What Type of Pencil is Best for Sketches?

When artists create sketches, they usually use their favorite type of pencil to accomplish their goals. And since there are so many pencils available in the industry, it could be difficult for a beginner to choose the right pencil. So what type of pencil is best for sketches? How do you choose among the many options? The thing is, the kind of pencil for your sketches highly depends on the kinds of marks and lines that you want to make. You do need pencils to sketch, and sometimes sketches require more than two pencils with different grades. Also, it is possible to use not one, but two types of pencil to draw your sketches.

Graphite and Charcoal Pencils

In sketching, the most popular pencils are graphite and charcoal. They offer convenience for beginners to learn the craft of sketching. However, the two mediums are different from each other. Each pencil has their own strengths and challenges, and they are made from different materials. In order to understand the advantages and disadvantage of both pencils, we will discuss each pencil more deeply.

Graphite Pencil

A graphite pencil is a typical tool for drawing and sketching. It has different grades that range from hard to soft, and though its core is called a lead, the construction of the pencil does not contain any lead at all. The graphite pencil core is called lead due to the fact that for the longest time, many believed that graphite is actually a form of lead. And lead cannot be used for any pencil because of the “lead poisoning”.

The graphite pencil core is a version of carbon that is mixed with clay binder. The formulation of the graphite and clay determines the hardness or softness of the pencil. If the lead is composed of more clay than graphite, the result is a pencil core that is hard but produces light sketches. And for a graphite pencil with more granite than binder, the core becomes soft but it creates darker marks and lines.

Graphite pencils are categorized into different pencil grades, which are 9H, 8H, 7H, 6H, 5H, 4H, 3H, 2H, H, F, HB, B, 2B, 3B, 4B, 5B, 6B, 7B, 8B, and 9xxB. 9H is the hardest pencil lead with the lightest mark, while the 9xxB is the softest pencil lead with the darkest mark. And if you want to use a sketch pencil that is hard enough and dark enough to draw well-marked sketches, then you should opt for the middle grades, like 2H, H, F, B, and 2B.

And in case you are wondering, the typical number pencils that you have known all your life corresponds to the grading system of the sketch pencils. The #1 pencil is B, #2 is HB, #3 is F, and #4 is H. H means hardness, B is blackness, and F is fine point.

Typically, graphite pencil sets include pencil grades from 2H up to 6B, and there are also many that have all the pencil grades. For beginners, it is ideal to purchase pencil grades from HB to 6B.

You need to understand that if you choose graphite pencils, you need to sketch on a smooth paper and small surface areas like 9 x 12 inches or lesser.

Now let us take a look at the pros and cons of using graphite pencils for your sketches.

Pros

• Traditional sketch pencil
• Perfect for small sketches
• It provides clean marks and lines
• Graphite pencils do not smudge
• Easy to erase

Cons

• The sketch marks are shiny
• Not ideal for large sketches
• It takes longer to shade

Charcoal pencil

Charcoal is also a variation of carbon, but unlike graphite, this type of pencil is created from burnt wood. It is available in both pencils and sticks, and charcoal pencils can be soft, medium hard, or hard. The hardest charcoal pencil creates the lightest marks, and the softest charcoal pencils provide the darkest marks. The medium charcoal pencil is darker compared to the darkest graphite pencil. And due to that, charcoal pencils are ideal for larger sketches since they can cover wider surfaces.

The charcoal pencils are made from a combination of burnt wood and resin or clay. The formulation is formed into a pencil core for sketching and drawing. They also have a grading system, but charcoal pencils only have pencil grades of HB, B, 2B, 3B, 4B, 5B, and 6B. But, always keep in mind that charcoal pencils are much darker than graphite pencils, even if they have the same pencil grade.

Many newbie artists like to use charcoal pencils to learn sketching because charcoal spreads easily and blends well. Plus, they are perfect for larger sketch papers, so you can work on your craft with more freedom. And if you are new to the sketching world, a soft charcoal pencil is great for you. It can be erased easily, and it is perfect for shading.

You should remember that charcoal pencils are more efficient when you use textured papers for your sketch. Also, charcoal pencils can be messy, so be very careful in their uses.

Let us check out the pros and cons of using charcoal pencils as your sketch medium.

Pros

• Ideal for beginners
• Perfect for larger sketches
• Darker marks and lines are easier to do
• Allows you to work fast

Cons

• Messy to sketch with
• Less portable
• It creates ugly smudges

Which is better, graphite or charcoal pencil?

Both the graphite pencils and charcoal pencils have their own advantages and disadvantages. It would be hard to choose which one to choose, but who says you need to pick just one?

Sketching is an art that requires creativity and imagination coupled with talent. It does not require you to use only one medium. But rather, sketching encourages you to get out of your comfort zone and use all available resources.

Master the art of using both graphite and charcoal pencils. Use them in one sketch. Optimize their value.