Unlimited Pencil

Disclaimer: I did the project featured in this blog back in 2021 and I'm just getting around to writing about it because I have a horrible habit of putting blog projects in a folder and never writing about them.

Have you ever heard of unlimited pencils?  I hadn't either until I saw this listing on one of those cheap websites.  I can't remember now if it was AliExpress or Temu.

I love a novelty art supply, so I had to grab one.

On the outside it looks kinda like a fountain pen, and then the nib is kinda metal looking.  Inside the barrel is an eraser-type cylinder.  

Shock!  It writes like a pencil.  And the eraser erases like an eraser. 

The pencil went into my pile of blog-projects-to-get-around-to, and I forgot all about it for 4 months.  When I finally did pull it back out, I did my usual testing.  Scribbles and a monster sketch.

I did a quick swatch on black paper...

...and then it was time to do the full piece.  Which ended up being something a little different for me.  I was on a cabin holiday with some friends, and we were having a crafty afternoon.  I was doodling, and they were making Gundam models.  

So I drew a Gundam.  

Not perfect, but a fun exercise for me.  And the pencil worked great.  Just like a pencil.  

I didn't really use the pencil again, mostly because I didn't like how thick it felt in my hands.  So when I saw these thinner ones on Temu a year later I gave unlimited pencils another chance.  It helps that the barrels are gorgeous colours.

Like the red one, these ones worked just like normal pencils. 

And I did two full pieces of art with them.

So are unlimited/eternal/infinity pencils any good?  

Yeah, they kinda do what they say on the tin.  I haven't actually used one for an extended period to test the eternal-ness though.  Maybe I should.  

I have to admit, when I'm reaching for a pencil I do tend to grab a standard pencil rather than one of these ones.  I'm not even really sure why.  I may commit to a challenge to fill a sketchbook with one, see how it goes.  

Have you ever used one of these?  What did you think?

Castle Art Coloured Pencils

I used to have a full set of Faber-Castell Polychromos coloured pencils.  They're a professional, very fancy, very good, very expensive set.  Except that I didn't use them to even a fraction of their ability, and I had a friend who would have done.  So I gave them to her.  And then I needed some more coloured pencils, so I got some slightly fancy, very, slightly expensive ones.

 

When I got them, back in July 2024, they were £30.  At the time of writing they're £33 on Amazon.

They come in a nice tin, with a list of all the colours in the lid.

And they come with a fancy booklet too.

Which has lots of very detailed information on how to use them.

Including information about how to sharpen them, and what different types of point will achieve.

I love the thoroughness.  I also love the fact that there was an extra leaflet with a full on tutorial.

I didn't follow it, but it was still very cool.  There was even a product catalogue showcasing all the different mediums that Castle Arts make, and which colours come in which range.  It had a very satisfying colour chart.

There was a card for signing up to the Castle Arts Club, which I didn't do.  And there was a swatch card, which I did a couple of squares in before I remembered to photograph it. 

One more bit of paperwork - that lovely sheet of vellum you can see under the swatch card - and we're finally through to the pencils.

So so so pretty!

They come on little trays, with handy little loops for picking up each tray.  

Time to start messing around.  There's a bunch of little tests I do with new art supplies, including layering them, and blending them.  I like to sketch out a little monster, and I like to do a full coloured monster.

The pencils are pretty, I have a few niggles.  

First off, if you're going to number your pencils and put them in rainbow order, why mess up the numbers?  It was fine til you got to 20.

When I first opened the box there were a few colours out of place - like that yellow you can see on the bottom layer a few pictures ago, and these reds.

That picture is also a good example of one of the other niggles I had - the attention to detail regarding quality.  You can see on pencil 006 the excess foil stamped around the number.  And you can see on some of them, on 020 especially, the different end shapes.  

But that's all aesthetic stuff, and doesn't affect the quality of the pencils or their result.  

They are lovely.  Nice and smooth and creamy.  And the paint on the ends matches the colour you get pretty well. 

I filled out the swatch card, and did a page of swatches on black paper too.  

Then I settled down for the next step.  Once I'm down swatching new art supplies I like to create a full piece of art.  On white paper I did this cute teals and purples monster piece.

And on the black paper I did this cute little frog prince, inspired by a prompt from Katnipp.

Smudge Memorial Collection

On December 1st 2025, at 6pm, the Smudge Memorial Collection will launch on my website at CraftedByColette.com

On December 1st 2024 my cat Smudge passed away.  She was 14 and a half.  She'd been ailing for a while, and we knew she didn't have long.  But it was still horrible.  I still think of her every day, and it still hurts.  

Even before the end of that day I knew that I wanted to create a memorial collection for her.  Some products in my style, to celebrate her life.  To make sure she was remembered.  And to raise a little money for Cats Protection.

When Smudge was a kitten, Cats Protection helped me out a lot with her and her brother Jasper.  I haven't needed their help in a long time, but a lot of people and a lot of cats still do.  Because she was nearly 15, I'm donating 15% of sales of all products in the Smudge Memorial Collection to Cats Protection.

Smudge was a stroppy little madam.  She was snooty and aloof at times, but she was also soft and cuddly when she wanted to be.  She was a complete droolie-julie - after degloving her jaw in 2013 and ending up with a little bit of a bent lip.

She was easily offended and would let you know that she was mad at you, by sitting right next to you so that you'd know she was ignoring you.

In her later life she had a habit of hijacking pillows and cuddling up next to your head while you slept.

Or on your head.

She was very good at pretending she didn't care about cuddles or attention, or her brother.

But she was a very affectionate cat at heart.

She was a typical box cat.  Loved to sit in boxes.

Big boxes.

And small boxes.

Empty boxes.

Full boxes.

Long boxes.

And broken boxes.

But also bags.

And baskets.

And bowls.

She liked to sleep in some weird places too.  Like sinks.

And on draining boards.

And on top of microwaves.

But despite being a stroppy madam...

...she liked to just be near her people.

Nearly always with that paw stretched out.

And if you were trying to do something, that was just all that much more comfy for her.

She loved her chin scritches.   

And would make the most derpy faces.

But she was such a beautiful little cat.

With the most adorable little tufts on the tips of her ears.

And the smudges she was born with that gave her her name. 

And her fluffy chunky butt.

She was a sun cat.  She loved to sit in the sun.  She'd take two steps onto the garden bath and then just flop sideways and lay there for ages.  Or claim the spot on the windowsill in the sun - even if it meant being next to Fatty, who she didn't like at all.

She did tolerate him though.  Fatty came into our lives as an adult, so they didn't really bond.  She loved Jasper though.  He met her when he was a kitten, and he was the ultimate little brother.

She acted like she couldn't stand him, but there were always signs.  He'd pounce on her and try to play, and she'd just pin him down for bath time.

And, especially nearer the end of her life, it was a frequent thing to find them curled up together.

Including on her last day.

When Tom moved in, she took the longest to warm to him.  Jasper and Fatty adored him right from the very start, but Smudge took her time.  Eventually though she fell for him just as much.

Sitting at his feet and asking for his attention without actually asking.  Occasionally she'd put up a paw, but mostly she'd just sit and stare until he noticed her.

She liked to sleep in his chair when he wasn't around.

And on his head when he was.

Smudge was the longest I'd ever had a pet.  I met her when she was 6 weeks old, and she was with me for her whole life.  She wasn't the first pet I've lost.  I'm still mourning the loss of Fatty.  But Smudge will always be with me.  And my hope is that with this memorial collection...

...she'll be with other people too. 

The collection contains a silhouette print with a rainbow textured background representing the rainbow bridge, and a mandala I drew especially for her silhouette.

There’s also a print with just the mandala.

There are four die cut stickers - the original Smudge sticker I had, a kitten illustration I drew of her (complete with the smudge she was born with that gave her her name), and two mandala silhouettes.

I’ve had my first ever acrylics pins made too.

And there’s a Limited Edition Mini Alien collection too. Shortly after she passed I found a gorgeous purple yarn called Smudge - and a collection was born. Smudge’s Softies are all named after famous kitties.

I miss Smudge every day.  I hope this collection helps you remember any animals you have over the rainbow bridge too.