Blackwing

Blackwing pencils were originally introduced by the Eberhard Faber Pencil Company in the 1930s. Their cult following included John Steinbeck and Chuck Jones, who proudly used Blackwings to create Bugs Bunny and many other Looney Tunes characters.

Despite this following, they fell victim to cost cutting measures in the 1990s and were discontinued. But, that didn’t stop devotees from paying as much as $40 per pencil to seize unused stock. In 2010, our company drew from nearly a century of experience in the pencil business to access the best materials in the world and bring Blackwing back for a new generation of writers, musicians, and others seeking a more natural existence.

Legendary Grammy, Emmy, Pulitzer and Academy Award winners have created with the Blackwing 602 pencil. The list of known users includes John Steinbeck, Stephen Sondheim, Leonard Bernstein and Chuck Jones who proudly used Blackwings to create Bugs Bunny and many other Looney Tunes characters.

Blackwing’s roots go back to the 1930’s when the 602 model was first introduced by Eberhard Faber. Over the years, the pencil with the unique rectangular eraser became synonymous with quality. Then, in 1998, after several corporate acquisitions, it was discontinued, but not forgotten. In fact, fans began paying as much as $40 on eBay for a single Blackwing pencil.

Artists soon noticed that Palomino’s range of premium pencils compared favorably to the Blackwing 602. They began asking Palomino to consider reviving the Blackwing brand, complete with its defining rectangular eraser. Palomino founder Charles Berolzheimer, whose family’s roots in the pencil industry date back to the mid 19th century, used the company’s unique supply relationships to re-introduce Blackwing pencils in 2010 featuring California genuine incense-cedar and premium Japanese graphite. The pencil has drawn rave reviews from users and national media attention.

In 2010, Blackwing found a home in the Palomino division of California Cedar Products Company, a leading supplier of wood for pencils. With pencil industry roots dating back to the mid 19th century, CalCedar has built a long tradition of excellence and unique supply relationships that now extend to the Palomino writing, arts and lifestyle products, the most famous of which are its Blackwing pencils.

When Cal Cedar introduced the Palomino graded range of premium pencils, many users began comparing their performance to that of the famous Eberhard Faber Blackwing 602 pencil, which had since been discontinued. Cal Cedar soon expanded its Palomino umbrella to revive the iconic Blackwing brand hoping to introduce it to a new generation of emerging artists. Blackwing products are now sold in nearly 500 stores worldwide.