The Humble 6B Pencil.

  The 6B pencil has been busy...

It was time. I had been occupied with many other things but it was finally time to begin working on the “Holy Ground” series of charcoal and graphite drawings again.

I had not done this for a while so it took some time to find and gather the materials needed. My pad of Bristol vellum, 100 lb. 11” X 14” in size sheets. Perfect for working with charcoal and pencil. I had to look a little harder for my special bag of tools to do the job. I remember going to the university bookstore nearby our place, just relaxing there and eyeing with envy all the art materials for sale. It was fun to purchase the items I needed for the task at hand. To represent something so very special to our family. And not only that but representing every family member in an individual drawing. It was a sacred moment. Each item was chosen with careful consideration.

I gathered everything at the living room table and spread it out. Checked the condition of each item, as three drawings had already been done several months ago. (there are three more to go in this series) I also gathered the resources I needed for the elements of this piece, sketches, pictures, and so on. Finally, the last item was to place a fresh piece of 100lb., 11: X 14” piece of paper before me. I turned to my pencil case, picked out the 6B pencil and began. In a few minutes I was into my right brain and gone…

Four and a half hours later I came rushing out of my right brain with a start, realizing my stomach was growling. Glancing at my watch I saw that I’d missed lunch. But since I was now out of my right brain mode, I sat back, held up the work and assessed the damage. Except for a few things, I was pretty happy and amazed. I will need to let it sit for a while to see more that needs to be adjusted.

Then, I suddenly realized that I’d used only that first pencil I’d picked up, the 6B pencil! I was so engrossed I’d forgotten about changing to harder leaded pencils.

I have to say, I just love the softness of the 6B. I can do everything at once. Molding the forms with shading, rubbing with the stub spreads the lead so nicely and very subtle shades and references can made without hesitation, or breaking the momentum of the creative process.

My 6B pencil is getting much shorter than all my other dozen or so pencils…

“…But Jesus bent down and started to write on the ground with his finger.”            John 8:6b.