About a year and a half ago, I wrote about an unusual offering of 500 colour pencils. (I learned about this set from Japanese pencil blogs.) I was soon contacted by the manufacturer, who were planning a global launch, and was offered a set of pencils in exchange for some modest publicity.

Felissimo had a very unusual sales model – 500 colour pencils for sale, but delivered in twenty monthly sets of twenty-five!

I wrote about the first few sets they sent me, and then – the New York based program was relocated to company headquarters in Japan. I was really surprised – it seemed like a complete success story to me. I believe these pencils gained more prominent US media coverage than any recent pencil offering of any type. (New York Times, Martha Stewart, and many others.)

Since then, there was a gap of several months, followed by some pencil sets arriving in fits and spurts. I don’t have any contacts at the company, and I’m not sure if I will receive all 500 pencils. I’ve not complained. Some of the original staff may have been laid off, so some perspective is called for.

I thought I would show just what happens when a monthly Felissimo set arrives.

First a cardboard box arrives via Japan Post EMS:

There is a cellophane wrapped interior box:

Sans cellophane:

An insert forms a guide to the pencils, if you can read Japanese:

The order in which the pencils are sent seems to vary, based on what I’ve read online. A small circled numeral seems to represent the box number:

This set seems to be dark blue and purple variations:

Slightly closer:

In an acrylic display:

I’m not sure where this is all leading, but I’ll show more if there is interest.

If the pencils don’t suffice, Felissimo just announced a 500 crayon set.

I am sure that some craftsperson out there could also come up with something! There are a lot of low cost cases and displays for fountain pens out there – pencils also deserve some attention.

First, the Aurora, which holds 100 pencils between two fitted acrylic sheets. These photos show the assembly stage on a desk, though the display is meant for a wall – probably a white wall to best show the pencils.

The sheets fit together with acrylic nuts and bolts. Probably no explanation is necessary, though an instruction sheet is supplied. Round modern standard sized pencils seem to fit best, and hexagonal and triangular pencils also work. But – no oversize pencils, no pencils with ferrules and erasers, and no square pencils.

I thought the Aurora would be great for displaying some of my favourite novelty pencils. These favourites all seem to come from the UK – Japanese pencils such as the Pantone and Japanese Railway tributes series are in square format.

Well, I think it is taking shape nicely, though 100 turns out to be a large number. I’ve filled only about a third of the case and I’m out of pencils.

The view from the top:

The entire case from the top:

The Flower Vase displays hold 25 pencils each, and are a non-acrylic plastic. It seems to be a pretty good way of keeping a number of pencils tidy:

You can of course use everyday pencils, such as these California Republic Prospectors:

Displaying vintage pencils is of course another possibility. Starting with major manufacturers in Germany and Austria, I was surprised that I couldn’t find that many to display. I may have to rethink this!

Something else to note is that, especially with the vintage pencils, positioning the imprints is key, and not easy to accomplish in a satisfactory way. It is easy to put a pencil in, but if you want to adjust it, hard to remove.

The products are nice though not perfect, and I hope to show some photos when (and if) I figure out what to put in them!

Blue is the theme of Felissimo’s fourth set of colour pencils.

I’m a bit behind in displaying these – I’ve already received the fifth set, and a Canada Post notice tells me I wasn’t in when they attempted delivery of the sixth set. Wow, 150 colour pencils here or nearby! The collection is starting to take shape.

I’ve noticed that pencil blogs in Japan mention these pencils with different reference numbers. I’m afraid I only just figured this out – the boxes have a small circled identifier. I’ve been referring to the pencils as I’ve received them (calling this the “4th set”, for example), but depending on where you live and when you ordered them, you might receive them in a different order. For the record, this is volume 15.

Quite a bit of feedback has been sent this way about the pencils. I’ll try to summarize.

I’ll offer some feedback on these points:

1. I am very happy to see mentions of these pencils in mainstream North American media, especially television and magazines. Felissimo has clearly made an impact in the public arena, a place other pencil manufacturers seem to have forsaken.

2. A subscription may provide ongoing revenue, but it should be an option rather than the only purchase method.

3. Artists – the message is clear, but as I’ve written before, high quality pencils that offer open stock, accompanied by laboratory tested lightfastness reports, are in a completely different price range. If Caran d’Ache offered a 500 pencil set, it might cost thousands. But it would be amazing!

4. Cost. The Japan Post EMS (“registered air mail”) delivery multiplied by 20 is no doubt a large (majority?) part of the cost.

Perhaps five shipments of 100 pencils, or just sending the 500 pencils together, might be a better offer. If you could buy the 500 pencils in a single package for $250, would you be tempted?

The offer may soon end. Though all orders will of course be completely fulfilled, the acceptance of new subscriptions may soon be closing.

Further reading: Felissimo pencils at pencil talk

Who likes purple?

Felissimo’s 3rd pencil set is out, and again has a specific focus. I think it may be the nicest set yet! Twenty-five shades of purple beckoning!

Congratulations to Felissimo for recent mentions on the December 8th Martha Stewart Show, in the New York Times Gift Guide, and many other locations.

Finally, a company working and succeeding at promoting woodcase pencils in the modern world! This leadership is a reason why pencil talk is proud to be participating in Felissimo’s 500 pencil set promotion.

So now that 75 (and soon, 100) pencils have been released, what happens if you subscribe to the series? Do you get just 425 (or 400) pencils? The answer is no – you will still get all 500 over twenty months, though I’m not sure if the delivery sequence will be the same as you are seeing here.

See also:

Felissimo 500 Color Pencils – 1st set

Felissimo 500 Color Pencils – 2nd set

Here is the second set of pencils from Felissimo’s series of 500 colors.

Again, the packaging is impressive:

This month’s palette is hard to describe in a single word – the focus is on muted pinks, creams, pea greens, and mint greens. I was somehow expecting something like last month’s bright reds – perhaps another set of bright primaries, but also welcome this surprise.

I did try them out, and realized that the pencil pigments are much subtler than the lacquers on the pencil surfaces – matching 500 sets of pigments with 500 surface lacquers must be a significant part of the manufacturing challenge.

That ninth pencil, called Mrs. Parson, stands out in both surface lacquer and on paper.

There were a few questions after last month’s post on the first set, and I recommend that those interested take a look at Felissimo’s “Frequently Asked Questions” page via the banner below. For example, on the issue of lightfastness, Felissimo state that a small sample of pencils have been tested, and all are 4/5 or 5/5 on the JIS lightfastness scale. JIS is the Japanese Industrial Standards section of the Japanese Standards Association. While probably insufficient data for professional artists, I think this speaks well about the pencils from the quality persective.

I can’t wait to see what the next 25 pencils look like!

See also:

Felissimo 500 Color Pencils – 1st set

A very welcome package just arrived – the first set in Felissimo’s 500 Color pencil series!

As befits such a set, the packaging itself is attractive and noteworthy:

The theme is red. Twenty-five shades of red!

The only printed material was an index sheet in Japanese:

The colourful lineup does not disappoint.

The pencils have some very imaginative names.

I’m not sure how well the translation holds up.

On a Holbein 33YK-2 Multi-Drawing sketch book, the spectrum amazes:

The series sells worldwide for $US33 per 25 pencils, including delivery via Japan Post EMS, which is an air mail signature-required service. If you even occasionally order pencils online, you’ll know that this is a great price.

I can’t wait for the next 475 pencils!

To promote the Felissimo 500 Colour pencil set, Felissimo is holding two contests.

I hope you will consider entering.

Contest 1: Design a pair of web banners, or a poster. The prize in each category is a set of Felissimo 500 pencils plus $US1000.00 cash. Not bad!

Contest 2: Design a pencil case for the pencils. How cool is that? The prize is a set of Felissimo 500 pencils plus $US1000.00 cash plus an expenses paid trip to a design show in Tokyo, Japan!!!

The design briefs and contest details are here.

Felissimo recently relaunched their amazing set of 500 colour pencils in Japan.

This news was already exciting, but Felissimo recently contacted me, and told me about their plans to make these pencils available globally by monthly subscription! 25 pencils are sent from Japan each month for 20 months. The subscription price is $33.00 per month, inclusive of all costs.

I congratulate Felissimo on embracing the market beyond Japan, and wish them well. I hope other pencil manufacturers will follow.

Kossy has some photos of the second set here if you want a non-PR photo. They look amazing!

There is more. I’m happy to say that pencil talk has agreed to participate in the product’s promotion. There are a few reasons for this: I think it is an extraordinary offering that supports the creative use of pencils; I support the efforts of Japanese stationers to offer their outstanding products globally, and think a direct offer via the web is an excellent decision. And yes, they’re sending some pencils this way!

We’ll take a look at the actual pencils in September!

My thanks to Huib for these YouTube links – these are by far the best the best videos I’ve seen documenting pencil production.

Staedtler This is from the How it is Made televison show. Staedtler is never mentioned by name.

Faber-Castell

Another Staedtler video

I found these fascinating. Staedler pencils have always had a unique type of factory sharpening, and we see how they do it! Lots of other information as well.

It looks like the guy pouring the graphite and clay dust at Faber-Castell should be wearing a mask.

We also see some quality tests, such as a Staedtler pencil point snapping at 36.2 Newtons of force, and Faber-Castell’s fascinating lead abrasion tester in action.

Steno Pencils in North America?

Two recent blog comments plus direct email reveals that a few people are seeking high quality Steno pencils in North America. The Stenofix or Castell 9008 would be ideal. Are there any known sources, or any vendors who ship worldwide?

Felissimo 500 colour pencil set

More information about this interesting set of 500 colour pencils – it is sold by subscription. 25 pencils are released each month for a period of 20 months! That’s what I call a pencil of the month club!

It looks like Kossy already has the first (and very green!) set: On the desk, at any time

Also, two English language articles about the pencils. The first shows some very interesting arrangements, using the pencils as decorative objects:
Asaborake and design in daily life.

For those who’d like to see the vast array, the official product page.

Also, Felissimo has a New York branch in a beautiful building. I wonder if they stock these pencils?

Lexikaliker quoted by Staedtler

It is really a delight to see fellow pencil blog Lexikaliker being quoted by the pencil industry.

This story was picked up by Staedtler’s company newsletter, which can be downloaded here.

For the curious, Faber-Castell also has a newsletter. Sample interesting fact: There are six machines capable of manufacturing the Grip 2001 pencil. Two are in Germany, and four are in Brazil.

(thanks to Kero556′s twitter feed)