Blackwing Vol. 343: Broadcast

The Blackwing 343 is a tribute to broadcast television. Each pencil features a color bar finish inspired by the NTSC test pattern, and our extra-firm graphite. The model number 343, a reference to the 343 scanlines on early CRT televisions, is imprinted with a “TV snow” silver holographic foil.

On February 28, 1983, a wartime surgeon named Hawkeye said “Goodbye, farewell, and amen.” Ten years later, Mayday Malone straightened a picture on the wall and turned out the lights for the last time. In millions of living rooms across the country, viewers sat quietly through these final moments, saying goodbye together. The credits rolled, but no one moved.

Carried freely through the air, broadcast television invited participation without qualification. The same signal that arrived at a downtown apartment also reached a home on the edge of a country road. Broadcast television created a quiet cultural leveling, allowing audiences to form connections not just with stories, but with one another.

The Blackwing 343 is our tribute to broadcast television. Each pencil features a color bar finish inspired by the NTSC test pattern, and our extra-firm graphite. The model number 343, a reference to the 343 scanlines on early CRT televisions, is imprinted with a “TV snow” silver holographic foil.

• Set of 12 pencils
• Extra firm graphite
• Silver ferrule and black eraser
• Genuine incense cedar wood
• Made in USA

We mean it when we say we want you over-the-moon happy about shopping with us.

We take pride in the exceptional quality and craftsmanship of our designers. Our attention to detail in design, material, and archival preservation is unyielding, and so is our commitment to customer satisfaction.

We want you to love what you order from us, and we’ll do everything we can to make sure that shopping with us makes you really, REALLY happy. If you are dissatisfied with your purchase for any reason at all, just get in touch and we’ll work with you to find a solution. Read more here.