Oh they look amazing!
kyuss - I do occasionally reach for a clutch pencil and although they're excellent for actually writing and drawing with, they're not quite as nice an experience for holding in your hand and fiddling with between lines. Wooden pencils are so beautifully tactile that nothing else really comes close for me.
As for the bullets, wunja - what can I say...
Fabulous 
I picked up a couple of new pencils in Paperchase at the weekend. I got some Daler Rowney Artists' Graphics in F and a Caran d'Ache Grafwood in H (they didn't seem to do an F).
Both came ready-sharpened with the usual sandpaper grit lines pointing towards the tip. I'd much rather get my pencils unsharpened because the first thing I do is to shove them into my mechanical sharpener, set to it's longest point. Here's the one that's currently on my office desk:
...and here's the points after a couple of quick cranks. First, the Daler Rowney Artists' Graphic F:
Exactly as it should be - a nice smooth cut into quality wood, with a good solid lead and neat tip. The paint is thin and more of a stain, but it's a working pencil and will probably wear okay. Now the Caran d'Ache Grafwood in H:
Less good. Although it's exposed a mighty, fat piece of lead that should stay sharp for longer - the wood is slightly feathering off the graphite which I don't like. It's aesthetics only as I'm sure it will function fine. The paint finish is thick and lustrous - with, I suspect, more than one coat. This is definitely a luxury,
Sunday-go-to-meeting pencil.
The Caran d'Ache Grafwood was twice the price of the modest Daler Rowney, so it's not going to be an every day pencil for me, I suspect.
Anyway - let's get to the money shots:
Oh - whilst I'm sharpening and playing with a new batch of pencils - I need to ask. Is it so wrong to sniff them in the manner of a smoker, about to appreciate a fine cuban cigar?
