Release Date: September 2015
Model Number: 211
Subject: John Muir
Graphite: Firm

Pencil Story

John Muir was a writer, poet, and artist, but most notably, he was the most widely recognized environmentalist in American history. Perhaps his biggest accomplishment was being the key figure in the founding of Yosemite National Park.

We pay tribute to John Muir and his impact on creativity and the environment with the Blackwing 211. The John Muir Trail, the premier hiking trail in the United States, starts in Yosemite and continues 211 miles through the Ansel Adams Wilderness, ending at the highest peak in continental United States, Mount Whitney.

Release Date: December 2015
Model Number: 1138
Subject: Georges Méliès’ A Trip to the Moon
Graphite: Soft

Pencil Story

At 13 minutes, Georges Méliès’ A Trip to the Moon was groundbreaking due to its length, intricate sets, elaborate costumes, and coherent story. It is not only the earliest example of a science fiction film, it also laid the foundation for narrative films of all genres.

The Blackwing 1138 salutes A Trip to the Moon and all things sci-fi. Using a process known as movie barcoding, we condensed the entirety of the film into individual bands of color and applied it to the barrel of the pencil.

Release Date: July 2016
Model Number: 56
Subject: Joe DiMaggio
Graphite: Firm

Pencil Story

Joe DiMaggio’s legacy is cemented by numbers. In a historic 13 year career, his teams won 10 American League pennants and 9 World Series championships. He appeared in 13 All-Star games and was named American League MVP 3 times. However, the number he is best known for is 56.

The Blackwing 56 pays tribute to Joe DiMaggio during the 75th anniversary of his famous 56 game hitting streak. The blue pinstripe barrel is a nod to the uniform he wore with the utmost class and dignity, while the gold imprint and ferrule draw inspiration from the Commissioner’s Trophy his Yankee squad hoisted at the end of that magical 1941 season. This pencil features a firm graphite core and Blackwing’s signature square eraser, ideal for scoring a ballgame.

Release Date: September 2016
Model Number: 344
Subject: Dorothea Lange
Graphite: Firm

Pencil Story

In 1936, while working for the Farm Security Administration, Dorothea Lange took one of the most recognizable photographs in American history. “Migrant Mother” captures the essence of Depression-era America in the form of a 32-year old working mother of seven in Nipomo, CA. This image is one of the most striking examples of photography’s ability to capture emotion and tell a story.

Blackwing 344 celebrates the 80th anniversary of this historic photo and the artistic legacy Dorothea Lange left behind. The deep red barrel, red foil imprint, bright red ferrule and black eraser reflect what a Blackwing 602 pencil would look like in a darkroom. The model number references Library of Congress LOT 344, which contains a number of her photographs, including the iconic “Migrant Mother.

Release Date: December 2016
Model Number: 530
Subject: California Gold Rush
Graphite: Extra-firm

Pencil Story

In 1848, gold flakes were discovered in Northern California’s American River. This discovery sparked what would come to be known as the California Gold Rush, causing hundreds of thousands of business owners, artists, lawyers and people of all trades to leave their lives behind and flock to Northern California in pursuit of fortune and opportunity.

The Gold Rush was California’s defining moment, a moment immortalized by the state’s motto “Eureka! I have found it!” There’s a similar moment in the creative process when the rest of the world fades and the project’s singular objective becomes clear. The Blackwing 530 celebrates these eureka moments of the creative process. Its gold barrel and ferrule symbolize the feeling of “striking gold” when creating. The model number 530 is a tribute to Sutter’s Mill, California Historical Site No. 530, where gold was first discovered.

Release Date: June 2017
Model Number: 73
Subject: Lake Tahoe
Graphite: Soft

Pencil Story

You cannot fully understand a place or the people living in it without understanding the paintings, writings and songs created on its soil. Our local natural wonder of Lake Tahoe is a perfect example. The works of countless artists tell of a place of both breathtaking natural beauty and perilous unpredictability; a place that stands at the front line of the age-old conflict between the natural world and the encroachment of civilization.

As a result of human ambition, the lake’s signature blue color began to disappear in the 1960s, and its Secchi depth (a unit used to measure clarity) plummeted to 66.6 feet by 1997. Fortunately, through aggressive conservation efforts, the lake has begun to regain its remarkable clarity.

Blackwing 73 celebrates Lake Tahoe and other landmarks that have had a comparable impact on arts and society. Each pencil features a Tahoe blue finish and raised texture that mimics the lake’s topography. The number 73 references Lake Tahoe’s last measured Secchi depth of 73 feet.

Release Date: September 2017
Model Number: 1
Subject: Guy Clark
Graphite: Balanced

Pencil Story

The 1970s outlaw country movement had many influences, but perhaps none were more important than legendary raconteur Guy Clark. He and his wife Susanna opened their Nashville home to generations of groundbreaking artists over the years, giving them a space to create songs that broke down the walls built by mainstream country music.

Guy’s debut album Old No. 1 is regarded as one of the most influential ever made. Ripe with poetic mastery and extraordinary characters, it introduced people to a new quality of songwriting fueled by authenticity and substance. Guy rejected a proven formul-a for airplay and stardom in favor of writing his mind and recording with acoustic instruments that allowed the stories to take center stage.

The Blackwing 1 is a nod to Guy Clark and his perfectly imperfect style. Blackwing’s first round pencil features a matte grey washcoat finish that lets the wood grain show through, a “blue collar” eraser that pays tribute to Guy’s favorite blue shirt, and balanced graphite perfect for songwriting.

Release Date: December 2017
Model Number: 16.2
Subject: Ada Lovelace
Graphite: Firm

Pencil Story

From an early age, Ada Lovelace showed an adeptness for mathematics and an uncanny ability to make creative connections between seemingly disparate things and ideas. She described this ability as “the Discovering Faculty,” and it was a gift she put to use in astounding ways.

In 1843, while translating an article on Charles Babbage’s Analytical Engine computer, Ada wrote her own thoughts and notes on the machine. These notes contained what many consider to be the first complete computer program, earning her the posthumous title “The Prophet of the Computer Age.”

The Blackwing 16.2 is a tribute to mathematician, writer and visionary Ada Lovelace. The pencil features a matte white finish and matte black ferrule inspired by the simple styling of early personal computers. It features our firm graphite formulation ideal for both writing and mathematics. The number 16.2 is a nod to the Analytical Engine’s storage capacity of 16.2 kB (0.00005% the storage of the average smartphone) and the backside of each pencil bears a binary pattern stamp of the initials she used to sign her work, AAL.

Release Date: June 2018
Model Number: 10001
Subject: Miyamoto Sensei's KenKen Puzzles
Graphite: Firm

Pencil Story

When Tetsuya Miyamoto invented the KenKen® puzzle in his mathematics classroom in 2004, his goal was to improve his students’ problem solving and logic skills. He describes his method as “The Art of Teaching without Teaching,” and his dream is to make the world smarter with his invention.

Today, the KenKen® puzzle is the only puzzle printed daily alongside the New York Times Crossword. Puzzles like these inspire us to apply problem solving and logic in creative ways, letting our minds perform a beautiful dance between their left and right hemispheres.

Blackwing 10001 (壱万壱) pays tribute to Miyamoto Sensei’s puzzles and other creative ways of teaching and learning. 10001 is a numeral palindrome in Kanji as well as in Arabic numerals. It is also tied to one of Miyamoto Sensei’s favorite equations. The pencil features a red stained barrel, firm graphite, gold imprint and unique five-sided “Gōkaku pencil” shape.

Release Date: September 2018
Model Number: 33 1/3
Subject: Vinyl records
Graphite: Balanced

Pencil Story

From their introduction in the late 1800s, analog records have withstood the advent of radio, the rise and fall of CDs and MP3s, and the dawn of streaming. Rather than be displaced by these more convenient ways of consuming music, the vinyl record has instead shifted from an object of convenience to one of connection. And it has thrived in the process.

The Blackwing 33 1/3 is a tribute to vinyl records. It features a matte black finish and matte black ferrule to go with its black imprint and black eraser. The gloss black foil banding near the grip was inspired by the grooves on a record.

Release Date: December 2018
Model Number: 4
Subject: The Perserverance Mars Rover Mission
Graphite: Soft

Pencil Story

In 2020, NASA will send a rover to Mars to search for evidence of ancient Martian life while testing technologies for future human expeditions. While the engineering designs for the rover and its various instruments are finalized in CAD, its revolutionary robotic arm and zoom-enabled cameras – the first of their kind to be sent to another planet – were first conceptualized in drawings by the team at Motiv Space Systems using Blackwing pencils.

The Blackwing 4 is a tribute to Mars and the 2020 rover mission. It features a rust-colored lacquer and sand-textured finish inspired by the surface of the fourth planet. It also features our first ever dune bronze ferrule, a cream imprint and eraser, and our soft graphite.

Release Date: June 2019
Model Number: 10
Subject: Nellie Bly
Graphite: Extra-firm

Pencil Story

In 1887, Joseph Pulitzer’s New York World tasked Nellie Bly, a yet unknown journalist, with investigating the insane asylum on New York’s Blackwell’s Island. The resulting series, which she titled “Ten Days in a Madhouse,” is one of the earliest and most iconic examples of unbiased investigative journalism. It uncovered the brutal conditions in which patients were forced to live, and shined a spotlight on the misconceptions surrounding mental illness.

The Blackwing 10 is a tribute to Nellie Bly - and investigative journalists like her - who keep citizens informed, and give them a voice. It features a matte grey newsprint finish, dark grey imprint, silver ferrule, dark grey eraser, and extra-firm graphite. The number 10 represents the ten days Miss Bly spent investigating a story that has impacted countless lives.

Release Date: August 2019
Model Number: 42
Subject: Jackie Robinson
Graphite: Balanced

Pencil Story

In 1947, Jackie Robinson was called up to the Major Leagues by the Brooklyn Dodgers, breaking the color barrier and providing much-needed momentum to the desegregation movement that extended well beyond baseball.

The Blackwing Volume 42 is a tribute to Jackie Robinson and those who pursue their passions, creative or otherwise, regardless of the obstacles in their way. It features our balanced graphite, a blue imprint and eraser, road gray ferrule, and the iconic red 42.

Release Date: November 2019
Model Number: 155
Subject: Bauhaus
Graphite: Soft

Pencil Story

When Walter Gropius published his Manifesto of the Staatliches Bauhaus in the spring of 1919, he declared that "there is no essential difference between the artist and the artisan." In the years that would follow, his Bauhaus Art School would seek to tear down the wall between the fine and the applied arts. Members of the Bauhaus movement created iconic modern art including chairs, buildings, paintings, and sculptures.

The Blackwing 155 is a tribute to the Bauhaus School and its legacy of craftsmanship. Each pencil features our soft graphite core, our first-ever black eraser clip, and a design inspired by the simple shapes and colors that have become a hallmark of the Bauhaus style. Though only 155 students graduated from the school, its philosophies have had an immeasurable impact on artists around the world.

Release Date: June 2020
Model Number: 3
Subject: Ravi Shankar
Graphite: Extra-firm

Pencil Story

In June of 1966, George Harrison met maestro Ravi Shankar in Bath, England. Harrison asked Ravi to teach him how to play the sitar, a task Ravi agreed to only after considerable hesitation. Their collaboration resulted in an explosion in the popularity of classical Indian music and culture in the United States and around the world.

The Blackwing 3 is a tribute to Ravi Shankar on his 100th birthday. It features our extra-firm graphite and a matte turmeric finish accented with a pattern inspired by one of Ravi’s iconic sitars. The pattern prominently features the ॐ (Om), a sacred Sanskrit symbol with three phonetic components that correlate to the waking, dream, and unconscious states of being.

A portion of every pack sold will benefit the Ravi Shankar Foundation and their mission to "preserve the diversity of cultures and richness of their arts."

Release Date: September 2020
Model Number: XIX
Subject: The 19th Amendment
Graphite: Firm

Pencil Story

On August 18th, 1920, Tennessee became the 36th state to ratify the 19th Amendment. After nearly a century of lobbying, marching, and protesting, it was finally illegal to deny anyone the right to vote on the basis of sex. This was a massive step forward for equal voting rights in the US, but it was not without its flaws.

Some members of the suffrage movement had sought to exclude Black women from the protection of the Amendment. And even after the 19th Amendment passed, the voting rights of Black, Indigenous, Asian, and Latinx Americans continued to be repressed, often violently. Although the Voting Rights Act of 1965 aimed to eliminate these practices, gerrymandering and other voter suppression techniques continue to threaten all Americans’ right to the elective franchise.

The Blackwing XIX is our tribute to the 19th Amendment and the ongoing fight for voting rights in the United States and around the world. It features a purple barrel and three-sided white and golden yellow imprint inspired by the suffrage flag, striped silver ferrule, and purple eraser. The 36 yellow stars represent the 36 states that ratified the amendment. The firm graphite is perfect for writing a letter to your Representatives or making your voting plan.

Release Date: December 2020
Model Number: 6
Subject: Independent businesses
Graphite: Soft

Pencil Story

In 1912, French engineer Georges Claude installed the world’s first neon sign above a barbershop in Paris. His vibrant, tubular lights soon adorned the storefronts of small businesses around the world and symbolized the entrepreneurial drive that formed the backbone of their communities. Today, the spirit of “Main Street” is more resilient than ever. It can be found in urban cities and rural towns, bookstores and coffee shops, boutiques, and restaurants. It’s one of the many things that make our homes feel special. And it’s worth preserving.

The Blackwing 6 celebrates independent businesses and their entrepreneurial spirit. Each set comes with six neon red and six neon blue pencils inspired by the iconic neon “Open” sign. Each pencil features a black ferrule, black imprint, and our soft graphite. The number 6 is a nod to the six Noble Gases which give neon lights their distinct colors. This release supports the Small Business Relief Fund as they work to help small businesses keep their lights on.

Release Date: June 2021
Model Number: 64
Subject: Comic books
Graphite: Firm

Pencil Story

In 1837, Swiss teacher Rodolphe Töpffer published a collection of illustrated stories chronicling the adventures of a character named Mr. Vieux Bois. Each page featured six panels with images and captions to convey the action and dialogue. It was unlike anything readers had seen.

Rodolphe Töpffer had created the world’s first comic book.

In the 200 years since, comic books have evolved from a niche medium to a comprehensive storytelling device. Comic book writers, pencilers, inkers, letterers, and colorists have birthed iconic characters, explored profound topics, and deftly blurred the lines between pop-culture and art.

The Blackwing 64 is a tribute to comic books and the minds that bring them to life. Each pencil features a halftone design that’s a nod to the 64 color palette utilized in some of the earliest comics. It also features a unique doubled imprint inspired by comic book lettering. Its firm graphite is perfect for sketching a new character concept or writing a list of their super powers.

Release Date: September 2021
Model Number: 651
Subject: Bruce Lee
Graphite: Extra-firm

Pencil Story

Despite his image as an international movie star and acclaimed martial artist, Bruce Lee was a philosopher at his core. His pocketbooks contained everything from dance routines, to uplifting self-affirmations and deep life-shaping wisdoms. While his oeuvre is filled with classic films, his crowning achievement may have been his art known as Jeet Kune Do.

In a note to his students, Bruce Lee wrote “the art of Jeet Kune Do is simply to simplify.” He believed in honesty in all actions and championed a freedom of expression that had never been seen in the world of martial arts. Jeet Kune Do was designed for combat, but its tenets can be applied to the challenges of everyday life; “using no way as way; having no limitation as limitation.”

The Blackwing 651 is a tribute to the legendary Bruce Lee. Both simple and direct, each pencil features a black and yellow striped design that takes its cues from the philosophies of Jeet Kune Do. The number 651 is derived from 651 S. Weller Street in Seattle, where Bruce Lee opened his first formal school. The extra-firm graphite is ideal for writing notes, including those to your future self, whenever inspiration strikes.

Release Date: December 2021
Model Number: 93
Subject: Corita Kent
Graphite: Soft

Pencil Story

In 1973, art found itself at the forefront of a cultural shift. The United States military had just pulled out of Vietnam after nearly two decades and midcentury optimism had given way to uncertainty. Art, even when created for mass appeal, took on a darker tone. 1973's highest-grossing movie - The Exorcist - and top-selling album - Pink Floyd’s The Dark Side of the Moon - gave us a glimpse into the cultural landscape of the time.

The following year, a new wave of art - films like Chinatown and albums like Bob Marley’s Natty Dread - shined a light on a broken system. And gave us the tools to understand it. Art reflects the world around us and helps us process complex issues so that we can move forward. Leonard Cohen once said “There is a crack in everything. That’s how the light gets in.” Art creates cracks in the world’s darkest places, letting in the light of knowledge.

Fifty years later, the Blackwing 2 acknowledges art’s role in bringing about change. Each pencil features a cracked glow-in-the-dark design that plays on the duality of art and the challenging realities that inspire it. Each pencil also includes our firmest graphite yet - a special 2X firm graphite formulated specially for this release.

Release Date: June 2022
Model Number: 55
Subject: The Golden Ratio
Graphite: Balanced

Pencil Story

The Golden Ratio is a mathematical ratio often found in nature, art, and design. It gives the world around us composition and symmetry that, for reasons we don’t fully understand, we find beautiful. It appears in the spiral of a seashell, the uncurling of a fern, and many other natural structures. When applied to the arts, it becomes a tool for creating balanced, organic works.

The Golden Ratio can be heard in the arrangements of Beethoven, Mozart, and Bach. It can be felt in the syllabic patterns of Sanskrit poetry. It can be seen in the works of artists and architects from Salvador Dali to Frank Lloyd Wright. It can even be applied in your day to day life by framing a portrait using photography’s “Rule of Thirds.”

The Blackwing 55 celebrates the Golden Ratio. It’s a reminder to slow down and savor the beauty around us. Each pencil contains our balanced graphite and features a design inspired by the Fibonacci sequence, a series of numbers that approximate the Golden Ratio. The width of each color block is the sum of the widths of the previous two color blocks: 1, 1, 2, 3, 5, 8, 13, 21, 34, & 55. We designed it in millimeters and then scaled the design up to 1:1.175 ratio to fit the canvas of the pencil. A simple formula with a magnificent result.

Release Date: September 2022
Model Number: 7
Subject: Animation
Graphite: Balanced

Pencil Story

From whistling mice and rascally rabbits, to pocket-sized monsters and talking sponges, animation has given life to countless memorable characters. It is a storytelling medium bound only by the limits of our imagination, giving it infinite possibilities.

The Blackwing 7 is a tribute to animation and the incredible stories it lets us tell. Each set of 12 pencils comes with six different designs. When stacked side by side and viewed through the included viewfinder, the pencils combine to become a seven frame “picket fence animation” of Chuck Jones’ iconic Wile E. Coyote.

Each pencil includes a black ferrule, gold clip, orange eraser, and our balanced graphite.

Release Date: December 2022
Model Number: 192
Subject: John Lennon and Paul McCartney
Graphite: Extra-firm

Pencil Story

John Lennon and Paul McCartney combined to write some of the most enduring lyrics of all time. Their songs are ubiquitous, appealing to young and old, from generation to generation. Together, they have influenced the craft of songwriting in immeasurable ways.

As songwriters, Lennon and McCartney complimented each other expertly. Paul’s lyrics often evoked brightness and joy, while John’s supplied a more melancholy spirit. The result is a catalog of authentic songs that touch on a wide spectrum of the human experience.

Blackwing 192 is a tribute to Lennon and McCartney and the estimated 192 songs they wrote together. The color prism design depicts the convergence of two powerful creative forces. A different Lennon-McCartney lyric is foil stamped on each pencil, for a total of twelve different lyrics in the set. Includes extra-firm graphite.

Release Date: June 2023
Model Number: 57
Subject: Jean Michel-Basquiat
Graphite: Soft

Pencil Story

Jean-Michel Basquiat is one of the best known artists of his generation and is widely considered one of the most important artists of the 20th century. His works are edgy and raw, and through a bold sense of color and composition, he maintains a fine balance between seemingly contradictory forces such as control and spontaneity, menace and wit, urban imagery and primitivism.

The conjunction of various media is an integral element of Basquiat’s art. His paintings are typically covered with text and codes of all kinds: words, letters, numerals, pictograms, logos, map symbols, diagrams and more, and featured multi-panel paintings and individual canvases with exposed stretcher bars, the surface dense with writing, collage and imagery.

The Blackwing 57 is a tribute to Jean-Michel Basquiat and his boundary-pushing art. The number 57 is a reference to 57 Great Jones Street in New York City, where Basquiat created some of his best-known works.

Blackwing 57 contains our soft graphite. Set of 12 special-edition pencils.

Artworks © Estate of Jean-Michel Basquiat. Licensed by Artestar, New York

Release Date: September 2023
Model Number: 17
Subject: Gardening
Graphite: Balanced

Pencil Story

Gardens have long been a place for meditative contemplation. They provide us with an escape from a world that constantly demands our attention.

Gardening has been proven to uplift spirits and lower stress and anxiety. It provides us with an opportunity for new growth, a meaningful routine, and a template for nurturing other aspects of our lives. Just as there are 17 essential nutrients for healthy plant growth, there are many essential “nutrients” for a fulfilling life. Keeping a garden allows us to tend to ourselves with love, happiness and purpose.

Blackwing 17 examines the mindful practice of gardening. Each pencil features an earth-toned color palette: olive green finish, dark brown ferrule and imprint, and burgundy eraser. Each pencil also sports our balanced graphite and a 10cm ruler stamped into its barrel you can use to chart the growth of seedlings in your plant log.

Release Date: December 2023
Model Number: 2
Subject: Art and change
Graphite: 2X Firm

Pencil Story

In 1973, art found itself at the forefront of a cultural shift. The United States military had just pulled out of Vietnam after nearly two decades and midcentury optimism had given way to uncertainty. Art, even when created for mass appeal, took on a darker tone. 1973's highest-grossing movie - The Exorcist - and top-selling album - Pink Floyd’s The Dark Side of the Moon - gave us a glimpse into the cultural landscape of the time.

The following year, a new wave of art - films like Chinatown and albums like Bob Marley’s Natty Dread - shined a light on a broken system. And gave us the tools to understand it. Art reflects the world around us and helps us process complex issues so that we can move forward. Leonard Cohen once said “There is a crack in everything. That’s how the light gets in.” Art creates cracks in the world’s darkest places, letting in the light of knowledge.

Fifty years later, the Blackwing 2 acknowledges art’s role in bringing about change. Each pencil features a cracked glow-in-the-dark design that plays on the duality of art and the challenging realities that inspire it. Each pencil also includes our firmest graphite yet - a special 2X firm graphite formulated specially for this release.

Release Date: June 2024
Model Number: 746
Subject: The Golden Gate Bridge
Graphite: Firm

Pencil Story

In the summer of 1929, the newly-formed Golden Gate Bridge and Highway District hired Joseph B. Strauss to complete a task that many said was impossible: build a bridge across the churning waters of the Golden Gate Strait. He and his team of engineers, designers, and planners used pencil and paper to develop the sketches, design drafts, and finished plans that would become the Golden Gate Bridge.

When the Golden Gate Bridge opened on May 27, 1937, it was the longest suspension bridge in the world. It measured 1.7 miles long, with a 4,200-foot main span and two 746-foot towers supporting the structure at either end. The innovative engineering techniques used to build the bridge have allowed it to withstand hurricane-force winds, raging ocean currents, and the rumblings of the nearby San Andreas Fault.

The Blackwing 746 is a tribute to the Golden Gate Bridge and other engineering wonders of the modern world. Each pencil features our firm graphite core and is finished with a special multi-layered technique to bring out the iconic International Orange color of San Francisco’s world-famous marvel.

Release Date: September 2024
Model Number: 71
Subject: Frank Lloyd Wright
Graphite: Extra-firm

Pencil Story

Few of the structures built by Frank Lloyd Wright during his historic career exemplify his never-ending pursuit of beauty better than his Usonian homes. Wright created the Usonian design philosophy to show that a practical and affordable home can still be a beautiful home. He brought best-in-class architecture to the middle-class when he built his first Usonian home at the age of 71.

Wright sought harmony between form and function, natural and artificial construction, and positive and negative space. The perforated boards that adorn the windows and laylights of these Usonian homes have become symbols of his unique design approach.

The Blackwing 71 is a tribute to Frank Lloyd Wright and his architectural ambition. Each pencil features a silhouette of one of Wright’s iconic perforated boards printed in a muted, midcentury palette. The area around the board is unfilled, letting the natural wood of the pencil shine through. Each pencil also includes a copper ferrule and our extra-firm graphite.

Release Date: November 2024
Model Number: 574
Subject: Native American Art
Graphite: Firm

Pencil Story

For centuries, the Indigenous people of North America have preserved their histories through art. As more and more Native Americans were displaced by westward-expanding colonialism, art became a vessel for preserving their culture as well as their history. Their daily lives were recorded through paintings, songs, stories, and dances.

Native American art is both functional and beautiful, acting as a bridge to Indigenous cultures and offering a unique perspective on their history. These works enrich the lives of all Americans, providing a window into the world through Indigenous eyes.

The Blackwing 574 is our tribute to Native American art and the 574 nations that use it to assert agency and identity. We worked with Kaw, Osage, Lakota artist Chris Pappan to design a pencil that evokes geometric patterns found throughout many Native American expressions of culture. Each pencil includes our firm graphite.

Release Date: May 2025
Model Number: 140
Subject: Culinary arts
Graphite: Balanced

Pencil Story

There’s a moment in every kitchen when time and temperature do something magical. At approximately 140 degrees, a series of complex new compounds are created that transform food into an art form.

The Maillard Reaction is the name science gives to this moment when food begins to brown and flavor takes shape, but cooks know it by heart. It’s a feeling. A sound. A smell. The signal that something real is happening.

It’s the warm scent of freshly baked bread, the nutty flavor of roasted vegetables, and the crackling crust on a seared steak.

The Blackwing 140 is a tribute to this incredible transformation and the culinary arts it fuels. Each stainless steel-colored pencil includes our versatile balanced graphite that can be used for jotting down ingredients or sketching your plating ideas.