Find the Best Drawing Pencils for You

Choosing a drawing pencil sounds like it should be simple. You just go to your pencil jar and grab one, right? The hard part is that there are so many to choose from. Believe it or not, it is not as simple as choosing to use a number 2 pencil. Number 2 pencils are fine for math class, but not necessarily for drawing. There are both hard and soft pencils in varying degrees.

Hard pencils are not harder to draw with. It is the graphite that is described as hard. Because it is hard, less graphite breaks away from the pencil and a lighter line is drawn. I like to use hard pencils when outlining as I start a drawing and when shading very lightly.

Each Hard pencil is designated by the letter H. It is preceded by a number from 0 and up such as 0H, 1H, 2H, etc. The higher the number, the harder the pencil is. This is why a regular number 2 pencil is HB. It is a mix between hard a soft.

Soft pencils are designated by the letter B. It also has varying degrees of softness starting from 0B and up. The higher the number, the softer the pencil is. For examples, a 7B pencil has much softer graphite than a 2B.

Soft pencils are best used for shading. Start with the least soft pencil and work your way up to the softer pencil because the softer the pencil, the darker the line. This is because as you press on a soft pencil, more graphite breaks away than a hard pencil.

The best way to draw is by using different pencils. You can start with an H pencil, outlining your sketch and getting the basics down. Press lightly so that the lines dont show through. This is just to get down the correct dimensions.

Then move on to the soft pencils to begin shading. Move up with the soft pencils if you need a darker line or smoother shading. Use a blending stump or your finger to blend the shading together and make it look smoother.

Which pencil you use it your choice. Experiment with different types of pencils to figure out what works for you. You might find that you like one pencil for everything. That is fine. The idea is that you try out everything to make sure you are using exactly what you like best.

About The Author For more information of pencils and where you can get great quality drawing pencils, go to BeginninginArt.com. Start experimenting with your ideal pencils today!