Pencil Therapy

An effective round of pencil therapy consists of:

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1. Gathering a bunch of pencils to sharpen,

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2. Adding them to a pot of fresh points (instant coffee is optional), and

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3. Hoarding some good pencils to sharpen on a rainy day (aka delayed gratification).

The thing is, there’s been so many rainy days lately – it’s been raining solidly, relentlessly, for a week now and shows no signs of abating. I fear my stock will not last long :(

12 thoughts on “Pencil Therapy”

  1. Only more legitimate excuses to acquire more fascinating pencils ;) I have to agree that sharpening pencils is a very therapeutic activity. Perhaps it is why I insist to sharpen my daughter’s pencils daily.

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    1. I agree! Do you do it by hand, the way many Asian parents used to? I would like to but it never comes out right so I always resort to my Delis. People who sharpen pencils by hand seem to get a more accurate feel for the kind of wood used in them :)

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      1. I would love to do it by hand, but I am also afraid that other kids may teased her. My mom, in fact, did it by hand for nearly 4 years for me and my sister. I remembered that my classmates teased me because my pencils look “different.” Sharpening pencils by hand is almost an art, as the force exerted on the blade is entirely contingent to the hardness of wood. Maybe I should try sharpening some of my daughter’s by hand tonight!

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      2. It’s definitely an art, and it’s also something you come to appreciate much later in life. I think you should give your daughter a chance :)

        One of my friends who always sharpens her pencils by hand says she dislikes Japanese pencils because the wood is so hard to sharpen. Interesting perspective on pencils otherwise (almost) universally lauded…

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      3. I have been sharpening her pencils by hand for the past 3 days, so far, no complaining! I wonder whether she realizes… Types of wood definitely make a different in sharpening. I may hold the opposite observation as your friend, since some of the Japanese pencils I have sharpened are softer in comparison, but as long as the wood didn’t just split into three ways (I still can’t fathom how is that possible. Composite wood for pencils?), I am all good. Sharpening a Wopex was an other worldly experience, since you may feel that you are carving rubber :)

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      4. Maybe it’s possible to make eraser art with a Wopex?!

        I couldn’t contain my curiosity regarding the wood but still didn’t want any pencil to suffer my hand-sharpening, so currently I am using a composite method – I sharpen a new pencil a little by hand, stop at the moment I reach the lead, then finish up with a crank sharpener.

        Kudos to your efforts, here’s something to inspire you further – it’s an article about a veteran Korean cartoonist. His pencils are the sharpest I’ve seen so far!

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      5. Maybe on the Wopex! Though I am not confident in my carving skills. I have to say, Faber Castell Grip 2001 shaves like butter! I don’t think I have ever had such a great experience sharpening a wooden pencil before. The worst so far is Crayola colored pencils; there are parts that cannot be shaved. Overall, that could be one of the most relaxing part of my day!

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    2. 아참… 공부에 방해가 될 듯해서 말씀드리기 조심스럽습니다만… 네이버에 “The 연필”이라고 하는 카페가 새로 생겼답니다. 거기서도 이따금씩 포스팅할 예정입니다 (펜후드랑 여기랑 내용을 구분해서 올리는 것처럼 거기서도 좀 다른 내용으로요). 좋은 멤버들도 모여 있습니다. 시간 나심 눈팅하러 오세요^^

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    1. I count the Korean “Maxim” instant coffee mixes as junk food, and as such they must be consumed at regular intervals apart from proper coffee ;)

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