Choosing the right pencil: where to start?

by Vincenzo

 

 

First of all let's define what a pencil is, it is a writing or drawing device consisting of a thin stick of pigment (usually graphite, but can also be colored pigment or charcoal) and clay, usually encased in a thin wood cylinder.

 

Pencils are distinct from pens, which use a liquid marking material.

 

using a continuum from H (for hardness) to B (for blackness), as well as F (for fine point).

Many pencils across the world, and almost all in Europe, are graded on the European system

 

The standard writing pencil is graded HB. This grade system is described by a sequence or successive Hs or Bs such as BB and BBB for successively softer leads, and HH and HHH for successively harder ones.

 

pencil marking grade

 

Koh-I-Noor offers twenty grades from 10H to 8B for its 1500 series; Derwent produces twenty grades from 9H to 9B for its Graphic pencils and Staedtler produces nineteen from 9H to 8B for its Mars Lumograph pencils.

 

How to make sense of all these different types? Well it is quite easy actually.

 

The higher the H grade the lighter the pencil mark will be and the higher the B grade the darker the mark.

 

But how dark is dark and how light is light?

 

The picture above gives an example of light and dark pencil marks but the darkness or lightness can vary notably among different brands.

 

What are good pencil grades to start with?

 

 

 

Two solid pencils to start with are the grade 2B and the grade 2H. The 2B is dark enough to give you a good range of values to play with but it is still hard enough to give you control on details.

 

The H2 is light enough to be great for sketching because it can be erased really easily. It is dark enough though to actually allow you to see it and scan it with ease if you need.

 

Everything in between these two grades (from H to HB to B) has a mix-up of properties but does not excel in any. You might find that HB is too smudgy to be a good drawing pencil and too dark to add details properly.

 

The more you move away from these grades (H4, H6 or B4, B6 etc) the less balance you'll get. High B numbers will be great to do rough sketches and smudge and to achieve very dark values (but forget about details and erasers) and high H numbers will be terrific for super light sketching and technical drawing but will be harder to scan (if not impossible) and will groove your drawing paper.

 

Pencils can be divided in types according to their marking material.

 

Graphite pencils: These are the most common types of pencils. They are made of a mixture of clay and graphite and their darkness varies from light gray to black. Their composition allows for the smoothest strokes.

 

Charcoal pencils: They are made of charcoal and provide fuller blacks than graphite pencils, but tend to smudge easily and are more abrasive than graphite.

 

Carbon pencils: They generally are made of a mixture of clay and lamp black, but are sometimes blended with charcoal or graphite depending on the darkness and manufacturer. They produce a fuller black than graphite pencils, but are smoother than charcoal.

 

Colored pencils: Commonly known as pencil crayons, these have wax-like cores with pigment and other fillers. Multiple colors are often blended together.

 

Watercolor pencils: These are designed for use with watercolor techniques. The pencils can be used by themselves for sharp, bold lines. Strokes made by the pencil can also be saturated with water and spread with brushes.

 

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Feel free to comment the tutorial or contact us for questions in the Contact us section of the site, We would love to hear from you.

 

Go back to Pencil or navigate to the home page

 

 

 

 

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