Closeup of Umbrella Clown & Monkey. Graphite pencils were tools I used throughout my entire career to create preliminary sketches. They paved the path to the final art, always rendered in India ink. Now, I am using those simple, smeary tools to create the final art. When I began these pieces, I had no idea that my trusty sidekick, a simple No.2 Dixon Ticonderoga pencil, would become a treasure.