The new king of Etch-a-Sketch art

You may have read about Etch-a-Sketch guru George Vlosich III right here back in June, when his talent for painstaking dial-twiddling seemed rare, his monochrome portraits of presidents and basketball players one-of-a-kind. But that was three months ago. Now a new Etch-a-Sketch sensation has captured the world's attention (or at least the Daily Mail's) and is giving young George a veritable run for his money.

Jeff Gagliardi is his name, and he lives in Colorado and has been Sketch'n for more than 30 years. (That's him to the right, holding a Sketch of himself holding a Sketch of himself holding ... you get it.) The difference between Gagliardi and Vlosich is that the former takes real masterworks of art as his subject, and while any fool can trace a great picture, reproducing Van Gogh on an Etch-a-Sketch takes real talent. (First of all, the picture has to be drawn sideways, which involves creating dots and lines that often seem to have no relation to one another until the work is finished. Moreover, the resolution on the Sketch is such that paintings have to be edited -- certain details omitted, others enhanced -- in order for them to read properly. Also, if you tilt the thing, your work is ruined.) Enough chatter, let's get to the art! (For more, check out Gagliardi's website.)