Who else is crazy enough to make a whole blog post about wooden vs mechanical pencils? Yeah, that’s ME!

Ok people here is the deal. I know it may sound stupid to talk about pencils. I mean, it’s just a pencil, right? But believe me, the tools and supplies you use directly impact the quality of your artwork.

To be talented is really important, but for me, using the right tools is important as well when it come to Islamic geometric patterns.

In this blog post, I will cover the differences between wooden and mechanical pencils to help you decide which one is the best for you.

It doesn’t necessarily mean that one is better than the other. I use both depending on what I do, but it’s good to know your tools and what is the best fit for you. So here we go.

 

1. SHARPENING

Certainly, the first difference is that you have to sharpen the ordinary pencil in order to use it. This means that you should have a good sharpener. I’ve always been obsessed with long points; I don’t know why.

Depending on the softness of the lead you should sharpen the pencil more often or less often because the shorter the lead, the wider the line on the paper.

Having a fine point in your pencils helps to draw thin lines resulting in more accuracy.

You don’t have these “problems” with a mechanical pencil. The width of the lead stays consistent throughout the whole process.

 

2. LEAD BRAKING ISSUES

When I just started with Islamic geometry, I immediately bought a mechanical pencil. It was a 0.3 mechanical pencil – the thinnest lead I could find – and it helped me master precision.

But I’m really heavy-handed, and the lead breaks every 2 seconds. Unfortunately, the lead is really thin, and if you are like me, this could be a problem. I was constantly refilling the pencil, and I’ve basically wasted my money. No jokes.

The wooden pencil’s lead can bear a lot more pressure than the mechanical one making it more suitable for heavy-handed people like me.

I still use a mechanical pencil, of course, but I prefer the ordinary one more.

 

3. ATTACHMENT

Ok, I know this might seem really romantic, but there is something soothing in using the good old pencil. It’s like the smell of a new book; you just can’t get enough of it.

To be able to draw this kind of art, which has its roots back in hundreds years, and use the same tools as the masters of the past it just makes me feel like I’m part of something bigger. Like I’m part of common destiny.

But wait, this is not the end. Recently I found out about lead holders or clutch pencils. It looks like a mechanical pencil with a 2mm lead.

Yeah, so basically I’ve written dozens of blog posts about the importance of a thin lead pencil just to pop up here and say “hey now I’ using a 2mm lead pencil”… But I have the right to change my mind, do I? Anyway, you can sharpen the lead with this lead sharpener just like an ordinary pencil, and the best thing is that it’s easier to find a hard lead of this size.

 

I hope this blog post was helpful for those of you who are still struggling in finding the perfect pencil. If you have any doubt or question, write it in the comments below.

 

If you want to learn more about pencil leads and which one is the best for geometrical drawings click here.

 

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