German Artist Carves Tiny Sculptures Out of Toothpicks

Hey, there! Good to see you today. Wassup? Got time for a mug of coffee and a VT? Of course you do. Say...I think I heard you were looking for a new hobby. Did I hear right? If your eyes are still pretty good; you don't have Parkinson's; you do have a huge lighted magnifying glass and a box of toothpicks then this could be for you.

51-year-old German artist Ragna Reusch-Klinkenberg is an expert at carving miniscule figures out of toothpicks and pencil tips that are so tiny you need a magnifying glass to actually see them properly! Some of Ragna’s figurines include animals like cats and giraffes, inanimate objects like toothbrushes, and even famous politicians.

Ragna, who holds a degree in graphic design, says her real passion lies in working with wood. She’s been passionate about carving since her childhood. She started carving erasers at school using small forks and later moved on to carving wooden clothespins and selling the miniatures she made at craft markets.

“Once I had forgotten my clothespin blanks, but I found a toothpick in my pocket,” she recalled. So she tried working with it, and fell in love right away.

Talk about detailed, eh? Holy Moly. Think of how cute they would look stuck in the canapes at your next party. Better get started on them now...

If you think toothpicks might be a challenge to carve, you could always start with wooden skewers...

See ya, eh!

Bob