Leadholders and the best 2 mm graphite lead refills

For graphite drawings on-the-go, I often choose 2 mm leadholders for a couple of reasons: they keep a constant length and comfortable grip and the 2 mm lead thickness resist breakage far better than thinner 0.5 mm leads under field conditions. A pack of 6 leadholder refills is also far more space-efficient than carrying the equivalent 6 wooden pencils. Unfortunately nowadays few brick-and-mortar outlets seem to carry leadholders, and fewer still carry the spare 2 mm lead refills. When they do, their usual narrow selection is limited to HB leads from either Staedtler or Sanford Turquoise. For everything there is to know about leadholders check out this comprehensive site.
My current absolute favorite 2 mm leads are made by Mitsubishi Uni-ball and they are conveniently available online through JetPens. All four grades tested (H, F, HB, & B) draw smoothly on the Xerox ivory paper without skipping, resist smudging, and easily produce uniform and far darker swatches than comparable leads from other major manufacturers. These superior Uni graphite leads probably have some wax polymer blend in their formulation since they glide so effortlessly on the paper support, and more importantly they do not suffer from the occasional rough impurities or poorly ground graphite particles within their cores that make some other leads so scratchy and unpleasant to use.
Comparing a selection on 2 mm Uni leads against the same graphite degrees of Staedtler, Koh-I-Noor, and Faber Castell leads on Xerox Ivory 67# vellum cover. Notice how the Staedtler B sample swatch smudged on the lower right corner, for this lead tends to leave loose graphite particles on the paper surface. The Uni leads are darker, smoother, cleaner, and far more pleasant to use than the other leads shown. When comparing prices, they are also the best deal around with a pack of 6 long-lasting quality leads retailing for about half the price of the lesser brands. For a portable graphite sketching kit, I can think of no better choice than a favorite leadholder and a selection of Uni 2 mm leads.

Just a couple of graphite doodles on yellow card stock

Just trying out a sheet of Xerox 67# Canary Vellum Cover with assorted graphite pencils.

Just couldn't wait to stock up on this fine gel pens

After testing this gel pen for a couple of days, I had to make sure to secure a dozen for my sketching supplies stash. With its smooth performance and ability to double as pencil holder/extender, the Uni-ball® Bit™ Needle Point Gel Pen has earned a spot in my daily sketching kit. After checking their online ordering system, a helpful clerk at the office supplies store informed me that there is no indication that this item has been discontinued as I feared. She promptly placed the order for this box to be delivered to my home address and kindly waived the shipping fee. Thus I just got it today, 48 hours after visiting the store.
The Mitsubishi Uni-ball Hi-Uni pencils' new best friends: a dozen of a brand new Uni-ball Signo Bit 0.7 black gel pens which can double as effective pencil extenders in a pinch.
Just some random gel pen doodles. The ink does get used up pretty fast, for I have already gone through half an ink cartridge in just a few days of testing it. The pen would probably last longer if used just for writing.

Couple of gel pen doodles

Felt like changing the banner tonight with this spontaneous mecha-fantasy doodle.
Just continuing to doodle with the Uni-ball Signo bit 0.7 gel pen. Might turn this into the next blog banner.

Pencil holders/lengtheners hacked out of pen bodies

Thanks Jim for these "very effective inexpensive artist supplies". Good tip for recycling pen bodies or useful feature to consider when choosing pens for a sketching kit.
If a pen barrel unscrews near the middle and has the right taper, it might also function as a fairly effective pencil holder in a pinch. Should you ever find yourself sketching in the middle of nowhere with just a pencil stub and a pen, the right choice of pen might allow you to get some extra life out of that stubby pencil. Many Derwent pencils are too thick for this trick to work, but these pen barrels worked quite well as extenders and point protectors with Mitsubishi Hi-Uni, Unistar,Tombow Mono, and California Republic Palomino pencils.
While the main objective of this entry was not to review these particular pens generously supplied by Jim (Barrel of a Pencil), I can't help but notice that the Uni-ball pens live up to their reputation of writing very smoothly. All three pens proved to be fairly water resistant after drying overnight, so either could be used for journaling in combination with watercolor washes. The most feathering was observed with the Uni-ball Vision Elite. Given their water-based translucent inks, light colored Faber Castell Pitt Artist brush pens were used to test the water resistance of these 3 pens.
The Uni-ball Signo bit 0.7 writes and draws very smoothly on Moleskine planner paper and sketchbook paper. Once dried, the lines are very water-resistant. The Faber Castell Pitt brush pens hardly smudged this outline drawn the night before.

TIP: If you would like to try this fine writing and drawing tool, be advised that the Uni-ball Signo bit 0.7 Needle Point Gel Pen appears to be sold only through web retailers like the Staples online store. I was told by a helpful clerk at a local Staples store that they can order them and receive them at the store for pick-up to save the shipping charges if you are not ordering over $50 online to qualify for the free shipping. For additional vendors try searching for "Sanford Uni-Ball Needle Point Rollerball Bit Pen" or "Sanford, L.P. Bit Needle Point Rollerball Bit Pen" since it seems that many online office supply vendors list it under the American distributor "Sanford" as opposed to its Japanese manufacturer "Uni-ball".
The Zebra Jimnie Medium roller ball pen barrel can function as a point protector
and as a pencil extender for really short stubs. As for this pen's performance, it took a couple of passes on scrap paper to get the ink flowing. Once it was started the ink flowed smoothly leaving a nice continuous dark blue line on the paper. The dried ink outlines were completely waterproof. The Zebra Jimnie pen was made in Indonesia and is reportedly sold at Dollar stores.
The slender barrel of the Sanford Uni-Ball Signo Needle Point Rollerball Bit 0.7 Pen works nicely both as a pencil point protector and as a pencil extender. Don't forget that the cap can be attached to the end of the barrel for some extra length and to keep the functional pocket clip.
The barrel of the Uni-ball Vision Elite micro roller pen can add another inch to short pencil stubs like this Mitsubishi Unistar pencil.
These tests reminded me of a Pilot G-2 hack from the now-defunct Ninth Wave Designs blog, so I tested its push-button barrel with a Palomino pencil. It works well as a point protector with a functional pocket clip, but it doesn't add much length as an extender. The bottom line would be that if your pens' bodies can be taken apart and have the right tapering shape, they might have a second life as pencil accessories. Practical tip in these tough times when many of us can't afford to get a fancy pencil holder like the Uni-ball 50th Anniversary Limited Edition Pencil Holder.

p.s. I am not that big of a fan of Bakugan's Gorem, but such a large rotocast posable figure with a 70% discount was a pretty good deal for a reference art manikin for drawing Manga mechas.

Photo review of watercolor box sets and travel kits collection

Time for another materials collection photo review. Thanks to luck, a passion for browsing through art supplies stores, and some great clearance deals, I've managed to gather a fairly large collection of watercolor sets through the years. Since watercolor pans can pretty much store indefinitely in moderately temperature-controlled environments, I have no qualms about snatching and hoarding a few sets when I come across a heavily discounted watercolor kit. Plus it is nice to have a few options when putting together a sketching kit depending on the limitations and number of people going on a sketching trip. While mastering watercolors to produce tight controlled realistic effects can be rather intimidating and challenging, relying on portable watercolor travel kits as a convenient source of quick colorful washes to brighten up waterproof black ink sketches can be pretty fun and relaxing if applied loosely. When partnered with a couple of good waterbrushes and a cleaning sponge, no other medium can compete in neatness and space-efficiency with a well chosen watercolor travel kit. They do not take up much space to carry or set up and can be used and go almost everywhere on a moment's notice. Try making sketches at a museum gallery with oils or acrylics without making prior arrangements (answer: "you can't"). To reinforce the convenience and usefulness of an always-ready-to-go watercolor pan set check out this thoughtful blog entry on impromptu journaling by Roz Stendahl.
Watercolor tube sets collection. The paint fresh out of the tubes tends to be the most watery with some Maimeri Blu and Daniel Smith tubes. Most of the tubes in this selection hold 5 ml or 15 ml which will last a fairly long time and can be used to replenish half-pans or fill empty pans a few times to build custom palettes. The main drawbacks of tube paints for me are that they are rather bulky, the vehicle can separate from the paint during prolonged storage, and sometimes the paint can dry completely inside the tube. Before that happens, it would be best to squeeze the remaining paint from older tubes into an empty plastic folding palette to create an easier-to-use lightweight custom palette or at least into an inexpensive plastic round 10-well tray palette that can be covered and stored for later use.The photo link above leads to my Flickr photostream with detailed size and material comparison comments in the photo tags. The converted Winsor & Newton Cotman studio set of 18 half pans loaded with 24 half pans of artists' watercolors (by placing six half pans in the two rectangular wells meant for paint tubes) is the oldest and more frequently used watercolor kit in my studio. The Winsor & Newton half pan compact enameled metal box set of 12 Artists' watercolors is my first choice to haul around in my sketching back pack since it is well-balanced, lightweight, and sturdy enough to withstand regular travel stress. I take extra sets along to work more efficiently when there is the chance of holding an impromptu watercoloring/sketching session with my nieces.
The Maimeri Blu metal boxes are rather heavy and bulky, so they work better for studio use. The 12 half pan set takes almost twice as much room as the more compact Winsor & Newton metal box half pan set of 12, and it is a bit more unwieldy given its long rectangular shape. The Maimeri Blu watercolors yield particularly bright color swatches. Upon removing their gold wrapping, several paint cakes were found to be loose inside their half pans. A few drops of gum arabic solution were used to secure them in place. Some of the watercolor cakes had cracked or shrunk considerably, so a few drops of glycerine were added after consulting the plasticizer function in watercolor formulation at the Handprint website.
Color chart for Maimeri Blu 12 half pan set of Artists' watercolors. I would not recommend using the metal box holding clips on your fine brushes, for they are likely to scratch the lacquered finish of the wooden handles.
Color chart for Maimeri Blu 24 half pan set of Artists' watercolors. Looks like I got a mislabeled or defective half pan of Cobalt Violet judging from the pale pink of its color swatch which is supposed to be a much darker deep violet hue.
Brainstorming a potential kids' activity to follow a short tour on a Warhol exhibit and illustrate the principles of color theory in selecting effective color combinations. Outlines were drawn with a blue wax crayon and colored with watercolor washes using a flat waterbrush.

Koh-I-Noor (KIN) Precision Lead Pointer and KIN Duo F 2 mm graphite drawing leads box photo review

After leisurely browsing for a few hours through one Utrecht and 2 Pearl stores in Ft. Lauderdale and Miami, I ended up with some of the loot shown above. Never thought I'd ever come across this lead pointer and KIN Duo lead box that I had only previously seen in the virtual Leadholder museum. A couple of hard to find items at the same store on the same day, what are the odds?
Rather than retype all this material, here is a scan of the worn Koh-I-Noor 25961 Pocket Precision Lead pointer instructions card.
Size comparison of available lead pointer models.
Click on the photo of the lead pointers collection in their disassembled state to read detailed tag comparison comments. Basically the KIN Precision lead pointer has the most component parts and boasts the most secure chamber design for collecting graphite dust. All other models shown are more likely to fall apart during transport and soil everything inside your carrying bag with graphite dust. Its opening accepts standard 2 mm leadholders like the Staedtler Mars Technico 780C, Caran D'Ache Fixpencil 22, Mitsubishi Uni, and the Faber Castell TK-9400. In my case I have to remove the plastic pencil grips first for them to fit. The KIN Precision lead pointer comes packaged with a practical desk stand and 3 taper control buttons to provide the choice of 3 lead taper lengths suitable for drafting. layout work, and fine line art. Fairly compact and solidly built, it is a fine example of the craftmanship and lasting quality seldom found in many drawing tools of today in a society with a throw away mentality. Of course once I wear down all 4 cutting edges edges of its blades set, it might be rather difficult to find a replacement blades set to keep it in service.
The Koh-I-Noor (KIN) F graphite lead is a fair drawing lead similar to Faber Castell and Staedtler leads with a slight scratchy feel common to H leads. Showing the common differences in graphite grading across brands, the KIN F lead produces lighter marks than the Mitsubishi Uni F 2 mm drawing lead which remains my top favorite choice for its dark lines and smooth feel on the paper. Yet, I am still quite pleased to have added this unique box of KIN Duo F leads to my collection. As demand for quality drafting tools wanes as technological advances take over drafting tasks, 2 mm lead holders and quality drawing leads all seem to be sadly disappearing from regular office supplies outlets.

Recent addition to my 5.6 mm Sketching Clutch Pencil collection

With a 40% off Sunday coupon, managed to pick up this nifty Art Alternatives Clutch Pencil tin set for under 5 bucks at the local Michael's. A pretty good value for a solid leadholder with a built-in sharpener, three 2B graphite leads, and kneaded eraser packaged in a convenient storage tin.
Updated shot of my current collection of large clutch sketching pencils and selection of drawing leads 6-packs: 4B and 6B graphite leads, light sepia chalks, sanguine crayons, and Nero leads. The latter two varieties are formulated with oily-waxes that provide smudge resistance and smooth lay down resulting in a cleaner sketching experience and eliminating the need for fixatives.
In this size range, most of my large leadholders and drawing leads were manufactured by Cretacolor from Austria. The last two additions, the Creative Mark and Art Alternatives models, were both manufactured in China and packaged with spare leads as value added sketching sets.

Bit of an indulgence and becoming rather hard to find these days at retail stores, the 5.6 mm clutch sketching pencil's main advantages are maintaining a constant weight and length for precise control and keeping fingers clean while quickly shading and sketching with fairly break-resistant soft drawing leads.