The Pen Addict Podcast: Episode 170 - Mykeanical Pencils

If you find me repeating myself about how much fun we have recording the podcast it is because we have so much fun recording the podcast! This was one of those wide ranging episodes where I played both sides of the fence on the sparkly ink debate, picked out what Line X Lamy character I would be, and shook my head at yet another "DEATH OF CURSIVE" article. Myke and I also learn to proper way to pronounce all of the Iroshizuku inks.

Show Notes & Download Links

This episode of The Pen Addict is sponsored by:

lynda.com: An easy and affordable way to help individuals and organizations learn. Free 10-day trial.

Pen Chalet: use the code PENADDICT to save 10% on your order or click the ‘podcast’ link at the top of the website and enter the password 'penaddict' for even more savings, as well as your 10% off.

Andy Warhol Philosophy Pencils Review

I’ve been an Andy Warhol fan as long as I can remember. His style of art resonates with me, as does the art of younger contemporaries like Keith Haring and Jean-Michel Basquiat. Unfortunately, none of these great artists are still with us. I’ve been able to relive some of their lives through diaries, journals, and notebooks, and every now and then a simple reminder like a pencil keeps their memory alive in my head.

The Andy Warhol Philosopy Pencil Set is a reminder of how Warhol was able to get across very simple, and sometimes obvious, points in a way that makes you think. The quotes range from the philosophical, "Art is what you can get away with" , to the cleverly mundane, "Being good in business is the most fascinating kind of art”, to the wild and fun "Wasting money puts you in a real party mood." I’ve heard these lines dozens of times before but seeing them and reflecting on them while creating with a simple pencil like this is very cool.

The pencils themselves have a clean natural wood look with an HB graphite core. Each of the eight pencils come with their own quote and different colored eraser, which I enjoy. I’m a no eraser or fun eraser guy, and with the range of colors these are definitely fun.

From a writing perspective, the Warhol pencils are what you would expect from a good mid-grade HB pencil. The lead is smooth, leaves a nice line, and has decent tip retention. Basically, your stock HB, which is a good thing.

I didn’t get these pencils with only performance in mind though. I spilt up the 8-pack between my two kids whith the hopes that they will read the quotes and ask about their meaning and who Andy Warhol was. Right now, the color of the eraser is the most important thing to them, but now that homework is back in full swing I have a good feeling we will be able to talk about more than just schoolwork.

(JetPens provided this product at no charge to The Pen Addict for review purposes.)

Sunderland mk1

The Sunderland mk1 has hit its final hours on Kickstarter, so now is your last chance to get in on this wonderfully made machined pen. Sleek design, tight tolerances, and solid cap posting are the highlights of the mk1, not to mention both Pilot G2 and Montblanc refill options.

My thanks to Sunderland Machine for sponsoring The Pen Addict this week.