Why Pencils Are Yellow

According to Artsy.net –

Visitors to the 1889 Exposition Universelle in Paris entered the fairgrounds under the shadow of the newly-built Eiffel Tower—a gleaming marvel of wrought iron lattice that stretched almost a thousand feet into the air. Once inside, they could gawk at a massive reconstruction of the Bastille or gasp as Annie Oakley demonstrated her legendary marksmanship in Buffalo Bill’s Wild West show.

Amidst this myriad of spectacles was a rather less dramatic—but no less influential—innovation from a Czech manufacturing company named Hardtmuth Pencil. Its latest creation was formed, as all pencils are, of a graphite core housed in a protective wooden sheath. What stood out was its color—Hardtmuth’s “luxury pencil” was painted yellow.

Continue reading HERE.

Inside One of The US’s Last Pencil Factories

According to the NY Times –

A pencil is a little wonder-wand: a stick of wood that traces the tiniest motions of your hand as it moves across a surface. I am using one now, making weird little loops and slashes to write these words. As a tool, it is admirably sensitive. The lines it makes can be fat or thin, screams or whispers, blocks of concrete or blades of grass, all depending on changes of pressure so subtle that we would hardly notice them in any other context.

Even as other factories have chased higher profit margins overseas, General Pencil has stayed put, cranking out thousands upon thousands of writing instruments in the middle of Jersey City.

Continue reading HERE.

Alternate link HERE.

A Short History Of The Wingdings Font [video]

Art Of Calligraphy [video]

Written by Hand – A Fading Art [video]

More Than You Want To Know About Pencils [infographic]

The complete(?) history of the lowly lead pencil is contained in this infographic.

12 Letters That Didn’t Make The Alphabet

Mental_floss reports –

You know the alphabet. It’s one of the first things you’re taught in school. But did you know that they’re not teaching you all of the alphabet? There are quite a few letters we tossed aside as our language grew, and you probably never even knew they existed.

Read about forgotten letters such as; Long S, Wynn, Yogh, Ethel and 8 others, HERE

 

When Words Explain Themselves In Images

Mindjunker posted an interesting collection of words that show the words’ definitions with simple graphic enhancements. Fontophiles and type junkies will love it.

See all 23 words HERE

 

 

How To Sharpen A Pencil – Like A Boss

More than anyone needs to know about sharpening pencils.

Step Four: Monitoring the Shavings’ Egress

Etsy published this article on April 1, 2012.

Read the article HERE

 

Forever Pencil Writes With Metal

Wired reports –

… a tiny amount of metal alloy transfers from the pen to the page. Unlike pencil, it can’t be smudged with your hand, and unlike ink, it doesn’t need to dry. The amount of alloy for each stroke is so tiny that the pens are expected to last a lifetime without needing to be refilled or replaced. You can sharpen the tips for a finer point with a little sandpaper.

Read more and get ordering info HERE.