Category Archives: Art Work

08/3/11

Pencil Dust Finger Painting.


(This post is from Comrade Logan, in Kentucky.)

For several months, whenever I’ve been too lazy to use my wall mounted sharpener, I’ve been sharpening my drawing and list-making pencils into a small glass on the coffee table. I’ve used grades from H to 9B, as well as Ebony, Layout, carpenter’s and water soluble pencils.

Over that time I developed a habit of rapping the glass against the table a time or two to send the graphite dust down through the shavings before leaving my sharpener and eraser on top. It started as a way to keep things clean, but as the layer of graphite grew at the bottom of the glass, I started thinking there had to be something I could do with it.

Eventually I scooped out the wood shavings and ended up with more than a 1/4″ layer of gritty black shards, fine dust and larger lead pieces. While pure graphite powder makes a great dry lubricant for things like sticky door locks, this was anything but pure. It contained all manner of fine wood shavings, paint chips, and who knows what else. I could have tried filtering it somehow, but it still would have enough clay, wax and other additives mixed in that I wouldn’t want to use it as a lubricant.

In the end I decided I would try reusing the mix for its original intended purpose, marking on paper. That translated into an experiment in graphite fingerpainting, the results of which you can see below.

 

Some tips if you try this yourself:

1 – Use loose leaf paper. I didn’t and it was very difficult to funnel the leftover graphite dust back into the cup without making a mess.

2 – Be sure there aren’t any unwanted indentations in the paper…because they’ll be highlighted by the graphite rub. I’d drawn a stick figure on the previous page of my sketchbook and its head was clearly visible on this page.

3 – Try making a shaded field and using an eraser to subtract an image from it. Tell people you did this on purpose, not that you made a big gray mess with an accidental circle in it and the eraser was the only way to make it look like anything recognizable.

4 – Think about how you’re going to clean your fingers off before you start. This way you won’t end up with black marks all over the bathroom door knob and light switch.

(Text and images, L.L.  Used with kind permission.)

01/26/11

Pencil Art from Sarah Melling.


Sarah Melling sent us some of her wonderful pencil art, which is featured below with some prose from the artist.

“As a former interior/graphic designer with grown children, I have found time to return to something I love – drawing. After spending so much time at the computer as a graphic designer, digital drawing does not interest me at all. I love being ‘unplugged’ and using just pencils and paper. Most of my work is botanical subject matter – I’m quite taken with the art forms and patterns found in nature. My colored pencil work is done using Prismacolor pencils, and for graphite work, I use Derwent Graphic pencils.

I love the simplicity of using pencils and colored pencils; they’re not messy and they’re perfectly portable. Pencils are a humble instrument, to be sure, but they have such a long history and are capable of so much. Some of my favorite works of any artist, even the Great Masters, are their pencil sketches.”

We used to feature artists’ work fairly frequently, and we’d definitely like to do this more. If anyone has some art they’d like to submit, please use the CONTACT form, and we’ll get in touch!

(All images copyright Sarah Melling 2011. Used here with permission.)

05/19/06

Eidolon.


We are happy to be able to post some work from artist Graham McArthur from Australia, along with an essay on pencils:

For as long as I can remember I have loved to write and draw and for as long as I can remeber the pencil has always remained my first choice for both writing and drawing.

There is nothing like a good pencil, and I can’t think of a more versatile, immediate or interesting medium. Being so universally familar and easy to use makes the pencil the most immediately accesible tool for most people. Used mainly as a linear writing or drawing instrument, the graphite pencil is very much at ease creating tone and textural effects as well as implied colour. It is these properties in particular that interest me the most. The availability and range of pencils seen today makes the medium more attractive than ever before providing unlimited potential for an open mind and inventive imagination.There is great joy to be had in spending endles hours gently persuading the pencil to leave its silky grey tones on delicious paper. The implied colour of graphite can be enhanced with a restrained use of a single coloured pencil creating a sense of mystery and inviting the imagination of the viewer to create more implied colours in the mind’s eye.

As a semi-retired illustrator my work these days is just for fun and self indulgence. I no longer try to please the client or the unknown viewer. I still like to paint and to experiment with a variety of media. However, without the restraints placed on me by the brief, I find that I am being drawn more and more to the simple but incredibly and wonderfully expressive nature of the most versitile medium of them all. Long live the pencil.

Many thanks to Graham, whose blog — featuring lots of great artwork — you can check out at Eidolon.

[Image and text, G.M. Used with kind permission.]

05/12/06

Larrrge pizza.


By my alter-ego, who is a [semi-] normal person who does more than just admire pencils.

Drawn on a pizza box with a Faber-Castell GRIP 2001 (HB) in the dark while watching “Globe Trekker.” I swear I can usually write/draw at least a little better. But damn it, drawings on pizza boxes are funny, and I had to share.

See a larger image and complete story here.

[Image, J.G. Used with my own permission.]

05/10/06

Rube’s sharpener.


Don from Pencil Things sent us this great cartoon a few weeks ago. It’s a piece by Rube Goldberg, co-founder and president of the National Cartoonists Society and unquestionably one of the most famous cartoonists in history.

Read more about Rube here.

View the conceptual blueprints, so to speak, of this exquisite contraption (and how it works!) here.

[Image, Rube Goldberg.]

05/1/06

Michael McClure.


We are very happy to feature some wonderful work from artist Michael McClure, but I will let him speak for himself:

I think it’s just amazing what you can create with pencil. I’ve always loved the medium. Pencils are like a trusted friend that will never let you down. You don’t need a power source of any kind (other than your hand I suppose) and they work in any temperature. There’s just something very raw and ‘right brained’ about them and I can’t quite put my finger on it. My most recent project is much the same as I’ve done in the past but this time I’m using just a hint of coloured pencil when the work is complete. I only wish I had more time to explore the medium further – maybe something for retirement.

The image of the Derwent collection shows the pencils I used to create the artwork on my site. All the artwork I’ve done have been done with this same set of pencils – and look how little used they appear. Just imagine how many future works of art might be contained in these pencils. Sometimes I can hear them calling me from the art shelf – pencils by nature have something to say.

You can check out more great work at Michael’s website, with the pencil work located here.

[Text and images, M.M. Used with very kind permission.]

04/19/06

Good old #2.


Best-selling author Trevor Romain writes about what the world would be like if children did not use pencils in school on his blog:

I read yesterday that some schools are going to stop teaching cursive writing and instead kids will be taught how to write using a computer keyboard.

I am truly saddened.

I am saddened because this action is certain to spell the death of the #2 pencil.

The loss of the good old #2 will be tragic.

I mean, let’s face it, that ageless yellow friend with the useless pink eraser on the top is the one common thread that ties the world of creative expression together….

The #2 is amazing. It does not have an instruction manual. It doesn’t need a warranty. It can draw in any language. It can be chewed and stomped and it will still work. It doesn’t need a battery. It floats. And it works just fine after getting wet.

Without the #2 how can children send quickly scribbled notes to each other in the classroom? They would be reduced to sending instant text messages that can never be kept in a scrapbook.

Read on.

[Image and text, T.R. Used with very kind permission.]

04/14/06

Easter and eggshell.


Happy Easter to all Comrades and other Sentient Entities of the Revolution!

While not necessarily Easter in theme, the work of artist Juel Grant takes the form of drawing in pencil on eggshell; and we usually associate decorating eggs with the Easter holiday — at least where I’m from. Please check out Juel’s spectacular and revolutionary artwork — and very nicely designed website.

My greatest sense of purpose and fullfillment is realized when engaged in the meditative conversation of drawing.

I draw with pencil on eggshell. Of the many surfaces with which I’ve experimented, nothing awakens and stirs the senses as this one does. It has never ceased to challenge and inspire the best of my abilities. The shape; timeless, transcendent, continuious,… the embodiment of life.

As I draw the surface expands, grows more vast. I hold in my hand a globe who’s landscape I roam in solitary bliss. I love that place, what it asks of me, what I become in it’s presence.

Here is the page featureing drawings on eggshell.

Thanks to Carol for the link!

[Images and text, J. Grant. Used with very kind permission.]

02/7/06

Lucid Windows (ii).


(Part ii of the work of artist David Powers.)

“Why do I use pencil? Well I have been using pencil since I was a child. It has just always been my favorite medium. I love b/w film and photography as well. As I get older and more skilled in my craft, pencil has become romantic, poetic and something I would love to be a part of preserving. Pencil as a medium is really on the endangered species list lol; it’s been largely reduced to the idea of sketches and before we know it, digital will rule! Or so it would currently seem to me.
As well, given the nature of my work, which deals with symbolisms and metaphors, etc., it’s close to tapping into something of the collective unconscious. There is a great deal of subjective-ness to it, but there is an under-current of universality to as well. I am often asked why I do not put colors into my work and that is simple: I love pencil. But no seriously, other than that, colors mean different things to different peoplpe For example, how does the color blue make you feel? How does it make your neighbor feel? You see what I mean, it gets in the way of the translation of my work. It gets lost in translation.
To me, and hopefully others, my artistic expressions will be just that, Lucid Windows — windows of light/love/truth.”
Myriad thanks to David for his words and amazing work — and for his furthering the cause of the Revolution!

[Images, D.P. -- All rights reserved. Used here with kind permission.]

02/5/06

Lucid Windows (i).

The first in a two-part showcase of the work of artist David Powers. But let’s let David speak for himself:

“I am currently twenty four, a Libra, and I am in college studying psychology, medicine, and art. I am a martial artist, have been since I was about 10 years old, and I have trained in several different styles but prefer the true essence of ‘Jeet Kune Do’ which focuses more on honest human and artistic expression, in regards to the martial arts. I tend to apply this approach or world perspective to all my artistic expressions…

My work is very spiritual process for me. Each piece is created through a deep meditation, often at nearly a trance-like state of consciousness. I enter into meditation prior and basically hold that state until finished.”

“Within A Child”

“Comedy of the Left Hemisphere”

“Breath of Stonehenge”

Stay tuned for the next post, which will also feature some more of David’s great work and more from David on his art and on pencils. In the meantime, check out his site Lucid Windows.

[Images, D.P. -- All rights reserved. Used here with kind permission.]

01/19/06

Happy Birthday, E. A. Poe.

I’ve searched and searched and searched, but I can’t find information on whether Mr. Poe ever used pencils to fashion his tales of the macabre. (If anyone has any, we’d appreciate it!) It really looks like he was an ink man. So I know; this post has little to do with pencils, then. But Mr. Poe is one of the patron writers of my hometown, so much so that they named their football team after his most famous poem. And I just plain like him.

But even if wishing Mr. Poe a Happy Birthday is not really “pencil related,” it can’t hurt to stop and think about the idea that all that separated him from the stories in his brain and posthumous fame was paper and something to write with. Pencil collectors, fanatics and casual users always have these on hand, since pencils usually come by the dozen or so. What if Mr. Poe had no ink or quill?

Besides, who among us has not read Poe with a Black Warrior of Dixon Black in hand, or written a scary story or grizzly poem without fancying her or his self to be in cahoots with the Master of Dark Writing in English?

For more information about Mr. Poe, visit the website of the famous (or infamous, lol) E. A. Poe Society of Baltimore. Great editions of Poe’s work can be found by the Library of America series, and you can get them at a very good price (comparable to less authoritative editions with typos, etc.) on Amazon or Overstock. They are based on the authoritative (but out of print) Harvard University edition. The Library of America also makes a great collection and analysis of Poe’s poetry in their American Poets Project, and the Everyman Library’s Pocket Poets edition is also excellent.

And finally, for a bit of fun, check out the adventures of Li’l Edgar (requires Flash) at Accoutrements, makers of the Poe action figure, Li’l Edgar figure and the Poe bobble head.

[Image, Joe Kubert. Found here.]

12/14/05

Goodfences and Blue Pencil Unlimited.


In keeping with the blue pencil theme from yesterday, check out the great work of artist Steve Tansley, who tells us, “I only use the Sanford Col-Erase 20044 blue. Always have. Best pencil around.”

Goodfences:

“A cartoon by Bill Goodykoontz and Steve Tansley.”

Blue Pencil Unlimited:

“BluePencil Ultd. is the online portfolio of Steve Tansley. An illustrator and graphic designer for 12 years, an interactive designer for 6 years. His work has been published in the Arizona State Press Newspapers, Scottsdale Tribune Newspapers and Take 5 Entertainment Guide. He works full time at Studio Productions in Tempe Arizona as their Senior Graphic Designer and Illustrator. He has been honored with the Society for Professional Journalists Award and has won two Prisma Awards for interactive design with an honorable mention. Steve is the co-creator of Goodfences, a hilarious new comic-strip. He continues to teach cartooning principles, graphic design and web design for middle school, high school and undergrad students to help educate and broaden the appreciation of art.”

Of his favorite tool, Steve tells us:

“I use the pencil so much I named my freelance effort Blue Pencil Unlimited. As a full-time illustrator and graphic designer I am always sketching my ideas first. So the Col-Erase has become my standard. I offer a mac icon of the col-erase on my site if anyone is interested. I welcome feedback and best of luck with the revolution!”

Many thanks to Steve for sharing such amazing work with us! Sanford’s Col-Erase pencils are readily available at Dick Blick and Mister Art, for the adventurous who want to try them.

[Image and text, S.T. Used with very kind permission.]

12/13/05

Untitled 13.


Jacob of Untitled 13 is kind enough to let us post one of his recent pencil drawings:

PR: ” I have to ask: what kind of pencil is that? Prismacolor Verithin?”

U13: ” It’s a Staedtler non-repro blue pencil, which is probably pretty similar to a Verithin in softness and color…Been trying to use pencil more and more as it allows for much greater gradient control than pen stippling.”

[Image, Untitled 13. Used with very kind permission.]

12/2/05

More Pencilmation.

Ross at Pencilmation let us know a few weeks ago that he’s got some great new cartoons up at his site. Brighten up your Friday by checking out some really cool little films — especially the adventure of Infinity Snail!

(Flash required to view the little movies.)

[Image, Pencilmation.]

11/29/05

George Langenberg.

Greetings! We hope everyone had a great holiday break, or a great week either way. Resting was good, but it’s even better to be back in the pencil world.

Long overdue, is a post featuring Dutch artist George Langenberg, who was kind enough to send us a special message about his work and his pencils:

“Dear Pencil Revolution Readers,

I find it very hard to commit myself to a certain style or theme. I feel inspired by colours and texture of the drawing material and the paper. I often use watercolour paper as it has a nice feel which adds to the characteristics when a drawing is finished.

I build the surface hatching in different directions and I almost always use more then one colour. So that during the day when the light changes the colours in the drawing change with it. Colours made with pencil are very sensitive to the surrounding light. Day light is best of course.

I know you’re comparing many brands and qualities of colour pencils at Pencil Revolution. Here in Holland there aren’t that many good pencils available. Most known are probably British Derwent. But I like to use the U.S. made Karisma pencils. These are very soft and sometimes a bit sticky. I use a small breakable knife to sharpen, as the pencils are so soft they tend to break very easily. After the knife comes the sharpener to make it really sharp.

In time Karisma Black no 935 tends to oxidize if you put it very thick, thus giving it a whitish film. I regret the fact that Lemon Yellow isn’t available any more. It is a primary colour in Ittens colour circle so I found it ridiculous to get it out of production in the first place. Now the brightest yellow is Canary Yellow no 916. Apart from it’s silly name it’s a hard colour and not so fresh and subtle as Lemon Yellow no 915 was. I hereby plea to get Lemon Yellow no 915 back in the Karisma colour spectrum again. Any other Karisma lovers joining the petition?

My favourite colour must be Hot Pink no 993 but that is a very personal choice. I think because it makes such fresh contrasts opposed to other colours. And it’s such a vivid colour to blend with. For the future I try to make my art more and more contrast full, more and more Hot Pink.

I hope you enjoy the drawings in my portfolio.”

Many many thanks to George, and you can check out some of his great work at his website, here. Click “gallery” at the bottom, and click the stripes.

[Image, G.L., used with kind permission.]