Thank you Coudal Partners for the link to this blog. The mention is appreciated.
Timberlines Pencil Collection – Part 2
Today, we’ll continue working our way across the top row of the Timberlines collection.
Pencil No. 5 is round, with a cap. It has bright silver neon surface, and is marked “Japan Camel HB”.
Pencil No. 6 has a white dipped end, and a swirling abstract pattern. The sole marking is “Made in Japan”. While No. 5 looks more like a children’s pencil – this one seems much more adult and sophisticated, with the paper appearing to be inspired by bookbinding patterns. I could easily imagine it being sold in a museum gift shop. It is certainly one of the most appealing novelty pencils I’ve ever seen.
Pencil No. 7 is another mainstream pencil, the Tombow Mono R. It is Tombow’s third rank pencil, behind the Mono 100 and Mono.
Pencil No. 8 is from Kita-Boshi, an HB 9698. It is pink with hearts and cat drawings. Enough said.
Pencil No. 9 is a round, natural finish “Wood Note” from Kita-Boshi. It is notable for a removable (and presumably replaceable) eraser module.
Something like this seems useful – and it is also removable for those who don’t want an eraser. The best of both worlds?
Pencil shavings galore
The gift I received in February seems to have presaged a trend.
A Rorschach test of pencil shavings
Further: Shavings by Eric Klemm
Coming soon
Coming soon to a pencil blog near you:
All aboard! Train pencils from Tombow
Pencils and trains have some commonality in the way they approach their tasks. A pencil touches paper as it writes, and a train touches the ground as it travels. A computer and printer can produce a document, just as an airplane can deliver one to a remote destination. But the journey, to document or destination, is not at all the same.
This pencil series celebrates Japanese trains. Made by Tombow, there are four boxes in this issue, each box celebrating two different trains. The pencils are in the rounded square style, like the Pantone pencils we saw earlier this year. This shape accomodates the train graphics very well.
Each pencil has two train side views, a schematic view, and text on the fourth side. The boxes also come with display cards for the pencils that include “tracks”. They’re not extremely useful, but they do add to the uniqueness of the set.
The set is a real joy. Announced in late March, they are sure to sell out quickly.
The Three Camels
The camel is renowned as a hardy animal, able to persevere through challenging circumstances.
The pencil world seems to adore the camel, as there are a significant number of camel brands.
First, the Staedtler Camel. This brand has been aound for many years, and now appears to be made in Germany for export markets.
Second, an entire company named after the camel, the Camel Pencil Company of Japan. They seem to make mainly novelty pencils, yet do have a few nice looking adult-oriented pencils. (That CA-P4 pencil looks good.)
Camel Pencil, according to their website, was organized in 1939, and established in 1949. They now have a U.S. distributor, so I think we’ll be hearing more from them in the future.
Third, another company named after the camel, Camlin Ltd. of India.
Camlin dates from 1931, and their website states:
The “Camel” was chosen as a symbol due to its capacity to endure long periods of difficulty in the trips across deserts. “Camel” was also easy to write and pronounce in all the Indian languages and was acceptable to all the religions of the land.
This is remarkably forward thinking, and reflects ideas that are at least as relevant in 2008, when many brands are attempting to compete in global markets.
I have a few Camel of Japan pencils – but have never seen a Staedtler Camel or Camlin pencil.
Has anyone used (any) Camel pencils?