Which drawing pencils to use

It was officially founded in , but its roots go back to a circa item in the Nuremburg city annals that references a pencil craftsman named Friedrich Staedtler. The higher the number, the softer or harder the lead will be. Hard leads make cleaner lines that are less susceptible to smudging; soft leads create richer, heavier lines.

They are strewn everywhere in my life. I usually have one close at hand for sketching quick ideas in my Moleskine , or for making sharp clarifying lines when finalizing the composition of a painting. His solution? Cline and illustrator Julia Krusch both told us they swear by Faber-Castell drawing pencils.

They have a smooth, uniform quality. For contrasting small details, Krusch likes another Faber-Castell pencil — the Clutch — with 0.

Niemann also says he has an affinity for Derwent drawing pencils — particularly the way they look. The leads are made from a mix of clay and finely ground graphite, and they range in hardness from 9B to 9H, with this set ranging from 6B to 4H.

Actually made for classrooms, they boast a 6. Fishel first spotted the Alvin behind the counter at DaVinci Artist Supply in Manhattan, where be bought one in a spur-of-the-moment decision.

Kuo also has a favorite mechanical pencil, which he uses expressly for drafting out his paintings on canvas and linen. Shivani 18 March pm. Thank you so much for the explanation. It is indeed very helpful. I loved the way you have explained everything in depth as well as in a short way. Thanks again. Hi Shivani Thanks for your kind comments. So glad you found it useful. Kind regards, Brian. Riverz 20 December am.

Daniel 26 November pm. Evan 26 November am. A verrry informative and to-the-point article. Thank you very much for that. Hi Evan Thank you for your comments. Plastic rubbers tend to smudge your drawing before erasing. Regards, brian. Rakesh Ghosh 17 November am. J 10 November pm. Joann 11 September pm. Thank you so much so very plain and simple. I am assuming a 2 B thx. Hi Joann Yes, 2B would be good. If your pencil drawing does end up too dark use a putty rubber to lighten it before you start to paint.

Gwyn 27 August am. Keith C. McCune 5 September am. It has been a long time since I drew and the two times I started classes I quit before I just started drawing without knowing what pencils to use and I did not know what pencils to use and I never did learn how to shade.

I am taking a course right now and I am 70 but I am not going to quit this time. I love pencil drawings and love how they look so real and detailed they are. I love classics movies and see how beautiful women and men look in black and white. Thank you so very much. Hi Keith Good to hear you are persevering with your drawing. Glad my post was useful for you. All the best. Tita 3 December pm.

Eva tarabay 24 November pm. Sylan Chang 11 January am. Very informative. Your article was simply written and easy to understand.

I really appreciate your help. Daniel 12 December pm. Thanks so much you have helped me soo much.. I love you. Your email address will not be published. For the best experience on our site, be sure to turn on Javascript in your browser. Sketching graphite Pencils come in a range of grades, from 9B to 9H, that describe the tone of the line that each pencil will produce.

The H stands for hard and the B for black. The harder pencil leaves less graphite on the surface resulting in lighter mark-making. The pencils classed as B, on the other hand, are softer and leave much more graphite on the surface.

Hence, the marks are blacker. For both types, the higher the number, the harder or blacker they are. There are also HB pencils, which fall in the middle of the scale and are used as much for writing as drawing and F pencils which are firm. There may be a tendency for many users to press too hard on their pencil in an effort to increase intensity causing the paper to suffer. It is, therefore, important to use the correct pencil for the effect required.

For deep, dark shading use a grade from 3B upwards. For a very light mark — such as for when you are suggesting an outline for a watercolour — use a grade around the 2H mark.

Use various grades in a drawing to give a range of mark-making to achieve depth and interest. It is also important to use an appropriate surface. Pencils can be used on smooth papers and Bristol board as well as textured paper such as watercolour and ingres papers but it should be noted that the different grades will achieve different effects on the different surfaces.

Experiment first to see which combination of grades and papers will get the best results you wish to achieve.