Pencil in Hand

Life has an unusual way of throwing curve-balls at a person.  I have spent the past weeks using pencils of various sorts in an attempt to find the passion some have for the Graphite.  After an exhaustive use and having nearly experienced a breakdown due to ink withdraw, I have come to the conclusion.  I am not fan of graphite for everyday use.

I have discovered and realized a few things after this experience though.  I have discovered how much I missed drawing and art.  Drawing was a past time of mine during high-school and most of college.  It became an after-thought soon after graduating and becoming a drone to the corporate world.  Since then I’ve only sketched here or there with my boys.  There have been a few times I re-visited my sketch book but, never for any length of time.  My re-introduction to the pencil has given me reason to draw again…

Another thing I noticed quickly after using a pencil was that I gravitate towards printing my words rather than writing in cursive.  I noticed this while taking notes during a conference call at work.  Flipping through my notebook supported this.  There was a noticeable change in the way / style I wrote.  Looking back I attribute this to when I took drafting in high school.  That was the days before CAD became the norm.  We drew everything by hand and one’s hand-writing was imperative to understanding a document.  Though I can honestly say my hand-writing is now where near the level of The Pen Addict himself…I pale in comparison.  

I also discovered I have a particular lead range I prefer.  No harder than HB and no softer than 3B, optimally staying in the 2B range for everything.  I also prefer mechanical to wood cased.  I believe that would change if I were to try a Blackwing.  I really wanted to try one out but, could not justify a $20 purchase for a test…especially since I felt strongly I wouldn’t stick to pencils.

Finally, I realized I could not find a pencil I really liked again, the Blackwing may have changed this.  I continued going back to my green Pentel P205 0.5mm with 2B lead.  

Because of this experiment I have incorporated the Pentel into my EDC and use it for specific purposes.  It is nice to have especially in wet weather and when I don’t want to worry about ink leaking.  My writing style has also changed.  I no longer write everything in cursive handwriting.  My notes are printed when I am on conference calls or in meetings and depending on the note I will vary my script form print to cursive to add emphasis.

For those who are strict pencil users, my hat’s off to you.  I just couldn’t continue writing my notes and such in graphite…it’s a mental issue and I am seeking counseling.  Admission is the first step.

Again, my apologies for the long span of time between posts…