Have you ever wondered how amazing a little humble instrument called the pencil can be? Check out how the translucent quality of a drinking glass, the rough twigs, the soft folds of the table cloth and soft feathers are all brought to life by means of some simple black magical substance called graphite encased in wood.



The above art sparked off my fascination with pencils. So how did the pencil come about? The predecessors of pencils were actually thin metal rods. These ancient writing instruments were used in ancient Rome and were called 'stylus'. Sometimes styluses were also made out of lead. And this is probably the reason why the core of the pencil is still called ‘lead’ even though it is made out of non-toxic graphite. So parents, take note. There is absolutely no need to hit any panic buttons if your child accidentally shallow a pencil 'lead'. The pencil 'lead' actually has the same medicinal quality as the prescribed charcoal sold in any local pharmacies.

The story of the graphite is an interesting one on its own. The story dates back to the mid-sixteen century in Borrowdale, England. The story began the day after a violent storm had hit the Seathwaite Valley of Borrowdale. Many trees were uprooted as a result. The shepherds who went out to check on their sheep on the mountainside had found some interesting black shiny substance clinging to the roots of the fallen storm casualties. At first the shepherds thought that this black substance was coal, but as it would not burn, they were mystified. But it wasn't long before it was discovered to be an excellent medium for marking their sheep. And that discovery marked the birth of graphite.
Natural graphite is very soft and brittle. So back then it was either wrapped with sheepskin or bundled up with string. In Italy, graphite was inserted into wooden rods that had been carved and hollow-out by hand! And that amazing feat brought about the birth of wood-cased pencil.
Today, graphite is mixed with clay. This process allows the hardness of the graphite to be varied. Pencils that are marked with “H” show that the graphite quality is hard and pencils that are marked with “B” show that quality of the graphite is dark. So a pencil that is marked “HB” simply means that the pencil that can write or draw dark lines without breaking easily.
There was a joke concerning NASA. It was said that NASA had spent millions on a research to develop a writing instrument that could write in outer space. The Russian on the other hand had simply used the pencil. The joke, of course, was untrue. The Fisher Pen Company was the one that developed the special writing instrument that could write in the low gravity atmosphere using their own funds. But until 1968, both Americans and Russians used the pencil. Today, the Fisher Space Pens are used during space expeditions.
Astronauts were not the only ones that used pencils. Since pencils can also write underwater, divers are most likely to use pencils as well. Botanists would prefer pencils to pens when marking their plant labels as pencil markings won’t fade in sunlight.
Having said all that, I cannot help thinking that this modest writing/drawing instrument is a piece of ‘black gold’.

If I haven't convinced anyone yet, let these awesome and breathtaking artworks of graphite speak for themselves.

In Still life:
Check out the amazing details!


In portraits:
I have never seen more amazing skin texture!


In animals:
I thought they were photographs!


In buildings:


In landscapes:


In technical drawings:


There you have 'black gold'!