My most favourite medium is graphite. That’s probably because that’s the first medium I used when I decided I wanted to improve on my drawing skills. As with all other materials, the amount of choices you have seem to be endless. In this post I will tell you what my experiences are with the different brands, drawing paper and other materials.
General
Graphite, to me, is also the hardest medium, since all pencils give you the same color, and it’s up to you to decide the value of that color to get to the contrast needed to create depth and detail. Luckily graphite pencils come in a different hardness (from 9H to 14B) where H is the hardest (and lightest) gray and 14B is the softest (and darkest) gray. And during the drawing process, it’s all about adding layers on layers of graphite, until you achieve the right tonal values for your drawing. But be aware! Graphite shines, and it shines a lot! So the more layers and the more blending, the more your drawing will turn into something that resembles a mirror. And that’s where it becomes interesting!
Can I mix graphite pencils with graphite pencils of other brands?
Sure you can! Not all brands have the same range of tonal values, some brands go from 8 or 9H up to 8 or 9B and sometimes that range is even smaller.
Isn’t any graphite pencil brand the same as any other graphite pencil brand?
Yes, because graphite is graphite. Also no, because it’s the manufacturing process that slightly changes how that graphite behaves. And even though most brands have similar tonal values for similar hardness, the pencil itself still may feel different to work with, the pencil may slide over your paper more or less easy, the shine in some brands is harder to avoid but there are also brands that have improved their pencils to a point that they have no or minimal shine. Then there’s the thickness of the lead, the breakage (or lack thereof) of the leads and of course, the range.
Is there a brand you would recommend above all other brands?
No, I have a multitude of brands I use, simply because I mix my pencils. Not only between various drawings, but also in the same drawing. I do however have one pencil I use in all my drawings so if I recommend any pencil, it would be that one. It’s the Prismacolor Ebony pencil. Prismacolor added a bit of charcoal in the graphite, making it a pencil with one of the darkest tonal values out there. And the lead is soft when needed but also easily sharpened to a sharp point for all needed details.
Graphite pencils
Bruynzeel Expression
The very first brand I bought when I started drawing. Soft, smooth pencil and very affordable.
Bruynzeel Rijksmuseum
Much like the Bruynzeel Expression. A nice set of graphite pencils. They are a bit shiny, especially in the higher B values
Caran d'Ache Grafwood
One of my favorite brands. More expensive too though. They are smooth, good tonal values and to me, they feel good when holding. A plus to me is that I can see the values when looking at the pencils themselves, I do not have to search for the H or B value. That makes these a bit more intuitive for me
Cretacolor Fine Art Graphic
Not too big of a range but very nice pencils to draw with. If you need darker values you have to add those from other brands though.
Derwent Graphic
Also one of my favorite brands. Even though these shine as well when you layer too much. But they draw as if I was born with these attached to my hand (that's quite personal, I realize that).
Faber Castell 9000
Professional brand, professional set with a wide range of tonal values. They do shine but when you finish your top layer(s) with the Faber Castell matt pencils, you'll achieve a nice end result. Most of my drawings were done with at least one pencil out of this set.
Faber Castell matt
Great addition to the Faber Castell graphite pencil range. Not only do these graphite pencils not shine as much as other brands, they go up to 14B, which helps with achieving near-black tonal values.
General's Hex graphite
Small set of pencils, not to big of a tonal range but General's stand for good quality so these make a nice addition to your graphite pencil materials
Hahnemuhle Artist sketching
As with it's other art supplies, Hahnemühle never disappoints, but to me, also never really stands out.
General's Kimberly Graphite pencils
When I discovered General's as an art material supplier, I added a new favorite to my materials. I like these pencils and use them quite often when drawing with graphite pencils. B range as my favorites
Koh-I-Noor Toison D'Or graphite
This is a nice and decent set of graphite pencils. When it comes to quality and use I compare them with the Bruynzeel series.
Prismacolor Turquoise Graphite
Simply great. To me their graphite pencils are of better quality than their colored pencils. A great go-to set for my drawings.
Staedtler Mars Lumograph Black
Like the Faber Castell Matt pencils, these offer a wider range of tonal values that help you achieve a more black-ish contrast. But in this case as well: the more graphite, the more shine on your paper. Great addition to my materials though.
Staedtler Mars Lumograph
The same, but with less tonal value range. I(f you want to limit your brands, you can consider combining the two Staedtler Lumograph sets to achieve a maximum tonal range.
Winsor Newton Graphite pencils
Like the Caran D'Ache, Winsor Newton shows you the tonal values on the entire pencil so you instinctively know whether you go darker or lighter. Not top notch as a brand but most certainly good quality
Wolffs Graphite pencils
Wolffs offer a small range of pencils in a nice quality. Not sufficient if you need to go really dark but with some pencils added from other brands, this set is satisfactory.