Blackwing Pencils
Blackwing pencils were originally introduced by the Eberhard Faber Pencil Company in the 1930s. Their cult following included John Steinbeck and Chuck Jones, who proudly used Blackwings to create Bugs Bunny and many other Looney Tunes characters.
Despite this following, they fell victim to cost cutting measures in the 1990s and were discontinued. But, that didn’t stop devotees from paying as much as $40 per pencil to seize unused stock. In 2010, our company drew from nearly a century of experience in the pencil business to access the best materials in the world and bring Blackwing back for a new generation of writers, musicians, and others seeking a more natural existence
Every pencil is made of graphite and wood. Only Blackwing pencils combine the best graphite in the world, the best wood in the world, and generations of craftsmanship to create an exceptional pencil. When you’re looking for the perfect pencil to write a song, sketch a landscape or brainstorm a business idea, look for Blackwing’s distinct rectangular eraser.
The following year, a new wave of art - films like Chinatown and albums like Bob Marley’s Natty Dread - shined a light on a broken system. And gave us the tools to understand it. Art reflects the world around us and helps us process complex issues so that we can move forward. Leonard Cohen once said “There is a crack in everything. That’s how the light gets in.” Art creates cracks in the world’s darkest places, letting in the light of knowledge.
Fifty years later, the Blackwing 2 acknowledges art’s role in bringing about change. Each pencil features a cracked glow-in-the-dark design that plays on the duality of art and the challenging realities that inspire it. Each pencil also includes our firmest graphite yet - a special 2X firm graphite formulated specially for this release.
Tribute to Frank Lloyd Wright and his architectural ambition. Each pencil features silhouette of one of Wright’s iconic perforated boards printed in a muted, midcentury palette. The area around the board is unfilled, letting the natural wood of the pencil shine through. Each pencil also includes a copper ferrule and our extra-firm graphite.
The Blackwing 710 is our tribute to Jerry Garcia and his fusion of visual and musical expression. A slice of his painting “Curves & Lines” is printed on each pencil, which features our soft graphite that is ideal for both drawing and songwriting.
The Blackwing 746 is a tribute to the Golden Gate Bridge and other engineering wonders of the modern world. Each pencil features our firm graphite core and is finished with a special mulit-layered technique to bring out the iconic International Orange colour of San Francisco’s world-famous Marvel.
Blackwing & Independent Bookstore Day have teamed up for 3rd consecutive year to create a new set of pencils exclusively for independent bookstores. Each year the interest and popularity of these limited edition pencils continues to grow. The pencils feature a design inspired by independent bookstores and the printed word.
Blackwing 17 examines the mindful practice of gardening. Each pencil features an earth-toned color palette: olive green finish, dark brown ferrule and imprint, and burgundy eraser. Each pencil also sports our balanced graphite and a 10cm ruler stamped into its barrel you can use to chart the growth of seedlings in your plant log.
Blackwing 57 is a tribute to Jean-Michel Basquiat and his boundary pushing art. Set of 12 special-edition pencils. Contains our soft graphite.
Jean-Michel Basquiat is one of the best known artists of his generation and is widely considered one of the most important artists of the 20th century. His works are edgy and raw, and through a bold sense of colour and composition, he maintains a fine balance between seemingly contradictory forces such as control and spontaneity, menace and wit, urban imagery and primitivism.
This special-edition set of 10 Blackwing Volume 57 Replacement Erasers comes with 3 Red, 3 Blue, 3 Yellow, and 1 Grey eraser.
Blackwing 192 is a tribute to Lennon and McCartney and the estimated 192 songs they wrote together. The color prism design depicts the convergence of two powerful creative forces. A different Lennon-McCartney lyric is foil stamped on each pencil, for a total of twelve different lyrics in the set. Includes extra-firm graphite.
From whistling mice and rascally rabbits, to pocket-sized monsters and talking sponges, animation has given life to countless memorable characters. It is a storytelling medium bound only by the limits of our imagination, giving it infinite possibilities.
The Blackwing 7 is a tribute to animation and the incredible stories it lets us tell. Each set of 12 pencils comes with six different designs. When stacked side by side and viewed through the included viewfinder, the pencils combine to become a seven frame “picket fence animation” of Chuck Jones’ iconic Wile E. Coyote.
Each pencil includes a black ferrule, gold clip, orange eraser, and our balanced graphite.
This special edition pencil is the fourth entry in our Blackwing Eras series - honoring Blackwing's heritage with designs inspired by the Blackwing 602's unique history.
The Blackwing Eras (2023 Edition) pencil sports a retro design inspired by the Van Dyke 601. Each box includes 12 special edition pencils with a yellow barrel, dark grey ferrule with a gold band, a red eraser, our firm graphite, and a “PULL OUT CLAMP TO LENGTHEN ERASER” imprint.
The Blackwing 93 is a tribute to educator, artist, and social justice advocate Corita Kent and her message to slow down and find gratitude in the everyday.
This limited edition medium Blackwing Slate notebook features 160 pages of high-quality, 100GSM Blank paper, a durable dual-sewn binding, and our signature matte hardcover. It also has a built-in pencil holster that comes loaded with a limited edition Blackwing 93 pencil.
Partial proceeds from this notebook will support continued work in art education through the Corita Art Center
The Blackwing Starting Point Set is the perfect way to introduce someone to Blackwing.
EACH SET INCLUDES:
- 4 Blackwing pencils with a range of Soft, Balanced, Firm and Extra-firm graphite
- 1 Blackwing One-Step Long Point Sharpener that creates a long, curved point that resists breakage
- 1 pack of our Replacement Erasers to ensure your pencil is always functional
We took the iconic design of our eraser clip and adapted it into a sleek handheld form that feels great to use.
The eraser is made of a special soft material that erases the dark lines of our graphite cleanly and easily. The holder is made of durable aluminum that lets you get a solid grip while erasing. It also includes a jumbo-sized version of the iconic Blackwing clip, so you can extend the eraser as you use it.
These replacement erasers are designed to be used with our Soft Handheld Eraser + Holder.
Each eraser is made of a specialized soft material that erases the dark lines of our graphite cleanly and easily. Use them with our durable aluminum holder that lets you get a solid grip while erasing. The jumbo-sized Blackwing clip also lets you extend the eraser as you use it.
