Ten Graphite Pencils by Amanda Bates

A lovely companion painting to your 'brushes' Amanda, they'll look very effective hung together.

A friend of mine, sadly departed, would check my brushes and ferociously upbraid me if I hadn't cleaned them properly (since then, they've been as clean as surgical instruments) and if he saw these he'd bellow "sharpen them!". I know that blunt pencils can often convey just what you're after, but I itch for the sandpaper strip and scalpel..... You've got the shine on the graphite just right, though!

By the way, would that be a Black Beauty at the back? I haven't seen one of those for years: I still have a few, but don't know if you can still get them: they worked brilliantly with the Daler Rowney Red and Yellow pads....

I seldom sharpen my pencils to a the sort of point that looks dangerous, Robert. I'm not sure that that has ever been my wont. Of course, the 6Bs and 8B wouldn't keep such a point very long. Which brings me to your question - no, it's not a Black Beauty, I'm afraid (the only one of those that I posess was written by Anna Sewell). FWIW, the pencils are, from left to right: stART SKETCHING B; WHSmith Professional Quality 6B; an unmarked blue pencil that seems to be an HB; REXEL CUMBERLAND Derwent Graphic B; REXEL CUMBERLAND Derwent Graphic 6B; STAEDLER Noris School Pencil HB; WHSmith HB; BOHEMIA WORKS PROGRESSO 8B (graphite stick); red Carpenter's pencil; stART SKETCHING B (again).

Really love this piece, Amanda - a potentially mundane subject portrayed with artistic verve. Superb work!