Pencilvember Going Strong

As most German pencils are, this one is a nail!
It's a 3B that feels more like an H!

11/12/23 vintage Staedtler Mars Lumograph 3B

By the third week of a month-long drawing challenge, I’m usually starting to look at the calendar to see how many days are left. But what started out almost as a whim is turning out to be one of my favorite challenge themes: Who knew that sketching an ear a day would be so much fun – and illuminating?

11/13/23 Dixon Ticonderoga No. 2

The pencil that most American kids used in
elementary school (though mine was never
neon pink back then). No nostalgia here...
happy that I have much better options now as
an adult.

It’s the combination of the subject matter (endlessly varied) and the material (also endlessly varied) that is making the challenge so compelling. Although graphite pencils are among my favorite drawing materials, I tend to use them sporadically, not daily, so this month is a fun opportunity to learn, compare and appreciate pencil qualities.

11/14/23 Pentonic

I know nothing about this Pentonic, but it was
very pleasant to use.

In my previous Pencilvember post, I had mentioned the comment from a blog reader who had said ears can be used to identify individuals for genealogical purposes. Shortly after that, when I exclaimed my fascination with the uniqueness of ear shapes, an Instagram follower commented, “That’s why mug shots have a side view; before identifying individuals by their fingerprints, the ear was the identification.” I didn’t know this, but it doesn’t surprise me at all.

11/15/23 Nataraj Trikone Super Black

Another India-made pencil, this one has a triangular barrel
and excellent dark graphite.

11/16/23 Musgrave 600 News

This US-made pencil is extremely dark yet retains a good point. It's apparently a favorite for doing crossword puzzles because the soft, dark graphite works well on newsprint. 

11/17/23 Faber-Castell Pitt Matt 4B

I wish I liked the innovative Matt more
(reviewed on this blog), but I just don't care
for the "stickiness" when applied.

11/18/23 Bic Criterium 4B

At least now I can say I have used a Bic that
wasn't a ballpoint.

11/19/23 Lyra Rembrandt 9B

Another nail-hard German pencil! 

11/20/23 vintage Eberhard Faber Microtomic 6B

Fabulous vintage graphite that is a joy to use.

11/21/23 Royal Sovereign Wolff 4B

Very soft for a 4B, this Royal Sovereign was difficult to
use when I wanted to apply lighter tones. I was tempted to 
switch to something harder for those areas, but my rule for 
this challenge is one pencil per drawing.

11/22/23 Tombow 2558 B

Predictably solid Japanese graphite with a surprising bit
of grit. Also, please note: In case it's confusing without context,
this is a LEFT ear. Must have been a painful incident!