Our 2026 gift guide begins here with Blackwing! The 2026 Blackwing holiday offerings are varied and wonderful. You’ll find LOTR (aka Lord of the Rings), Disney, and the new 2026 Eras selections! Scroll down for the exciting stuff, but let’s start here with pencil basics…
If you’re interested, watch a little history of the Blackwing pencil, which has been synonymous with quality throughout the decades. (Don’t worry 🤣 these pencils are not $40 a-piece… anymore.)
Each pencil features premium graphite crafted with clay for strength and wax for smoothness, encased in genuine Incense-cedar from California and Oregon, These pencils sharpen evenly and easily. The varied firmness of Blackwing graphite adds to the luxury and specific application of each type of pencil.
Choose from three Blackwing graphites:
- Extra Firm – my favorite, it can take the most pressure on paper, and it draws the lightest line, making it ideal for fabric marking. Use extremely light pressure on fabric to leave a visible but not-too-dark line.
- Firm – most popular, for use on paper and on fabric, again very lightly. Like the extra firm, if you tend to press harder on paper, then firmer is better.
- Soft – for writing, sketching, and drawing on paper. It makes a dark line with very little pressure
The Graphite Sampler Set and the Loaded Pencil Box both come with a mix of all three graphite styles.
I love all my Blackwing sharpeners — each has its place.
The Two Step and the One Step now come in black or grey/silver or white (plus a few limited editions you’ll see below). The Desktop Sharpener is still in black and is perfect if you sharpen a lot of pencils.
Point Guards protect the pencil point —and your bag.
Blackwing Point Guards are ingenious little tools that literally “guard the point” of your pencil, keeping it sharp, while simultaneously protecting the inside of your purse, bag, or drawer, and it’s contents, from being marked on. Feels fancy, but it’s just smart.
I don’t usually erase on fabric, but if I do, the Handheld Eraser is the only one I use. On paper it’s actually magical! If you do erase on fabric with it, just keep it light, don’t stretch the fabric!
Blackwing’s limited editions are exciting and beloved. Below you’ll find Volumes and Eras from this year, along with several very special collaborations. When these are gone, they will be all the way gone. This is where gifting gets really good…
- Volume 21 (Firm graphite) is a tribute to the craft of woodworking. With an entirely unique square shaped barrel, the number 21 represents the wisdom of “measure twice, cut once.”
- Volume 343 (Extra Firm graphite) is a tribute to broadcast television. The number is a reference to the 343 scanlines on early CRT televisions.
- Volume 458 (Balanced graphite) is a tribute to birding, and the number refers to the estimated number of migratory bird species that regularly travel through the United States and Canada. Balanced graphite is exactly what it sounds like —somewhere between soft and firm. It could be that “just right” feeling when pressed onto paper, leaving a fairly dark line. (I would not use it on fabric.)
Like Blackwing’s everyday pencil offerings (further above), each of these Volumes includes 12 pencils.
Blackwing x Disney ✨
Mickey & Friends! ✨ Blackwing x Disney: Pencils (Soft graphite), One Step Sharpeners, Point Guards, and Notebook Sets.
I suppose these all could be collectables, but I’m using my pencils, even my Lord of The Rings gold “One Ring” pencil.
The summer release of the Blackwing x LOTR Pencil Sets were gone way too fast. No wonder, they’re beautiful, and maybe Blackwing’s coolest set ever. There are a total of 20 pencils (some of every graphite), a gold One Step Sharpener (I needed), a gold point guard, and a map of Middle Earth on transparent transfer paper. Blackwing has released them one more time, we got some ☺️, and they will be here soon! You can order now.
Blackwing has released a new limited edition Eras pencil each year since 2020. Every year has a different historical focus and is a classically beautiful pencil. The 2026 Eras are inspired by some of the earliest Blackwings ever produced, the retro inspired packaging is the icing on the cake. These are very pretty pencils, and they feature my favorite Extra Firm graphite!
Lastly, Blackwing’s first ever Pen was released earlier this year, and after touching one, I decided I needed it. Watch the video below to see it in action.
I hope you’ve enjoyed this Blackwing experience. And I hope you feel inspired! Happy gifting!!
