{"id":40061,"date":"2023-02-15T11:38:59","date_gmt":"2023-02-15T16:38:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/willceau.com\/news\/?p=40061"},"modified":"2023-02-16T09:39:28","modified_gmt":"2023-02-16T14:39:28","slug":"get-to-the-point","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/willceau.com\/news\/2023\/02\/15\/get-to-the-point\/","title":{"rendered":"Get to the Point!"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"\"

A girthy Ticonderoga and a typical Raffine<\/p><\/div>\n

A search through some old art bins in the studio set me tumbling down a rabbit hole of wooden pencils, pencil sharpeners and crafting the perfect point.<\/p>\n

This all started when I decided to organize my favorite pencils in nylon roll up cases that I bought from Michael’s.<\/em> I decided to buy a couple of these cases so that my favorite pencils would be available to easily grab to use. I wouldn’t have to search or think too hard if I wanted to draw in the park or throw it in my bag for work. Just grab and go! It was sort of like having spare pairs of eyeglasses close at hand. Being that I have duplicates, triplicates and quadruplicates of my favorite pencils, it was not hard to fill these nylon cases.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a> While I was looking for the particular pencils I wanted to use, I came across a General No. 555 Layout Pencil<\/em> which had an unusually long point. I’m sure the pencil was unused, and I wondered what sort of pencil sharpener was used to deliver such a fine, long point. That’s when I fell down this particular rabbit hole.<\/p>\n

\"KUM <\/a>
KUM Automatic Long Point Pencil Sharpener <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>
\"Tiny <\/a>
Tiny Uni lead pointer for 2mm leads <\/div> <\/div> <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>\n

I found a number of videos online detailing techniques for sharpening pencils with razor blades and sand paper as well as reviews for electric and manual pencil sharpeners. My options were to either make a mess or spend money. A lot of the electric pencil sharpeners have rechargeable batteries. I really don’t want another device that will become useless once the proprietary battery fails to hold a charge. I also don’t want to add to my sea of various charging cables. So I spent a little money on a KUM Automatic Long Point Pencil Sharpener<\/em> which is not automatic but is a pretty decent wooden pencil sharpener and a tiny Uni Lead Pointer<\/em> for 2mm leads which is so small that I’m sure I’m going to lose it. They both work very well, but it turns out I didn’t have to spend a dime.<\/p>\n

\"\"I bought a used, possibly antique manual pencil sharpener from a seller on eBay after my beloved Boston<\/em> electric pencil sharpener<\/a> died a few years back. I wanted to get something American made so that meant I was going to find something old. The more familiar brands such as Bostitch<\/em> were expensive so I found a less known brand Apsco<\/em> at a decent price. I don’t know why, but I let it sit around my studio mostly unused for years. As I was recently looking around my studio gathering the pencils for my nylon cases, I came across the Apsco<\/em>. I tried it on a number of pencils and I noticed to my delight that it sharpened them to the nice long lead I was looking for. When it took the enormous 13\/32″ girth of a My First Ticonderoga<\/em> pencil and gave it a nice long point, I was sold. The pencil sharpener I was looking for I had already found.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

So with my pointy pencils and leads, I am attacking my little sketchbooks anew. My horror story is getting fleshed out a little further and is turning into a real monster mash.<\/em><\/p>\n

\"Frankenstein's <\/a>
Frankenstein’s monster does not care for werewolves <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>
\"Cornered <\/a>
Cornered on a rooftop <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>
\"vampire\" <\/a>
vampire <\/div> <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>
\"man-made <\/a>
man-made monster with an axe <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>
\"The <\/a>
The monster enters the scene <\/div> <\/div> <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\n
<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

A search through some old art bins in the studio set me tumbling down a rabbit hole of wooden pencils, pencil sharpeners and crafting the perfect point.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[49,26,318],"tags":[158,1096,17,8,9,3661,5,23,5567,5568,3663,25],"class_list":["post-40061","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-it-came-from-the-sketchbook","category-stuff-joe-likes","category-technique","tag-analog","tag-antique","tag-cartoon","tag-cartoons","tag-comics","tag-illustration","tag-joe-williams","tag-monster","tag-pointy","tag-sharpen","tag-sketch","tag-sketchbook"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p1ed1x-aq9","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":21773,"url":"https:\/\/willceau.com\/news\/2017\/03\/02\/youll-never-get-to-heaven-if-you-break-my-heart\/","url_meta":{"origin":40061,"position":0},"title":"You’ll Never Get to Heaven If You Break My Heart","author":"Joe_Williams","date":"March 2, 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"After crowing about my new, favorite sketchbook recently, I decided to look for more of the same since I was tearing through the current one at a rapid clip. I looked at the websites of online as well as brick-and-mortar retailers and came up dry. Typing in \"sketchbook\" gave me\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "It Came From the Sketchbook"","block_context":{"text":"It Came From the Sketchbook","link":"https:\/\/willceau.com\/news\/category\/it-came-from-the-sketchbook\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/willceau.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/02\/atomic-warrior-skulking.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":40112,"url":"https:\/\/willceau.com\/news\/2023\/02\/23\/my-sweet-irreproducible-you\/","url_meta":{"origin":40061,"position":1},"title":"My sweet irreproducible you","author":"Joe","date":"February 23, 2023","format":false,"excerpt":"Non-Photo Blue pencils are a particular shade of blue that could not be detected by a\u00a0 graphic arts camera like a photostat camera. I ran stat cameras in the era when graphic design was an analog pursuit involving rubber cement, illustration board, razor blades, rubylith, waxers, zip-a-tone and a lot\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Curious Clutter"","block_context":{"text":"Curious Clutter","link":"https:\/\/willceau.com\/news\/category\/curious-clutter\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"My sweet irreproducible you","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/live.staticflickr.com\/65535\/52704659305_7bb04e6234_z.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/live.staticflickr.com\/65535\/52704659305_7bb04e6234_z.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/live.staticflickr.com\/65535\/52704659305_7bb04e6234_z.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":38767,"url":"https:\/\/willceau.com\/news\/2022\/09\/08\/doodles-on-the-couch\/","url_meta":{"origin":40061,"position":2},"title":"Doodles on the Couch","author":"Joe","date":"September 8, 2022","format":false,"excerpt":"I'm back to doodling on the couch in an inexpensive but halfway decent sketchbook and watching my favorite streaming channel Tubi. Yes, Tubi is supported by advertising, but the commercials are a lot less obtrusive than the other streamers and the political campaigns haven't spoiled it, at least not yet.\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "It Came From the Sketchbook"","block_context":{"text":"It Came From the Sketchbook","link":"https:\/\/willceau.com\/news\/category\/it-came-from-the-sketchbook\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/willceau.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/Mutt-and-Jeff.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/willceau.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/Mutt-and-Jeff.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/willceau.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/Mutt-and-Jeff.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":39593,"url":"https:\/\/willceau.com\/news\/2022\/11\/29\/sketchbook-i-was-a-girthy-werewolf\/","url_meta":{"origin":40061,"position":3},"title":"Sketchbook \u2022 I Was a Girthy Werewolf","author":"Joe","date":"November 29, 2022","format":false,"excerpt":"I continue to end my evenings on the couch with a cheap sketchbook and various pencils and erasers spread out on my lap half-watching the television usually tuned to trash. The Out of This World sketchbook continues to work its magic as I flesh out a story that has been\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "It Came From the Sketchbook"","block_context":{"text":"It Came From the Sketchbook","link":"https:\/\/willceau.com\/news\/category\/it-came-from-the-sketchbook\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/willceau.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/chunky-werewolf.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/willceau.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/chunky-werewolf.jpg?resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/willceau.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/chunky-werewolf.jpg?resize=525%2C300 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":40404,"url":"https:\/\/willceau.com\/news\/2023\/04\/11\/second-thoughts-on-a-cheap-sketchbook\/","url_meta":{"origin":40061,"position":4},"title":"Second Thoughts on a Cheap Sketchbook…","author":"Joe","date":"April 11, 2023","format":false,"excerpt":"I may get my $3.25 worth out of the terrible little sketchbook from discount chain Five Below after all. I have stubbornly refused to put it aside, and I continue to doodle in it as I sit on the couch with a cat and a spouse. It's been more miss\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Doodle Tuesday"","block_context":{"text":"Doodle Tuesday","link":"https:\/\/willceau.com\/news\/category\/it-came-from-the-sketchbook\/doodle-tuesday\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/willceau.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/Teenage-Werewolf-at-the-Reunion.jpg?fit=640%2C578&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/willceau.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/Teenage-Werewolf-at-the-Reunion.jpg?fit=640%2C578&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/willceau.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/Teenage-Werewolf-at-the-Reunion.jpg?fit=640%2C578&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":41010,"url":"https:\/\/willceau.com\/news\/2023\/07\/26\/half-the-pressure-twice-the-speed\/","url_meta":{"origin":40061,"position":5},"title":"HALF THE PRESSURE, TWICE THE SPEED","author":"Joe","date":"July 26, 2023","format":false,"excerpt":"Decades ago, I had picked up my first Blackwing 602 pencil and loved the feel of the pencil and its rich black lead. It was made by the Eberhard Faber Pencil Company and was enjoyed as the weapon of choice by artists and writers since the 1930s. Of course, it\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Illustration"","block_context":{"text":"Illustration","link":"https:\/\/willceau.com\/news\/category\/illustration\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/willceau.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/blackwing-602-box.jpg?fit=640%2C213&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/willceau.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/blackwing-602-box.jpg?fit=640%2C213&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/willceau.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/blackwing-602-box.jpg?fit=640%2C213&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x"},"classes":[]}],"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/willceau.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/40061","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/willceau.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/willceau.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/willceau.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/willceau.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=40061"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/willceau.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/40061\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/willceau.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=40061"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/willceau.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=40061"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/willceau.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=40061"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}