‘In pursuit of the perfect pencil ‘ may not sound the most promising opening to an adventure, but consider the importance of a workman’s tools.

The passion of the angler or the wood crafter is dependent on the fly and knife being just right. So it is with a stump of graphite enrobed in wood. The simple act of mark making in the right hands transforms base lead into gold.

The history of the pencil is not so old, but the evolution of that first bit of burnt willow twig takes us through centuries and cultures. Prehistory was marked by depiction, hence the wealth of information we have of the early settlers to our land: the Picts carved their life stories on stone as symbols, some remaining tantalisingly mysterious such as the mirror and comb which sparks off mermaid tales.

The caves at Lascaux similarly tell us in detail aspects of the past, but we now also consider the moment the fresh images were revealed by firelight casting moving shadows from the flames to create a lively ‘installation’ assaulting all the senses, no doubt enhanced by a toadstool brew. And not dissimilar to today’s multimedia experiences.

The need to mark our lives and bear witness is primeval. Prisoners at the concentration camps drew with charred sticks onto any precious scraps. Chemistry is at the heart of the material and by the Middle Ages our knowledge of the vagaries of metals meant we could exploit the natural decay of copper and silver.

Silver point is an early example of our modern pencil and still used as a technique today, though not common. A fine wire of the metal is used to scrape along a gessoed surface to create fine lines of silver; over time the tarnish darkens the lines.

There is much speculation as to who originally connected the stones and wood and transformed them into our modern pencil. Switzerland, Germany and the Lake District share similar natural landscapes and all claim to have made the first pencils by a combination of happen- stance and science. As the kind of graphite geek who visits pencil museums, I recommend the Pencil Factory in Cumbria which claims to be the pencil’s origin.

Though I remain bewildered by the many stories of the origins of this fundamental tool, the most romantic association is probably Thoreau: writer, anarchist activist and the inventor of the clay bound graphite pencil, allegedly during his wildly wistful time in a log cabin on the shores of Lake Walden in Massachusetts in order to re-establish a divine relationship with nature and eschew the brutishly of everyday life through creative pursuits.

My Walden may be construed as a studio on the shores of the Forth and the pursuit of a harmonic life greatly enhanced by the right sort of pencil. Having found it by chance only available as one in an expensive drawing set making it a £13 pencil I am now in the pursuit of asking the retailer (a large high street brand) to give me either the name of the manufacturer or at the very least supply me with a lifetime’s supply at cost price. Wish me luck!