Pencils

Drawing pencils are the first tool for sketching, studies, portraits, technical drawing and underdrawing for painting. They are graphite pencils made specifically for drawing, with purer graphite, an even core, and consistent performance from the first line to the last.

The range is organised along the scale from 9H to 9B. The core is a mix of graphite and clay: more clay gives a hard core with a light line (marked H), more graphite gives a soft core with a dark one (marked B). They come singly and in sets, and alongside the classic pencil sit woodless graphite sticks for broad tonal work and water-soluble graphite, which melts into wash under a wet brush.

Each part of the scale has its work. The hard grades (H to 4H) hold a fine point and draw light, which is why technical and architectural drawing prefers them, and they make a faint underdrawing for watercolour that disappears beneath the paint. HB and 2B cover everyday sketching and studies. The soft grades (2B to 8B) darken under a light hand and build the shading in portraits, landscapes and still life. A set from 2H to 6B covers the working range, and a drawing gains depth by combining two or three grades.

Graphite erases completely, works in layers, spreads with a blending stump, and its line carries a soft silver-grey sheen, because graphite is a mineral and catches the light. A pass of fixative sets the finished drawing.

Art & Colour carries drawing pencils across the full 9H to 9B range, singly and in sets, alongside sharpeners, erasers and sketchbooks.