Cretacolor Monolith Box (Made in
Austria) and
Koh-I-Noor 3.8 mm leadholder. A recent e-mail from a reader inspired me to take a closer look of this sketching set from my
graphite collection and conduct a few quick tests.
Box contents: 6
Monolith woodless pencils (
HB, 2B, 4B, 6B, 8B, 9B), 1 water soluble
Monolith 4B pencil, pencil extender with marbled handle, pencil cap, compact metal sharpener, and kneaded eraser.
3-minutes
demo video doodling with the
Monolith pencils and
Koh-I-Noor 3.8 mm graphite leads.
The faces on the far right were drawn with
B and
3B Koh-I-Noor 3.8 mm graphite leads that were manufactured in the
Czech Republic and are part of a
Polycolor leadholder set. While they perform well, I do not use them often since they can be rather hard to find in open stock in the
USA.
Cretacolor Monolith reference chart and test doodles drawn on 24 lb
Xerox paper. I find the diameter of the
Monolith pencils to be a tad too small for a comfortable grip, so I prefer to use them with a screw-type
Kutsuwa pencil holder. The holder with the marbled handle included in the kit was not particularly useful since it can not grip most of them tightly enough even when sliding the holding ring all the way till the end. While the
HB Monolith pencil felt a bit scratchy by comparison to the softer grades, a quick touch up sharpening got me past the uneven harder tip. While the included accessories might look nice in this sleek tin set, they can be hit or miss regarding their actual usefulness in the field given the minute differences in pencil thickness that prevent a tight fit with some of the included pencils. The woodless graphite pencils themselves are quite smooth and pleasant to use.
Recommended.
Cretacolor Monolith Box (Made in Austria) and Koh-I-Noor 3.8 mm leadholder. A recent e-mail from a reader inspired me to take a closer look of this sketching set from my graphite collection and conduct a few quick tests.
Box contents: 6 Monolith woodless pencils (HB, 2B, 4B, 6B, 8B, 9B), 1 water soluble Monolith 4B pencil, pencil extender with marbled handle, pencil cap, compact metal sharpener, and kneaded eraser.
The faces on the far right were drawn with B and 3B Koh-I-Noor 3.8 mm graphite leads that were manufactured in the Czech Republic and are part of a Polycolor leadholder set. While they perform well, I do not use them often since they can be rather hard to find in open stock in the USA.
Cretacolor Monolith reference chart and test doodles drawn on 24 lb Xerox paper. I find the diameter of the Monolith pencils to be a tad too small for a comfortable grip, so I prefer to use them with a screw-type Kutsuwa pencil holder. The holder with the marbled handle included in the kit was not particularly useful since it can not grip most of them tightly enough even when sliding the holding ring all the way till the end. While the HB Monolith pencil felt a bit scratchy by comparison to the softer grades, a quick touch up sharpening got me past the uneven harder tip. While the included accessories might look nice in this sleek tin set, they can be hit or miss regarding their actual usefulness in the field given the minute differences in pencil thickness that prevent a tight fit with some of the included pencils. The woodless graphite pencils themselves are quite smooth and pleasant to use. Recommended.
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9 comments:
Well, the most impressive thing is the box itself. Looks very practical after you remove that plastic profile. I also use those Cretacolor pencil caps, kneaded eraser and pencil extender. About the last one I can say it is not so good because the metal part is not properly attached to the plastic body. It moves a little, and that doesn't give me too much confidence while drawing. Does Cretacolor have a lead holder for those 3.8 mm leads?
Thanks for the comment andrei. The only 3.8 mm leadholders that I know of are made by Koh-I-Noor and Caran D'Ache. The Cretacolor leadholders that I have found are for 5.6 mm drawing leads. These woodless Monolith pencils are 7 mm in diameter, so other standard pencil extenders tend to work better than the the one included in the kit.
Thnk you for the videos. These are really nice to see and inspiring but need time to achieve the accuracy and ease of your drawing.
I need your suggestion regarding choosing the 5.6mm leadholders. which one will be better between Cretacolor ergonomic model and Kohinoor vsersatil model. I live in India and I have to import the leadholders but not sure which one is best so please give me your advice as it is required to drawing/sketching only.
Thanks again.
Thank you for your comment. We all need time and regular practice to continue developing accuracy and variety in basic drawing skills. Either 5.6 mm leadholder choice should work just fine as a starter sketching tool. While I do not own a Koh-I-Noor Versatil, it does look very similar to the Cretacolor 430-01. Thus I suspect that if you tend to roll the leadholder in your hand as you draw to wear down the tip uniformly, you might find the Versatil more to your liking. Personally I use the Ergonomic model the least since it is bulkier and found its built-in lead pointer pretty useless. There are also 5.6 mm leadholders that feature wooden bodies and even a short stubby barrel. The two more recent additions to my collection were made in China: Creative Mark and Art Alternatives. 5.6 mm Koh-I-Noor and Cretacolor versions are manufactured in the Czech Republic and Germany. http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_idUARdOEJAk/SbTHr3KrjLI/AAAAAAAACMc/-PMjjbjWKRE/s1600-h/Sketching+clutch+pencil+collection.jpg
Thank you very much for your kind reply and it bears the two most vital information I was looking for, first, it's about built-in lead pointer/sharpener and it can not be of much help, second, Kohinoor varsatil would be slightly or more better than Cretacolor Ergonomics[of course you can pass the maxim as you have, perhaps all the models of lead holder Cretacolor has produced so far :)) ]. I have been looking for varsatil for many days and even wrote to Hardsmuth company to get information regarding it but they only provide in bulk and have no knowledge of dealer/seller/retailer located in our country so I was, being a little compelled, looking for an alternative but now I have made up my mind and thanx for your authoritative guidance.
Wish you all the best.
You are welcome. Glad I could help. After a few web searches last night, found another German 5.6 mm leadholder option: the Worther (Woerther) Compact 5.6 mm Sketch Pencil, Natural Aluminum http://www.ipenstore.com/servlet/the-2594/Worther-COMPACT-5.6-mm/Detail
For readers interested in WÖRTHER mechanical pencils, found their online shop in Germany (Though I have personally never ordered from them) should they prove a more cost effective option depending on your location http://woerthershop_en.system-shop.at/shop.php?PHPSESSID=7781a5fcfe3d01d38800a45228d09135
Hello and Thanks again for the Woerther link. I'd seen worther shorty while browsing for lead holder as a matter of fact but never seriously considered it. I was busy looking for Faber-Castell TK 9400 Series clutch pencil and I have purchased two TK 9400 clutch pencils, 6B[3.14mm] and 3B[2mm] 'cause I got the general impression that real drawing/sketching lead dia starts with 2mm and below 2mm dia is only for mechanical drawing and the greater degree of dia of lead the better but you've suggested to use 0.5mm mechanical pencil so please enlightened us about the dia and hardness of a lead a prospective artist should start with. I had checked your site several times while looking for pencils[ every search engines include your page].
Kohinoor Versatil[5347 model] costs Rs.275 (Indian rupee)in India and other pencils are very costly and not available here and I need to pay in US doller to import it whereas[$1==Rs.47 approx.] so money is a factor :).
Please suggest China made any good 5.6 mm lead holder as these thing is not so costly, good in quality, affordable and available. I got links on couple of lead holders manufactured in China and come in plastic blister packs with extra leads but lost those links and couldn't find again.
Please let us know why various diameters of leads exist and why one should use 5.6 mm and why one should use 2mm etc.
very warm regards ....
Hmm here is the link to the Creative Mark leadholder set that comes with 6 spare leads
http://www.jerrysartarama.com/discount-art-supplies/Charcoal/Creative-Mark-Lead-Holder-Set.htm
which should be equivalent to 198.18 INR, but you would still have to factor in the shipping charges.
I have not given mine much of a work out yet to test its durability limit, but seems reasonably solid and a good value given its price. Mechanical pencils (0.35 mm to 2 mm) have been traditionally part of the tool set of draftmen and architects, but several artists also work with them as well. The 3.15 mm to 5.6 mm leadholders are generally regarded as sketching tools that allow for quick shading, work efficiently at larger scales, and provide a constant comfortable grip in a reliable tool of uniform length. The 2 mm leadholders are a daily staple in my sketching kit, but I tend to gravitate to my 3.15 mm Woerther Shorty for speed sketches and class demos. Depending on my mood, I might sometimes switch to a premium wooden pencil for a more traditional feel. 5.6 mm is probably the leadholder size that I use the least, for they tend to be bulkier and their refills are slightly more difficult to come by. I would encourage you to first find and test the drawing supplies that are readily available to you locally to lessen any potential inhibition in your creative process from fear of wasting expensive imported leads and pencils. I tend to recommend 2B,F,and HB graphite grades for sketching, and I would lean towards 2B if taking a single pencil in a compact kit. For carefully rendered illustrations, some artists start with H to 2H leads to reduce the chance of smudging accidents. Personally I seldom use any of my H leads, for they are too light and feel too scratchy for my current quick sketching style.
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