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Favorite pencils - students to adults
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items I have collected pencils for many years and have some favorites to share, from simple ones for students up to adults with fine tastes.
Sections
2
Student pencils
Art pencils
Student pencils
Young children just learning to write letters and words benefit from easy-to-use pencils made with their needs in mind. Little hands tend to have an easier time with larger-diameter pencils because they are easier to grip with tiny fingers that are l...
Ticonderoga My First Wood-Cased Pencils, 2 HB
Here’s another fat pencil that’s great for kids. It’s made in Tennessee and is comfortable for little fingers to maneuver.
JRM600T Big-Dipper Pencils w/Eraser 8.3"
Although they’re slightly pricier per pencil than the Ticonderogas, send your kids to school with these USA made Gold yellow No. 2’s because their graphite cores are smoother, darker, and more consistent.
Write Dudes USA Gold Premium Cedar No. 2 Pencils
While elementary schoolers often use pencils from a shared class cabinet, once kids hit middle school they’re going to be using their own pencils and may want ones that are unique and stylish - this is the time to upgrade to something more sophistica...
Staedtler Norica #2 HB Woodcased Pencils 36
For older students, there’s the Cedar Pointe pencil, naturally finished in unvarnished cedar, “charming” for the vaguely French extra E in the name. Despite the European undertones, the Cedar Pointe is all-American. It’s made in Jersey City from Cali...
General Pencil Cedar Pointe No. 2 Pencil, 12-pack
Triangular pencils encourage a proper grip, and this one from German company Faber-Castell has raised nubs to prevent slipping. I’m a fan of jumbo-size pencils, and kids like them too for ease of gripping. The size makes it so that their fingers aren...
Faber-Castell 12 Count Jumbo Grip Graphite Pencils
Art pencils
A marvel of German engineering, the Rotring is my choice for older art students looking for a mechanical pencil. “It has a good counterweight so that when you’re drawing or writing, it can balance easily and comfortably,” he says. There’s also a buil...
Rotring Rapid Pro Mechanical Pencil 0.7mm Silver
the Tombow mechanical pencil is a standout because of its twist eraser — rarely seen on any pencils. “Twist erasers are really long,” he says. “That’s really helpful for people who have a lot of erasing jobs to do.” The eraser is also extra-thin, so ...
Tombow Mono Graph Zero 0.5mm Lime
A “status pencil” if there ever was one, and New York Magazine city editor Christopher Bonanos’s pencil of choice, the Blackwing only became more popular when it was discontinued back in 1998. Blackwing devotees hoarded boxes and drove up prices on e...
Blackwing Palomino 602-12 Count Gray Pencils
Compared to the hard pencils preferred by engineers and architects that are best for mathematical work, softer pencils — with a higher ratio of graphite to clay — are preferred by artists because they create darker marks without much pressure and can...
STAEDTLER Mars Lumograph Art Drawing Pencils (12-Pack)
Another set of pencils with varied hardness for sketching and shading, this set from the Faber-Castell 9000 series, Gamber’s pick for artists, goes all the way up to 8B.
Faber-Castell 9000 Graphite Sketch Pencils Set