Caution:Artist at Play-Artwork by Shana Rowe Jackson

   I recently bought myself a set of the Faber-Castell Pitt Graphite Matt  pencils. Having tried other matte graphite (and carbon) pencils, such as the Staedtler Mars Lumograph Black and the Blackwing Matte Pencils , I was eager to try these to see how they differed!       What an interesting pencil! I was pleasantly surprised that these didn't feel like a carbon pencil like the other two pencil brands that I have tried. Usually when a company claims that something is a matte graphite there is typically a lot of added carbon, giving the pencil more of a charcoal like feel. These didn't seem to have that same feeling.       That being said, they did feel different than regular graphite. They did not feel as smooth or slick. This is not a good or bad thing, just an observation. They also had some odd crumbs that were difficult to remove without an eraser, but they were not too much of a hindrance overall. They were darker and less shiny than regular graphite and did not need as

      Sometimes it takes going through tough times to realize what's important to you. I had that moment recently when I hurt my left arm and my lower back at my day job. Nothing too serious, but I missed a day at work and the injuries did warrant multiple visits to the doctor.      I was told by the doctor that I needed to do light duty at work for a while and since it was my dominant arm that was injured, when I asked about creating art, I was told that I should also refrain from drawing and painting for a couple of weeks.      I heeded the advice of my doctor, I took Ibuprofen, used heat on my injuries, and did the stretches they recommended. I also took time off from creating art. However, after the first week away from art, I was going stir crazy and could feel my mental health declining. That was something that I was not okay with. I cannot be without art.   So, I decided I would create art anyway, but instead, I would use my non-dominant hand!!