Important to experiment with different grades to develop personal drawing style.

Can enhance or limit certain drawing techniques depending on hardness/softness.Having a range of pencil grades available expands the artistic possibilities.The best approach is to apply consistent and even pressure on each layer to avoid destroying the texture of the paper. This means that you should use a lighter pencil and follow it with a darker pencil. Graphite is shiny, but you can reduce its shine by applying the graphite using a layered approach.

However, B grade graphite pencils allow you a wider range of possibilities.

This means that even if you apply a lot of pressure on a 9H pencil, it will not leave a darker mark on the paper.

While H pencils are excellent when it comes to making light marks, they are not as capable of having an in-depth tonal range.

Therefore, they bring out excellent values when used together.

H grade pencils are best used to fill a paper’s texture to give a smooth tone transition, and B grade graphite pencils make the paper’s surface noticeable.

On the other hand, you can use the H grade pencils for a longer period since they stay sharper for an extended time and are also great for drawing and sketching.

B grade pencils get dull faster since they are softer, but they leave a dark mark, making them excellent for things like shading.

Often, what one grade lacks, the other has, meaning you have to learn how to use them to complement each other. How to Use Different graphite pencil Grades Together?Įach graphite pencil grade has its upsides and its downsides. TIP: you can always use water-soluble graphite since they dissolve in water. These graphite pencils are very light, making them ideal for drawing sketches for watercolor paintings since they will not show through the painting conspicuously. These graphite pencils are perfect for technical drawing, guide lines, light sketches, and outlines because they create a light mark. HB is the standard multi-purpose pencil because it is usually used to draw since it has very little smudging, and it is also used for writing since it is pretty clear. These graphite pencils are commonly used and are also great for writing and drawing simple sketches. The higher the number on the B grade graphite pencil, the better it is for smudging and blending. These leave a darker mark and are softer, making them perfect for tonal modeling and shading. Of course, you can use just about any graphite pencil to draw, but it helps to know how to use the different graphite pencil grades. Once you have a clear understanding of the graphite pencil scale, you will easily select what pencils to use when you draw. NOTE: There is no standard industry rule that dictates how dark the mark left by a pencil on paper should be, meaning that different #2 pencil brands may differ on the type of mark they leave. Overall, the HB pencil is in the middle of the scale, and if you are using the US grading system, it is equivalent to #2. Softer pencils have to be sharpened regularly, and they also get dull much faster than hard pencils do. When the core is made softer, often because they have used low clay proportions, it will leave a darker mark on the paper. The higher the number, the lighter the mark on a paper, and the harder the graphite is. You can check for numbers such as 3, 2½, or 2. This scale is used to mark the hardness of the graphite in the pencil. The numeric scale is the primary graphite grading scale. For instance, a 3H is harder than an H, and a 4B is softer than a 2B. However, most pencil manufacturers who use the HB system currently designate them using numbers like 2H, 4B, or 2B. EXAMPLE: An HB pencil is hard and black, a BBB pencil is extremely black, while a HH pencil is extremely hard. Pencil manufacturers have historically used letters combinations to inform us about the graphite used. Letter F indicates that is sharpened to a fine point. Letter H symbolizes a hard pencil, while the letter B symbolizes how black the pencil’s mark is and indicates the graphite is softer. The HB scale is used by several pencils manufacturers outside the United States.

Graphite pencil