VietNamNet Bridge – Every Sunday morning at April 30 Park in HCMC’s District 1, while many young adults gather to sing, dance, talk, do exercises, study in groups, and do other outdoor activities, members of the pencil carving club sit down together creating artworks on colorful pencils.

Members of the pencil carving club focus on their artworks at April 30 Park in HCMC’s District 1

Dang Hong Khanh, a graduate of HCMC University of Law who heads the club, says he knows about pencil carving through a friend and has gradually fallen in love with it. He has learned more about this genre of art on the Internet and decided to open a club and a Facebook page to connect with those who have the same love for this art.

Originating in Japan, pencil carving allows carvers to create words, shapes, and patterns either on the core or the body of the pencil using cutter, paper knife, and operation knife. Some people even create their own blades to carve tiny details on the pencil.

Apart from tools, choosing pencil is another crucial step to create beautiful and high-quality carving products. Normally, the pencil whose body is mixed with plastic is chosen for this art.

In order to become a skillful pencil carver, it takes several months of practicing. To master the art, it would take longer.

“It has been more than one year but I just can carve simple details on the pencil and have yet to be as good as other people who have practiced the art for a long time. But every time I can make a carved pencil to give my loved ones, I really feel happy,” says Nguyen Dang Khoa, a sophomore at Nong Lam University.

For this genre of art, players must be patient because it may take one hour or even a week to finish carving a pencil depending on how complicated the words or the patterns on the pencil are, Dao Duy Thanh, a high-school student at Tri Duc secondary school, says.

“I love this art. It helps me improve my patience, be creative and stay away from other unhelpful activities such as online games,” he adds.

Shapes created from the cores of pencils     A young woman shows her beautiful carved pencils

From simple pencils, players create a comb, a key on the pencil core or beautiful patterns and meaningful words on the body of the pencils.

In addition, they bind pencils together and carve them into unique “paintings,” which is a true challenge for carvers.

“I love making paintings from attaching pencils together and carving them. I usually come to this art in my free time and my family strongly supports it,” high-school student Le Van Dai says.

A member of the pencil carving club named Le Duc Nam says many people have learned about carved pencils of the club through photos on its Facebook page, and along with that, orders from those who want to buy these pencils as gifts have come. Usually, these products cost VND50,000 (US$2.31) per item but sometimes the price is as high as VND1 million for one item.

However, the main purpose of the club, as said by its members, is still for young adults to enjoy themselves after work or school.

SGT