FAMOUS BLACKWING USERS

Blackwing pencils have been adored by award-winning creators since the 1930s.

Legendary Grammy, Emmy, Pulitzer and Academy Award winners have created with the Blackwing 602 pencil. Blackwing pencils have been favored by many of the most revered authors, musicians, artists, and filmmakers throughout history.

Here are some notable names that have created with Blackwing pencils:

Author John Steinbeck wrote with the Grapes of Wrath with a Blackwing 602 pencil. His son, Thom Steinbeck, recounted that his father's writing ritual consisted of sharpening 24 Blackwing pencils before putting the first words onto the page.

Warner Bros. and Looney Tunes animator Chuck Jones created iconic characters and directed beloved animated films using Blackwing pencils.

 

Chuck Jones drawing with a Blackwing pencil


Stephen Sondheim, the renowned composer and lyricist behind the Broadway hits, Sweeny Todd and West Side Story, was an avid Blackwing user and collector.

Famed music producer and multiple Grammy-award winner Quincy Jones used Blackwing pencils to write some of the most recognizable songs in history.

 

Quincy Jones with a Blackwing pencil

Influential American architects and designers, Charles and Ray Eames, the minds behind some of the most iconic furniture silhouettes, sketched their designs with Blackwing pencils.

More famous creators that used Blackwing pencils:

  • Disney's "Nine Old Men," the core animators behind films like Snow White and Seven Dwarves animated with Blackwing pencils.

  • Truman Capote, author of In Cold Blood, wrote with Blackwing pencils.

  • Disney animator, Shamus Culhane, was asked to be buried with his Blackwing pencil.

  • Author Vladimir Nabokov wrote with Blackwing pencils.

  • Composer Leonard Bernstein was an avid Blackwing user.

  • Americana Music legend Guy Clark favored Blackwing pencils.

 

The Blackwing pencil has been favored by a wide range of notable individuals throughout its history, extending beyond those mentioned on this page. Read more about the iconic Blackwing 602 pencil.