In a student’s box, a pencil is an essential writing tool. An artist’s set often includes this equipment. Several pencil types could be involved in this case.
A pencil is basically a strand of graphite mixed with clay. The lead is enclosed in a wood or plastic shaft, sometimes with an eraser on one end.
Graphite tip in the wooden casing can be exposed by sharpening with a knife or eraser as it diminishes while writing.
History of Pencil
The pencil we know today has its origins in the Roman stylus, which was subsequently made with lead. It made dark marks but was prone to smudging, apart from being poisonous. It was the discovery of graphite deposits in England in 1564 that led to the invention of the modern pencil. There was a lot of brittleness and expense associated with graphite. A sheep’skin was wrapped around a thin cylindrical piece of graphite so that it would not snap when it was being used to make pencils. Germany was the first to introduce the mass-produced pencils in 1662 by mixing graphite powder with clay.
Types of Pencils
Regular pencils – these are the pencils that are used most commonly for writing.
Colour Pencils – their core is made up of color pigments are used for coloring primarily by children as they are easy to use and don’t leave a mess.
Water color pencils – again, with pigment cores, they can be used to fill in colors in a drawing and with a wet brush, used to get the water color effect.
Artist’s pencils are different shades of blackness by the proportion of clay mixed to make them harder or darker. From 9H, the hardest, to 9B, the blackest, they range from hard to soft.
Carpenter’s pencils – are hexagonal in shape to prevent rolling when working on different surfaces.
Mechanical pencils: Made of plastic, they have a thin shaft for the leads which can be pushed forward as they are used and can be refilled by clicking at the end as they are used up.
The uses of A pencil
- Children usually use it for erasing and rewriting mistakes when they are writing, especially when they are young.
- With pencils, artists create sketches and full-fledged drawings with varying shades of black.
- Carpenters and masons use pencils to make markings.
- Before drafting a final draft, pencils are useful for making rough sketches.
- Diagrams drawn with pencils can be refined easily by students, making them a good tool for teaching.
- It is very safe and easy for children to use pencils as their first writing tool.
- A color pencil is a fun way for children to experiment with art.
- Artists can benefit greatly from watercolour pencils.
- The use of pencils is an excellent method of taking notes that can be corrected later.
- In the early years of a child’s life, writing with pencils contributes to good handwriting.
Conclusion
Children should be encouraged to use pencils as versatile tools in their stationary box.
Comments are closed.