The hardest part of doing a tonal scale is ensuring that each square is either darker or lighter than the ones next to it. So, using the right pencil for the correct drawing is very important. For example, if you are drawing something technical like a machine, then you’d want to use a harder lead that doesn’t smear easily. This will allow you to get all of the fine details. But, you’d probably also want to use a softer lead to add dark areas on your drawing.

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. Another factor to consider is "graphite shine". Graphite is naturally shiny. However, this shine can be reducedif 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.) When a pencil is marked HB, it means that it is between two extremes of hard and light on the one hand, and dark and soft on the other hand. The downside of this type of lead is that it is not very strong, but it does not matter much as it is significant in diameter (approximately 2 mm). The number found in front of the letter shows how soft the pencil in this range is. That is to say, a 4B pencil is softer and darker than a 2B pencil.

The drawing techniques of the artist will determine their choice of the best pencil to use for their drawing project. Pencils that are graded with numbers are not a unique pencil that has different qualities than pencils that are classified with letters. Pencils graded with numbers are simply graded in a smaller grouping. What does that mean? Well, a number 1, 2, 3, and 4 pencil corresponds to a B, HB, F, and H pencil. See, they aren’t different, they are just categorized in a different way.

Use the same pencil if you want to add details to the lower part, but avoid any bigger shadows here. This part should be a smooth and soft fluffy texture. Step 17It comes in handy when an artist is creating a portion of work that does not need much detail but requires shadows and shades.

B-grade pencils work well on both smooth paper and paper with a slight bit of texture Their soft consistency will not cause the same paper indentations that you get with an H-grade. Strokes applied with little pressure tend to erase easily, but strokes applied with a lot of pressure are very difficult if not impossible to erase. Repeat the first 8 steps until you are able to produce a tonal scale that goes from 1 to 9, lighter to darker. If it takes you 100 times, then that’s what you do, you try it 100 times. Remember, there’s no such thing as too much practice, so don’t feel bad if it takes you several attempts to get this right.

When in use, pencils with softer graphite cores diminish faster and require sharpening more often. The HB Graphite Scale – Firstly, using a HB Graphic pencil, draw out a selection of simple shapes, for example a sphere, a cylinder and a cube. At this stage, the shapes need to be 3D, so make your shapes look like a ball, a can and a dice.

The letters H, F, HB, and B are used to represent the texture of a graphite pencil in the grading structure. Continue where your 6B lines finished and, using a 5B pencil, continue the contour lines across the middle of the sphere. Bending the lines slightly will add definition to the sphere. Now the difficult part—we need to draw the shadows between clumps to make fur pop. There are certain "signs" you can use as a base, but you need to try it yourself to understand how to draw a fur clump. Practice on the side for a moment if you're not sure how to do it.Proko. Is one of my favorite teachers who surpasses in the teaching of Anatomy and Figure drawing. Prokos course breaks down the drawing of the human body into easy-to-follow components aiding the beginner to make rapid progress. For this, I really like Proko. A 9B pencil is the highest in the B grade, but it is also the darkest and softest graphite pencil available.