Reddit mentions: The best woodcase lead pencils

Hi! Just took the CA Bar and am about to start packing out of my on campus apartment, so I'm feeling a bit whimsical and some of this may be more directed at her.

Writing, Notetaking, and Organization

If you're particular about writing instruments, which some people are, it will take trial and error to find your right fit. This was my go-to, and it got me through three years of time, four years of credits, and three different employers.

Sharpie Liquid Highlighters, Chisel Tip, 5 Colors


Pros

• Great color, easy grip, chisel tip allows full line highlighting and underlining.
  
• Pen format works well in almost every bag or organizer.
  
• Five colors allows you to book brief (she will know what that means, and probably shouldn't do it until she knows how to craft a good one page case brief) in FIRAC format.
  
  Cons
  
  
• Getting harder and more expensive to find.
  
• Go through ink fairly quickly.
  
  
  uni-ball Jetstream RT Ballpoint Pens, Bold Point (1.0mm)
  
  Pros
  
  
• I mainly used the capped .07mm, but the retractable .07mm work well too.
  
  Cons
  
  
• This is less of a Con and more of a comment. Things like line width, pressure, and paper type make a solid rec hard to make here. There's so much personal preference. My general rule of thumb is it should cost enough that you can rely on it without being expensive enough to make you think too hard about losing one occasionally.
  
  Freeleaf® Yellow Annotation Ruled Pads Letter
  
  Pros
  
  
• Excellent weight, color, and ink retention.
  
• Pre-formatted organization structure, so you know what everything is if it gets mixed up before you file it.
  
  Cons
  
  
• It's $7 a pad. You're not going to find good quality pads for that much cheaper, but you fill find stuff that will get the job done cheaper. I maybe spent $200 during law school on pads, because I hand wrote notes. There's empirical studies that show it helps to write notes, but it was dying out at my school and I'd be surprised if my class would show any correlation between rank and note taking style.
  
  Ticonderoga Pencils, Wood-Cased, Graphite #2 HB Soft, Black
  
  Pros
  
  
• Best quality pencil for the price, hands down.
  
  Cons
  
  
• You could spend more on Blackwing, but the marginal utility is nil outside an artistry context, if then. Save the money for other things.
  
  BIC 4-Color Ballpoint Pen, Medium Point (1.0mm)
  
  Pros
  
  
• Great quality, incredibly durable, great form factor.
  
• Makes grading papers (self grading, or if she becomes a TA) turned in via hard copy a bit simpler. I had my own system that I maintained so that students could understand (Green - Good, Red - Rework, Blue - Style, Black - Final Comments)
  
  
  
  
  Since I am pickiest about those things, I will give more general comments about the rest.
  
  
• Battery phone case, back up laptop charger, extra phone cables all work wonders. Having an extra on hand lets you not stress about the tools you need to succeed.
  
  
• A good padfolio is both useful and a nod to the history of our profession in some circles. I went with Levenger, but everyone has their preferences.
  
  
• The best bookstand on the market, in my humble opinion.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  This is more general, and beyond the scope of what you asked, but I felt like giving unasked for advice so you can take it or leave it.
  Sleeping & Home Life
  
  
• The surliest 2L will casually throw around comments about sleep being for the weak, but there is literally no other way to get the kind of rest your mind and body needs. Invest in the things and habits that make great sleep possible, whatever that may be for her. And do the best you can to never be a barrier to it.
  
• Sundays should be for rest and keeping everying not-school related on track. Need to visit friends or family? A few hours on Sunday is a great time to do that. Pre-plan meals and do bulk cooking to keep work down during the week. Get all the laundry done, get the kitchen clean, make sure you don't run out of toothpaste on Wednesday morning. Sunday evening you can get your reading done for Monday, but finish the night doing something restful so you don't go into Monday feeling you're jumping off a cliff.
  
• Low-effort acts of kindness do a lot of work. Writing a note, leaving a message, suprising her with a small and thoughtful gift are all great ways to show you care without imposing too much on her time and autonomy. Date night is important, and keeping a running list of things you can do at a drop of a hat for different amounts of time and money is helpful, but keeping your relationship strong through what in all likelihood will be a time of incredible change and transformation is about putting in the effort without demanding an equal or greater act of reciprocation. Even when the thank you text gets delayed more than it should, or she snaps at you unfairly, the body of love you show will find its way through to the end. The best way to show you love her is to enable her success and let her respond in ways that make sense while she figures this whole thing out.
  
• This is a very personal area that I will not spend too much time on, but here it goes. You may think you are a good lover now, and I hope you are. Try to be the best version of that for her now, in whatever form that takes. It helps a lot, proportionately to how much it's important to your relationship.
  
  Health & Wellness
  
  
• This is not a gendered comment, even and especially coming from the perspective of a guy who had some bad habits he broke before and took into law school. Any habits you thought were hard to break before law school are going to be multiples harder in law school. Dealing with this may be damage control, or require more work, depending on what it is. A caffiene fiend is going to reach unparalled heights. None of my friends who smoked going into law school found a way to quit. The moderate drinkers became heavy drinkers. Some people took up the gym as a new religion, but most stayed true to form. The only real way to know how to handle this is to either stop it quick or find an adult and productive way to keeps things reasonable.
  
  
• For the love of all that is holy, exercise. It is proven to help brain function whether in cognitive skills or emotional health or stress reduction. If it's nonexistent now, start small and try to build up to some routine of significance while it can become a habit and before the midsemester crunch hits.

Can we talk about the Dixon Ticonderoga for a minute?

It is, by far, the best pencil on the market. And let me tell you why: because the little nub of rubber on top of it actually erases things. I'm sure that other pencils had this feature too, long ago, but at some point in history, pencilmakers everywhere decided that instead of a useful eraser, what consumers really wanted on top of their pencil was a shitty little piece of plastic that left a pinkish, streaky mess all over the paper.

But not Dixon. The Ticonderoga still can actually erase. And for that, I salute you, Dixon.

EDIT: Thanks for the gold. But for less than the price of reddit gold, you could have bought a fresh, new pack of Ticonderogas and almost had enough money left over for another fresh, new pack of Ticonderogas.

EDIT 2: Lots of people trashing the Ticonderoga and trying to push the Palamaladingdong Black Wing 602. These cost $1.90 per pencil. And that is ridiculous. The good people at Dixon aren't going to rip you off like that. And you know what? They make a black Ticonderoga that is equally sexy, IF NOT SEXIER, than the Black Wing 602. AND a black Ticonderoga will only run you about 21 cents per pencil, which is a much better deal.


EDIT 3: Some people are trying to push mechanical pencils. Sure, people can use those. Mechanical pencils are all well and good. But here is why the Dixon Ticonderoga is better than any mechanical pencil.

#1. The Ticonderoga has its graphite embedded inside of it. This guarantees that the graphite will never slip up inside of the pencil body if you press down too hard, which tends to happen frequently with low-end mechanical pencils. It may happen less frequently with high-grade ones, but it will never happen with a Ticonderoga.

#2. You must sharpen the Ticonderoga. Some people may think that this is a weakness, but I assure you that it is a strength. After writing a few pages, you'll see that your once-sharp tip is now a dull nub. It's a fine indication of all of the work you've done thus far. That dull nub tells you that you've accomplished something. And once you've sharpened it and started writing again? Boy oh boy, there is no finer feeling that using a freshly-sharpened pencil.

#3. Sharpening the Ticonderoga releases a delectable wood scent into the air. The wood used in Dixon brand Ticonderogas is of a high quality, and is pleasant to smell. This cannot be achieved while using a mechanical pencil without also purchasing some sort of artificial wood scent spray.

#4. The Ticonderoga is made of wood. This means that the pencil is always pleasant to the touch. It has a solid, natural feel to it, which you can't get with low-grade mechanical pencils, which are made of plastic. High-end mech pencils tend to be metal. When I wake up first thing in the morning, and grab one of my several Ticonderogas to start the day's crossword puzzle, do you know what I don't feel? The biting cold of a metallic pencil body against my fingers. What a way to ruin a perfectly good morning.

EDIT 4: If anyone from the good people at Dixon are reading this: I would love some free pencils.

EDIT 5: The good folks at Dixon just contacted me and are going to send me a box of sweet, sweet Ticonderogas. Either that, or I just gave my home address to a random redditor. In either case, I'll let you guys know when they get here.

EDIT 6: They came! Thanks, Dixon!



Just for the record, I don't work for Dixon, nor did anyone from their company ask me to make any of these posts. I'm just a simple man who loves good-quality, affordable pencils.

In case you haven't seen the u/chicklepip rewarded rant on this issue:

>Can we talk about the Dixon Ticonderoga for a minute?

>It is, by far, the best pencil on the market. And let me tell you why: because the little nub of rubber on top of it actually erases things. I'm sure that other pencils had this feature too, long ago, but at some point in history, pencilmakers everywhere decided that instead of a useful eraser, what consumers really wanted on top of their pencil was a shitty little piece of plastic that left a pinkish, streaky mess all over the paper.

>But not Dixon. The Ticonderoga still can actually erase. And for that, I salute you, Dixon.

>EDIT: Thanks for the gold. But for less than the price of reddit gold, you could have bought a fresh, new pack of Ticonderogas and almost had enough money left over for another fresh, new pack of Ticonderogas.

>EDIT 2: Lots of people trashing the Ticonderoga and trying to push the Palamaladingdong Black Wing 602. These cost $1.90 per pencil. And that is ridiculous. The good people at Dixon aren't going to rip you off like that. And you know what? They make a black Ticonderoga that is equally sexy, IF NOT SEXIER, than the Black Wing 602. AND a black Ticonderoga will only run you about 21 cents per pencil, which is a much better deal.


>EDIT 3: Some people are trying to push mechanical pencils. Sure, people can use those. Mechanical pencils are all well and good. But here is why the Dixon Ticonderoga is better than any mechanical pencil.

>#1. The Ticonderoga has its graphite embedded inside of it. This guarantees that the graphite will never slip up inside of the pencil body if you press down too hard, which tends to happen frequently with low-end mechanical pencils. It may happen less frequently with high-grade ones, but it will never happen with a Ticonderoga.

>#2. You must sharpen the Ticonderoga. Some people may think that this is a weakness, but I assure you that it is a strength. After writing a few pages, you'll see that your once-sharp tip is now a dull nub. It's a fine indication of all of the work you've done thus far. That dull nub tells you that you've accomplished something. And once you've sharpened it and started writing again? Boy oh boy, there is no finer feeling that using a freshly-sharpened pencil.

>#3. Sharpening the Ticonderoga releases a delectable wood scent into the air. The wood used in Dixon brand Ticonderogas is of a high quality, and is pleasant to smell. This cannot be achieved while using a mechanical pencil without also purchasing some sort of artificial wood scent spray.

>#4. The Ticonderoga is made of wood. This means that the pencil is always pleasant to the touch. It has a solid, natural feel to it, which you can't get with low-grade mechanical pencils, which are made of plastic. High-end mech pencils tend to be metal. When I wake up first thing in the morning, and grab one of my several Ticonderogas to start the day's crossword puzzle, do you know what I don't feel? The biting cold of a metallic pencil body against my fingers. What a way to ruin a perfectly good morning.

>EDIT 4: If anyone from the good people at Dixon are reading this: I would love some free pencils.

>EDIT 5: The good folks at Dixon just contacted me and are going to send me a box of sweet, sweet Ticonderogas. Either that, or I just gave my home address to a random redditor. In either case, I'll let you guys know when they get here.

>EDIT 6: They came! Thanks, Dixon!

>Just for the record, I don't work for Dixon, nor did anyone from their company ask me to make any of these posts. I'm just a simple man who loves good-quality, affordable pencils.

Don't buy your books at the campus store, order them online, Amazon is a good place to do this. Also don't buy your books until at least the first class meeting, sometimes professors will tell you that some of the books listed for the class are optional. Sharing a book with somebody is an option for some people, just be sure you both will have access to it when you need it.

As others have said, fans. Box fans are nice and cheap, but depending on your room's layout, one that stands on its own might work better. If you have a window with the hinge on the bottom that pulls towards you, try putting a box fan on top of the opened window and lean it back against the unopened window.

If you're a guy, please do not stock up on axe to "pick up the ladies", it is obnoxiously terrible, and a lot of people find it immature.

Good writing utensils that you will be comfortable using for long periods of time. My favorite are these. Also, a durable, spacious and, comfortable backpack is important, preferably with something on the sides to hold bottles, be sure to keep a bottle to hold water at all times, not buying a drink when you go somewhere to get food that isn't a cafeteria can save you a good bit of money.

A flash drive is very useful, as is your own personal printer, you will probably need to print something at 2 A.M. at some point.

Decent speakers that can get relatively loud are nice to have, if only to drown out distracting noises around you while having some kind of sound. People also like to listen to music sometimes.

A first-aid kit for obvious reasons. Also keep something for headaches around, as well as cough and cold medicine.

Food that you really like can help pick you up and relax.

----------------------------------------------------------------------

Just some general advice, take part in any freshmen activities meant to help you meet people and make friends, having friends can help you emotionally and also with your work. If your dorm has a lobby, consider doing your homework there, you might meet somebody new. Don't miss classes, once you start, it can be hard to stop, and if you keep asking people what you missed and if there was any homework, they might get annoyed. Your professors are people too, whether you have a problem or not, talk to them, you might end up having a friend that can help you out more than a student or an English professor that will help with your papers down the road.

Don't be afraid to have fun and try new things. Take advantage of campus facilities, like a gym. Also don't be afraid of parties and drinking, but always be careful, spiked drinks, food, and general assholery happens more than your school would like to admit. Have fun and relax too, going weeks at a time without unwinding in some way is an easy way to end up depressed. Do look into groups and clubs, do not complain that there is not one for you unless you have tried to make one, I co-founded one, and it was a great decision.

I would recommend something in the pencil range from Staedtler or Derwent, depending on your price range and what he may already have, a sketch set with a range from 6B to like 4H (because this happened to have that), but generally a range of hardnesses, a couple of different erasers (kneaded are particularly fun, but I have become partial to the white plastic ones recently), and a sketchbook or two (am partial to the recycled Strathmore ones) in a 9x12ish and/or 4x8 would probably be a good start. OH, and a good metal pencil sharpener, is cheap but probably the best thing (Pentel makes good erasers and sharpeners).

Really, you would definitely be able to drop by your local art supply store (probably Michael's) and get all he'd need, might wait for a sale or grab stuff from amazon and just look at the options in the store.

For what it's worth I'm a penniless recent college grad but the above is what I bought in hs/college with coupons and sales and the like, is definitely a good start. Colored pencils I still go with a good old 50 pack of Crayolas, and I have a 4 pack of Faber-Castell artist markers (for lining and inking), usually ~$15, can get on amazon or where ever.

Edit: Alvin (and Staedtler) also make nice mechanical pencils and the like, if he's more into (or is studying something) technical drawing. That said I have metal Zebra mechanical pencils I really like and are much of what I use right now.

I'm no pro by any means but I have a lot of fun drawing after work and certainly I'd love my SO surprised me with something like:

• Faber Castell 9000!
  
• Lumograph 100!
  
• Prismacolor Premier Verithin!
  
• Polychromo!
  
• Bristol paper!
  
  Also you can always include some nice accesories like blending stumps, different types of erasers, a good cutter/blade or sharpener.
  
  Does she like books? Andrew Loomis' books are incredible! Drawing the Head and Hands!
  
  These are (for me) good options for a present. Depending on budget you could increse/decrease the count on the color set but 24/36 is a good starting point.
  
  I hope this helps.

For hand pain and fatigue, fountain pens are good too. For most of them their own weight is enough to make them write so you barely have to grip them or press down. And there are a zillion ink colors that are fun to choose from. An inexpensive but good one is the Platinum Preppy...it’s like $4, comes with a large ink cartridge and the cap seals really well so it never dries out (just checked and the Preppy seems to be stupidly overpriced on Amazon right now, it should be cheaper at Jet Pens, Goulet Pens, Vanness, or any other site that has fountain pens). Pilot Metropolitan and Lamy Safari (Safari is pretty much the most counterfeited pen ever and there are a lot of fakes on Amazon so I’d order elsewhere) are pretty good “beginner” fountain pens too, if you want something that looks a little nicer but still isn’t too insanely priced. TWSBI Eco has a good reputation too and holds a TON of ink but it’s easy to put back together incorrectly if you’re the tinkerer type who has to take everything apart. Finer nibs will put down less ink and are less likely to bleed or feather on cheap notebook paper. Nib size isn’t really standardized, though, so there’s a lot of variation between brands.

I try to keep a fountain pen, a rollerball (NOT a ballpoint) and an extra-fine Sharpie in my bag at all times so I can write on just about any surface without killing my hand. Personally, I think ballpoints are the devil and I avoid them whenever possible.

If you need a pencil, fat ones like Pilot Dr Grip are more comfortable for me than skinny ones. I’m accident-prone and always breaking thin lead so I’ve started using sketch pencils with huge 5.6mm lead. I have one of these that I found on a good sale but there are lots of cheaper options. There are some good 2mm or 3mm lead pencils out there too. I got a pack of really generic cheap Chinese 2mm pencils a while back that are surprisingly comfortable to hold for as skinny as they are. They have a lead sharpener built into the back clicky cap thing so you can keep it sharp without having to hunt down any specialty sharpeners.

If I have to use skinny pen/pencil or a ballpoint, I modify my grip to make it less awful. This is how I hold pens that kill my hand if I try to hold them normally. It’s not a perfect solution but it keeps my hand from cramping up and my fingers from bending back as much for a quick note or signature.

This got really long, sorry. I get a little too excited about stationery things...

Yeah OP, how could you forget about pencils?!?!?! They are obviously the answer to your question........these red and blue pencils are half your answer. Green and black are a little trickier as most of the "black" pencils are going to put down more of a grey or graphite line and green ones are as almost as expensive as a waterproof green ink. I guess that's where the ballpoints come in.

In all honesty OP, working in a wet environment and having the need to take notes and document what I am doing, I too found the need for waterproof/resistant inks. Red and green are tricky with Noodlers being the cheapest option I've come across. I used them for a while but got frustrated with some of their less desirable traits. They looked great, are water resistant, and fairly cheap (US here) but they all had one issue or another so I moved away from Noodlers. I've settled on the Graf Von Faber Castell line. They are expensive but they are very well behaved. Luckily, I don't use colored inks in the same volume I do blue and black so the bottles should last a while.

Good luck in your quest, I hope you find the ink your looking for.

I love new friends! I nominate /u/varasque

I wish looking at wish lists from mobile was easier, but I stalked you a little and saw that you love to draw! I think all art and creativity should be encouraged, and these pencils would help with that!

I love mechanical pencils and have way too many, but for certain types of more serious, large scale, artistic sketching, I often prefer wood pencils for some reason. They are light and simple...my favorite set is Uni Hi-Uni Wooden Pencil set. 22 pencils ranging from 10h to 10b!

https://www.amazon.com/Uni-Hi-Uni-Wooden-Pencil-Art/dp/B001HAOBDY

I used to prefer Conte, until they changed design from polygon to round...but they’re still good:

https://www.jacksonsart.com/en-us/conte-graphite-pencil-drawing-set-of-12?___store=jacksonsart_us&gclid=CjwKCAiA4t_iBRApEiwAn-vt-_HztD7IgZrlWyQRr908hx5HXwdQZEy0trlskRGYQxM05keW-Uvt8xoC4w4QAvD_BwE

Just because they’re good for sketching, it doesn’t slow down my mechanical pencil collection.

Nice thing about the set of wood pencils is that they’re ready to go. Even if you could get as broad of a range of hardnesses in mechanical leads (and you can’t) you still won’t, in reality, change your lead out as often as you should be using a different hardness. And setting up different pencils with different hardnesses can be exhausting. It’s so easy to grab a tin of pencils and go draw! You can grab an 8h for this then switch to a 6h for that...super fast and comfortable to draw with. Get multiple soft leads as they go faster...your high H leads will last a long time.

Clever compromise?

Either you trust the machine, or you trust the printout.

If you trust the machine, it's not a compromise, it's just the electronic solution with some "feel good" stuff on top.

If you don't trust the machine, and only trust the printout, then I can sell you 144 cheaper versions of that machine for only $10, right here on amazon.

PALOMINO BLACKWING 602! By the way, cheeper here.
Seriously, I love these pencils. They're remarkably easy to write with and leave a clear, crisp text on the page. But the wonder is that you don't have to press as hard as you do with a Ticonderoga. I use them on English essays, hundreds of pages, and it saves my hand every time. Oh how I love those pencils.
But never let a student have one; you'll never get it back and those babies are expensive.

** edit: forgot to mention, you'll want to get the hand sharpener too. It just makes life easier and fun.

Awesome, /u/Runaway_5.

I recently picked up a bunch of Ticonderoga #2 pencils to donate to my local school. The teachers really like the pencils because they have quality lead that doesn't constantly break, and they sharpen nicely. The erasers also work better than the smudgy ones cheap pencils have. (I'm not calling the ones in the photo cheap). If anyone is interested in buying them to donate to Vic or anyone else, they're on sale right now at Walmart:

96CT for $6.92, so around 7 cents a pencil for good quality pencils

EDIT: Amazon also has them on sale

Best (and only) wooden pencil podcast: http://www.erasable.us/
Best wooden pencil youtube channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCJJOStpzNewBJ0XfhRSsmfw
Amazon link to a good pencil: https://www.amazon.com/Uni-Hi-Uni-Wooden-Pencil-HUHB/dp/B001B8UH30/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&qid=1486776879&sr=8-5&keywords=mitsubishi+pencil

Welcome down another rabbit hole...

edit: then there's also r/tea and /r/Coffee

Not exactly an unpopular opinion but Ticonderoga #2 is my favorite pencil, easy to sharpen, good erasers. Pentel high-polymers erase really well; if you don't go too hard with the lead they basically erase your paper back to white.

https://www.amazon.com/Ticonderoga-Wood-Cased-Graphite-Pencils-13872/dp/B00125Q75Y

https://www.amazon.com/Pentel-Hi-polymer-Block-Eraser-ZEH10BP3-K6/dp/B001Q4HQVU

You should do the form studies from life in the beginning. It's much easier to get a handle on form and creating the illusion of it on the page of you're drawing objects in front of you. I really wouldn't recommend waiting til after the form studies to start practicing some life drawing.

You should be paying attention the the values(darks and lights) and shoot for value accuracy. Using drawing pencils of different hardnesses can really help with this, but it isn't strictly necessary. Charcoal is also a really good option for form studies. Make sure you include the highlights, but how you do it is less important than just doing it and experimenting until you figure out what works for you. Just look for the shapes the highlights make and how sharp/soft the edges are.

Edit: if you don't already have good drawing pencils, these pencils are quite good and they're on sale right now. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B000I5MNC0/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_zNRPCbQVCSC8R

Expanding on the "buy school supplies online" idea -

You can get six months of free Amazon Prime for being a student - if every roomie threw in ten dollars, you could probably cover them for the whole semester.

Item | Price

-- | --:
60-Pack pens | $5.29 | http://www.amazon.com/BIC-Round-Medium-Point-GSM609-Blk/dp/B0012YVGOW/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1376848239&sr=8-1&keywords=pens
500 Sheets College-ruled paper | $14.15
25-Pack Pocket Folders | $9.99
144 pencils | $15.99

You might have to pay for shipping, I didn't check which things get free shipping under Amazon prime. If you do, though, it'll be <$5

So for about $50, you'll have all your basic note-taking supplies done. That should easily cover four people for a semester, those pens and pencils could cover four guys for all four years, assuming you're good about not losing them. If you re-use the folders, the only thing you need to buy again is paper.

All your school supplies, shipped to your door, each guy throws in ~$13. Can't get more convenient than that.

http://www.amazon.com/Staedtler-Lumograph-Sketching-100G12-Attractive/dp/B0014E2S0Q/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1416962533&sr=8-3&keywords=staedtler+mars+lumograph+pencils

Only $14.58 and are amazing quality from what I've heard. Staedtler, in my opinion, make some of the finest art supplies when it comes down to graphite pencils. Prismacolor colored pencils are also great but are expensive - you can get a 24 set of them for $15 and they are excellent (I use them frequently).
Perhaps look on dickblick.com, they always have sales that include some products being 50% off.
Hope this helped you!

While I don't think jumping straight to digital (especially with an iPad) is the best way to learn to draw, you seem pretty reluctant to use anything else, so I will say this: You absolutely need a stylus with pressure sensitivity, it will make drawing much easier. You mentioned wanting something to ease workflow, but using an iPad without a pressure sensitive stylus is not the way that can be achieved. Sure it may be fine a rough sketch, but anything beyond that will be very difficult because of how you will have to manually adjust the size and density of the brush.

Also, as I said before, an iPad is probably not the best way to learn to draw. It doesn't have a very high LPI touch resolution, even a $79 dollar Wacom pen tablet has a higher LPI. However, you said accuracy isn't a big deal and you don't want to use a PC, so if you want to keep using an iPad, that's your choice.

Really, I think pencil and paper are the best way to go when you are learning. If paper having "no undo" worries you because pencil doesn't erase cleanly, then get this. It has pencils that leave marks much lighter than a normal no. 2 pencil allowing very clean erasing when sketching, and has pencils that leave darker marks than no. 2 pencils, which is good for final linework. Plus, the different shades of pencil make shading your drawing much easier.

Also,
>I prefer that others don't tell me what to do, preaching their personal opinions as undisputed facts, leaving little room for interpretation and adjustment to one's preferences.

While nobody here is going to physically force you do anything, people may indeed tell you what do, as that is the point of constructive criticism/critique. It would be poor etiquette to simply criticize someone's work without offering advice or telling them how they can improve upon it. If you don't want someone telling you how to make your work better, and would rather do it on your own, but would still like to know what is wrong with your drawing, then maybe that it is something you should mention in the comments of your post.

Anyway, I hope this was helpful.

This is the funniest prank I've ever seen. Sorry if anyone already posted these items, I'm too tired to check -

• Fluffy princess pens
  
• Some pink paper clips
  
• A pair of cute pink scissors
  
• Some pink baskets to hold everything
  
• Pink staples
  
• And a little baby pink stapler
  
• Thumbtacks
  
• A high heel tape dispenser
  
• Minnie Mouse stationary
  
• A princess planner
  
• Princess pens
  
• Glittery pencils
  
• Pink highlighters
  
• A pink letter opener
  
• A pink white out pen
  
• Pink markers
  
• A bright pink dry erase board
  
• To decorate the office
  
• To stay nice and hydrated
  
• Some more adorable decorations
  
• Pink paper
  
• Hello Kitty stationary
  
• A hello kitty clock
  
• A leopard Hello Kitty notebook
  
  pink is the new black!

If she likes to draw, try this

I got these last year, and they're my favorite set by far. They look and feel amazing to use, I recommend them all the time.

Here's another link, Amazon is running low

I can't find any online, but you may also want to get her a drawing bridge. It's a piece of raised plastic. It's to keep your hand off the paper, so you don't smear the drawing.

International shipping rates is why.

I mean, I was in New Zealand a few months ago, and I saw General's Pencils sets in a major bookstore chain there. Take one item which is listed at 13.99 NZD, or about 9 bucks USD. The same item in the US is under 5.00 on Amazon, and not much more in a retail location. So I certainly wasn't going to buy any of those there...but, European art supplies were much cheaper there than what I was used to paying in the US. I splurged on Staedtler pencils and French gouache while I was there, lol.

I have used Japanese forwarding services, they do the job well. But...using Tenso's calculator for shipping+handling on the item (finding out the exact weight per box), and the listed price on Amazon JP....technically the Amazon US seller is cheaper (about 8 bucks and free shipping, vs 10-11 depending on exchange fluctuations. Some banks in the US charge foreign transaction fees, too.). Markups at JetPens aren't too much worse (1.05/pencil, so 12.60 for 12 of them). Kinokuniya, a Japanese bookstore may sell these, and I remember a slightly similar pencil (9800) being about 1.00 a pencil.

I've been using the pencil every day for about a week and I don't feel that "mushiness" at all. The entire mechanism holding the lead retracts by about 1-2 millimetres when first touching the paper, but that actually makes the writing experience more pleasant for me. It's definitely the best mechanical pencil I've used.

The only problem I've noticed is that the entire mechanism moves sideways by about 1 mm when applying a fair bit of pressure on either side of the pencil (sometimes while writing).

Before using the Kuru Toga, I was using a Mitsubishi Uni HB pencil similar to these and the lead was amazingly smooth.

Not universally; but my kids use them, as do several of their classmates.

I think it's less common because standard #2 pencils are so cheap. I found this gross of them for about $0.11 each while the cheapest extenders are around $0.15 each. Kids will tend to lose or break the extenders anyway, so you're usually better off just giving them a new pencil instead of dealing with the extenders.

My kids only use them because they think they're neat (because they bought something very much like these colored aluminum ones).

>Lots of people trashing the Ticonderoga and trying to push the Palamaladingdong Black Wing 602. These cost $1.90 per pencil. And that is ridiculous. The good people at Dixon aren't going to rip you off like that. And you know what? They make a black Ticonderoga that is equally sexy, IF NOT SEXIER, than the Black Wing 602. AND a black Ticonderoga will only run you about 21 cents per pencil, which is a much better deal.

https://www.amazon.com/Blackwing-103180-Palomino-602-12-Count/dp/B006YYPIUI/ Blackwings. Read somewhere they were the best pencil, and my wife got them for me for Christmas. They are definitely awesome.

Same here! Since middle school I've strongly preferred mechanical pencils, largely because of my small handwriting. Also it keeps me from getting too picky about sharpening.

I've always been a huge fan of the Quicker Clicker. I'll have to check out the Zebra though! Thanks.

Edit: speaking of middle school, anyone else remember when pencils made from recycled jeans were trendy as fuck?? I actually preferred the funny composite material over wood. It sharpened better.

I need art supplies. I start uni again very soon, and I'm doing an illustration degree. Art supplies are extortionate, and I just can't afford all that I need. I really, really need new pencils and coloured pencils. Pretty essential to have when doing art!

Thank you so much for the contest ♥

These don't have a grip, but they're great pencils. They last a long time without resharpening and the eraser has a long life too. Very high quality for a great price.

General Pencil Company Cedar Pointe No. 2 Pencil (ANG333-2)], 12-pack https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00314DBPI/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_0mEExb1CZ1AJM

Get a set of pencils ranging in hardness and play around with how they produce value (Faber-Castell offers a comprehensive set such as this: https://www.amazon.com/Faber-Castell-9000-Graphite-Sketch-Pencil/dp/B000I5MNC0/ref=mp_s_a_1_3?keywords=faber+castell+pencil&qid=1557774920&s=gateway&sprefix=faber+castell+penvil&sr=8-3 ).

However, to distinguish layers in your work, a certain medium is not going to magically fix it--it's how you use that medium. Playing with value, atmospheric perspective, and variation of line quality to push elements forward/back is going to be what amplifies your different levels of depth in a piece, not so much the type of pencil/pen you are using.

You've basically nailed it all down, all you need is some recommendations on notebooks. From what you've said, I would buy the following list of items:
B5 Lined MUJI Notebooks
These are absolutely fantastic. They are lightweight, the paper is smooth, and there is absolutely no bleedthrough even with wet fountain pens.
Pilot Hi-Tec C Gel Pen
It is such a pleasure to write with, that I wasn't sure if I'd go for this one or the Pilot G-Tec.
MUJI 0.5 ink pens
If you want to add some colour, I like these pens. They're not too wet, nor too dry. The Japanese factor will please her.
Blackwing pencils
I stopped using pencils after highschool, and then I bought one of these and let me tell you one thing, this pencil right here will make you want to trade all your pens for pencils.

Amazon too. Seriously great pencils, as long as you have a decent sharpener that won't break the lead; the erasers are the best I've ever encountered.

If you don't mind the price, Caran D'Ache Grafwood are great.
For a more reasonable price Mitsubishi Hi-Uni are probably my favorite pencils, other than perhaps the old Tombow Mono 100's that were made in Japan (they moved to Vietnam and the quality when down somewhat) which you may not like, not sure which Tombows you tried.

2mm leads are easy to find -- they are standard for draftsmen. And you can get them in colors, too. As for the others:
The Palomino Blackwings
The Staedtler Noricas
The Staedtler all-graphites were about a dollar each.
I might add that for my workshop, I have recently bought some 5.6mm mechanical pencils, which are also easy to find on Amazon.

You can find a similar one here I have one I keep on my desk and it works pretty well.

I believe some other companies sell "higher quality" ones as well!

Ticonderoga HB 2 It says it's "The worlds best pencil" soo yeah.

I use this to sharpen it.

Haha my handwriting has been described as hieroglyphs and it almost prevented me from entering my chosen field since there was so much handwritten labeling involved back when I started. My boss made me start each morning writing the alphabet till I filled a sheet of graph paper. I was able to then label legibly and get hired, but my writing remains horrible.

A client noticed this and bought me those big fat beginners pencils which made a huge difference. It’s still unreadable to other people, but works well enough for me haha

I'm a Ticonderoga Black man myself. There's two sharpened and ready for action on my desk at all times. There's something visceral about writing with a proper wooden pencil. Especially, a good one.

I bought these pencils from amazon and I think they are pretty good. I am not any kind of good artist or anything, but I just wanted some different pencils to play with. There are more expensive versions, so these might not be the best ones out there.

Like old school. Here's one of my favorites: Palomino Blackwing 602 - 12 Count https://www.amazon.com/dp/B006YYPIUI/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_3V8oybKTRXVYH

Other recent garage related Amazon purchases:

• Shop Towels
  
  
• Damaged screw remover set
  
  
• Disposable gloves
  
  
• Box of pencils
  
  
• Pencil Sharpener
  
  
• Lots of extra safety glasses
  
  
• Hearing Protection
  
  
• Extra Push blocks
  
  
• 2 stools
  
  
  
  

The Pencil Grip is designed to retrain your hand into an ergonomic writing posture.

If that isn't an option, and if you must specifically use pencils for your work, then I would look for either mechanical pencils with similar grips or for wooden pencils with thicker barrels, such as these.

Both products lend themselves to use by small children and arthritic adults, so I imagine they will work fine for you.

Your recycled denim pencil and old money pencil link, good sir or madame! http://www.treehugger.com/sustainable-product-design/recycled-denim-pencils.html

And the amazon link. http://www.amazon.com/Write-Dudes-Green-Recycle-Pencils/dp/B005FPT6XM

http://www.amazon.com/Palomino-Blackwing-Pencils-12-Count/dp/B006CQWILK

http://palominobrands.com/blackwing-collection/

Might this be the pencil his was referring to? They are not pure graphite but they all black and really high quality pencils.

There are also these pure graphite pencils but they seem to be more of an office supply than a gift.
http://www.staples.com/Staedtler-allXWrite-2-HB-Graphite-Pencils-5-Pack/product_949299

I buy this 96 pack of pencils for my son every year and an extra one for the classroom. The teachers don't ask for specific brands but Ticonderoga is a better brand that I just prefer to buy.

These specific ones aren't pre sharpened but anytime there's been a request for pre sharpened pencils I just sharpen them myself. The teacher doesn't care if it's bought that way or done at home as long as they don't have to waste a ton of time sharpening pencils themselves.

My Holy Trinity: Mitsubishi Pencil 9000 HB Two Point Sharpener Mono Eraser

​

They have the Mitsubishi Pencil 9850 HB, which has an eraser on it, but I would suggest using a pencil without an eraser since erasing can be a time waster. I found it really motivating that what I write is final, but I also prefer a separate eraser anyways and without an eraser on the pencil I don't risk smudging the lead with an inferior pencil eraser. (although the Mitsubishi pencils are alright)

good news lads! You can get one of your own on Aamzon!

https://www.amazon.com/Kikkerland-4342-4-In-1-Pen-Tool/dp/B00PN055HU/ref=pd_bxgy_469_2?_encoding=UTF8&pd_rd_i=B00PN055HU&pd_rd_r=4QSGMAR33TMKPJ648K80&pd_rd_w=j6CQg&pd_rd_wg=xDDio&psc=1&refRID=4QSGMAR33TMKPJ648K80

The only wood pencils I will ever buy are Dixon Ticonderoga pencils, and the only mechanical pencils I will ever buy are Bic Mechanical Pencils. It seems like every other pencil uses plastic as an eraser, as if someone at PaperMate said, "Hey, we can save money if we stick a piece of crap on the end of the pencil and say it's an eraser!"

Don't buy cheap chinese pencils or colored erasers. Get yourself a nice Staedler set and some decent white erasers.

A set of these for sketching: https://www.amazon.com/STAEDTLER-break-resistant-super-bonded-100-G12/dp/B0014E2S0Q/ref=sr_1_4?keywords=staedtler+pencils+set&qid=1572010245&sr=8-4

Or just get yourself some HB staedlers for drafting.

I used the faber castell 9000 series pencil set on this. They are my favorite pencils I've tried so far. They seem to go on smoother than most cheaper pencils I've used.

https://www.amazon.com/Faber-Castell-Castell-Smooth-Graphite-Assorted/dp/B000I5MNC0

Also, sorry I don't know what those charcoal sticks are called.

I recommend this one.

https://www.amazon.co.jp/三菱鉛筆-鉛筆-ハイユニ-HUHB-1ダース/dp/B001B8UH30/

Bro, get these: http://www.amazon.com/Faber-Castell-9000-Graphite-Sketch-Pencil/dp/B000I5MNC0/ref=sr_1_17?ie=UTF8&qid=1405561943&sr=8-17&keywords=Faber+castell
Won't regret this either: http://www.amazon.com/Long-Point-Pencil-Sharpener-Pointer/dp/B0038RA6KG/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1405562006&sr=8-1&keywords=Long+point+sharpener

$4 with prime shipping on Amazon Kikkerland 4-In-1 Pen Tool (4342) https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00PN055HU/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_MG-NAbG4G2BAQ

• Pelican case $59.99
  
  
• Coins (x3) $37.38
  
  
• Microtech Combat Troodon $457.96
  
  
• Ultratech $257.87
  
  
• Box of pencils $7.29
  
  That's a difference of $1779... Factor in some shipping and customization.. I must have at least saved you $1500!
  

You'll need a lot of pencils though

Here you go!

They make them in black now too: Amazon

You should try the Palomino Blackwing! It even has a wiki article!

I am an old fart, but what ever happened to this:

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07HRKL53M/ref=sspa_dk_detail_3?psc=1&pd_rd_i=B07HRKL53M&pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_p=f0dedbe2-13c8-4136-a746-4398ed93cf0f&pd_rd_wg=SfBsv&pf_rd_r=JMPE1CPPG4BMMM7515CH&pf_rd_s=desktop-dp-sims&pf_rd_t=40701&pd_rd_w=tlyXu&pf_rd_i=desktop-dp-sims&pd_rd_r=841bdf04-f0c6-11e8-a434-bf3dbd9e97d2

with this:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00275QXLG/ref=s9_acsd_top_hd_bw_b4UIO_c_x_3_w?pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_s=merchandised-search-3&pf_rd_r=MQJ65T6Y1CV2AB1171ET&pf_rd_r=MQJ65T6Y1CV2AB1171ET&pf_rd_t=101&pf_rd_p=fc4929e1-76f6-52c2-bfa7-d56d4cc7f662&pf_rd_p=fc4929e1-76f6-52c2-bfa7-d56d4cc7f662&pf_rd_i=1069772

and this:

https://www.amazon.com/AmazonBasics-Wood-cased-Pencils-Box-144/dp/B0188A3QRM/ref=sr_1_7?s=office-products&ie=UTF8&qid=1543159829&sr=1-7&keywords=pencils+no+2

-)

In case if you were wondering, it's a Mitsubishi Hi-Uni in HB.

Some Palomino Blackwing pencils. It seems ridiculous to spend that much on pencils, but there's just nothing like them.

Here's enough to last half a lifetime, or if you're like me and lose every damn writing implement you touch, about a week.

>2) Someone mentioned Black Wing pencils being expensive, which are those and why were they expensive?

There's two types, the original which are expensive because they're discontinued so people are hording the last available and selling them for hundreds of dollars:

https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/blackwing-602-why-is-hollywood-600265

And then a company bought the rights to that type of pencil and tried to recreate them, but I think they're a bit different, some say not as good, but I have no idea I've never used either of them:

https://www.amazon.com/Palomino-Blackwing-602-12-Count/dp/B006YYPIUI

I'm not OP, but get good pencils. Every teacher on earth needs those. Less broken lead means less pencil sharpening and more learning.

Why pay for some shitty overpriced pencil when I could get quality overpriced pencils?