The Old Schoolhouse - March 2012

It was not until some Italian carpenters
decided to encase a stick of graphite with a
hollowed out wooden stick that we had the
beginnings of our modern pencil.

For more information about how pencils are graded and why the yel-low;pencil;is;numbered;a;“ 2,”;see this video from my art class: vimeo .com/33416216.

pencil manufacturers wanted to convince customers that their pencils were regal! Another story is that a Hungarian pencil company started making yellow pencils named a;er the famous (and very expensive) yellow diamond known as the Koh-I-Noor diamond, at the suggestion of Queen Victoria. ;e Koh-I Noor pencil company has been making high-quality pencils ever since!

;e last component of the pencil that we all know and love is the eraser, which was added in 1858. Over the centuries there have been subtle improvements to the pencil design or to the manufacturing process, but basically the pencil has remained the same for all of these years.

A long line of artists since Leonardo Da Vinci have been drawing with the pencil to make some lasting works of art—Rembrandt, Dürer, Van Gogh, Picasso, and Rockwell. All artists learn to sketch and draw with this most humble tool, as either the ;rst step in their creative process or as the medium of choice for a ;nal piece.

capabilities, knowing I can erase whatever marks I make if they aren’t quite right! So;, ;ne lines are made with a hard lead and a sharp point, or dark shading can be made with a black, so; lead. ;e pencil is inexpensive, easy to ;nd, long-lasting, not messy, able to be erased, and very portable. I can take a sketchbook and a pencil and enjoy hours of drawing time, as long as I take along a way to sharpen my pencil!

;e best way to get comfortable with pencil drawing is to just do it . . . draw every chance you get, anything you see. Try drawing ordinary items that you see around you in the room, without arranging them, but exactly as they are. Another great drawing opportunity is to look out of your window, whether to a garden or to the street, and draw whatever you see. Of course, people are always great subjects to draw in pencil. ;e artist John Singer Sargent made this sketch of a friend, poet Alice Meynell, and the result was a lovely portrait.

For an exercise on creating special texture marks with a pencil, check out this video from another one of my art classes: vimeo .com/33418749.

It is fun to explore the technology available today as a means to learn about art. Encyclopedic information about art history, artist blogs, and lots of how-to videos on everything from watercolor painting to glass blowing is at your fingertips via the Internet. There are some incredibly creative things you can do with computer-aided design, but nothing beats the organic, personal feel and scratchy sound of a graphite point on paper. So when I feel the need to make art, give me the humble pencil any day.

Pat has been drawing and painting since she was able to hold a crayon. She has a degree in art education, a teaching credential, and is an experienced teacher. In addition to being the master artist for the See the Light ART CLASS DVD series, Pat serves as Director of Children’s Ministries at a large church where she is blessed to be able to blend her passions for art, teaching, and reaching kids with God’s Word. Pat lives in Southern California with her husband and two teen boys. See the Light’s ART CLASS lessons are available on DVD, and our See ;e Light website is a great resource for young artists ( www.seethe lightshine.com).

Da Vinci, Leonardo. Sketch for ;e Madonna of the Rocks. 1483 black chalk. Biblioteca Reale, Turin, Italy

Resources:
• www.pencils.com/story-pencils
• www.cbsnews.com/8301-505145_162-37242572
/why-are-pencils-yellow
• www.pencils.com/why-are-pencils-yellow
My admiration and respect for the
pencil comes from many years of ex-
perimenting with the pencil’s varied