Conte Pencils

msue · #1 01-08-2004, 12:34 AM

Does anyone have or ever use Conte Pencils? I have a set that I purchased at a going out of business sale thinking I was getting pastel pencils, but then I realized they weren't pastel pencils, yet they seem different from my Prisma pencils (by the way Sanford has put all thier drawing materials under the Prismacolor banner). I haven't done much work in colored pencil and was working on a sketch for a painting and picked up my Conte pencils to work on the colors and shadows. I was working on newsprint and when I erased my graphite lines I noticed the color was erasing too.

So, anybody got the scoop on Conte Artist Pencils?

gnu · #2 01-08-2004, 02:41 AM

I'm never sure what these are..you could try a web search..Prismas have a web site I think...interesting that they erased..hmm..
well thery are coloured, they are pencils..so I guess we'll be seeing your work here!!

sassybird · #3 01-08-2004, 04:14 AM

I imagine they are like the conte crayons but in pencil forum. Conte crayons have the cosistency of hard charcoal. They will erase, but they also blend nicely. They are great for doing sketches. Treat them as you would anything you do in charcoal.

msue · #4 01-08-2004, 07:34 AM

Thanks Gnu and Sassy for the response. When I stopped working the other day the thought did ocur to me that the pencils were just another version of the crayon and really was the catalyst for posting the question. You probably won't see any color pencil work posted by me, Gnu, at least not anytime soon. My brain seems to click over to coloring book mode when I use the pencils. It is something I have to work and struggle with. I haven't settled on the media for the piece I am working on the sketch for. So, it is possible if I could end up trying colored pencil. I'll be checking the archives for information on rendering metal.

arlene · #5 01-08-2004, 09:14 AM

I'm going to move this to the drawing forum and they might better be able to help you.

eezacque · #6 01-08-2004, 06:37 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by sassybird

I imagine they are like the conte crayons but in pencil forum. Conte crayons have the cosistency of hard charcoal.

Conté crayons are baked clay with graphite, which indeed resembles hard charcoal. However, I once asked at a store of art supplies whether these were available in pencil form, and was told these do not exist (take this as an indication; it is no guarantee).

A lot of confusion arises from the fact that Conté is just the name of a French manufacturer of art supplies, including plain graphite pencils, charcoal pencils and the crayons you mention. So, if it looks like a pencil and it says 'Conté' then it doesn't tell you anything. If it has a numeric code, then this can be used to find out what it is...

Vegas Art Guy · #7 01-08-2004, 07:05 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by msue

Does anyone have or ever use Conte Pencils? I have a set that I purchased at a going out of business sale thinking I was getting pastel pencils, but then I realized they weren't pastel pencils, yet they seem different from my Prisma pencils (by the way Sanford has put all thier drawing materials under the Prismacolor banner). I haven't done much work in colored pencil and was working on a sketch for a painting and picked up my Conte pencils to work on the colors and shadows. I was working on newsprint and when I erased my graphite lines I noticed the color was erasing too.

So, anybody got the scoop on Conte Artist Pencils?

Dick blick has them. I think for a set that includes the conte pencils and sticks it's about $20 USD. I saw them online yesterday. Prismacolor has a set of 3 for about $4 USD I got them last nite at Aarron Brothers. They seem to work fairly well.

Hope it helps...

Greg

Trelane · #8 01-08-2004, 07:33 PM

I use conte all the time in figure drawing sessions. I believe it's a form of manufactured chalk, but I may be wrong. I prefer it over charcoal because I find charcoal messy, and kind of lifeless. Conte tends to be a little cleaner, and harder to smudge than charcoal, and it has the added benifit of coming in differant colours

Oh, and it comes is differant harnesses also, so you may want to check that on the pencils you have. Usually it's shown in the same place as the harness on a regular pencil (at one end).

There is a lot you can do with this stuff in order to end up with really nice works. I strongly suggest you check out Rebecca's web page at this link where there is an awsome tutorial on using conte (chalk). I think she also might give instructions on how to make your own. You can also find her home page at art.net/~rebecca/ . Normally I don't rave about an individual's work this much, but take a look and you'll see why I am. She also seems to occasionally visit this forum and the figure drawing forum.

Hope that helps

msue · #9 01-08-2004, 08:20 PM

eezacque, the pencils do have a number on them which seems to identify them as a certain product line and then another number which appears to refer to the color i.e., 3355 No 38. The box has information about who Conte was and references products available, but as for what is in the box it only has Couleur D'Art, 48 Crayons De Couleur Pour Artistes/48 Artist's Pencils
Conte' Paris. I was just curious since they feel different than the Prisma's and are distinctly different from Conte Pastel Pencils (which I have one or two of and I also have some Conte crayons).

Thank you everyone else who has responded. Your directions for purchasing sources are appreciated even tho' it didn't pertain to the question.

sdkeene · #10 01-08-2004, 10:33 PM

To answer your original question: Conte Artists Pencils are the same as the Conte crayons with the exception that they have slightly more binder (baked clay) than the crayons. This makes them slightly less malleable/workable than the crayons but they are excellent for acheiving detail in a Conte drawing.

Peace,
Shane

msue · #11 01-08-2004, 11:11 PM

Thank you.

eezacque · #12 01-09-2004, 08:36 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by msue

eezacque, the pencils do have a number on them which seems to identify them as a certain product line and then another number which appears to refer to the color i.e., 3355 No 38.

I looked around in several art supplies catalogues, and haven't found a single reference to the 3355 number. Closest comes 1355 No 38, which is a pastel pencil in the colour of madder. It looks like Conté pencils are all graphite, charcoal, pastel and plain colour pencil; the latter series is dubbed 'Evolution'. So, it is my guess that you have Evolution pencils.
You could try the Contact Us on http://www.bicworld.com to find out what you are drawing with.

Also, I haven't found a single confirmation that the crayons are available in pencil form. I'm still interested in these, so if any of you has reference to their existence, please let me know!

msue · #13 01-09-2004, 11:00 AM

I just looked at what the BIC site showed as their color pencil line. The Evolution is a pencil for children and is not what I have. I'll scan a pic of the pencils I have. Perhaps I own a discontinued product. They were purchased in 1997. Around the same time I ordered, on recommendation of a workshop instructor, a set of Carbothello pastel pencils which I have used most often in the little bit of pastel portraiture I have drawn. It was when I was trying to use the Conte' pencils and blend like I would a pastel that I decided they are not pastel pencils, but just colored pencils. I have a set of Prismacolors and have most often used them for any color pencil work (which other than a 4 foot triangular piece I did for a college drawing class) haven't been used that often. I just noticed a difference between the way the Conte' pencils felt and the Prismacolor pencils felt when I layed down color. They seem to glide a little smoother across the paper. Which is the reason I originally posted this in the color pencil thread. It seemed more related to color pencils than anything else.

So anyway, I thank everyone who has put so much time and effort into determining what classification these pencils falls under. It really isn't that important just a curiosity.

y.vlerick · #14 10-18-2006, 10:21 AM

I work with Conté pencils. You can see my work in the Pastel forum ( Soft Pastels Studio ). I love to work with Conté. You easely can rub it open. An as you notice, you can erase it to.
Forgive me, my englisch is not perfect.
Yvette

Sumariel · #15 10-18-2006, 10:33 AM

Yvette, your English is understandable, that's what counts. My pencils are Conté à Paris, and are rather hard, but not much harder than my Conté crayons. I like them both. I do not work in them all that often, because my training was in graphics, and I am trying to gain a handle on using the tools in more of a fine arts approach. I decided to start with graphite, and have worked my way to the Derwent Drawing Pencils, via Al's portrait class, 102, 6: and, because they have such a wide range of uses, have just continued to explore them.

Suzi

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