I came across a story about the World's Longest Pencil in St Louis; how impressive! It measures an enormous 76 feet, including 2½ feet for the eraser and was made in 2007. Here's some facts about it:

1. The Pencil contains 4,000 lbs of Pennsylvania graphite.
2. It took 3 weeks, and over 7,000 man-hours to complete.
3. This Pencil is the equivalent of 1,900,000 regular pencils.
4. The Eraser is rubber (yes it erases) and weighs in at 250 lbs.

The Pencil Museum in Keswick has the World's Longest Coloured Pencil which really deserves a visit too!

We are pleased to showcase the winner of our Decorate Derwent Competition: Alan Jones! Below is Alan's winning entry and some more info about him.

I was born in Wrexham, North Wales in 1954 and have always had a love of drawing. I knew I wanted to do something connected with art from an early age but didn’t know what. On leaving school my art teacher suggested I go onto Art College but the only course available at the time was graphics, which I studied for 3 years.

I have worked in the creative industry for over 35 years. My career started in a major retail-furnishing outlet creating interior designs, shop window displays and exhibitions, then moving on to a large signage company producing designs, visuals and artwork where I became studio manager.

I then joined LEGO UK Ltd as designer in the Marketing Dept. where I worked for over 17 years designing and producing all LEGO national promotions, shop in shop retail environments and themed window displays.

I now own and run a small design company in Wrexham with my business partner Dave Savage called Mako Creative Solutions.

Somebody said last year you “must really love design and art” and yes I do but realised in a light-bulb moment that running my own company and working in the corporate world meant I was so busy with the day-to-day “stuff” that I wasn’t doing what I really enjoyed all those years ago which was drawing.

So during a horrible bout of flu in November 2010 I couldn’t sleep and got up in the middle of the night and just started sketching. I started using graphite and was encouraged by friends and family to do more portraits, which progressed to private commissioned work with moderate success.

Then in January I discovered coloured pencils for the first time and they blew me away! They are such a fantastic medium to use and I am amazed at the depth of colour and detail that can be achieved. My weapons of choice are all things Derwent. Studio, Coloursoft and pastel pencils being my favourites. In the short time I have been drawing I have experimented with lots of different brands, but found Derwent to have such fantastic quality that keeps on delivering time after time.

I still only have time to draw in the evenings and at weekends and have a great passion for what I do. I get a huge amount of satisfaction and pleasure when people comment and get enjoyment from my drawings.

I love drawing pets, portraits and wildlife all with coloured pencils or graphite and would be happy to do any commissions.

Thanks so much to Alan for sharing his biography with us & showing us his drawings. For more information email: alanjonesart@yahoo.co.uk or visit Alan's page on Facebook!

Below is some more examples of Alan's amazing work.

The day is finally here! At Derwent, we've been planning our special celebration for the Royal Wedding for months. Our limited edition Majestic wooden box has been created to mark this momentous occasion and we'd love to share with you the poem which was created by the wonderful Ms Moem.

The poem will feature in the Majestic box in a wax sealed scroll - perfect for any Prince or Princess:

Derwent has defined manufacturing excellence, ever since 1832,
Taking graphite from the Borrowdale Mountains, to create pencils just for you.
Local craftsman evolved the process and our quality remains consistent as ever;
Illustrating our dedication to artists, we're making our mark on the world, together.


As the Cumberland Pencil Company, in Keswick, Derwent's foundations were drawn.
Now Lillyhall is home to our factory, and our museum stands where the company was born.
Set within the English Lake District, we're proud of every pencil we make;
The heart of our unique brand embedded in this inspiring, artistic landscape.


We are the exclusive manufacturer of pencils, throughout the whole of the UK,
Crafting artist quality materials, which are used around the world, each day.
We're as passionate about our company as our founders were right at the start
And thanks to our wonderful heritage, we have successfully perfected the art.


Our work is environmentally friendly, for which we've won accolades and more;
We were awarded the Queen's Award for Enterprise, in the year 2004.
The Queen & Prince Philip opened our factory - it was an honour to have them here
And now our wonderful West Cumbrian facility produces 30 million pencils a year.

We're proud of our Royal connections, delivering perfection in all that we do;
We commemorated King Edward VII, with a wooden box of pencils, in 1902.
This set of 6 Derwent pencils, became the first in our long Royal line,
Celebrating some of history's finest, and greatest moments in time.


When Prince Charles married Lady Diana, we created a commemorative tin,
With another 16 of our world renowned pencils, beautifully nestled within.
Now we present to you 'The Majestic', crafted with our tender loving care
To celebrate the Royal Wedding in 2011, of their first-born son and heir.


They make such a lovely couple and this occasion of global scale,
Sees Miss Catherine Middleton marry her Prince, HRH William of Wales.
May their lives be long and happy, and inspired by love and laughter
As we commemorate, as well as celebrate, their majestic ever after.

Speaking about the piece, Ms Moem said “I have been writing poetry ever since I was little girl and it is a true honour to be able to say that I have been writing professionally, as a bespoke poet since 2007 with clients all over Great Britain, and also America and Australia. Over the last 3 and half years, I have written thousands of bespoke Wedding Poems and occasional poems. As well as writing poetry for all personal special occasions, I also write poetry for commercial and business purposes. I released my first book, a book of motivational poems in October 2010. My collection of love and marriage poems will be released this year. My poetic inspiration comes from people. They are fascinating. And watching this particular Bride and Groom play out their romance in front of the whole world will be a true honour. Absolutely delighted to be working with Derwent”.
 

Many thanks to Ms Moem for her beautiful poem. Below are photos of No: 1 of 500 being packed and the scroll with a beautiful calligraphy piece by Wynne Barnes. We'll now be celebrating the day with a tea party - let's raise a teacup (or champagne glass!) to the happy couple!

Ms Moem who also goes by the name Amy Catherine, or Amy Mohammed was raised in Milnthorpe before moving to Kendal aged 18 where she has lived ever since. Amy has 4 daughters and specialises in writing poems that make people happy, that inspire and motivate, and that contain words and feelings that express the essence of the individual. For more information, or to commission a poem for yourself, visit: http://msmoem.com/