Soft Pencil Vs Hard Pencil

[Donat Ruel]

PittGraphite Matte pencils, a newer line of graphite, introduced 10B, 12B, and 14B degrees of lead to our collection. Softer and darker than the rest, these degrees of graphite are matte black. The 14B matte graphite is the first of its kind.

Graphite Aquarelle pencils are water-soluble pencils ideal for preliminary sketches for watercolor drawings and for complete watercolor techniques in graphite. Graphite Aquarelle is available in 5 degrees of hardness: HB, 2B, 4B, 6B, and 8B.

Pitt Graphite Pure Pencils are made of finely milled graphite for smooth laydown. They blend easily and are suitable for expressive shading of large areas. Pitt Graphite Pure Pencils are available in 4 degrees of hardness: HB, 3B, 6B, and 9B.

Pitt Graphite Crayons are great for very large sketches, large-scale work and frottage techniques thanks to their rich intense graphite laydown. Graphite Crayons are available in 4 degrees of hardness: 2B, 4B, 6B, and 9B.

Faber-Castell is a professional Corporation. Faber-Castell USA is the only authorized distributor of Faber-Castell products in the United States. As such, any warranty / guarantee in the United States is honored only with valid proof of purchase from a verified Faber-Castell USA Retailer or Distributor.

Currently, the only verified sellers of Faber-Castell products in the United States on Amazon.com are: Altman Luggage Co., Blick Art Materials, Hyatt's All Things Creative, Jerry's Artarama Art Supplies, Lifelong Collectables, Marketfair Stationery, National Art Supply, Pen Place, and Plaza Artist Materials; and on Walmart.com:Blick Art Materials, Hyatt's All Things Creative, and Plaza Art Materials.

In reality however, there is no specific industry standard for the darkness of the mark to be left within the HB or any other hardness grade scale. Thus, a #2 or HB pencil from one brand will not necessarily leave the same mark as a #2 or HB pencil from another brand. Most pencil manufacturers set their own internal standards for graphite hardness grades and overall quality of the core, some differences are regional. In Japan, consumers tend to prefer softer darker leads; so an HB lead produced in Japan is generally softer and darker than an HB from European producers.

What are pencil grades?

Pencil grades tell you how light/hard and dark/soft a graphite pencil is. You might have noticed that graphite pencils have a H or B grade. The H stands for hard and the B stands for blackness. H pencils are harder and produce lighter lines because they contain more filler and less graphite. Pencils that fall into the B grade, on the other hand, make a darker mark because they're softer and don't contain as much filler.

I'm the Polar Pencil Pusher, AKA Jesse. I'm an environmental engineer with a crippling addiction to office supplies, and an eye for the analogue. Feel free to browse this blog if you're into wooden pencils, paper, writing, reading, journaling, and the like.

What really struck me at first about these, when seeing a picture of them, was the three shades of bright, brilliant blue on the pencil barrels. From a rich Navy blue down to a vibrant Baby blue varnish, with bright pearly-white imprints, this stood out to me, especially compared to its higher-end cousin, the understated maroon Hi-Uni.

My wife, considerate person that she is, noted my enthusiasm and went about tracking down a pack. She found a seller on Amazon that shipped from Japan, for free! Of course, it took almost a month to arrive, but when it did, I was so excited to break it open.

As I mentioned before, the most striking feature of the pencil is the bright blues it comes in. It feels a lot more fun and light than the darker, serious maroon, black and gold of the Hi-Uni. It makes a lot of sense, being for students.

The ends were unfinished, which was a bit disappointing. One of my favorite things about many Japanese pencils are the dipped or capped ends that often have a pinstripe or some detailing to finish it. A bright white to match the foil stamp would have been nice. But to keep costs down, I completely understand why it was bare.

Upon closer inspection, I was pleased to see that all the cores looked perfectly centered inside the wood. The casings seemed perfectly aligned and there were no chips or paint overspill despite the dramatic woodgrain.

The pencil sharpened like a dream. As with many Japanese pencils, It sharpened smooth and the wood sheered off in almost one piece. I used my Kum Masterpiece, my favorite hand-held sharpener, to get that razor-sharp long point I prefer.

However, what really makes this pencil stand out is the smudgeability (is that a word?). As soon as I wrote a few words, I ran my finger across it and barely got a smear. This felt more like a 2B than something softer and darker.

Graphite is the dark gray material usually found encased within a wooden pencil. It comes in many different forms, but most commonly we find it within a pencil. We've all used them to write and draw and most of us feel very comfortable with a graphite pencil in hand.

Although most of us have heard someone refer to the material within a graphite pencil as "lead", you may be surprised to learn that there isn't any lead there at all. Instead, graphite is a form of carbon and is completely safe for drawing.In this lesson, we'll take a look at the different grades of graphite, why they are designated as they are, and which pencils you may need (and the ones you don't) to find success with graphite drawing.

Graphite is produced in various grades or degrees according to the softness or hardness of the material. Different grades produce different types of marks. The grade of the pencil is usually designated on the side or the end of the pencil. For drawing pencils, this designation is an alphanumeric value.

Writing pencils differ in how they are categorized and usually only feature a number. For example, a #2 pencil is a standard writing pencil - which happens to be of the same softness as an "HB" drawing pencil. Grades of drawing pencils are organized in a scale based on softness or hardness. An "HB" pencil is found directly in the center of the scale. "H" pencils feature harder graphite. (The "H" stands for "hard".) "B" pencils feature softer graphite. (The "B" stands for "black".) The number found in front of the letter reveals just how soft or hard the pencil is. In other words, a "4H" pencil is harder than a "2H" pencil while a "4B" pencil is softer than a "2B" pencil. Harder pencils produce lighter marks since less of the material is released as pressure is applied. Softer pencils make darker marks since more of the material is released. Therefore, a "4H" pencil will produce lighter marks than an "2H" pencil while a "4B" pencil will make darker marks than a "2B" pencil.

The "F" pencil is similar in mark to an "HB" pencil, only slightly lighter. Like an "HB" pencil, it is capable of producing darker and lighter marks, but without any extremes. The graphite material found in an "F" pencil is slightly harder than an "HB" pencil meaning that it can stay sharp for a longer period of use. For this reason, this pencil is designated as "fine" which is why this pencil is labeled with an "F".

"H" pencils are better suited for filling the tooth or texture of the paper, resulting in smoother transitions of tone and value. "B" pencils fill the tooth to a lesser degree, making the texture of the paper more noticeable. By combining "H" and "B" pencils in a drawing, smooth transitions of tone can be developed without compromising a full range of value.

"H" pencils are clearly capable of producing light marks, but are limited in the range of tone. Putting more pressure on a "4H" pencil will not result in a very dark mark. "B" pencils, however allow for a much broader range of possibilities. A "4B" pencil for example can produce lighter marks by reducing pressure, but is also capable of producing darker marks with additional pressure.

You may be tempted to use a hard pencil such as a "4H" for a preliminary sketch since the mark is light. If your pressure is light, then this is an acceptable practice. But if too much pressure is applied to the pencil, then grooves can be created in the surface of the paper. These grooves become difficult to fill in or cover with softer graphite applications. This can lead to noticeable inconsistencies in the drawing.

Another factor to consider is "graphite shine". Graphite is naturally shiny. However, this shine can be reduced if the graphite is applied using a layered approach. Lighter pencils may be used earlier in the process followed by darker pencils. Even and consistent pressure should be applied with each layer so that the tooth of the paper is not destroyed. (Flattening the tooth often increases the shine.)

The pencils that are best for you to use will vary depending on several factors. 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. Some folks place a heavy amount of pressure on the pencil naturally. For these artists, a "4B" pencil may be the darkest pencil that is required. For those that naturally produce lighter marks, a much darker "6B" or "8B" may be required.

The surface of the paper also plays a role in the pencils that you choose. Papers with a lighter tooth (smoother surface) may be more receptive to harder pencils and show less of the texture when softer pencils are applied. Papers with heavier textures may be more receptive to softer pencils but reveal more of the surface texture as they are applied.

For quick sketchy drawings, usually only one drawing pencil is required to produce an adequate range of value. If this approach is taken, then a softer "2B" pencil may be all that is needed. For more refined drawings that require a layered approach, several hard and soft pencils may be required.

No matter what the circumstance, every single graphite grade is not required. Most artists will only need a few pencils to be successful. Because softer pencils have a bit more range, most of the pencils that an artist will use fall on the "B" side of the scale. I suggest the following grades - "2H, H, HB, 2B, 4B, and 6B".

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