NEW BOSTON, IA (KHQA) - A Southeast Iowa man recently rediscovered a talent he found as a teenager.
An Etch-a-Sketch, a creative mind, and a little time ended up can go a long way for 23-year-old Cody Leggett of New Boston, Iowa.
"This is something that I enjoy doing, and hopefully other people can get enjoyment off of it," Leggett told reporter Chad Doubles of KHQA-TV.
Leggett came about his unique talent as an Etch-a-Sketch artist completely by accident, since he said he rarely played with the toy as a child.
However, one day when he was about 16, Leggett found he had something special.
"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," said Leggett.
And one line lead to another, but wventually, like most teens, Leggett lost interest in the Etch-a-Sketch art. He's been a busy man. Now, he has a wife and a baby.
But a couple of weeks ago, Leggett 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," said Leggett. "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."
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," he said.
And surprisingly, it only took him a little over three hours to craft the work.
Leggett has also figured out a way to make the images permanent. After all, when you shake an Etch-a-Sketch, your image can be gone in an instant.
"This is something someone can put on display," said Leggett. "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. But Leggett said his work is a bit less expensive.
"I want to put these in the homes of every person who warns every dollar they make," Leggett said.
Leggett said his goal from the new-found art is to not get rich, but to spark a conversation. He also wants to continue the hobby and share it with his three-year-old son.
