Trying Blackwing Matte Graphite Pencils for the First Time

[@CautionArtistatPlay]

Someone just alerted me to the fact that Blacking offers a sample set of four of their main pencils on their site! (Wish I had realized that sooner! lol) The set is about $15. So if you are interested in trying some of their pencils and don't want to invest in a 12 set of just one kind, I have linked the sample set in my description!

[@terrythomas790]

Why are people complaining about a pencils that are less than $3 each , but will pay $1000 for a freaking phone, or $5-$20 for a scratch off lottery ticket?? Think about it! That pencil will last a long time. Keep some, and sell the rest. Look at the comments here, people would be pleased to buy just a couple.

[@catherineraper]

I love these pencils, I love their 602s, natural and pearl design to. They are wonderful to draw and write with. I always thought pencils were just pencils until I found this brand. 👍🏻 I love those Canson mixed media sketchbooks.

[@CautionArtistatPlay]

I am definitely going to have to try some of their other pencils now that I have tried these!

[@ArtistDiwakar]

Is there much difference between Blackwing natural and Blackwing matte.

[@catherineraper]

@ The natural is a HB, and the Matt is a 4B.

[@HollywoodColt]

HOLY CRAP I never thought of using a mechanical pencil tip to do the veins and things. That's brilliant!!!!!

[@CautionArtistatPlay]

Thank you!! It works great in a pinch!

[@HollywoodColt]

@@CautionArtistatPlay I'm going to have to try it!!!

[@susieqlalonde9352]

Your work is gorgeous. I'm new to your channel and I'm certainly excited to watch all of your videos.

[@CautionArtistatPlay]

Thank you so much Susie!! I hope you enjoy my content! 🥰

[@teresamazotti1315]

I love the white pencils!! They are the Blackwing Pearl.

[@CautionArtistatPlay]

I saw those on their website, they look beautiful!!

[@endezeichengrimm]

That is between the 602 and the matte (the graphite formula)

[@Art_by_Nicole]

About the smudging: In photo albums there is special paper to protect the photographs. You can use that paper to lay down on your work and you can put your (work) hand on top of that paper. Result: no smudging and no staines (from skin oil) on your work 😊 Or…you can wear a special glove. I have bought multiple on Temu. Use them every time I work in a piece.

[@CautionArtistatPlay]

I have glassine that I use under my hand while I am working on pieces that I plan to sell. I'm not in the habit of using it under my hand in the sketchbook, though. I typically go to my sketchbook to be spontaneous and have fun. So I don't bother. I don't want to have to put that much prep work into something that is just for fun, lol. I do slip pieces of glassine in between the pages of my sketchbook if it's a medium that I think will smudge, to help protect things. The good thing is that water-soluble graphite doesn't tend to smudge as bad as regular graphite once it is washed out with water, and that's what I lean towards these days if I'm using graphite. I wear gloves sometimes when when I'm working, but that's usually for oil pastels, and I don't use those in my sketchbook typically.

[@Art_by_Nicole]

@ I understand. That makes sense 😊 I’m a artist that doesn’t want her hands get all dirty (yes, I mean that) I think that’s why it’s a second nature for me

[@tcconnection]

Thanks for reviewing supplies

[@CautionArtistatPlay]

You're welcome!

[@boredgrass]

Open stock in office supplies shop: In Hamburg Germany I found a little high end shop which sells a selection of ca 5 Blackwings from ~HB to no 7. Their staff told me about a Palomino policy that allows local stores to sell in them in their shops. However, I've seen this only one time. This shop clearly prioritises quality and local products and ethical standards. So keep a lookout for shops which stock brands you don't get anywhere else;-)

[@CautionArtistatPlay]

That is good to know! Thank you for sharing! 😊

[@brianasmith2592]

Hey, I love your video! I just wanted to let you know that I buy Blackwing Matte pencils open stock in Canada. I don't know about all the art stores but I got mine at DeSerres. Just so you know!!

[@CautionArtistatPlay]

Hey! Thanks for the tip, that's good to know!! I'm glad you liked my video! 💖

[@atvalleau]

I have a box of these and I love 'em! To me, they are worth the price. My only problem with them is that I can't use my pencil extender because of the enlarged end. 🙄

[@CautionArtistatPlay]

Oh yeah, I didn't even think of that!

[@CautionArtistatPlay]

Good idea!

[@blackneedle1]

they have their on pencil extender

[@nellgwenn]

They have a special extender you can get for them. You have to take the eraser out to insert it.

[@nellgwenn]

I just bought a set of these pencils. I might take them back. There is no indication on the pencil as to which pencil it is, 2B, 4B and so on. I'm not going to sit there snd guess, or have to make sure I organize them in a certain way so I know which pencil I'm using. Does anyone know how to tell them apart. I looked everywhere on the pencil.

[@CautionArtistatPlay]

Did you buy this exact set of pencils? If so, all the pencils in this set are the same. It's like buying the same pencil in bulk. This set is of one of their softer pencils, darker pencils. They do have a sample set of some of their different pencils as well. They do things a bit differently than other companies, I recommend looking at their site to learn a bit more about the unique quality of each of their pencils. I have some links to their site in the description of this video.

[@nellgwenn]

@@CautionArtistatPlay I now realize I was thinking of the Faber Castell Pitt Matte Graphite pencil set. I was looking at reviews of both sets at the same time.

[@CautionArtistatPlay]

@nellgwenn Ah yes. I can see how you could get them mixed up!

[@greekveteran2715]

Faber Castell and Blackwing, are the Mercedes and the McLaren of the pencil world! Blackwing's history, since it was created by Eb.Faber, means it's a relative of Faber Castell and we all know, that they make the BEST wooden pencils out there. As an artist, I had the chance to try all the famous pencils from each brand, and that's my conclusion. I simply can't draw or sketch ,with anything else, other than those pencils. Pentel has a place in that spot, because they make the BEST mechanical pencils (Graphgear 500, Kerry, P205 etc) as also the BEST lead quality for mechanical pencils (Ain Stein) Faber Castell has an underrated pencil, called Graphite Aquarelle. Try that pencil on Arches Hot pressed Satine, with a decent brush like Da Vinci. You're sketches, will be so much better, than with any other medium, that you'll never go back to cheap paper or other pencils.

[@CautionArtistatPlay]

Thank you for the information!! I have some of the Faber-Castell Aquarell, I will have to try them on the Arches soon! Thanks for the insight!

[@greekveteran2715]

@@CautionArtistatPlay I used Arches Satine Hot Pressed, Faber Castell Graphite Aquarelle and a Da Vinci NOVA 1570 round brush. Easily the best paper and best pencils I've ever tried, for both drawing and/or painting.

[@CautionArtistatPlay]

Thank you for the tips!!

[@ChristinaTodd1970]

Sometimes Amazon will have three pencils, the white, grey, and black (not this new matte) pencils. If I remember correctly its about $25 for the three and there’s no way I’m paying that no matter how bad I want to try them. And I won’t buy a box because I don’t know which ones I want. ☹️ It’s very frustrating.

[@CautionArtistatPlay]

Yeah, no way I'm going to pay that amount for 3 pencils either. I am still not a fan of how much I spent for the 12 pack, but I had a giftcard to Blick so that took the sting away a bit and I felt better treating myself. It is quite frustrating.

[@amypanddirtytoo1926]

The three pack on Amazon is just not worth it. I paid $25 for the matte box (the one in this video) and even though I think it is expensive for a box of pencils i just love them so much. Also, IDK about online, but my local Blick sells the different varieties open stock so maybe it's an In store only thing? If you have a Blick near you maybe go get one if they sell them open stock! The white is their hard version, the grey is their medium version, and the black is their softest. :)

[@CautionArtistatPlay]

Unfortunately I don't have a Blick near me, which is so sad, but probably a good thing since I would probably spend even more money there if I had one local 😂. But it's good to know that they offer them open stock in store. I wasn't sure the Blackwing even had that option (at any store) because I didn't see it as an option on the actual Blackwing website either, so I'm glad some retailers are doing it.

[@Harvie7]

I bought a set of 4 from Etsy, I cant remember the shop name, but it was a reasonable price and I got to try all 4 grades before committing.

[@amypanddirtytoo1926]

Yeah, for anyone wondering, the Blick near me is the Plainville, CT one. They have a black acrylic display thing that holds the different loose pencils. I wish I could include a pic but I am not psychic and did not think to take one last time I was there LOL! But like I said, maybe it is just a store thing or maybe even just the store near me decided to? I would call your local store before you make the trip because if they don't even sell them open stock on the Blackwing site then I'm thinking my personal Blick built a display and are just opening some of the boxes for individual sale due to their particular customer demand? IDK. Good luck finding them everyone! That Etsy offering looks great though so thank you so much for sharing that!

[@FireAngelOfLondon]

If you're mainly a graphite artist why on Earth would you buy pencils one at a time? I buy one to test, if I decide I want a particular pencil to be a regular part of my work I never want to buy one at a time again, because it's always cheaper to buy them 12 at a time. Plus I am keen never to run out so I would order a box of 12 as soon as I am down to 2 pencils of that type, or maybe when I am down to 4 if there's a long lead time. Thanks for showing these, I have ordered one to test! 😁

[@CautionArtistatPlay]

I hope you like it when you test it!!

[@LazyStory]

Complainingabout 2.25 for a pencil but happy to pay 2.68 for 2 liters of Coca-Cola 😂 Rambling about the erasor. This is so American!

[@CautionArtistatPlay]

I don't drink soda, but go off.

[@endezeichengrimm]

The company is Palomino.

[@endezeichengrimm]

A soft pencil is not meant to be sharpened to a fine point. The 602 would be more suitable for finer points. The Matte is better for art/sketching.

[@CautionArtistatPlay]

I should have tried the 603 first, I hear that is their most versatile pencil. Since I did this video, I bought one of their sample packs to try the rest of their pencils. That was a while ago now, I still need to try them. It will be interesting to see the differences between each of them!

[@endezeichengrimm]

@@CautionArtistatPlay Frankly though... there are lots of other brands that work just as well. The Palominos are overhyped and overpriced.

[@CautionArtistatPlay]

@endezeichengrimm, yeah, they are definitely more pricy than they should be. There are a lot of great graphite lines out there at way better prices.

[@Art_by_Nicole]

That also depends on the brand of pencil and the purpose of using the soft pencil. A larger area can done with a long sturdy point even with a 8B, 9B (derwent) and 14B (Faber castell) - With portraits I use the softest pencil for details in eyes and hair. I need sharp point to do that. If you use the right sharpener (Dahle 133 is fabulous!) than it wouldn’t be a problem to get a long, sharp point.