With the NYC Urban Sketchers, I toured the General Pencil factory in Jersey City, New Jersey. The factory has been in this brick building for close to a hundred years. I was impressed seeing people hand-crafting the art pencils that I’ve been drawing with, working with much-loved ancient machines.
![](http://wp.murielappelbaum.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/generalPencil20176wx3.25h-300x149.jpg)
water-soluble graphite on paper, 2017
6″w x 3.25″ h