The Original Fude Pencil

 

3/25/26 Uni Mitsubishi "brush pencil" in Stillman & Birn Zeta sketchbook (photo reference)

After thinking about the Uni Mitsubishi “brush pencil” and talking about it in yesterday’s post, I couldn’t help but pull it out – it had been ages since I last used that amazing pencil. Indeed, it is the fude of graphite pencils – ultra smooth, 10B graphite combined with a thick, thick core.

I made the same types of swatches I did with the Derwent Drawing pencil in yesterday’s post: the side of core, with the point in multiple, lightly applied layers, and a high-pressure application with the point. With firm pressure, it’s so dark it looks almost like a marker. What a pencil!

Uni "brush pencil" swatches made in Zeta sketchbook

Yet is it more of a fude than a Derwent Drawing pencil is? I think not; they are equally fude-esque. And the Drawing pencil has the added benefit of not smudging nearly as much as the Uni “brush” does. Graphite or colored, any pencil can compete for the fude title – but it’s not easily earned. I’d welcome other contenders! I certainly don’t own any others!

Its title is stamped right on the barrel: fude enpitsu ("brush pencil")

Sunny Trees at Volunteer Park

 

2/5/26 Volunteer Park

The USk Seattle outing was for a choice of either the conservatory or the Seattle Asian Art Museum, both at Volunteer Park and both of which are free on First Thursdays. But when the day dawned with a clear sky and a forecast of temps in the 50s, I knew I wouldn’t be going indoors at all; I bundled up for outdoor sketching!

Seeking a spot where I could get a dose of vitamin D, I first sketched the memorial of William Henry Seward outside the conservatory (above). I’ve sketched this statue a few times before, including one during my first year of sketching. I remembered that experience and how the statue had gotten lost in front of a background of trees painted in the same value. I’m happy that I’ve learned at least a few things since then.

Across the street from Volunteer Park Cafe, 17th & Galer

After a bite to eat at nearby Volunteer Park Café, I walked across the street to sketch a lovely bare tree that I had spotted on my way to lunch. Although the Capitol Hill neighborhood is full of Seattle’s oldest, most impressive trees, this one had beautiful light on its trunk, and I could stand in the sun myself to sketch it. It’s always about location, location, location.

Technical notes: In the top sketch, I tried something a little different from my usual method: I used a gold-colored Derwent Inktense Block to indicate light on one of the mostly shaded conifers. I’m not sure it “reads” well as sunlight compared to the paper-white light on the statue.

Although I don’t care for the bright blue I chose for the statue, I’m happy that I’m making new color choices beyond my usual tried-and-true (that is, "reality").

The second sketch is an example of exactly what I was talking about in yesterday’s post. After drawing the tree and shrubbery with Derwent Drawing pencils, I wanted to imply the café building in the background by drawing the windows with a neutral color (so that the tree would stand out in front of it). All I had was a Blackwing graphite pencil. Although it has an extra-soft core, the Blackwing is not nearly as thick as the Derwent. Immediately I realized I would have to be more careful and deliberate (and therefore slower), or the pencil strokes would be more visible. The Derwent, on the other hand, is so thick that the pencil strokes blend into each other instantly. That’s what I was trying to articulate yesterday but couldn’t quite explain; that’s what makes the Derwent Drawing so expeditious.

Now I’ve answered my own question: Yes, I can use these pencils even outdoors!

Foggy First

 

1/1/26 Maple Leaf neighborhood

The new year awakened with a thick blanket of fog. It’s a common occurrence this time of year, as my Facebook “memories” have been showing me my foggy sketches from years past. The first one I make of the season always feels rusty – like I forgot how to use a graphite pencil (which, I admit, I hadn’t used in a while, since I used only colored pencils during Pencilvember).

For the animals I’ve been drawing with colored pencils lately, my general approach is to slam on the color as hard and fast as possible. Drawing fog with graphite, however, requires the opposite approach: Shading as lightly as possible while still being visible.

Bird Day at the Zoo

 

11/26/25 Chilean flamingoes, Woodland 
Park Zoo

Red-legged seriema

White-naped crane and red-crowned crane

Aside from the obvious reasons to visit, Woodland Park Zoo is a scenic place for fitness walking. To beat the chill, first I hoofed briskly around its 92 acres, taking circuitous trails to increase my steps. Eventually I slowed down to sketch a few residents. After beginning with a few flamingoes and cranes, I decided to stay with the bird theme that day.

The most exotic and beautiful bird I sketched was a Victoria crowned pigeon (below). With a headdress like a peacock’s tail, it strutted around in the Conservation Aviary, where many birds are free-ranging. Because I was still and quiet, it walked very close to me, looking for feed.

I can think of very little that I enjoy more than drawing animals from life – except maybe drawing animals from life on a warm day.

Victoria crowned pigeon

Exotic and free-ranging!

Yoga Interrupted

 

9/1/25 Outside the upstairs window

Mrehh, mrehh. . . chit-chit-chit-chit-chit. Mrehh, mrehh. . . chit-chit-chit-chit-chit.

It was that funny sound squirrels sometimes make. I was in the middle of my online yoga class when I heard it through my open windows: a squirrel on a utility line with its rear jammed up against the pole, fluffy tail curled over its head.

You may recall that I have a long, troublesome, expensive history with squirrels. My feelings toward them are still ambivalent, and on this morning I was curious what that familiar sound means. Is it distress, anger, threatening? Was this an inexperienced climber uncertain about scaling back down the utility pole it had obviously scaled up? Was it calling a friend? Admiring the view into my yoga studio?

By the time I had finished the first sketch, it had skittered up the pole a short distance to another, slightly less precarious perch, then rested a while in the same pose, making that sound again. Eventually, it skittered away.

Namaste, squirrel. Namaste.

Lunchtime Companions

 

8/25/25

Although I haven’t been sketching them as much as I did in previous years, I am still enjoying visits from Steller’s jays when I have lunch out on the back deck. When I open the kitchen door and start prepping my lunch, often a jay will stand on the deck railing in anticipation of what they know I’ll bring out: Peanuts.

After they’ve had their fill, they sometimes return to the railing to preen. As one jay took a particularly leisurely time, I kicked myself for not having any sketch materials with me (me – the one who is always lecturing to newbie sketchers about the importance of having sketch materials at all times because one never knows when a sketch opportunity will arise!). I knew that if I went into the house to get something, the moment would be lost, so I just enjoyed the moment.

The next day, a jay had barely grabbed a few peanuts when an opportunistic raccoon showed up. I had no intention of feeding trash pandas, but this one was so used to humans that it would not scare away!

I did what any equally opportunistic sketcher would do: I dashed into the house to grab my bag. A short time later, four adorable kits showed up to dine with mama (all sketches in this post are from life except the last one).

8/20/25

By this time, I had learned my lesson. The next time a jay came to preen, I had a pencil ready. A day later, the same jay (I think) came back for lunch and another leisurely preen fest.

8/25/25

8/26/25

8/26/25

8/26/25

Finally, I wanted to try a jay with a brush pen. I used a reference photo for this.

8/26/25 photo reference

I sometimes put the nut bin out on the railing while I'm prepping my lunch. A jay will tap on the bin to let me know it's lunchtime!

Opportunistic trash panda mom . . . 

. . . and three of her four kits!

Crow on a Wire

 

8/11/25

As I always do on clear mornings, I went upstairs to pay homage to Her Majesty. A crow on a utility wire was nearly at eye level. I had a few sketch tools in the next room, but I knew that by the time I got them, the crow would likely be gone. I grabbed a pencil and the back side of my workout notes (the former bedroom is now my yoga studio and gym). The crow stayed almost as long as I took to make the sketch. The haiku came a moment later, just as quickly.

I wish everything were that easy.

Old-School Seattle Snow

 

2/6/25 Maple Leaf neighborhood, about 8:30 a.m.

As much as I can see without putting on boots.

The first good snow of the season is always a novelty in these parts. People post photos of their streets on Facebook, and a couple of inches will close schools. Unfortunately for kids, they don’t get a snow day – they have to attend class online. (Pandemic preparedness sure ruined snow days!) With temps above freezing, the wet, heavy snowfall last week was pretty first thing in the morning when I sketched this but soon turned into a slushy mess. This is old-school, Seattle-style snow – not that newfangled climate change stuff we got several years ago.

It was trash day, and everyone optimistically put their bins out the previous night. Unfortunately, all the pickups were delayed all over the city. I didn’t care about that; I was just grateful I didn’t lose power as many areas did.

Technical note: How I’ve missed graphite and all pencils! The markers I’ve been using for the better part of a year have been fun and expeditious (and just right for the comics approach I’ve been focused on), but making this sketch with a Blackwing made my heart soar in a way that using markers never will!

The day before the solid snowfall, we got an inch of "teaser" snow that
was gone by noon. During my afternoon walk when the snow was starting
again, I spotted this quintessential Seattle snowman!

Back to Morning Fog

 

1/29/25 Maple Leaf neighborhood, about 8:30 a.m., 31 degrees

Unless I’m planning to make a time-consuming, highly detailed drawing in graphite, which would require a range of grades, I tend to pick just one relatively soft pencil, maybe a 2B, for most sketches. I’ve had trouble, though, with even medium-soft pencils when sketching fog. It’s too easy to suddenly find myself going too dark (which is ironic, because in every drawing class I’ve taken, regardless of medium, instructors have urged me to go darker with values). In addition, it’s so tempting to draw in a few sharp details, but fog flattens everything into pale, blurry tones.

After several days of beautiful, well-earned sunshine, we were plunged into a deep fog again last Wednesday – so thick that I could barely see across the street. It was also frosty-cold. I tried a Mitsubishi Hi-Uni in grade H, but even that seemed too soft. It helped to use a blending stump to remove as much texture as possible, but that can also darken graphite if I overdo it. Next time, I’ll choose an even harder grade.

I Smelled Something

 

1/5/25 Autobiographical comics from imagination

Here’s an autobiographical comics page I drafted a couple of weeks ago. Although they look rudimentary, making all these sketches from imagination took some doing. My intention was to eventually redraw the strip in ink and maybe add color afterwards, but by the time I finished, I ran out of steam. I never went back to it, and I’ve decided to call it good.

I think what happened here is the main reason I am a sketchbook sketcher and not a maker of “finished” works (the kind intended to be framed and hung on a wall). Some painters see all of their sketches as nothing more than preparatory studies for future works. Not me: Done is done. Once the fresh spontaneity and immediacy of a sketch (or first draft) are achieved, I lose whatever motivation I might have had initially to see it through to a more finished state.

My only regret with this strip is that I didn’t draw directly with ink the way I always do on location. I don’t have the same confidence when drawing from my head as I do from observation, so I feel like I need to be able to erase. Developing comics from imagination also takes more planning so that the strip follows a logical story arc. I could probably accomplish that step with a storyboard of small thumbnails instead of making complete drawings as I did here. Drewscape, my autobiographical comics hero, draws from his imagination directly with ink. Someday I hope to have enough experience under my belt that I’ll feel confident enough to do that, too.

Fog Season

 

1/15/25 Maple Leaf neighborhood

This time of year, we can usually rely on morning fog. I say “morning” because typically it burns off by noon, but that part has become less dependable. The day I sketched this, the fog hung around like a heavy, wet blanket until the sun went down at 4:46 p.m.  Short days, damp air, cold temps – spring feels far away.

At Least it’s Not Snow

 

1/13/25 Maple Leaf neighborhood

With only a few minutes before I was due in a Zoom meeting with my tax guy, I grabbed this small sketch of the morning fog. The temperature was 38 degrees. When I took a walk after lunch, the temperature was only a few degrees warmer, and the fog remained thick. Nothing like walking in cold, damp air to make me grateful that at least it isn’t snow and ice.

Graphite for Gilligan’s Island

 

My picks, from top: Dixon's Typhonite Eldorado, Faber-Castell 9000, Staedtler Mars Lumograph. The other two didn't make the cut.

11/27/24 Faber-Castell 9000 8B

Regular readers of this blog know my preoccupation with thinking about what I’d take to Gilligan’s Island. Don’t laugh – when it comes to art supplies, it’s an important question. Although I typically ponder this issue as it relates to my entire sketch kit, which would always certainly include at least one graphite pencil, it was only recently that I began thinking more specifically about which graphite pencil I would take.

The question came up during Pencilvember while I was using a Faber-Castell “Castell” 9000 pencil for a draped scarf study. For a graphite sketch, I typically use one hard grade to begin, then finish with a softer grade. In the case of a full-on, finished drawing, I might use several grades in between. But I was in a hurry that day with only 20 minutes before I had to leave for an appointment, so I tried an experiment: Instead of my typical method, I used only the F-C 9000 in 8B.

I know 8B sounds way too soft, and I thought it would be challenging to draw the initial blocking and lightest values with a pencil that dark. In fact, it is very strangely both hard and soft. While the end result is not as smooth as it might have been had I started with a harder grade, I was happy with it – both the result and the process. Because the entire 9000 range is so hard (compared to any Japanese range and probably even some European ranges), the 8B was suitably hard while also being dark. Huh – I wouldn’t even mind taking it to Gilligan’s Island.

11/29/24 Dixon Typhonite Eldorado 3B

That’s what got me thinking: what other graphite pencils would be good candidates for the “three-hour tour”? Before I get started, let’s consider the criteria:

Multiples and variations must be minimized. Anticipating a potential rescue, the Skipper tells the castaways that they may bring only the “bare essentials” (a term that makes Mrs. Howell gasp and adolescent 1960s viewers titter). Ginger’s 15 evening gowns would not make the cut, and neither would a full range of graphite pencils.

In addition to being compact, each choice must be versatile. If one colored pencil can take the place of two (oooh, bicolors!), that’s great, but if it’s also a watercolor pencil, all the better. The double-sided Viking Verso would be an ideal graphite choice – if only I liked the scratchy graphite.

Practical matters must also be considered. One could make the argument that a clutch and a box of leads in a variety of grades would certainly be a compact graphite set for the island. But how practical would it be to continually change the lead in a clutch while making a drawing? Not at all. I’d be rescued by the time I finished that sketch.

Finally, a subjective criterion is also important. I must enjoy using the pencil, or being stranded for any length of time would be intolerable.

12/1/24 Staedtler Mars Lumograph 2B

With these criteria in mind, I determined that a pencil for Gilligan’s Island must have graphite hard enough to last far beyond that three-hour tour to minimize sharpening, but it must also be soft enough to build darks efficiently. While the result may not be as smooth as using multiple grades, it must be at least adequate. To test the pencils, I made more draped fabric studies using the Field Notes Streetscapes sketchbook.

My top three candidates are the vintage Dixon’s Typhonite Eldorado 3B, the previously mentioned Faber-Castell 9000 8B, and the Staedtler Mars Lumograph 2B. Each is simultaneously hard and dark, making them versatile, compact pencils. The Lumograph is not as smooth and pleasant to use as the Eldorado or 9000, but it does meet the criteria. The Lumograph and the 9000 have the advantage of being readily available almost anywhere (except the Island, of course) compared to the vintage Eldorado (though it can be found often enough on eBay).

12/2/24 Tombow Mono F: Too hard.

Although I had doubts, I tested a long-time favorite pencil to see how it would fare: A Tombow Mono F. Sometimes I start graphite drawings with this F as my first, hardest grade, then finish with a softer grade or two. Unfortunately, it's not soft enough to finish a sketch, at least with my patience level, because it takes too long to build up the darkest darks. (Who’s got that kind of time when there are coconuts to pick?)

My search was by no means exhaustive; I probably have other pencils that would pass the Gilligan test. These were simply the ones that were fresh in my memory from this year’s and last year’s Pencilvember. What are your graphite candidates for Gilligan’s Island?

12/2/24 vintage Eberhard Faber Microtomic 6B: Too soft.

All pencils were freshly sharpened before making the test sketches. This image shows how the points looked after the sketches were finished.

Pea Soup for Breakfast

 

12/4/24 Maple Leaf neighborhood, about 8:45 a.m.

This is the time of year for sketching fog. Often it starts to burn off by mid- to late-morning and thins even earlier. If I want to sketch it, I have a relatively narrow window of time after full sun around 8 a.m. and whenever it may dissipate. Since I know it may begin lifting at any time, there’s always a bit of tension, which I relish. It was already fading by the time I finished this sketch shortly before 9 a.m.

I’ve tried different media to sketch fog, including watercolor (way back in 2013!), water-soluble graphite, charcoal and white colored pencils, but my favorite is graphite. In years past, I’ve often used a blending stump to soften graphite for a diffused, foggy look. The risk, though, is that the stump will darken graphite slightly, and it’s already challenging to apply graphite lightly. For this one and the one I had made the day before, I resisted the stump and challenged myself to draw as lightly as possible (and still be visible).

I’ve been using a Field Notes Streetscapes sketchbook, which has a lovely, mild tooth that I enjoy with graphite, but it might still be too strong a texture for soft fog. Next time I’ll try something smoother.

Lighten Up

 

12/3/24 Maple Leaf neighborhood

After so many instructors have drilled it into me that I should push dark values harder, I find it challenging to draw as lightly as a foggy morning requires.

Encounter

 

11/27/24 Encounter church, Mercer Island

On my way to meet a couple of friends for lunch, it occurred to me that I probably hadn’t been to Mercer Island in more than 25 years. Although it’s on the Eastside, which requires crossing Lake Washington, it’s not far, and it’s actually easy to get to via toll-free Interstate 90. With cute shops, good restaurants and other reasons to visit, it has been off my general radar.

I arrived a bit early to take a walk around the strip mall where we were meeting. The first building I encountered was a modern church with a sign that said, indeed, “Encounter.” That’s all I know about it, but it wasn’t bad as a first sketch in a town only 20 minutes away. I’ll have to return someday.

Pencilvember Finale

11-27/24 Faber-Castell 9000 8B
(all studies made in Field Notes Streetscapes
sketchbook)

 

Without a plan or much intention other than to use pencils every day, my Pencilvember challenge began with low commitment at best. I didn’t even finish using the tan-colored Uglybook I started with, even though I vowed to. That was a disappointment because I’ve otherwise been consistent about filling every daily-carry Uglybook before moving on to the next. Something about that color just didn’t do it for me, though, with graphite.

I did, however, use a pencil of one kind or another almost every day of November (I think I forgot one day), which did remind me why I love them so much. Compared to the speed of markers, both colored and graphite pencils require a bit more time, so I tend to reach for efficiency when on the go. Nothing is quite as satisfying, however, as building tones gradually and modulating them delicately with a pencil. I enjoyed being “forced” by the challenge to take the time.

11/29/24 vintage Dixon Typhonite Eldorado 3B

My serendipitous breakthrough came when I viewed the new Ken Burns documentary about Leonardo DaVinci. A small mention of his studies of draped fabric set my brain on fire, and the remaining days were easy to fill with similar studies – all in graphite. I was a bit sorry I didn’t think of the idea earlier – I enjoyed them so much that I could have done a whole month of them (it’s safe to say that now, since November is over!).

I’ve posted all the other Pencilvember sketches throughout the month within the context of wherever I sketched. Here are the last three days of my draped scarf studies. (I took a break from the series on Thanksgiving to sketch the fog.)

For such an unambitious start, I’m happy with the way it went, and especially the way it ended.

11/30/24 Caran d'Ache Grafwood 4B

Foggy Thanksgiving

 

11/28/24 About 7:15 a.m., Maple Leaf

Just like two years ago, Thanksgiving day began with a thick fog. Around 7:15 a.m., the sun was still below the horizon, but the sky was beginning to lighten. From an upstairs window, I could barely see the driveway; the cone of light from this street light dissipated before it hit the ground.

A couple of hours later, the sun was fully up, but the fog was still deep. I sketched the same street light, this time with some context I could see across the street.

11/28/24 About 9:30 a.m.

Bare

11/26/24 Maple Leaf neighborhood

Our bomb cyclone last week took out more than the power in a half-million homes; it also took out the last of the leaves. Most trees are now as bare as they will ever be, their leaves a huge, soggy mess on the pavement. I knew it had to happen sometime, but it’s still a bittersweet moment: Winter is here.