After the article several weeks ago from the NY Times about the tools used by famous artists, I fell under the spell of the multi-colored colored pencil used by Milton Glaser. My friend Kirsten confirmed that Mr. Glaser really does use these pencils. He taught one of her graduate classes at the School of Visual Arts so she confirmed the story with some degree of authority. To say I’m jealous she saw his pencil handiwork in person would be understating things a bit.
It took awhile to find a dozen of these gems. I ended up buying them from a vendor on Amazon who was in Europe. The listing officially calls these pencils “Koh-i-noor Aristochrom Magic – 12 Pencils with Special Multicoloured Lead“. For the sake of ease, I refer to them as Koh-i-noor Magic Pencils. The box of one dozen was $14.50 plus $8 shipping which makes these pencils more expensive than Palomino Blackwings. But needs must, right?
The pencils came in a slightly mangled yellow box with the Koh-i-noor/Hardtmuth logos on the box. They had been shipped in nothing more than a kraft envelope so the mangling was a result of the postal system. The box isn’t anything special so the fact that all the pre-sharpened pencils were safe meant the box served its purpose.
Inside were the dozen pencils I most coveted. The pencils are hexagonal with gold metallic paint and the only branding is ink jet onto one facet in black. The text includes “060”, a lengthy stock number and bar code, “Koh-i-noor” and “3400”. I wish the branding had been foil stamped onto the pencil instead of the super-cheap looking ink jet but these pencils are probably not very popular or produced in extremely large quantities so they don’t get as much attention as a traditional graphite or single color pencil.
The end of the pencil is shaped into a low profile cone shape and is not dipped. Its exposed natural wood. Its a weird detail that I’m not crazy about but the simple gold paint on the rest of the pencil makes up for the unusual treatment of the end. I’d love it if the end were dipped in a glossy black to give it a truly regal feel but there aren’t a lot of options for “magic” pencils so I’ll take what I can get.
The real reason I love these pencils is the three-color lead. Red, blue and yellow pigments are blended into the lead in small chunks so that, as the pencil is used, the color changes. The blue is a deep indigo blue and the red and yellow are pretty much primary colors. What I discovered over the last few weeks of using these pencils is that by turning the pencil a little bit as I’m using it, I can force lighter or darker colors to appear as I need them.
The composition of the pencil lead is definitely wax- or oil-based as it is not water soluble. This makes it easy to add other materials like watercolor paint, water-based markers, ink, or pen without blurring your linework. It also means that the marks don’t smudge, which is quite pleasant.
On regular paper (like my Rhodia test paper) the Magic pencil does not erase well. I suspect that on a primed surface like gesso, it might be easier to erase but for doodling and sketching, be prepared to leave the lines where they are. Loose-y and goose-y is the best way to enjoy these Magic pencils.
I know these pencils won’t appeal to everyone but I they are such wonderfully unique tools that I couldn’t resist sharing them.
My magic pencil is right beside me here in the studio – begging for a workout. Thanks!
Magic pencil!! I don’t know why, but the multicolor idea totally appeals to me, even though I have no idea how I would use them and what practical function they would serve in my pencil case. I still want them.
I got a five pack of jumbo pencils on Amazon – all in different colorways. The title of the listing is Koh-I-Noor Magic FX Pencil pack of 5. They are very cool.
Interesting; I didn’t realize these came in thin models. I have several I was given as a child, but they are fat.
I used to have a couple of packs of magic pencils as a child! (thin but not as attractive as these) I’d forgotten about them, also gel pens of a similar style, I think they were largely used for shading large areas to see all the colours! I may need some new ones
When I saw your first post about these pencils, I immediately ordered some, but it turned out I got the wrong product — the pencils I got are really thick (like they’re intended for kindergarteners). They work OK, but I’d rather have traditional size pencils like these. Thanks for the link — I’m going to order some!
– Tina
I guess some other people have mentioned the thick pencils, but they sell them at Michael’s, for those people in the States. There are fewer colors, but they’re still pretty cool.
I just bought the thick pencils they sell at Michael’s. Not as pleasing to the eye, but very fun to use!!
I bought some of these multicolored pencils and they are amazing and so fun to use in coloring, writing letters, drawing….these are a must have!
The artist Léonie Bischoff used these pencils to draw the comic « Anais Nin, sur la mer des mensonges.» The result is incredible !
https://www.casterman.com/Bande-dessinee/Catalogue/albums/anais-nin
I first saw these magic pencils watching Colin Woodward on YouTube. My wife saw what they could do and ordered a 5 pack of the fatties from Amazon with a seperate sharpener. I’m excited to try them for urban sketching since each pencil seems to have a different blend of colors from the description, and I won’t need to carry my large tin of assorted colored pencils.