2b or not 2b, another gift from AEON.

Dear friends, every once in a while I receive a new piece from AEON which tickles me fancy.



Here's a meticulous piece on the art of pencil sharpening.


Now, you might argue what's the point? Who needs pencils? We've got the internet and qwerty and twitter and such... but if you don't mind me say so,  that is a silly response.


David Rees is one fellow who takes his pencils very seriously, elevating the art of pencil sharpening to Olympic Gold Standard.




‘A lot of people think they know how to sharpen pencils, but… they don’t.’ 


Such is the view of David Rees, an artisan pencil-sharpener who’s sharpened some 1,500 No 2 pencils for paying customers. With deadpan humour and shrewd insight, Rees talks the audience through a step-by-step guide to achieving the perfect pencil point, while giving a brief history of the modern pencil and pencil-sharpening tools. Using the undeniably charismatic Rees as his subject, Kenneth Price’s film is a light reflection on the inherent value of care and precision. It’s also a biting send-up of the plethora of portraits proliferating in our artisan-obsessed times.


Director: Kenneth Price

23 October 2014


If, like me, you've let your guard down and become a trifle lazy in this matter, I hope that all of you will be inspired by David Rees to take great pride in sharpening your 2b pencils in the future!

I'm eagerly awaiting David's next piece on the proper way to use an eraser.

pt


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