Pencils and Pop Culture: The Year of the Pencil

Pencils and Pop Culture: The Year of the Pencil

Earlier this year, Kat Brown of Night and Day, The Spectator’s Arts and Culture magazine, called 2012 “The Year of the Pencil”  (Be warned, the sketch at the top of the page is probably NSFW). Yes, it would appear that 2012 was the year that the humble pencil would experience its renaissance and get the recognition it so justly deserved.

Brown cited events like the exhibition of Lucien Freud pencil sketches that opened earlier in February, and the surge in popularity of pencil-drawing classes that have recently swept Great Britain. And while I’ve yet to see any burlesque-inspired model drawing classes offered stateside, I think Brown’s right on the money.

2011 saw it’s own share of pencil-inspired goodness, from the Frick Gallery’s exhibit of early Picasso pencil sketches, to the sketches completed by artist/cartoonist Christoph Niemann as he ran the New York City Marathon, and many other noteworthy events. But even this early in 2012, it’s clear that the pencil is picking up steam.

There is the Freud exhibit, as well as an exhibit of works by emerging pencil artists Paul Chiappe and Peggy Preheim at the John Michael Kohler Arts Center in April (if you are in the Wisconsin area, don’t miss it).

The value of pencil art is rising as well; the Wall Street Journal recently reported that sketches in pencil, crayon, and ink were fetching significantly higher auction prices than previously estimated.

We spoke with artisan pencil sharpener David Rees earlier this month, and brought you news of his upcoming book and tour, perfect for picking up your own pencil sharpening techniques. And the scores of pencil artists we’ve featured weekly on Studio 602 throughout 2011 and 2012 prove that the pencil is alive and well as an artistic medium.

The dedication necessary to spot the newest events in pencil-y goodness becomes less of a job, and more of an obsession. I spent twenty minutes sitting with my nose inches away from the television screen the other night while watching a PBS special on the American songbook, just to see if I could spot an errant Blackwing hiding out on a piano.

I’ve started looking for pencils everywhere, and wondering how I could incorporate them into the things I love (hence the Blackwing martini). Seriously, wouldn’t a Blackwing look smart and period-appropriate on Don Draper’s desk come the new season of Mad Men (and yes, I promise that when the new season debuts next month on AMC, we will try to keep the general jubilation/excessive posting down to a minimum at the Studio. Note, I said TRY)?

The pencil has had a great start in 2012, and it looks like it’s going to keep going strong. With Leap Day comes an extra day to make the pencil count in 2012, so tell us your thoughts and plans in the comments. Where would you like to see a Blackwing, besides in your own hand, during 2012? What’s been the greatest pencil achievement in 2012 thus far? And where should the pencil go next?