An essential tool
MOST of us first learned to write, scribble and draw with a pencil.
Did you know that apart from the graphite pencils we use every day, there are also charcoal pencils that artists use for sketching?
Have you heard of sprout pencils? These pencils are made of sustainable wood taken from managed forests. Unlike other pencils, with are made with a built-in eraser, these pencils are fixed with a seed. Once the pencil is shortened, the pencil (and seed) can be planted in a pot. How cool is that?
National Pencil Day was celebrated on March 30. Here are Starchild readers’ drawings and letters on the topic.
Shadana Sharmin Bala, eight, writes: “I have pencils in all sorts of colours. My mother buys 2B pencils for me because she says it makes darker and bolder lines.”
“I have a collection of mechanical pencils and graphite pencils. I do like to use mechanical pencils as I can change the graphic lead regularly,” says Yap Sze Kay, eight.
Viknarubessh Nagaraja, seven, writes: “Over 14 billion pencils are produced annually. Bread crumbs were used to rub off mistakes before erasers were made.”
Eight-year-old Soo Ern Thong ,8,says: “Did you know pencils can write in zero gravity and underwater?”
On average, a pencil can be sharpened 17 times and can write over 40,000 words,” writes Tan Rui Yang, eight.
ITEM: World Art Day is held on April 15 to celebrate the fine arts. It can range from sculpture, paintings, to printed artwork. What are some of the topics to draw or colour? Do you prefer to draw cartoon characters, your favourite food, landscapes or pets? Or perhaps K-pop bands like Blackpink or BTS?
Starchild wants to know.
E-mail your contributions to lifestyle@thestar.com.my by April 10. Please put “STARCHILD” in the subject line of your e-mail.
Scanned drawings should be in jpeg format, with a resolution of 200 dpi.
Your contributions must carry your full name, age (open to children aged 12 and below only), gender, phone contact and address.