HOME | DD

Description

Some may recall my purchase of a lot of vintage pencils, which included one with a curious paper ferrule. At the time, I wasn't sure why its ferrule wasn't steel or brass, although the answer seems obvious to me now.

The pencil was a WWII-era specimen---its paper ferrule a consequence of the armed forces requiring certain materials (such as metal) to be rationed.

...And, yeah, someone I mentioned this to didn't know what a ferrule was, so I'll pass that information along here: the ferrule is the part of the pencil that attaches its eraser. ^^

Anyway, I've since acquired more WWII-era pencils ...and these are they: sta.sh/026zdmd8v8r2

From top to bottom, we have,

1. 'Patriotic' by American Pencil Co., NY (735)

2. 'Mono-King' by Monarch Pencil Company, NY (60)

3. 'Tamarak' by Empire Pencil Co., USA (737)

4. 'United States Steel' (brand unknown)---I find this one subtly interesting

5. 'Aerial' by Dixon, USA (2280)

6. 'Camp Trotter White Shirt Brigade' (brand unknown)---has a rare plastic ferrule

7. 'Evergreen' by US Pencil Company, NY (487)

8. 'Ed. Belond Furn. Co' (brand unknown)

9. 'Mayfair' by Empire Pencil Co, USA (722)---seem to be in their original, unopened package

The vertical 'Protect America' pencil is marked 'Medford S1828', but I'm unsure how to interpret that. ^^

Anyway, today's ACO subject is Private SNAFU: a character created for a series of 'instructional' videos commissioned by the US military in the 1940's.

SNAFU is technically a Looney Tunes character, as he appeared briefly with Bugs Bunny in at least one of the instruction videos (and, yes, Chuck Jones was involved). :3

To see SNAFU in action, click here (link tested 05/24/2021): www.youtube.com/watch?v=XnrgtE…

TRIGGER WARNING: Although SNAFU is very tame, it's still old WWII propaganda, along with all that entails. ^^

Anyway...

I drew SNAFU here with my Wallace Zephyr (which is not WWII-era, but rather from the 1960's or so), and was delineated via the Mono-King pencil (which is the right era for SNAFU).

My drawing was drawn freehanded, or freeform (meaning I didn't use circle templates or significant underskatching; I drew the character a few times, to get acquainted with his shapes, then made this). ^^

Hopefully SNAFU knows better than to step on that landmine (though it seems he's read his manual---he's had plenty of time to!). XD

Description

Some may recall my purchase of a lot of vintage pencils, which included one with a curious paper ferrule. At the time, I wasn't sure why its ferrule wasn't steel or brass, although the answer seems obvious to me now.

The pencil was a WWII-era specimen---its paper ferrule a consequence of the armed forces requiring certain materials (such as metal) to be rationed.

...And, yeah, someone I mentioned this to didn't know what a ferrule was, so I'll pass that information along here: the ferrule is the part of the pencil that attaches its eraser. ^^

Anyway, I've since acquired more WWII-era pencils ...and these are they: sta.sh/026zdmd8v8r2

From top to bottom, we have,

1. 'Patriotic' by American Pencil Co., NY (735)

2. 'Mono-King' by Monarch Pencil Company, NY (60)

3. 'Tamarak' by Empire Pencil Co., USA (737)

4. 'United States Steel' (brand unknown)---I find this one subtly interesting

5. 'Aerial' by Dixon, USA (2280)

6. 'Camp Trotter White Shirt Brigade' (brand unknown)---has a rare plastic ferrule

7. 'Evergreen' by US Pencil Company, NY (487)

8. 'Ed. Belond Furn. Co' (brand unknown)

9. 'Mayfair' by Empire Pencil Co, USA (722)---seem to be in their original, unopened package

The vertical 'Protect America' pencil is marked 'Medford S1828', but I'm unsure how to interpret that. ^^

Anyway, today's ACO subject is Private SNAFU: a character created for a series of 'instructional' videos commissioned by the US military in the 1940's.

SNAFU is technically a Looney Tunes character, as he appeared briefly with Bugs Bunny in at least one of the instruction videos (and, yes, Chuck Jones was involved). :3

To see SNAFU in action, click here (link tested 05/24/2021): www.youtube.com/watch?v=XnrgtE…

TRIGGER WARNING: Although SNAFU is very tame, it's still old WWII propaganda, along with all that entails. ^^

Anyway...

I drew SNAFU here with my Wallace Zephyr (which is not WWII-era, but rather from the 1960's or so), and was delineated via the Mono-King pencil (which is the right era for SNAFU).

My drawing was drawn freehanded, or freeform (meaning I didn't use circle templates or significant underskatching; I drew the character a few times, to get acquainted with his shapes, then made this). ^^

Hopefully SNAFU knows better than to step on that landmine (though it seems he's read his manual---he's had plenty of time to!). XD