Palomino Blackwing - From a Single Pencil to a Culture
As big fans of all things Blackwing, it only seemed right to draw attention to the brilliance of the Volumes collection by Blackwing. With the incredible Volumes 71 edition having just arrived at Hamilton HQ we are reminded of the fantastic creativity and philanthropic spirit of the rejuvenated Blackwing company. Read about the company history in more detail in our article: The Blackwing Pencil - Culture, Controversy and Creativity
Blackwing, with its rich history, reemerged under CalCedar's management, led by Charles Berolzheimer. The company introduced premium pencils under the Palomino name, which drew comparisons to the iconic Blackwing 602. Following the lapse of the original trademark, CalCedars launched the Palomino Blackwing in 2010 as a nod to the Eberhard Faber pencil, using genuine California incense-cedar and top-quality Japanese graphite.
The relaunch received mixed reactions due to certain deviations from the original product. In 2011, Pencils.com established Studio602 to expand its audience and concentrate on the Blackwing range. They reengineered the Palomino Blackwing 602, incorporating many of the original features. The response was overwhelmingly positive, and it has since become a preferred tool for creatives worldwide. Additional versions of the pencil were also released, such as the Pearl and the Natural, each with unique features catering to different preferences. The company also hosts events to honor historic Blackwing users and supports arts education through the Blackwing Foundation. They've even initiated Blackwing music, a platform to support musicians, reflecting Blackwing's deep ties with the music industry since the 1930s.
Blackwing describes themselves as a team of writers, artists, musicians, designers, and DIYers who think the world is a little bit better when you slow down. Their ethos revolves around the concept that thoughtful interactions are the key to living well…and that interaction may well be noting down thoughts and ideas in a journal, sketching artworks, scribing, writing, drawing and creating in almost endless formats. Their team focuses heavily on research driven development and they draw on studies across many disciplines to inform the way they create their products. The aim…to inspire people. They state; ‘We tell stories and make thoughtfully designed pencils, notebooks, and tools. We champion small businesses. We support and promote independent artists through Blackwing Music. We develop and implement music and art education programs through the Blackwing Foundation.’
Blackwing Volumes
The Palomino Blackwing Company stands out for its unique approach to celebrating achievements and fostering excellence. This ethos is evident in their Limited Edition pencils, known as the 'Volumes.' Each Volume is designed around a theme, with the model number signifying a particular aspect of the event, person, or phenomenon being commemorated. For instance, the inaugural Volume was model number 725, which corresponds to the 25th of July, the date of Bob Dylan's first electric set at the Newport Folk Festival, a pivotal moment in folk, rock, and roots music. The pencil's design draws inspiration from the sunburst finish on Bob Dylan's Fender Stratocaster, featuring a white imprint and black eraser to reflect the instrument's aesthetics.
Each quarter since 2015, Blackwing has released a new limited edition pencil celebrating the people, places and events that have defined global creative culture with a portion of sales going back into their foundations or to causes which relate to the subject of the volume. For example, The Blackwing 574 is a tribute to Native American art and the 574 nations that use it to assert agency and identity. In the creation of this set, they engaged 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 the iconic firm graphite with a portion of proceeds going to the Cheyenne River Youth Project.
Each release from Palomino Blackwing showcases meticulous details. For instance, Volume 1138 employs movie barcoding to denote the full 13-minute movie 'A trip to the moon' on its barrel. Volume 811 sports a phosphorescent topcoat, enabling it to glow in the dark, paying tribute to the traditional library's emerald green desk lamps. Furthermore, Volume 4 carries a rust-coloured lacquer finish with a sandy texture to symbolize Mars, the fourth planet, and the anticipated 2020 Mars Rover Mission. It's not just the limited editions that boast such quality and intricate detail, every Palomino Blackwing pencil is crafted to the highest standard of perfection.
The Blackwing pencil, once on the verge of extinction due to decreasing sales, corporate acquisitions, and the shift towards digital technology, has made a remarkable comeback. Initially introduced by the Eberhard Faber Company, its survival was uncertain. However, the resurgence of analogue traditions, an avid fan base, and the irreplaceable value of a quality pencil led to its revival. This modern classic is now supporting the creation of future masterpieces.
The Blackwing's incredible journey from a simple creation to a revered tool could never have been anticipated by its creator, Eberhard Faber. Blackwing Volumes certainly plays a large part in the successful rebirth of the brand and its loyalty to creativity and forward thinking over cookie-cutter commercialism and profit margins over quality products.
Autumn 2024: Blackwing Volume 71
The most recent of the Volumes to arrive at The Hamilton Pen Company is a stunning example of the way that Blackwing honours its subject whilst also creating an exceptional pencil.
The Usonian design philosophy, introduced by Frank Lloyd Wright, demonstrates the potential of creating beautiful homes that are also affordable and functional. Wright's innovative approach brought high-quality architecture to the middle class, with his first Usonian home being built when he was 71 years old.
Wright's designs emphasized a balance between form and function, as well as natural and artificial elements, and positive and negative space. A signature feature of his Usonian homes is the perforated boards, used in windows and laylights, which have become symbols of his unique design approach.
Image Credit: By Fizbin - Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=6693783
The Blackwing 71 pencil is a homage to Wright's architectural vision. These pencils feature a silhouette of Wright’s iconic perforated boards, printed in a subtle mid-century palette. The design leaves the area around the board blank, allowing the natural wood of the pencil to be highlighted. Each pencil is also equipped with a copper ferrule and contains extra-firm graphite.
We think it is a stunning addition to the Volumes family.
Explore the full selection of Available Volumes at The Hamilton Pen Company.
Previous Releases from Blackwing Volumes
Blackwing 725: Newport Folk Festival when Bob Dylan went electric Sunburst Gradient inspired by the Fender Stratocaster
Blackwing 211: John Muir and the hiking trails of Yosemite - Natural Exposed Woodgrain
Blackwing 1138 - Georges Méliès' "A Trip to the Moon" and all things sci-fi -Stripped Barrel featuring "A Trip to the Moon" Movie Barcode. The first Volume with a Silver Ferrule
Blackwing 24: John Steinbeck and his writing routine,Black Barrel with Black Imprint, Black Ferrule and Black Eraser
Blackwing 56 : Joe DiMaggio and the 75th anniversary of his 56 game hitting streak - Blue Pinstripe on a White Barrel
Blackwing 344: Dorothea Lange and the 80th anniversary of her "Migrant Mother" photo - Deep Red Darkroom Hue Barrel and Red Ferrule
Blackwing 530: The California Gold Rush and Sutter's Mill - Gold Barrel and Gold Ferrule with a Black Stripe
Blackwing 205: Jade and the Silk Road - Green Jade and White Jade variants
Blackwing 73: Lake Tahoe and Natural Wonders - Tahoe Blue Barrel with a raised texture of the lake's topography
Blackwing 1: Guy Clark's impact on songwriting and American music - Matte Grey Washcoat
Blackwing 16.2: Ada Lovelace and the first complete computer program - Matte White Barrel and Black Ferrule
Blackwing 54: Surrealism and the "Exquisite Corpse" - Rose Barrel with Teal Imprint
Blackwing 10001: Miyamoto Sensei’s KenKen Puzzles - Red Stained Barrel with "壱万壱" Imprint
Blackwing 33 ⅓: Vinyl Records and Analog culture - Matte Black Barrel with Gloss Black banding to emulate the grooves on a vinyl record
Blackwing 4: Mars and the Perseverance Rover mission - Rust Coloured Lacquer with Sand-Textured Finish
Blackwing 811: Libraries and the Dewey Decimal System - Emerald Gradient Glow-in-the-Dark Finish
Blackwing 10: Nellie Bly and Investigative Journalism - Matte Grey Newsprint Barrel
Blackwing 42: Jackie Robinson and breaking the color barrier in baseball - White Barrel with Blue Imprint, Red "42" and "Road Gray" Ferrule
Blackwing 155: The Bauhaus School and its legacy of craftsmanship - Bauhaus inspired colours and shapes with a first-ever Black eraser clip
Blackwing 840: Duke Kahanamoku and the surfing lifestyle - Sea Green Barrel with a Gold Foil accent in the shape of the California coastline
Blackwing 3: Ravi Shankar on his 100th birthday and his impact on world music -Turmeric Barrel with an "ॐ" (Om) pattern
Blackwing XIX: The 19th Amendment and the ongoing fight for voting rights in the United States and around the world - Purple Barrel and Three-sided White and Golden Yellow Imprint inspired by the Suffrage flag
Blackwing 6: Independent businesses and the entrepreneurial spirit - Neon Red and Neon Blue variants
Blackwing 223: Woody Guthrie and "This Land is Your Land - Illustrated design inspired by This Land’s “ribbon of highway,” “endless skyway” and “golden valley”
Blackwing 64: Comic books and the minds that bring them to life - Halftone design inspired by the earliest comic books.
Blackwing 651: Bruce Lee and his philosophies of Jeet Kune Do - Black and yellow stripe inspired by his iconic look.
Blackwing 93: Corita Kent and her message to slow down and find gratitude in the everyday - Six designs each inspired by Corita's Rainbow Swash
Blackwing 200: Coffeehouses and the creative culture they help cultivate - Copper barrel with a copper ferrule
Blackwing 55: Golden Ratio, a reminder to slow down and savour the beauty around us - Grey and blue stripes formulated using the Fibonacci sequence.
Blackwing 7: Animation and the incredible stories it lets us tell - Interlaced image that forms a picket-fence animation of Wile E. Coyote
Blackwing 192: The lyrics of John Lennon and Paul McCartney - The colour prism design with a Lennon-McCartney lyric stamped on each pencil.
Blackwing 20: Celebrates tabletop games and the cherished moments they can create - Raised polyhedron design inspired by gaming dice
Blackwing 57: Tribute to Jean-Michel Basquiat and his boundary pushing art - Wrapped design featuring one of Basquiat's iconic skull paintings
Blackwing 17: Examines the mindful practice of gardening - Earth-toned color palette: olive green finish
Blackwing 2: Art’s role in bringing about change - Cracked Glow-in-the-Dark design
Blackwing 710: Jerry Garcia's musical and visual art. - "Curves and Lines" by Jerry Garcia
Blackwing 746: The Golden Gate Bridge and other engineering wonders - Golden Gate Bridge's International Orange
Blackwing 71: Frank Lloyd Wright and his architectural ambition - Perforated boards in a mid-century palette
