Yes, it's lovely, but what's that pencil he's sitting on?

A pencil bench, just seen on Channel 4's antique dealing program Four Rooms.  It's ingenious, and fun .. what pencil did they use to build it?

I don't think it's a 'real' pencil actually, I suspect they painted them pink, but perhaps they were bought off the shelf - does anyone know?

Here's the makers - intriguingly each pencil can be removed and used

I would like this bench!

yes, but what's that pencil he's holding?

This is the winning entry from this year's BP Portrait Award at the National Portrait Gallery in London.

It's by Wim Heldens and is entitled Distracted

It's a splendid portrait...  but what's that pencil he's holding?

I have been to the NPG to see the painting first hand, and there is no visible brand name painted.  The pencil is hexagonal with alternate dark and light blue faces.  This is the best quality image I could find on the web.

Any ideas?

Yes, but what's that pencil he's holding?

Chuck Jordan  (a famous designer who worked at General Motors, apparently) - died recently, and many obituaries featured this picture

(click the picture to enlarge)

Great designer, General Motors, passing of  an age, shall not see his like again, yes, yes, yes...  
But what do you reckon it is?  a  Mirado Black Warrior?
It's got a great a point on it - so I am guessing it's his own, not a prop :-)

Bohemia Works Afcan

I found this the other day in my pencil pot - I must have bought it in Prague earlier this year.

Afcan - odd name!  Is it supposed to be African?

Daler Rowney Artists Sketching

A very modern-looking pencil I thing. The paint is thin, and thinly applied which gives the pencil a 'green' feel to it, in the ecological sense of the word. The core is soft and wide, and clearly for sketching, not for writing.  The glossy black hood, and silver rim denote quality.

Cumberland Graphite

These are made by Derwent,who refer to them as every-day pencils. I suppose that's right, certainly they are not ambitious pencils, but they write perfectly well, these F grades being a little hard for me, I imagine the HB would be slightly kinder to write with. However the paint is solid, the silver cap is smart, if a little wrinkled and these pencils do the job asked of them

More Cheap-and-Nasty Pencils

Well, that's it really. Cheap, and Nasty.