Today I spent the afternoon with William Allen, who is finishing-up a documentary he is making about the pencil. You can see a trailer for it here, and its Kickstarter page with updates here.

We discussed the history of the Blackwing, the seeming mystique surrounding it, and what the future may hold for pencils in general. In addition to the filming, many photos were taken of Blackwing pencils as well as some other vintage Eberhard Faber items I brought along.

William hopes to have the documentary finished by this winter. For updates, follow the Kickstarter page or try his Facebook page.

Thanks to William for having me along, and be on the lookout for a screening of “No. 2: Story of the Pencil” at a film festival near you this winter.