NEW BOSTON, IOWA -- When you have a talent, it's nice to share it with the world.
A Southeast Iowa man recently rediscovered his talent he found as a teenager, and is eager to share it with you.
KHQA shows how a childhood toy is bringing out the man in Cody Leggett.
An Etch-a-Sketch, a creative mind, and a little time can go a long way for 23-year-old Cody Leggett of New Boston, Iowa.
Leggett says, "This is something that I enjoy doing, and hopefully other people can get enjoyment off of it."
Leggett came about his unique talent as an Etch-a-Sketch artist completely by accident.
"I hardly played with an Etch-a-Sketch when I was younger," Leggett said.
But one day when he was about 16, Leggett said, "I happened to pick up an Etch-a-Sketch. I thought I'd try it out and draw a diagonal line, and one thing led to another."
... and then another, and another, and another. Eventually, like most teenagers, Cody lost interest in the Etch-a-Sketch art, and life took priority ... like a wife, and a baby. Then just a couple of weeks ago, Cody hurt his finger at work and had to take time off. To help pass the time, he picked up an Etch-a-Sketch, and has been creating new artwork like crazy.
"It's something that not everyone else does. It's not something that you see everyday. I enjoy the 'wow' effect. People will see it and say 'wow man, what is that?' A lot of people think that I cheat," Leggett said.
But he doesn't. He creates each piece of art knob turn by knob turn. Including a recent piece of the Power House at the Keokuk Lock and Dam. "Everything on there as far as amount of windows is to scale. Everything is accurate."
And surprisingly, it didn't take all that long to do. "I'd say a little over three hours," Leggett said.
One of the cool things about an Etch-a-Sketch is you just shake it and the image is gone, but Cody fashioned a way to make the image permanent, so it never goes away.
Leggett says, " This is something someone can put on display. They can have it, they can keep it, they can use it to show other people."
If you look online for artwork of this type, expect to spend upwards of 300 dollars. Not for Cody's work though.
"I want to put these in the homes of every person who warns every dollar they make," Leggett said.
His goal is to not get rich, but to spark a conversation and continue to do a hobby he picked up as a teenager and can share with his three year old son.
If you're interested in some Etch-a-Sketch art, you can contact Cody Leggett's via e-mail at cshayne@hotmail.com or by phone at 319-795-7383.
You can also check him out on Facebook at www.facebook.com/sketchartbycody
TV Station Profiles & Public Inspection Files forKHQA