Graphite for beginners + free PDF guide
What is graphite?
Graphite has two powdery components: graphite (which is a form of carbon) and clay. The more graphite it has, the softer it will feel on the paper and the darker you can draw with it. The more clay it has, the lighter and harder the pencil will be.
Graphite pencils are classified according to a hardness scale. This refers to the mixture of graphite and clay present on the art supply. Hardness levels are mark by words (soft, medium and hard) or by letters and numbers that go from 9H to 14B. How graphite is marked on the art supply depends on the brand and the art supply itself as the same brand might use both.
For example, the brand Derwent uses the letters and numbers system for their graphite pencils, but they use the words system for their solid graphite sticks.
What do those letters and numbers mean?
H = Hard. This pencils are great for technical drawings. They are the lightess range of graphite.
F = Firm. Good for sharpening them to a very fine point.
HB = Hard Black. Also many times refer to as the MIDDLE RANGE pencil. A lot of artists use this pencil for their first sketch.
B = soft Black. They are the darkest range of pencils.
What about the numbers?
H: from 9H to 1H or simply H. The higher the number, the lighter and harder the pencil will be.
HB: this is a middle range. Some brands have a 2HB pencil, but not all of them do.
B: the range goes from B to 14B. For this letter the higher the number, the darker and softer the pencil will be. Most brands stop at 8 or 9B.
Keep in mind is that while there’s a universal range of graphite, pencils brands are not always very comparable, meaning that a 2B pencil might be darker for one brand and lighter for another one, though the difference is usually not huge.
What pencil should I use?
When choosing what type of graphite will work best on your drawing you can ask yourself the following questions?
What am I painting? Is it a background or a portrait for example. How dark should this area be? Do I need a soft or a hard pencil, dark or light? This questions will help guide you as you navigate this new medium.
Forms of graphite
When you go to an art store in order to purchase graphite, you will find that it comes in a lot of different forms.
Mechanical pencils have very fine cores which are typically available in harder grades though nowadays you can find them in softer levels as well. They normally don’t need sharpening, making them ideal for technical drawings, sketching or small details.
Classic wooden cased pencils are available in a full range of grades, but you will need to sharpen them a lot.
Sticks of solid graphite work the same way as your classical pencil. Be aware that sharpening solid graphite pencils on a regular pencil sharpener will blunt the blade much faster than it would with a wooden pencil. It’s better to rub the tip on sandpaper to achieve a point instead.
Blocks of graphite are good for bold, broad strokes.
Powdered graphite can be bought in bags or pots. You can also prepare them by hand by sanding a block of graphite or collecting the sharpenings from your solid graphite sticks or pencils in a jar. This work very well for artists that prefer working with brushes over pencils
Graphite shine
Graphite shine is a normal part of working with graphite. The softer the pencil, the more shine you will get. This shine can also appeared by pressing to hard on the paper with the pencil*. The new pencils by Faber-Castell (Pitt Graphite Matt pencils) reduce the amount of shine making it a good option for softer hardness levels. Note that the shine you get with this new pencils is a lot less than with other pencils, but it won’t dissapeared completely.
*Tip: it’s better to gradually built up layers than press too hard on the paper.
Example of a Derwent graphic vs the Faber-Castell Pitt Graphite Matt pencils, both a 4B level.
Useful tools for graphite
There are lots of tools that can be useful when drawing with graphite. Here are some of the most useful ones.
Blending
So, you have bought your pencils, you have started drawing and you might be thinking “how do artists get that softer look in their drawings?” The answer is blending. Blending can help you achieve a softer look on your drawings.
Blending stumps are specifically made for blending. They are very cheap and they will last years. The best way to clean them is to use sandpaper to remove the graphite that sticks to them. But you don’t need to clean them each time you use them.
Brushes are also very helpful for blending, though if you are using power graphite, you will already be using them for drawing.
Cotton is something that you can find at home. They give a very soft look, they are cheap and easy to use. This is probably the best tool to start with if you don’t want to spend money on tools yet.
Erasers
Erasers can help you with small details while drawing or lifting some of the graphite from the paper. Don‘t just use them to erase mistakes, use them as a tool!
There are many different types of erasers. I’m not going to explain them here as it is not the aim of this guide, but let me know if you would like a guide on that.
Other useful tools
Sand paper: to clean blending stumps or get graphite powder. You can purchase individual sheets of sand paper at a hardware store or supermarket, you don’t need to buy one from an art brand.
Pencil extenders: this is just so that you can use the whole length of the pencil.
Sharpener
X-acto knife: useful for very fine details. Better to practice first in a separate sheet of paper since we need to avoid cutting the paper of our drawing, so we need to learn how to grab it and use it.
Make-up brush: I use them to get dust
My recommendation and tips
A little about my journey with graphite
When I first started my journey with graphite pencils as a child, I got a big range of pencils from H to 6B because it was required for my art lessons. Shortly after stopping those lessons I got my first set of Derwent graphic pencils, in total it had 12 pencils going from H to 9B. At that time, I was 14 years old, I used to draw with each one of this pencils. If I wanted a part of the drawing to be very dark, I will start making my way to that 9B pencils from the HB. These resulted in lots of unnecessary layers that just created more shine.
As I learned more from this technique I realised that I didn’t need to do that. I started selecting the pencils that I wanted to use, reducing the amount of pencils that I actually needed to create something.
My take from this is that
You don’t need a full set to create with graphite!
If I were to start today I’d buy an H, HB, 2B and a 6B. With just this 4 graphite levels you can create beautiful artwork. You will get an idea of what it is like to use this medium without spending too much money on something that you don’t know you will like. Either way you can use this pencils for sketching or to make notes, so it won’t be money going to waste.
My favourite graphite pencils:
Derwent graphic - This is the one I use the most!
Faber-Castell 9000
Faber-Castell pitt graphite matt - 4B and up
Finding what works best for you is a matter of personal preference and experimentation with different brands of pencils.
As you use this medium more, your art style will start defining and you’ll realise whether you use harder or softer levels the most.
