The Blackwing Experience

Charles Berolzheimer invited me to the NYC Blackwing experience. While I had to gracefully decline to attend, I thought "What a cool idea and fun event."

Today, I am retiring my very first Blackwing that I was introduced to almost two years ago. As my pencil is now too short to use anymore, I started to think about my own Blackwing experience.

Looking back at all attributes I thought hindered the use of wooden pencils, over time they now have culminated into positive characteristics. The relationship between the pencil, paper and myself subtly evolves through the artistic expression. Sharpening a wooden pencil is almost a ritual. Using the pencil as it dulls enhances the drawing, offering subtle differences and organic nuisances. Then at a particular point, I stop. Sharpen. And start the process again. It seems to breathe life into the drawing. As the pencil gets smaller, I use a pencil extender to extend its life. Until finally the affair of collaboration ends and the drawing is completed.

Can a simple pencil make such a difference? I think so. I love my Blackwings and Palominos.

Baseball - Still life

For all the basebase fans out there!  Spring is here so let's play ball!

This is a still-life study for Royal Brush.  They will be making a sketch kit out of this one.  It was actually really fun to do.  I used the magical Palomino Blackwing pencil for the glove base texture and used the Palomino 2H and 6B for the lights and darks.  These pencils worked perfectly on the Canson Foundation Series Bristol smooth paper.

A Blackwing Monday

The Blackwing Pencil is starting to make it's name amongst the graphite artists. Here is another fun story!

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A Blackwing Monday
Woke up yesterday-very early which always makes me grumpy. There was messy white stuff - SNOW- on the lawn. Certainly not a mood enhancer! BUT things improved , the mail came early for a change bringing with it only 1 bill & (drumroll please!) my package of Palamino Blackwings. Oh, the joy, oh the anticipation, oh the sleek black box ! I sharpened just one. By the way the Palomino Long Point Pencil sharpener is great.

I'm not on the marketing committee for the company, I've just been strangely influenced by the rest of you- scary, but it is Halloween week.
So far, I've just gone back over some old sketches with the Blackwings. One insipid tree really came alive. I may even have the courage to post it when I get my new printer-scanner set up. My old one went to electronic heaven last week.

Do you understand why the simplicity of a 'pencil' brings such joy? Aren't we blessed by our craft? Treat yourselves- these pencils are worth it.

Linda Fode
graphite artist

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I think Linda has it right.  There is something special about the simplicity of a pencil and to a graphite artist, it's pure joy!

First Impressions - Palomino Blackwing

It's good to know I'm not the only pencil fanatic!

Here are two wonderful first impressions of the new Palomino Blackwing pencils by two great artist friends.  Be careful graphite artists....the Blackwings are addictive. 

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Stranded at home while my car is in the shop this morning, I opened the package that came in yesterday. I saved it for this morning, knowing that I'd be cranky.

My roommate was unsympathetic. She knows I went to Goodwill yesterday to find a raincoat and paid $10 for it. So she pokes at me for spending twice that on a dozen Palomino Blackwing pencils.

"It's a pencil." she says, after I let her pick one up.

Granted, she hasn't finished her coffee yet. And she was waiting with irritation for her laptop to come up so she could read the news. But she accused me of 'fondling' my new pencils and said it was 'disturbing'.

I poked at the pencil, discovered that the eraser can be removed. Sharpened it. And picked up a rough sketch of a fallen sycamore on the lake shore that I had started a few days ago. I filled in an area blocked off in the shape of a pine tree, using my new pencil. It took me about 2 minutes to achieve a lovely, dark pseudo-realism.

I held it up and she blinked. "Wow. Cool. It builds up shadows fast, doesn't it?" She said. Sipping her hot coffee with a slurp. Then she turned to her e-news. "But it's still just a pencil."

Sigh.

Planning to go to DC this afternoon, if my car gets done, and I'm taking pad and Palominos with me.

Here's my opinion after a weekend of experiments: As dark as Ebony drawing pencils, but with thinner and dryer lead. Sketches lightly, with good control and produces dark lines quickly and easily with less shine than 4-5B lead. Not as covering as higher 8-9B leads, but much nicer for sketching.

Karen J. Newhouse
CapallGlas Studio
http://www.capallglas.com/

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Karen - LOL! That's a cute write up of the pencils.

I got mine as well. They are not just a pencil. No, no no...They are magical pencils, that take you to places that only your imagination can conjure up. They are special pencils.

I quickly got the box open, grabbed a pencil & sharpened the wood off.  I just couldn't make myself to cut the lead yet. I went to work & just wrote with it. Wonderful, exquisite, smooth, dark.

Toby Levin
moleskin sketching artist
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Toby - I think you might have said it all when you called the Blackwing a magical pencil. On different paper surfaces, it becomes a whole different experience!

Karen is such a creative writer as well as an excellent artist.  I can't wait to see what she creates using the Blackwings on gesso panels! 

Here are a couple of sketches using the Blackwing on Bristol Board Vellum. The Vellum has a rougher texture and the graphite slides on creating a beautiful texture and with a few layers, a rich black. I'm loving this pencil more and more....

The Palomino Blackwing

I received my box of Palomino Blackwings in mail today.  That was quick delivery and wow...what a nice packaging!

I would love to hear from all my graphite artist friends who have purchased the Palomino Blackwing pencils.  I'd like to know what you think of them....both the good and the bad.

Be sure to give it a good work out!  If you remember reading my assessment of the  pencil, I initially did not give it very high marks.  But since then, I've given it a full workout on a couple of drawings, and it has proven to be an excellent tool for building beautiful mid-value graphite tones.

In the drawing "Agnew Meadows", I used the Blackwing in the darker trees in the foreground.  By applying initial graphite layers by the Blackwing and then applying 2B over this, I created a beautiful rich dark tone.  In the past, I frequently would end up with an uneven tone with spots of the "dreaded" graphite shine.  But the Blackwing seems to have a nice matte finish providing a wonderful base.

As with any technique, your approach, type of paper or unique style may provide different results.  I'd love to hear what you think of these unique pencils!!

Diane

Agnew Meadows

This has been a whole new approach to drawing...working in the darker tones and leading the viewer through the scene by the lighting.  Let me know what you think of this composition and style.

The Palomino Blackwing Pencil

A new pencil with a completely different feel

I was selected to test out the new Palomino Blackwing pencil. The original Blackwing 602 was discontinued by Faber Castel and is now being re-introduced by the Palomino producer's Cedar Co of California. 

Part of the test was to compare it to the original Blackwing as well as the Palomino HB pencil.  Since I never even heard of the Blackwing pencil until a month ago, I felt it important for me to find the real thing.  I coughed up the $$ and purchased one from ebay.  It is a pre-1958 vintage Ebarhard Faber Blackwing 602. 

Now on to the comparison of the new Palomino Blackwing to the vintage model as well as to the Palomino HB .

I think the hype regarding the vintage as being the best pencil ever made, is just that...hype.  The wood in the vintage pencil was difficult to sharpen, leaving a rough texture and reminds me of why I have never cared for using wooden pencils.  The new Palomino Blackwing matches the other Palomino's top quality wood and sharpens clean with no splintering.  The new Palomino Blackwing slick design and white eraser is also much improved over the vintage model.

The new Palomino Blackwing is an unusual pencil in that it doesn't feel like graphite.  It has a carbon or clay feel to it and it doesn't leave a super shiney layer. It also compares more closely to a 2B than an HB grade in both softness and tone value.  The CEO of Cedar Co., Charles Berolzheimer, says I'm the first to make this comment. He thinks it could be that since I use a wide variety of graphite leads, I am probably very sensitive to the grades. He may very well be right on this as I use a variety of grades from 4H to 6B.

During my testing and comparison, I didn't care for the new Blackwing.  I have to be honest  and say that I did not give it a good rating when I reported back to Charles.

But I couldn't stop at just a few pencil strokes.  The real test is to see how it lends itself to drawing.

I am pleasantly surprised that the new Palomino Blackwing's "non-graphite" characteristics can create rich black tones that are incredible.  But I will let the drawing speak for the pencil....

Here is my current work in progress using the new Palomino Blackwing for the canopy of dark trees, a 2B .5mm mechanical pencil for the grass, and a 4H chisel point clutch pencil for the background trees (using the Blackwing to layer the darker areas on top of the 4H).  The darks lay down quickly and evenly and create a rich "black". 

My final report to Charles?  This pencil is DEFINTELY a keeper and I am looking forward to pushing my landscapes to a whole new level of rich darks.  Thank you Charles!!