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Palomino Blackwing Pencil And Sketchbook

One of my favorite pastimes is sketching. I haven’t been able to sketch things from my imagination yet, but I am sometimes able to sketch objects in front of me. It’s so fun to mimic the image I see in real life as I draw it on paper. It’s like I’m sharing my perspective of something with the world. I haven’t been able to sketch in a long time.

Then Bert got in these amazing, new (to me) Palomino Blackwing pencils at the store. I’ve always enjoyed using pencils of all types, and am always curious to try more. So, I immediately bought a box of the Blackwing pencils along with a box of the Blackwing Pearl pencils, and a special Palomino sketch book. I was instantly inspired. You could even say I was “drawn” to draw something in this new sketchbook!

I had spent some time sharpening the pencil with the special Palomino 2-stage Pencil Sharpener to get the perfect, sharpened point on the graphite. Then I tested both, the Blackwing and the Blackwing Pearl to get a feel for what it would be like to draw with them. The Blackwing (as pictured above) is versatile. It’s great for a comfortably smooth everyday writing, yet its softness, similar to a 2B hardness, is great for drawing and shading accordingly. The Pearl is a slightly harder lead, but that doesn’t detract from its usefulness. Both are great writers and glide along the paper effortlessly.

The eraser took more getting used to. It’s a thinner, more flat eraser that adorns the top of the pencil. There are two things that are most exciting about this eraser: the first being how easy it is to replace the eraser once it’s worn. Normally on pencils, both mechanical and wooden, you have to really dig for the remnants of the eraser that once was. On the Blackwing, there’s a ledge on both sides that serves as a holder of the eraser that you can easily pull out to replace with a fresh new one. As you can see in the pictures, the second great advantage of having this flat eraser is that you can easily erase details in a drawing without worrying about messing up the overall image. I’ve found my new “go-to” pencil, and I hope you all enjoy it as well!

Adam

You can pick up yours here: http://www.bertramsinkwell.com/ecommerce/wood-pencils/palomino.html

The FAF Desk Pad (Fabrique en France) metal desk pad is made in Paris in a workshop built by Gustave Eiffel (of eponymous Tower fame.)

The FAF pad is a practical and highly functional desk pad with a unique vintage look. It is practically identical to the original FAF pad first manufactured in the 1920s.

Sturdy metal construction with non-slip backing
200 micro-perforated sheets for clean and easy removal
60 g smooth white paper
Refillable with blank or graph sheets

faf

The shape and size is perfect for the desk, Comes with blank paper but you can purchase grid paper as well. The base of the holder has little gripper pads so when you tear off a sheet the whole pad doesn’t go with it.

I enjoy using this pad on my desk here at the store as well as at home, problem at home is the whole family likes it so I do go through a lot of refills.

Take a look at the brass bolts used to hold metal cover on, nice solid brass bolts have a nice heft and a true feeling of quality. Note the cut out to the far left of the pad, this little half moon punch ensures the paper will tear where it is supposed to, following the perforated top edge along the metal top plate. As simple as this thing is the Folks at Exacompta really thought this through.

It’s simple to change the pads when you run out too. The unit comes with blank paper but we now also offer the same size pad in grid pattern. I you like using quality fountain pens and a properly sharpened pencil you’ve got to try this pad.

Coming soon in different sizes.

http://www.bertramsinkwell.com/ecommerce/rhodia/exacompta-faf-desk-pad.html

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