It took me almost two months (and a lot of magnified patience!) to create this tiny Bison Herd — 50 miniature bison, all carved from the graphite of a single pencil.
Each one was shaped under magnification, one by one, until a full herd began to form. The entire scene fits on a pencil, yet it captures the power and movement of these incredible animals that have always inspired me.
To give you an idea of scale — that’s a nickel-sized buffalo standing behind a herd that’s about the size of a paperclip!
This is one of my most detailed pencil carvings to date, and definitely one of the most challenging. Graphite is so delicate that one wrong move can undo hours of work, but there’s something magical about seeing this tiny herd come to life from such a fragile material.
It’s a tribute to patience, precision, and the wild beauty of the plains — all inside a single pencil.
🖤 You can see more of my work at CindyChinn.com
More info: cindychinn.com
The whole pencil in it's custom case - and a closeup of the lead bison
50 Bison carved from a single pencil - shown with a "Buffalo Nickel" for scale
"The Thundering Herd" carved from a pencil lead!
A top view shows the dust raised by this herd of bison!
The same view at two different scales - even the baby bison is keeping up!
Here's the full herd, showing the lead bison out front!
