Each quarter, we come out with a new limited edition pencil celebrating the people, places and events that have defined our creative culture. We’ve paid tribute to everything from John Steinbeck’s writing ritual to Ada Lovelace’s contribution to computer science.
WHAT IS VOLUMES?
SUBSCRIBE TO VOLUMES
Subscribe and you’ll get a 12-pack of each new design for a full year. Each shipment also includes a sealed pencil archive tube for your collection and some subscriber-exclusive goodies. Your subscription will begin with our Blackwing Vol. 200, tribute to
HOW THE SUBSCRIPTION WORKS
We release four limited edition pencils per year. The model number and design of each pencil will honor and celebrate cultural icons and events.
You are guaranteed to be among the first to receive each edition when you subscribe. “Sold Out” is not in your vocabulary. Subscriptions cost $99 plus shipping.
You receive 12 limited edition pencils in a gift box (plus a subscription-exclusive, sealed pencil for archiving) on your doorstep each quarter.
$5 from your subscription goes towards funding a child’s music and arts education, including curriculum and instruments.
WHAT YOU GET WITH YOUR SUBSCRIPTION
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$99 / year |
$120 / year |
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Guaranteed to receive each release. |
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Tubed archive pencil for each release. |
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Bonus gift with each shipment. |
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Flat-rate shipping. |
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Ability to purchase additional packs. |
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Your subscription will begin with the Q1 2022 edition and auto-renew one year after your initial subscription date. You may cancel your subscription at any time, and the cancellation will go into effect after the then-current subscription period. No refunds will be provided for subscriptions cancelled mid-cycle.
PAST VOLUMES RELEASES
VOLUME 93
WINTER 2021
The Blackwing 93 is a tribute to Corita and her message to slow down and find gratitude in the everyday. Each pencil features one of the six colorful brushstrokes that make up Corita’s iconic rainbow swash.
VOLUME 651
FALL 2021
The Blackwing 651 is a tribute to the legendary Bruce Lee. Both simple and direct, each pencil features a black and yellow striped design inspired by Bruce Lee's iconic style.
VOLUME 64
SUMMER 2021
The Blackwing 64 is a tribute to comic books and the minds that bring them to life. Each pencil features a halftone design, comic-inspired imprint, and firm graphite.
VOLUME 223
SPRING 2021
The Blackwing 223 is a tribute to Woody Guthrie and his immutable optimism. Each pencil features a design inspired by This Land’s “ribbon of highway,” “endless skyway” and “golden valley.”
VOLUME 6
WINTER 2020
The Blackwing 6 celebrates independent businesses and their entrepreneurial spirit. Each set includes six neon red and six neon blue pencils inspired by the iconic neon “Open” sign.
VOLUME XIX
FALL 2020
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.
VOLUME 3
SUMMER 2020
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.
VOLUME 840
SPRING 2020
The Blackwing 840 is a tribute to Duke Kahanamoku and the enlightened lifestyle he helped cultivate through surfing. It features a sea green barrel with a gold foil accent in the shape of the California coastline.
VOLUME 155
WINTER 2019
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.
VOLUME 42
FALL 2019
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.
VOLUME 10
SUMMER 2019
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.
VOLUME 811
SPRING 2019
The Blackwing 811 is a tribute to libraries and the hope they represent. It features an emerald gradient finish and gold ferrule inspired by the iconic green lamps that light the halls of libraries around the world.
VOLUME 4
WINTER 2018
The Blackwing 4 is a tribute to Mars and the upcoming rover mission. It features a rust-colored lacquer and sand-textured finish inspired by the surface of the fourth planet.
VOLUME 33 1/3
FALL 2018
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.
VOLUME 10001
SUMMER 2018
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.
VOLUME 54
SPRING 2018
The Blackwing Volume 54 pays tribute to surrealism and creative exercises that force us to look beyond our narrow personal perspective. It features a rose barrel, teal imprint, silver ferrule, blue eraser and our extra-firm graphite.
VOLUME 16.2
WINTER 2017
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.
VOLUME 1
FALL 2017
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, and a “blue collar” eraser that pays tribute to Guy’s favorite blue shirt.
VOLUME 73
SUMMER 2017
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.
VOLUME 205
SPRING 2017
Each Blackwing 205 set contains six green jade pencils and six white jade pencils. Each pencil features a gold ferrule, black eraser, gold imprint and our firm graphite formulation.
VOLUME 530
WINTER 2016
The Blackwing 530 celebrates the eureka moment 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.
VOLUME 344
FALL 2016
The Blackwing 344 celebrates the artistic legacy of Dorothea Lange. 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.
VOLUME 56
SUMMER 2016
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 and the gold imprint and ferrule draw inspiration from the Commissioner’s Trophy his Yankee squad hoisted at the end of that magical 1941 season.
VOLUME 24
SPRING 2016
The Blackwing 24 pays tribute to Pulitzer Prize winning author John Steinbeck. Designed under the guidance of his son, accomplished author Thomas Steinbeck, we’ve attempted to create what would have been John Steinbeck’s ideal pencil.
VOLUME 1138
WINTER 2015
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.
VOLUME 211
FALL 2015
The Blackwing 211 honors John Muir and his impact on creativity and the environment. It features a natural barrel, gold ferrule, brown imprint, and brown eraser, with our firm graphite.
VOLUME 725
SUMMER 2015
The Blackwing 725 pencil pays tribute to the Newport Folk Festival as it celebrates the 50th anniversary of the 1965 festival and its impact on music and culture. The pencil’s unique lacquer is inspired by the sunburst finish on the Fender Stratocaster that helped change rock n' roll.