of his incredible work.

Yes, that is Elvis.

A saw carved from the lead AND the wood of the pencil.

That key is actually separate from the link so it moves around. Crazy!

Not all his sculptures happen on the tips.

Today’s Pick: Friends of Film Zip Pouch

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MAKE A DASH FOR IT:

Visit slidesideways at Etsy

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14 Must-Sees in San Francisco

My friend Jorge wrote the guest post for today, and he decided to take on one cool city--and no, it's not our beloved Brooklyn. He just returned from just-as-lovely San Francisco, and is reporting in with his recommendations for a stellar-fun time. He's got some great info below, so enjoy. And thanks for the post, Jorge! Suddenly I'm craving barbecue oysters...

1. Cross the Golden Gate bridge and enjoy beautiful views of San Francisco

2. Try the fresh local trout and a beautiful view at Fish restaurant

3. Visit the California Academy of Sciences

4. Tired of walking? Take a Segway tour of the city.

5. Zig-zag through the crookedest street in the world, Lombard Street

6. Take a stroll on the beach

7. Go for the chicken tamales with mole at El Molino Central

8. Enjoy panoramic views of Sonoma square from the Barracks

9. Taste a bowl of lentil bean soup al fresco at Sunflower Caffé in Sonoma

10. Stop by the little town of Bodega and see where Alfred Hitchcock's "The Birds" was shot

11. Watch wales and seals from Bodega Bay

12. Try the barbeque oysters at Nick's Cove

13. Take a brisk walk through Muir Woods

14. Spend the night and recharge at The Pelican Inn

6 Graphic Design Sites For Non-Designers

More to learn from lovely Leah! Check out her picks for design sites to bookmark (even if your graphic design skills are only limited to selecting a font for a Word doc or the background on your Twitter page).


As a magazine designer, I have my favored go-to sites to stay up on industry news and what's current in the field. Here are a few that just might interest you non-designer types:

1. Society of Publication Designers THE professional organization for magazine designs and photo types, SPD has an awesome website that anyone interested in magazines will find entertaining. There's the obligatory industry news, but there's also lots of great pictures of publications from around the world with insightful commentary from their creators and peers.

2. Newmanology If you're a fan of anything vintage, then you'll love this ongoing gallery of historic magazines, books, posters and other cool stuff from legendary editorial designer Robert Newman.

3. grain edit This awesome blog also is a fan of vintage, specifically styles from the 1950s-1970s, and finds it reflected in the brilliant work of various contemporary artists. I don't think they've ever featured something I don't like. [P.S. Hey nice! Check out my Playlist post at HermanMiller.com from this blog's editor, Dave Cuzner - Amy]



4. Caustic Cover Critic A thoroughly entertaining look at book cover design that proves you really shouldn't judge a book by its cover, but sometimes it's okay to buy it just for that.5. Logoed A simple showcase of logos ... always a great source of inspiration and, really, just plain fun to look at.

6. Lovely Package Every find yourself buying a bottle of wine cause of the pretty label? Then you're going to want to buy ALL of the stuff on this blog featuring innovation in product package design.

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