From artists to Pulitzer prize winners, woodworkers to calligraphers, one simple thing unites them all: a pencil known as the Blackwing 602. This pencil was created by Eberhard Faber in the 1930’s, and is characterized by its unique design called “ferrule” which indicates a slender shaft with a ring of metal put around it. This particular pencil had a rectangular eraser and is famous for its smooth-as-silk graphite. It is often called the “calligraphy pen of pencils.”
Famous fans of the Blackwing 602 included John Steinbeck, Stephen Sondheim, Truman Capote, Leonard Bernstein, Quincy Jones, Don Bluth, and Chuck Jones. So as you can see, anyone from writers to Broadway legends to animators, created with this pencil.
In 1998, Blackwings were discontinued, which supposedly created a frenzy. Sondheim, a Broadway musical legendary writer, is said to have bought a lifetime supply.
In 2010, the 602 returned along with a few new styles of the pencil. Artist’s pencils are not likely to disappear as the pencil is still a best-suited tool for certain tasks. The resurgence of doing things the “old” way is just another reason for using a Blackwing 602 for your journaling, list making, drawing and doodling, or writing a handwritten note to a friend.
***Note: The slogan for Blackwing is imprinted on the pencil itself – “Half the pressure, twice the speed.”