Artists Drawing Pencils — Different grades of graphite pencil
A pencil is a pencil, right? But in the fine art field, the pencil is the most precious tool in your art toolbox. Have you ever looked at those little letters and numbers on your pencil and wondered what they mean? Well, those are the graphite grades.
What are pencil grades
As you know, the numbers and letters are the graphite grades mentioned on top of the pencil. But what is the requirement to mention grades on top of the pencil? Graphite is produced in various grades according to the softness or hardness of the material. Different grades produce different types of marks. You might have noticed that graphite pencils have a H or B grade. The H stands for hard and the B stands for blackness. More blackness means soft graphite and it produces most darkness.
Pencils are graded in the following order: 9H, 8H, 7H, 6H, 5H, 4H, 3H, 2H, H, F, HB, B, 2B, 3B, 4B, 5B, 6B, 7B, 8B, 9B, 9xxB. Standard drawing sets usually run from 2H through to 6B because these grades allow you to achieve most of the techniques you’ll need for your drawings.
What makes a pencil grade harder or softer?
The core of a graphite pencil is a mix of graphite and clay filler. H pencils contain more clay filler and are highly compacted which means they create a lighter mark and are harder.
The higher the number before the H, the harder and lighter it will be. B pencils have less clay filler and the core isn’t as compacted which makes them darker and softer. The higher the number before the B, the softer and darker it will be.
Which Drawing Pencils Should You Use?
The pencil that is best for you it’s depending on the work that you are working on. These factors include:
- The amount of pressure that you naturally place on the pencil.
- The texture of the paper.
- The approach that you take for developing the drawing.
9H-5H: They’re light and don’t show through the paint that’s why it’s great for making sketches for watercolour paintings. Water soluble graphites also work well for this purpose because they dissolve in water.
4H-2H: They’re create a very light mark and are ideal for technical drawing, outlines, light sketches etc.
H, F, HB and B: Most popular for simple sketches and writing. HB is often used as a multi-purpose pencil because it’s clear enough to write and draw but has minimal smudging.
B grades: The softer texture and darker marks make these pencils ideal for shading and tonal modelling. The higher B pencils are also great for blending and smudging.
EE: As we mentioned earlier, EE pencils create a very dark mark with a more matte finish than graphite pencils because they’re a mix of graphite and charcoal. This makes them ideal for very dark shading and tonal modelling.
Here is one drawing example that uses HB, B, 2B, 3B, 4B, 5B, 8B. You can watch this video to learn how to draw using different pencil for drawing.
Summing Up
In any drawing, creating a full range of value should be one of the priorities of the artist. By using a variety of degrees of graphite, we are better prepared to develop a full range of tone. However, we must understand that every grade is not required to produce the necessary contrast.
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