Eight Six Hundred Twos
February 14, 2012 3 Comments
Famous Blackwing 602 Users: Ferdie Grofé
February 12, 2012 4 Comments
© 1963 Bettmann/CORBIS
Ferdie Grofé (1892-1972) was a composer, arranger, and pianist. Known also as the “Prime (or Prince) Minister of Jazz” (working under Paul Whiteman, who was sometimes referred to as the “King of Jazz”), Grofé became widely recognized for his arrangement of Gershwin’s Rhapsody in Blue in 1924. Originally composed for two pianos, the lush, colorful version that most are familiar with is Grofé’s arrangement. His well-rounded career included conducting, teaching at The Juilliard School, and composing for film.
Whenever I see photographs of people holding a Blackwing and it’s missing an eraser, I often wonder whether it was taken out on purpose. The word that first comes to mind when I think about the Blackwing’s original eraser is “ironic”.
Flak.
February 2, 2012 7 Comments
I noticed that a well-known art supply store “appropriated” some original content from this site, both graphics and text (see screen grab below, click to enlarge), to help sell their CalCedar products. While the Copland photograph is from the A.P., the one they used was taken from this site. The picture of the vintage Blackwings is certainly mine (original here), and so is the underlined text (original here). The remaining text borrows from some other sites too, yet there isn’t a single attribution—and on a commercial site no less. I think it’s fair to say that this isn’t due just to some careless online image search; it’s overt theft.
You can see this sort of thing happening between blogs here and there, but it’s disappointing when such an established company—one presumably devoted to art and the work of artists—cares so little about copyright.
The problem with stealing from a site like this one—whose content is so particular (and is so infrequently visited)—is that it’s easier to get caught.
[Here is the original link. Page removed.]
Famous Blackwing 602 Users: Paul Carlson
January 26, 2012 6 Comments
The discipline with which the Blackwing is perhaps most strongly associated is animation, about which Chuck Jones once said:
“…a flurry of drawings created by a Blackwing pencil; animation that dignifies itself as craft—a dying craft of aging men.”
Paul Carlson began his career at Disney working in the mailroom, but would eventually rise to the position of assistant director. He worked on such notable films as The Lady and the Tramp and Sleeping Beauty. He also worked on Mr. Magoo, and continues to animate today.
Hand-drawn animation, Eberhard Faber Blackwing 602 pencils, and “starting in the mailroom”— each artifacts of a bygone America.
Admittedly I know very little about the rich and storied history of animation in the United States, and in particular, the work of the artists at Disney. But as I read more about it I am struck by the sense of brotherhood and sisterhood found among animators, both young and old. And isn’t an exclusionary, “it’s-our-treehouse” sort of thing either—it appears to be very inclusive, with even the most stalwart of computer animators mantling a sense of stewardship for this “dying craft”. Of course, mine is the perception of an interloper who is likely just hoping this is the case. But, if you’re an animator and would be willing to share some of your thoughts, please leave a comment.
“It Writes Before You Do”
January 15, 2012 6 Comments
I’m not sure what it was, but today I was reminded of the reaction a good friend of mine had when she first tried a Blackwing 602, and in particular, what she said. Writing on Clairefontaine music paper (which is the same stock as their Triomphe line), she immediately paused after the first letter, incredulously examining the tip of the pencil—as if what she was feeling didn’t correspond with what she was seeing. She resumed writing and as she did, said: “It’s like it’s writing before I do.”
I’ve wondered since then if the expression “It Writes Before You Do” couldn’t have been a nice slogan for a smooth-writing pencil, in a mid-20th century kind of way.
(Is it just me, or does this photo have a slight optical illusion, as if it has rotated slightly clockwise? It seems more pronounced if you tilt your head to the left.)
