The most important thing about graphite pencils is that they have a unique shine in their strokes. Softer graphite makes darker shades than the harder ones.
These pencils come in two series based on their shades. The first is the ‘H’ series, which stands for ‘Hard,’ resulting in lighter shades. The higher the number on ‘H,’ the harder and lighter it will be. The second is the ‘B’ series, standing for ‘Black.’ The ‘B’ series has softer graphite cores that produce darker marks. The higher the number on ‘B,’ the softer and darker it will be.
Here is a comparison of all graphite shades so that you’ll know which one is best suited for your drawings. After reading this, you’ll understand which pencils are best for realistic drawings and their exact purpose.
Dark Tone Graphite Pencils:
9B
- Shade: Deepest and darkest among all graphite pencils.
- Hardness: Extremely soft.
- Eraser: Kneaded eraser or soft vinyl eraser.
- Best use: Intense shading and dramatic contrast.
- Worst use: Detailed work and fine lines.
7B AND 8B
- Shade: Extremely dark shades
- Hardness: Too soft
- Eraser: Kneaded eraser or soft vinyl eraser
- Best use: Dark shading and deep contrast
- Worst use: Detailed work and fine lines
5B AND 6B
- Shade: Dark tones
- Hardness: Moderately soft lead
- Eraser: Standard vinyl eraser or retractable eraser
- Best Use: Versatile for shading and sketching
- Worst Use: Limited for extremely light areas.
Mid Tone Graphite Pencils:
3B and 4B
- Shade: Medium-dark tones or shades
- Hardness: Balanced between soft and hard lead
- Eraser: Standard vinyl eraser or retractable eraser
- Best Use: Suitable for both shading and detailing work
- Worst Use: Not specialized for extreme tonal ranges.
2B
- Shade: Medium tones or shades
- Hardness: Moderately soft lead
- Eraser: Standard vinyl eraser or retractable eraser
- Best Use: Balanced for general-purpose sketching and shading.
- Worst Use: May lack the richness of darker tones
B
- Shade: Slightly dark tones
- Hardness: Soft lead
- Eraser: Standard vinyl eraser or retractable eraser
- Best Use: Delicate shading, light sketching, and outlining.
- Worst Use: Insufficient for very light areas.
Light Tone Graphite Pencils:
HB
- Shade: Neutral tones (Middle of the hardness scale)
- Hardness: Medium lead
- Eraser: Precision eraser or standard vinyl eraser
- Best Use: Versatile for both writing and drawing.
- Worst Use: Can be considered too average for specialized work.
F and H
- Shade: Slightly lighter than HB
- Hardness: Fine point, slightly harder than HB
- Eraser: Precision eraser or standard vinyl eraser
- Best Use: Detail work, fine lines, and technical drawing.
- Worst Use: Not optimal for shading or very dark lines.
Very Light Tone Graphite Pencils:
2H to 9H
- Shade: Too light
- Hardness: Extremely hard
- Eraser: Precision eraser or hard vinyl eraser
- Best Use: Detail work, fine lines, and technical drawing.
- Worst Use: Not suited for shading or very dark lines.
In my opinion, with only one pencil from mid-tones and one from dark ones, you can achieve pretty much every shade in the spectrum and make realistic drawings. In the end, you know what you need and can choose from all those shades.
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