New Blackwing Colors (Review of “Sand” Eraser)

 

New Blackwing Colors embrace the classic Blackwing look 

While Blackwing trots out a new graphite Volumes edition every quarter, its Colors colored pencils set gets re-released only every several years. Maybe “re-released” is an overstatement, since it’s usually just a branding or box change, not a change to the pencils. This month’s new release is the first in a long time with an actual design change in the pencil itself: the addition of Blackwing’s iconic ferrule with a “sand” eraser intended for colored pencils.

First, let’s recap the history of Blackwing Colors (shown in my 2020 post): The first editions, which came out prior to 2010 (exact date unknown to me), came in both a water-soluble Aqua edition and a non-soluble edition, both in sets of 12 and 24. The sets of 24 came in fancy wooden gift boxes. Branded Palamino, the round-barreled pencils sported a traditional look (ala Polychromos) with a simple silver band near the end.

The many editions of the same 12 Blackwing Colors.

In 2016, a non-soluble set was released with a new barrel design featuring a distinctive silver end cap and hexagonal shape. The windowed box got an attractive upgrade, too, with a magnetic closure (why is it so satisfying to close a hinged lid, even on a cardboard box, with a nice click?). Sadly, no sign of a new release of the watercolor pencil set.

Same box design as the last edition

A strange transitional refresh came in 2020 when the newly rebranded Colors came in the flat box that the graphite pencils used to come in – with an added Colors sleeve. Clearly, it was a hasty change to accommodate the branding change only (and the new box wasn’t ready yet?). Very shortly thereafter, the permanent change was released: The previous windowed box redesigned with the new branding.

Now we’re up to date: The latest edition has retained the previous branding and box, but the colored pencils now have the classic graphite Blackwing look with a ferrule and eraser. Alas, the 12 colors are not new. Compared with the previous edition, all the cores are identical in both color and consistency. (Since I reviewed the cores previously, I will not discuss them in this post.) I have been clamoring on social media at every opportunity for an extension of the color range! Surely a new set of 24 in a gifty box or even an ordinary one would be well received! (Clamoring always falls on deaf ears.)

Current Colors compared with 2020 edition: identical

Hinged box opened

Back of box

Same branding as the previous release

The iconic Blackwing ferrule and new "sand" eraser

The latest edition is identical to the previous one except for the ferrule and eraser.

With nothing else new about it, the “sand” eraser got my full attention. According to Blackwing, “The design also features a special sand eraser with a semi-abrasive texture made specifically to erase colored pencils.” The erased image showed remarkable results. Challenge accepted!

Although not as comprehensive as the great eraser rub-off I did at the Well-Appointed Desk a few years back, for this challenge I chose tough contenders that are my current favorites for use with colored pencils: the Sakura/Rabbit Foam Pure Slim and the Tombow Mono Zero retractable. And just for kicks, I threw in Blackwing’s other erasers – its standard found on all graphite pencils and its “soft” ferrule eraser that was released as a limited edition a couple years ago.

The rub-off contenders, from top: Tombow Mono Zero retractable, Sakura Foam Pure Slim, Blackwing standard eraser, Blackwing "soft" eraser (in a Vol. 155 ferrule), Blackwing Colors sand eraser

I applied the red Blackwing pencil on two types of paper – relatively smooth Stillman & Birn Epsilon and Field Notes Streetscape (reviewed at the Well-Appointed Desk), which has a mild tooth. Both papers are very pleasant and appropriate to use with colored pencils. The sand eraser performed better than all contenders – an excellent colored pencil eraser!

Tests on Stillman & Birn Epsilon paper

Tests on Field Notes Streetscape paper

I’ve used sand erasers before, however, and the reason they perform so well is that they remove some of the paper’s surface as well as the pencil pigment, and sometimes the damage to the paper is significant. For the next test, I colored a solid block with the violet Blackwing pencil on Epsilon paper. I erased out a good patch with both the Sakura Foam and the Blackwing sand. Finally, I used a green Blackwing to color over the erased spots. I could feel that the sand eraser had roughed-up the paper. As you can see, it was harder to apply the green consistently where the paper had been damaged.

Test on S&B Epsilon paper

As with any sand eraser, I think it’s best to use it sparingly and only where light layers of pigment have been applied to minimize surface damage. It’s super-handy to have a narrow attached eraser that can make relatively small erasures (which is the Tombow Zero’s best talent). And both core and eraser are unquestionably superior to Col-Erase, which is one of only a few contemporary colored pencils I know of with an attached eraser. (This post about a vintage Supracolor with attached eraser shows others.)

Although I didn’t use an eraser for this sketch, I was reminded of how delightful Blackwing Colors are to apply, especially on smoother papers (Stillman & Birn Zeta used here). Despite my grumblings about the limited range of colors, this set is a very good one for casual use – and now with a decent attached eraser, too.

8/16/24 Blackwing Colors in Stillman & Birn Zeta sketchbook (photo reference)

The innocent-looking Sakura Foam took a vicious bite out
of the sharpener's corner (evidence of black still on the eraser)!

Speaking of erasers, that Sakura Foam . . . ? While it’s a top-notch eraser for both graphite and colored pencils that I would recommend any day, watch out how you store it! It’s a known issue that some plastic erasers have a weird chemical-reaction tendency to dissolve other plastics they come in contact with, and I’ve discovered that the Sakura is one of those disguised monsters! In a tray on my desk, it had gotten shoved up next to a plastic sharpener – and took a bite out of its corner! Thankfully, the eraser’s protective sleeve kept it from doing further damage. I’ve since segregated the offending eraser away from anything plastic.

(This chemical reaction is not a new issue. When I was a kid, I had a small collection of animal-shaped Japanese erasers that I kept in a small plastic box. One day I opened the box to find that all the erasers had started melting each other and their box! It was one of my earliest sad stationery lessons.)

Beautifully sharpened bouquet!