Just returned from a week in the Lake District, where I had the chance to do a few sketches.
Excuse my ignorance, but I had not appreciated that the first pencils were made in Keswick following the discovery of Cumberland Graphite in the mid 1500s. I think we’ve all used Cumberland pencils at some stage, and there is actually a lovely museum and shop in Keswick selling all those Cumberland/Derwent graphite and now coloured pencils we all know.
Seemed appropriate to then head down to the banks of beautiful Derwent Water on the edge of Keswick and sketch a bit …
