We independently review everything we recommend. We may make money from the links on our site. Learn more› By Melanie Pinola Confession time: I’ve never liked mechanical pencils. The lead breaks as ...

Save this article to read it later. Find this story in your account’s ‘Saved for Later’ section. Because they are erasable, pencils are often the first tool creative people use when sketching out a ...

Sketching is an expressive activity that enables people to manifest their emotions and artistic imagination. It is a talent that can be honed through practice, however, employing the right instruments ...

While talking to a bunch of artists I admire for a piece about the best drawing pencils, it became clear that, for the most part, the relationship between artist and drawing tool is as personal as ...

Technical drawing required sturdy writing implements rather than, for instance, the sharpened quills that were frequently used as pens for correspondence and record-keeping until the 20th century.

People who write notes in ink must be very sure of their thoughts. I write notes in pencil: It seems more polite. Penciled notes are always provisional and erasable. But the apparent humility—or, ...

The lowly pencil is not an elite or showy artistic medium. It doesn't have oil paint's gravitas, or plaster's endearing gauche. Instead, the pencil is accessible, plebeian and utilitarian. If put in ...

People who write notes in ink must be very sure of their thoughts. I write notes in pencil: It seems more polite. Penciled notes are always provisional and erasable. But the apparent humility—or, ...