The lack of art and craft in the packaging of modern stationery is regularly lamented at this blog. A manufacturer who is bucking the trend is Viarco, who have launched a new carbon pencil that is beautifully housed.
A set of six pencils are wrapped with paper and tightly bound with string at both ends. This is historically accurate, but with a new design and product.
The cores constitute a large proportion of the pencil, with the wood slats being unusually hollowed out:
Sharpened:
“Carbon” can signify a range of ingredients. This pencil is very waxy – the core can be indented with a fingernail. If you think of the brittle characteristics of vine or willow charcoal, it is the opposite, while being in the same broad family. On Strathmore Charcoal paper:
I salute Viarco for paying attention to the little details that many of us treasure.
Thanks for this post, and, I second the salute!
Cool.
’nuff said.
Well, except I like those very hollow wooden bodies.
What a marvellous packaging! Thank you for showing it. I also like the lettering on the wrapping paper – they have even used the ft ligature.
Gracious, those are gorgeous!
I have to ask a nerdy question: Can you tell what sort of knot they used on the thread?
Sean, thank you.
Kiwi-d, hello old friend! The narrow wood casing of the pencils does look like a manufacturing achievement.
Gunther, you are welcome. The product has many small delights, which I take as a sign of good design. The ligature is indeed very nice.
John, thank you. Both eyesight (it is a fine and dark thread) and knot knowledge fail me. I might be able to take a daylight photo and share it, but I am away from home for a few days.
If I liked the litho design -modern one- on Poppin pencils, what could I say about these… Wow! their presentation is great and “The narrow wood casing of the pencils” is awesome, I don´t remeber have seen it before, any other example of this fabrication?
Art is awesome !!!! It brings me pleasant Vintage feeling !!!
Futural, some charcoal and art pencils have thin layers of cedar, but this is the most extreme that I have seen!
These Pencils looks amazing…
It gives you feel of Charcoal or Oil Pastel and work as Pencil…
I would ;ove to have those Pencils in my collection….