What could be simpler than a pencil? This simple tool, familiar to everyone from childhood, is not so primitive as it seems at first glance. Any artist must be able to draw with a pencil. And, no less important, to understand them.

The structure of the article:

Graphite ("simple") pencils are quite different from each other. By the way, "pencil" comes from two Turkic words - "kara" and "dash" (black stone).

The writing rod of the pencil is inserted into a frame made of wood or plastic and can be made of graphite, charcoal, or other materials. The most common type - graphite pencils - vary in degree of hardness.

Pavel Chistyakov, a professor at the St. Petersburg Academy of Arts of the 19th and early 20th centuries, advised to put aside the paint for a start and practice drawing "with a pencil for at least a year." The great artist Ilya Repin never parted with pencils. Pencil drawing is the basis of any painting.

The human eye distinguishes about 150 shades of gray. An artist who draws with graphite pencils has three colors at his disposal. White (paper color), black and gray (different hardness graphite pencils). These are achromatic colors. Drawing only with a pencil, only with shades of gray allows you to create images that convey the volume of objects, the play of shadows and glare of light.

Lead hardness

The hardness of the lead is indicated on the pencil in letters and numbers. Manufacturers from different countries (Europe, USA and Russia) have different pencil hardness markings.

Stiffness designation

In Russia the hardness scale looks like this:

• M - soft;
• T - hard;
• TM - hard-soft;

European scale somewhat wider (the F marking has no Russian conformity):

• B - soft, from blackness (blackness);
• H - hard, from hardness (hardness);
• F is the middle tone between HB and H (from the English fine point - subtlety)
• HB - hard-soft (Hardness Blackness - hardness-black);

IN USA a number scale is used to indicate the hardness of a pencil:

• # 1 - corresponds to B - soft;
• # 2 - corresponds to HB - hard-soft;
• # 2½ - corresponds to F - medium between hard-soft and hard;
• # 3 - corresponds to H - hard;
• # 4 - corresponds to 2H - very hard.

Pencil pencil stripes. Depending on the manufacturer, the tone of the line drawn with a pencil of one marking may differ.

In Russian and European pencil markings, the number in front of the letter indicates the degree of softness or hardness. For example, 2B is twice as soft as B and 2H is twice as hard as H. Pencils are marketed commercially from 9H (hardest) to 9B (softest).

Soft pencils

Start from B before 9B.

The most commonly used pencil when creating a drawing is HB... However, this is the most common pencil. With this pencil, draw the base, the shape of the drawing. HB convenient for drawing, creating tonal spots, it is not too hard, not too soft. To draw darkened places, highlight them and place accents, a soft pencil will help to make a clear line in the drawing 2B.

Hard pencils

Start from H before 9H.

H- a hard pencil, hence - thin, light, "dry" lines. With a hard pencil, they draw solid objects with a clear outline (stone, metal). With such a hard pencil, according to the finished drawing, over the shaded or shaded fragments, they draw thin lines, for example, draw strands in the hair.

A line drawn with a soft pencil has a slightly loose outline. A soft lead will allow you to reliably draw representatives of the fauna - birds, hares, cats, dogs.

If it is necessary to choose between a hard or soft pencil, artists take a pencil with a soft lead. An image drawn with such a pencil can be easily shaded with a piece of thin paper, with a finger or an eraser. If necessary, you can finely sharpen the graphite shaft of a soft pencil and draw a thin line similar to that of a hard pencil.

The figure below shows the shading of different pencils more clearly:

Shading and painting

Strokes on paper are drawn with a pencil tilted at an angle of about 45 ° to the plane of the sheet. To make the line thicker, you can rotate the pencil around the axis.

Light areas are hatched with a hard pencil. Dark areas are correspondingly soft.

It is inconvenient to hatch with a very soft pencil, since the lead quickly becomes dull and the fineness of the line is lost. The way out is to either sharpen the point very often, or use a harder pencil.

When drawing, they gradually move from light to dark areas, since it is much easier to darken a part of the drawing with a pencil than to make a dark place lighter.

Please note that the pencil should not be sharpened with a simple sharpener, but with a knife. The lead should be 5-7mm long, which allows you to tilt the pencil and achieve the desired effect.

Graphite pencil lead is a fragile material. Despite the protection of the wooden shell, the pencil must be handled with care. When dropped, the lead inside the pencil breaks apart and then crumbles during sharpening, making the pencil unusable.

Nuances to know when working with pencils

For shading at the very beginning, use a hard pencil. Those. the driest lines are obtained with a hard pencil.

The finished drawing is drawn with a soft pencil to give it juiciness and expressiveness. A soft pencil leaves dark lines.

The more you tilt the pencil, the wider the track will be. However, with the advent of pencils with a thick lead, this need disappears.

If you don't know what the final drawing will look like, it is recommended to start with a hard pencil. With a hard pencil, you can gradually dial the desired tone. At the very beginning, I myself made the following mistake: I took a pencil that was too soft, which made the drawing dark and incomprehensible.

Rims of pencils

Of course, the classic version is a lead in a wooden frame. But now there are plastic, varnished and even paper frames. the lead of such pencils is thick. On the one hand, this is good, but on the other hand, such pencils are easy to break if put in a pocket or dropped unsuccessfully.

Although there are special pencil cases for transferring pencils (for example, I have a set of black lead pencils KOH-I-NOOR Progresso - a good, solid package, like a pencil case).

Video: choosing pencils

A pencil is a very simple drawing material from which artists begin their creative paths. Even any kid makes his first lines with a pencil before moving on to more complex material. But not so primitive and pencil, if you study it in more detail. He is able to help the artist create sketches, various illustrations, drawings and paintings. Pencils have their own types and it is important for any artist to be able to choose the right material for his work so that the illustration has a presentable look. So let's figure it out how to choose a pencil for drawing?

How the pencil works

When a person presses on the pencil, the rod slides over the paper, and the graphite particles break down into small particles and are retained in the fiber of the paper. Thus, a line is obtained. In the process of drawing, the graphite rod is erased, so it is sharpened. The most common way is a special sharpener, you can also use a regular blade. It is important to understand that this method requires special care and preparation in order to avoid cuts. But thanks to the blade, you can make the desired thickness and shape of the graphite.

Types of a simple pencil

The basic definition of a pencil is a graphite rod framed by a wooden or plastic frame. A simple lead pencil comes in many different types. They differ in their degree of rigidity.
Human eyes can distinguish a large number of shades of gray, or to be precise, 150 tones. Despite this, the artist should have in his arsenal at least three types of a simple pencil - hard, medium soft and soft. With their help, it will be possible to create a three-dimensional drawing. Different degrees of rigidity can convey contrast, you just need to skillfully handle them.
You can determine the degree of softness of graphite using the designations (letters and numbers) that are applied to the frame of the pencil. The hardness and softness scales differ. We will consider three types of notation:

Russia

1. T- solid.
2. M- soft.
3. TM- medium softness.

Europe

1. H- solid.
2. B- soft.
3. HB- medium softness.
4. F- the middle tone, which is determined between H and HB.

1. # 1 (B)- soft.
2. # 2 (HB)- medium softness.
3. # 2½ (F)- average between hard and medium soft.
4. # 3 (H)- solid.
5. # 4 (2H)- very hard.

It is impossible not to take into account such a moment as - the manufacturer. Sometimes, even the same softness of pencils from different manufacturers will differ significantly from each other due to their quality.

A palette of shades of a simple pencil

It is worth noting that the softness of pencils can vary significantly. In other words, softness and hardness are divided among themselves by tonality. H is considered the hardest and B is the softest. It is not surprising if there are whole sets in the store from 9H (hardest) to 9B (softest).
The most common and popular is considered to be a pencil with an HB mark. It is moderately soft and hard, making it easy to sketch. With it, you can enhance dark places, thanks to its light softness.
To enhance the contrast of the pattern, it is worth purchasing a 2B. Very hard pencils are rarely used by artists, but this is a matter of taste. This type of pencil is more suitable for drawing diagrams or building perspectives for landscapes because it is almost invisible in the image. It should be taken into account that the great hardness of the pencil allows you to make a smooth transition on the hair or add a barely noticeable tone without fear of darkening.

At the beginning of the work, it is worth using a hard pencil, especially if you are not sure of the result of the illustration. A soft pencil is designed to work out the shadows and highlight the desired lines.

Shading and shading

Regardless of the softness, you must always remember that the pencil must be sharpened sharply. Strokes and lines are best obtained with a hard pencil due to the fact that the lead does not have the ability to quickly dull, but remains in its sharpened form for a long time. Shading is preferable for a soft pencil, but it is better to paint with the side of the lead so that the material is applied evenly.

Features of working with a pencil

Do not forget that a pencil lead is a rather fragile thing. Every time a pencil falls to the floor or hits, its rod is damaged or even breaks. As a result, drawing will be inconvenient, because the lead will crumble or fall out of its wooden frame.

Bottom line. The information that is worth knowing is quite voluminous for a novice artist. But it is very useful, because it will help in creating future masterpieces. Over time, knowledge will automatically suggest which simple pencil is needed in a given situation. The main thing is that they are not afraid to experiment.

Pencils differ mainly in the type and nature of the writing rod (which determine the writing properties of the pencil and its purpose), as well as in size, cross-sectional shape, color and type of coating of the wooden shell.

In the USSR, since the fifties, pencils were produced in accordance with GOST 6602-51. The quality was good. Today's situation is pretty sad. Let's talk about what happened before.

Pencils

Depending on the writing rod and its properties, the following main groups of pencils are distinguished: a) graphite - the writing rod is made of graphite and clay and impregnated with fats and waxes; when writing, they leave a line of gray-black color of varying intensity, depending mainly on the degree of hardness of the rod; b) colored - the writing rod is made of pigments and dyes, fillers, binders and sometimes fats; c) copying - the writing rod is made of a mixture of water-soluble dyes and a binder with graphite or mineral fillers; when writing, they leave a gray or colored line, difficult to erase with an elastic band.

Stages of production of pencils from glued boards

Production of pencils consists of the following main processes: a) making a writing rod, b) making a wood shell, and c) finishing a finished pencil (coloring, marking, sorting and packing). The composition of the graphite rods includes: graphite, clay and adhesives. Graphite is very grades and leaves a gray or gray-black line on the paper. Clay is mixed into graphite to bond its particles, adhesives are added to a mixture of graphite and clay to give plasticity. The sifted graphite in vibrating mills is crushed to the smallest particles. The clay is soaked in water. Then these components are thoroughly mixed in special mixers, pressed and dried. The dried mass is mixed with adhesives, pressed many times, turning into a homogeneous plastic mass, suitable for forming writing rods. This mass is put into a powerful press, which squeezes out thin elastic threads from the round holes of the matrix. Upon leaving the matrix, the filaments are automatically cut into segments of the required length, which are the writing rods. The cuts are then placed in rotating drums where they are rolled, straightened and dried. Upon completion of drying, they are loaded into crucibles and fired in electric furnaces. As a result of drying and firing, the rods acquire hardness and strength. The cooled rods are sorted by straightness and sent for impregnation. This operation aims to give the rods, after firing, with increased rigidity, softness and elasticity, that is, the properties necessary for writing. For impregnation of graphite rods, salomas, stearin, paraffin and various types of wax are used. For the manufacture of colored and copying rods, other types of raw materials are used, the technological process is partially changed.

For colored rods, water-insoluble dyes and pigments are used as dyes, talc is used as fillers, and pectin glue and starch are used as a binder. The mass, consisting of dyes, fillers and binders, is mixed in mixers, the firing operation drops out. The strength of the colored core is given by the pressing mode and the regulation of the amount of binders introduced into the mass, and this, in turn, depends on the nature and amount of pigments and dyes. For copying rods, water-soluble aniline dyes are used as dyes, mainly methyl violet, which gives a violet line when moistened, methylene blue, which gives a greenish-blue line, brilliant green - bright green, etc.

The strength of the copying rods is regulated by the recipe, the amount of binder and the pressing mode. Finished rods are placed in a wood sheath; the wood should be soft, have low cutting resistance along and across the grain, have a smooth, shiny cut surface and an even uniform tone and color. The best material for the shell is Siberian cedar and linden wood. Wooden planks are treated with ammonia vapor (to remove resinous substances), soaked in paraffin and painted over. Then, on a special machine, “paths” are made on the planks, into which the rods are laid, the planks are glued and divided into separate pencils, at the same time giving them a hexagonal or round shape. After that, the pencils are sanded, primed and painted. The painting is done with fast drying nitrocellulose paints and varnishes with a pure tone and bright color. After multiple coating of the casing with these varnishes, a durable varnish film forms on it, giving the finished pencil a glossy, shiny surface and a beautiful appearance.

Pencil classification

The following pencil groups and types are differentiated depending on the starting materials of the pen and the purpose.

1. Graphite: School, Stationery, Drawing, Drawing;

2. Colored: School, Stationery, Drawing, Drawing;

3. Copier: Stationery

In addition, pencils differ in overall dimensions, in the hardness of the core, in the finish of the shell. Dimensional indicators include: cross-sectional shape, length and thickness of the pencil. In cross-sectional shape, pencils are round, faceted and oval. Some pencil groups or types have only one cross-sectional shape assigned; for others, different are allowed. So, drawing pencils are produced only faceted - hexagonal, copying pencils - only round; stationery can have any of the indicated shapes, as well as three-, four-, octahedral or oval cross-sectional shapes. The pencils are 178, 160, 140 and 113 mm long (with a tolerance of ± 2 mm for these dimensions). The main and most often used of these sizes is 178 mm, it is required for graphite pencils - school, drawing and drawing; for colored people - drawing and drawing; for colored stationery pencils, a length of 220 mm is also allowed. The thickness of a pencil is determined by its diameter, and for faceted pencils, the diameter is measured along the inscribed circle; it ranges from 4.1 to 11 mm, the most common thickness being 7.9 and 7.1 mm.

By the degree of hardness writing rod pencils are divided into 15 groups, denoted by letters and digital indices in sequential order: 6M, 5M, 4M, ZM, 2M, M, TM, ST, T, 2T, ZT, 4T, 5T, 6T, 7T. The letter "M" denotes the softness of the writing rod, the letter "T" - its hardness; the larger the digital index, the stronger this property is for a given writing rod. On school graphite pencils, the degree of hardness is indicated by the numbers No. 1 (soft), No. 2 (medium) and No. 3 (hard). On copy pencils - in words: soft, medium hard, hard.

Abroad, the degree of hardness is indicated by the Latin letters "B" (soft) and "H" (hard).

School graphite pencils were produced in medium degrees of hardness, drawing pencils - of all existing degrees of hardness, colored pencils of all types - usually soft.

Graphite drawing pencils "Constructor"

The color of the wood shell coating is also different for different pencils; the shell of colored pencils, as a rule, was painted according to the color of the writing rod; for the shell of other pencils, each title was usually assigned one or more constant colors. The color of the shell was of several types: one-color or with a marble-like, decorative, with ribs or with edges painted in contrasting colors or covered with metal foil, etc. Some types of pencils were produced with a decorative head, which was painted in colors different from the color of the shell , with a plastic or metal head, etc. There were also produced pencils with plastic or metal tips, with an elastic band (only graphite), with a sharpened rod, etc.

Depending on these indicators (properties of the writing rod, cross-sectional shape, overall dimensions, type of finish and design), different names were assigned to each type of pencil and sets.

Graphite drawing pencils "Polytechnic"

Assortment of pencils

Pencils are divided into three main groups: graphite, color, copy; in addition, there is a special group of special pencils.

Graphite pencils by purpose are divided into school, stationery, drawing and drawing.

School pencils - for school writing and drawing; were produced in three degrees of hardness - soft, medium and hard, - designated respectively by numbers: No. 1, No. 2, No. 3.

Pencil # 1 - soft - gave a line of thick black color and was used for school drawing.

Pencil # 2 - medium hard - gave a clear black line; used for writing and drawing.

Pencil number 3 - hard - gave a faint line of grayish-black color: intended for drawing and basic sketching in school.

The school class included pencils that had a metal nipple in which a rubber band was fixed for erasing notes made in pencil.

Stationery Pencils - For Writing; produced mainly soft and medium hardness.

Drawing pencils - for graphic work; were produced according to the degree of hardness of the writing rod from 6M to 7T. Hardness also determined the intended purpose of the pencils. So, 6M, 5M and 4M are very soft; ZM and 2M - soft; M, TM, ST, T - medium hardness; ZT and 4T are very hard; 5T, 6T and 7T are very hard for special graphic work.

Drawing pencils - for drawing, shading sketches and other graphic work: available only soft, of various degrees of hardness.

Assortment of lead pencils

Colored pencils by purpose are divided into school, stationery, drawing, drawing.

School pencils - for primary children's drawing and drawing works of elementary schoolchildren; produced in a round shape, in sets of 6-12 colors.

Stationery pencils - for signature, proofreading, etc., were produced in 5 colors, sometimes two-color - for example, red-blue, mainly hexagonal, except for the "Svetlana" pencils, which had a round shape.

Drafting pencils - for drafting and topographic work; produced mainly in sets of 6 or 10 colors; hexagonal shape; coating color - according to the color of the rod.

Drawing pencils - for graphic work; were produced in several types, differed from the school ones in length and the number of colors in sets, from 12 to 48, mostly round in shape, except for drawing numbers 1 and 2, which had a hexagonal shape. All sets had 6 primary colors, additional shades of these colors and usually white pencils.

All pencils, produced in sets, were packed in cardboard artistically designed boxes with multicolor labels.

Assortment of colored pencils

Copying pencils were produced in two types: graphite, that is, containing graphite as a filler, and colored, the writing rod of which contained talc instead of graphite. Copying pencils were made in three hardness grades: soft, medium hard and hard. Copy pencils were produced, as a rule, in a round shape.

Assortment of copy pencils

Special pencils - pencils with the special properties of a stylus or special purpose; made graphite and colored. The group of special graphite pencils included "Joiner", "Retouch" and portfolio pencils (for notebooks).

Pencil "Joiner" intended for marking on a tree when performing carpentry and joinery work. It had an oval shell and sometimes a rectangular section of the writing rod.

Pencil "Retouch"- for retouching photos, shading, applying shadows. The writing rod contained finely ground birch charcoal, as a result of which it gave a bold line of a deep black color.

Four numbers were produced, differing in hardness: No. 1 - very soft, No. 2 - soft, No. 3 - medium hardness, No. 4 - hard.

Special colored pencils were "Steklograph" and "Traffic lights".

Pencil "Steklograph" had a soft shaft, giving a bold and thick line; it was used for marks on glass, metal, porcelain, celluloid, for laboratory studies, etc. It was produced in 6 colors: red, blue, green, yellow, brown and black.

Pencil "Traffic light" It was a type of colored pencils, had a longitudinally-compound rod, consisting of two or three colors, which made it possible to get a line of several colors when writing with one pencil. Pencils were designated by numbers corresponding to the number of colors with which the rod wrote.

Names and main indicators of special pencils

Pencil quality

The quality of the pencils was determined by the compliance of the search rod, shell, finish and packaging with the requirements of the standard. The most important indicator of the quality of pencils were: for graphite - breaking strength, hardness, intensity of the line and sliding; for colored - the same indicators and (color compliance with the approved standards; for copying - the same and the copying ability of the rod. All these indicators were checked with special devices and in laboratory conditions. Practically, to determine the quality of pencils, the following requirements should be followed. The writing rod had to be glued into a wooden shell firmly and as accurately as possible in its center; the noncentricity of the rod was determined by the smallest, i.e., the thinnest part of the shell, the dimensions of which were established by the standard for pencils of the 1st and 2nd grades; the writing rod should not come out freely from the shell when sharpening a pencil or when pressing it from the end; should have been whole and uniform along its entire length, should not contain foreign impurities and inclusions scratching the paper when writing, should not have any obvious or hidden cracks, should not should have crumbled when sharpening and writing. Pressing on the sharpened tip of the rod, the latter should not have chipped, i.e., arbitrary breaking off or chipping of the rod particles. The cross-sectional area of ​​the rod at the ends of the pencil had to be flat, smooth, without damage or chips. For colored rods, a line of the same color and intensity was required when writing along the entire length of the rod.

The casing of the pencils was made of good quality wood, without knots, cracks and other defects; had to have low cutting resistance, that is, it should be easy and soft to repair with a sharply sharpened knife, not to break when sharpening and to have a smooth cut surface. The ends of the pencils had to be cut straight, smooth and strictly perpendicular to the pencil axis. The pencil should be straight and even along its entire length, without deformation. The surface had to be smooth, shiny, without scratches, dents, cracks and varnish deposits. The lacquer coating should not crack, crumble and stick when wet.

According to defects in appearance, pencils were subdivided into two grades: 1st and 2nd; moreover, the writing properties for pencils of both grades had to be the same. The 2nd grade included pencils in which the deflection arrow along the length of no more than 0.8 mm, the chip of wood or varnish film from the end of the pencil no more than 1.5 mm, the chip of the rod at the ends of no more than half of the cross-sectional area of ​​the rod - to the depth not more than 1.0 mm, noncentricity of the rod not more than 0.33 D — d (D is the diameter of the pencil shell along the inscribed circle, d is the diameter of the rod in mm), as well as scratches, dents, roughness and sagging (width and depth not more than 0.4 mm) no more than 3 over the entire surface of the pencil, with a total length of up to 6 mm and a width of up to 2 mm.

Pencils were marked with bronze or aluminum foil on one or more edges. The marking had to contain the name of the manufacturer, the name of the pencils, the degree of hardness (usually by letter designations) and the year of manufacture (usually with the last two digits of the corresponding year (for example, "55" means the release of 1955). On copy pencils, the marking contained the abbreviated word "Copier" In addition, grade 2 pencils should have had the designation “2 s.” The marking should have firmly adhered to the surface of the pencil, be clear, clear, readable, all lines and signs should be solid and not merge.

Pencils: Ruslan, Rogday, Ratmir (Krasin factory)

Pencils were packed in cardboard boxes, mainly 50 and 100 pieces of the same name and grade. Colored pencils for school and drawing were packed in sets of different colors of 6, 12, 18, 24, 36 and 48 colors in one set. Graphite drawing pencils, colored drawing pencils and some other types of pencils were also produced in sets of different contents. Boxes with pencils of 50 and 100 pieces and sets of all types were decorated with a sticker of a multicolor art label. Boxes with sets and pencils of 10 and 25 were put in cardboard cases or packed in packs of thick wrapping paper and tied with twine or braid. Boxes with pencils of 50 and 100 pieces were tied with twine or braid, or pasted over with a paper parcel. Boxes with sets of colored pencils were pasted over with multicolor labels, usually with art reproductions.

Pencils "Cosmetics" (Slavic State Pencil Factory MMP Ukrainian SSR)

Graphite pencils "Painting", "Youth", "Color"

Set of colored pencils "Youth" - art. 139 of 6 pencils. The price is 77 kopecks.

Set of colored pencils "Colored" - art. 127 and 128 from 6 and 12 pencils. The price of one pencil is respectively 8 kopecks and 17 kopecks.

A set of colored pencils "Painting" - art. 135 out of 18 pencils. The price is 80 kopecks.

Colored graphite pencils "Painting", "Art"

A set of colored pencils "Painting" - art. 133 out of 6 pencils. The price is 23 kopecks.

A set of colored pencils "Art" - art. 113 out of 18 pencils. Price 69 kopecks.

A set of colored pencils "Art" - art. 116 out of 24 pencils. The price is 1 ruble 20 kopecks.

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It doesn't matter if you are creating a masterpiece or just taking a test, choosing a pencil is a very important step. And to do it, narrow your goal down to one of two categories: writing or drawing. If it is important for you to have lines of different qualities, make your choice based on the hardness of the lead (from the softest 9M to the hardest 9T). It is the hardness of the lead that determines how dark or light the lines will be.

Steps

Choosing a pencil for writing

Choose a wooden pencil if you are looking for something that is inexpensive and durable. Traditional wooden pencils with and without an eraser are some of the cheapest writing instruments available. If you're on a tight budget, go for them. A wooden pencil is also preferable if you press hard on the pencil while writing, as the graphite in them can withstand that pressure.

Choose a mechanical pencil if you need something comfortable. This pencil does not need to be sharpened and the lead can usually be replaced. Read on the package what length and thickness the lead is suitable for this pencil. A mechanical pencil is also a good choice for routine tests, as its thin lead is convenient for filling in small answer boxes.

Choose a medium-hard (TM) lead pencil for general use. These are wood or mechanical pencils with a normal medium hard lead. You can use it to write an essay or fill out the answers for a sample test.

Select a mechanical pencil for drawing drawings. A mechanical pencil leaves thinner and more uniform lines. For a preparatory sketch, a pencil with a lead thickness of 0.5 mm is enough. If the drawing will be more detailed, choose a pencil with a thinner lead (about 0.3 mm).

Keep pencils of varying hardness handy. Drawing involves creating a variety of lines and shades. Use T-marked pencils to draw thin, solid lines that you don't want to smudge. Prefer M pencils if you want to draw shadows or other parts of the drawing that need to be smudged. M-marked pencils also darken lines and shades.

Use colored pencils to outline or sketch shapes on paper. If you draw on lined or fanfold paper, go for the cheapest crayons like Crayola. Sharpen them like a regular wooden pencil to make the lines thinner, or blunt them to make the lines thicker.

Choose a charcoal pencil if you want rich black or gray lines. Like regular charcoal sticks, the shaft of this pencil is made of wood that has been burnt to the point where only carbon remains. Unlike regular charcoal, these pencils provide smoother strokes. Press down on the pencil to draw thicker black lines. Moderate the pressure to make the lines thinner. Charcoal pencils, like graphite pencils, have different degrees of hardness. You can buy them at any art supply store.

Buy a carbon pencil if you want to draw smooth black lines. Choose this pencil if you want to achieve a truly black color, which cannot be obtained with graphite. These pencils are made from lamp black, a byproduct of oil combustion. Carbon pencils also come in varying degrees of hardness and are sometimes sold as sticks. You can buy them at an art supply store.

Use grease pencils for glossy surfaces. These crayons are also called wax crayons and are made from a waxy material similar to that used for crayons. Use this pencil when you want to make temporary marks on smooth surfaces like ceramics, metal and plastic. To sharpen the pencil, pull the string to expose the wax section. These pencils can be purchased at an art supply store.

Simple pencils for the artist

Anyone who has ever written, drew, or drew with a simple pencil is familiar with graphite.We are used to thinking of simple pencils made of graphite, and we don’t think about what, but in factThe lead of a graphite pencil is made from a mixture of graphite and clay, and is packed in a body, most often made of wood. It is toThe amount of clay determines the hardness or softness of the pencil.

Graphite is a mineral that is a form of carbon. Various rocks are mined for it, as well as its artificial counterparts. The raw material for this, for example, can be carbides, which are exposed to high temperatures, or cast iron, which, on the contrary, is gradually cooled to obtain artificial graphite.

The main ruler for dividing pencils by hardness is as follows: "H" -pencils and "B" -pencils."H" pencils are hard, and the higher the number (it is affixed next to the letter designation, for example: 1H or 2H), the lighter the lines. TOan arandash number 6H, for example, would be much easier to draw than a 2H pencil."B" pencils are soft and the higher the number, the darker the lines or strokes it will make. That corresponds to the Russian marking "T" (hard) and "M" (soft).For drawing, pencils of softness "B", or "M" - if in our opinion are usually used.

Below diagramshows the full spectrum of hardness of graphite pencils, accepted in the West, with which we also have to deal with constantly."НВ" means in Russian and corresponds to the properties of the marking "TM" - hard-soft - and is the middle of the scale. Marking "F" corresponds to "TM", it is just less common.

Hardness scale of imported pencils

The blackest (and most expensive) graphite is still devoid of the intensity of blackness; moreover, it, like graphite in general, is characterized by luster. A drawing filled with graphite (all the more hard) glitters. Therefore, in some works of art, it is replaced by a drawing, which gives an intense dense blackness and does not have a shine. That is why graphite is suitable exclusively for small, mainly landscape drawings, which are well preserved without (unless too soft graphite was taken for the drawing).

Other forms of artistic graphite

Two other forms of graphite that are commonly used in painting are: woodless pencil and graphite bar(or sticks).

Woodless lead pencil. He is “graphite in varnish”.

Bwood pencil(as you might guess) it is graphite without a wooden case. On sale it is often called "graphite in varnish" or "graphite rods" (then they will not be varnished). Basically, the lead is round in shape. Sharpen woodless pencils with an ordinary sharpener.They are made for sketching and painting and are usually on the soft side of the hardness scale, more often in HB, 2B, 4B, 6B and 8B. Again, different manufacturers offer different degrees of hardness. With a woodless pencil, you can draw both very thin and wide strokes, which are made with the beveled side of the writing tip.

Graphite bars (sticks)

Graphite Drawing Bars

Convenient for large images and for quickly covering large areas.They are also available in varying degrees of hardness, and some manufacturers likeCaran d'Ache(pictured above) make them in different sizes.