Soap Magazine
Their Favourite Drawing Instruments
Is the pencil over? It’ s no secret we’ ve turned to keyboards and touch screens to convey our thoughts, complete our work in the office and design everything from bespoke stationery to custom footwear. For most, it’ s hard to recall the last time an octagonal wooden shaft rested between our fingers. But for a select set of highly creative individuals, writing instruments are still in high demand. Here, authors, designers and artists ranging from Manolo Blahnik to Milton Glaser share brief odes to the pencils, pens and brushes to which they are devoted, and illustrations to go along with them.
Kulapat Yantrasast: Sharpies
Thai architect Kulapat Yantrasast is the founder and creative director of wHY architecture firm. Mentored by the famed Japanese Tado Ando, Yantrasast was named one of the most powerful people in the art world in 2012.
“ I will show up at a client meeting with a museum director and curators with a bowl of about 50 Sharpies in different colors. People just never see that. It’ s like candy. When I start sketching, generally the purple comes out first – it is strong, but not too out there. I also love orange. The different colors help you clarify things: layering, floors, spaces, doorways. I discovered Sharpies when I moved from Japan because I loved to go to those huge stores, places like Staples
4 and Office Depot. My drawings tend to be big and free, almost calligraphic-like. In Japan, our sketches were very small. They use mechanical pencils and are very obsessive about choosing point size, lead, the right paper. I think I have about 300 pens on my desk. My staff makes jokes that we will never go under because we can always sell Kulapat’ s pens. But I spend a lot of time thinking about what color I will use, whether I am writing or drawing.”
Fernando Santangelo: Pilot Precise V5 and Bic mechanical pencil
The interior decorator Fernando Santangelo caught the public’ s attention when he redesigned the landmark’ 20s Chateau Marmont to tremendous acclaim. His client list includes Jacqueline Schnabel, Uma Thurman and Andre Balazs.
“ I use everything – crayons, magic markers, watercolors, pen and ink – but my favorite is the Koh-I-Noor multi-colored Magic Pencil. I buy them by the dozen.
- Milton Glaser
“ I came here from Uruguay at 18. Since English is not my first language, I create my words through my hand because drawing is much faster than talking. I start with a Pilot extra-fine rolling ball pen, which becomes the skeleton of the design. I like to work on trace because it rolls out like a Chinese scroll, but it is not so precious. Then I go over the design