Pencils are the go-to tool for artists drawing figures. Pencils are an easy-to-use medium that you’ve likely handled since childhood. They come in diverse forms of softness and hardness and have various chemical makeup. Different companies manufacture their flagship pencils (which, for whatever personal reason, end up being consistently recommended in art classes). My favorite happens to be the Faber-Castell 9000.

One often overlooked benefit of using pencils is that they produce results quickly; unlike oils or acrylics, you don’t need turpentine or a messy side medium to improve the viscosity or quality of the line. Another benefit (which happens to be my favorite) is that it’s easy to maintain.

You don’t have to clean a messy paintbrush (which can take up to 30 minutes) or use a spray to secure the medium onto paper. Simply toss the pencils into a zippered sandwich bag, and off you go!

As with paper, you have a lot of pencils to choose from. Unlike office-supply stores, drawing pencil manufacturers sell a variety of pencils with a wide range of graphite softness or hardness. Graphite grades range from the following: 9H (hardest), 8H, 7H, 6H, 5H, 4H, 3H, 2H, H, F, HB, B, 2B, 3B, 4B, 5B, 6B, 7B, 8B, 9B (softest). H stands for “hard” while B stands for “black.” The higher the H, the harder the lead; the higher the B, the softer the lead.

In general, the standard #2 general-purpose pencil correlates to HB. However, there is no universal grading method that’s shared by pencil manufacturers. Each manufacturer has its own way of determining different grades of hardness and softness. Although harder pencils are preferred by technical drafters (such as architects and mechanical engineers), softer lead pencils are favored by artists. I don’t recommend using anything harder than a 2B for figure drawing (it just was never meant to be!).

When I test a pencil on a sheet of drawing paper, I look for how the medium drags across the paper. Drag refers to the amount of friction or resistance the lead or compressed charcoal puts up when you move it across the paper. Although some softer pencils have less drag, some soft compressed charcoal sticks are so dense that they have more drag than some harder pencils on the smoothest paper. I prefer less drag because it’s easier on the wrist and doesn’t inhibit my drawing speed. Another good way to test the drag is by making strong, short (no more than ½ inch in length), thick-to-thin crosshatch marks. See how each pencil grips the tooth of the paper compared to others. The more smoothly you create the marks, the less drag you get.

The following are just some of the many companies that make great drawing pencils:

✓ Faber-Castell 9000 Drawing Pencil: The company’s signature water varnish-based pencil. Available in ranges from 8B through 6H. These are currently my favorite figure-drawing pencils.

✓ Derwent Graphic Pencil: Uniquely composited from clay and graphite. These pencils boast a wide range of 9H through 9B. Its casing is designed to feel lighter in hand.

✓ Design Drawing 3800 Pencil Untipped: Encased in their classic alligator-skin design, these pencils range from 6H through 6B

✓ General’s Ebony Layout Pencil: These pure, smooth, black graphite pencils are one of the most famous pencils in art classes. The thicker graphite center gives you a broader side to shading values in large areas. This pencil comes in only one type: jet black extra smooth.

✓ General’s Flat Sketching Pencil: Recognized by its flat-shaped wooden casing, this uniquely shaped graphite core gives you the flexibility to create thick-to-thin lines with the rotation of the pencil. These pencils come in 2B, 4B, and 6B choices.

✓ Staedtler Mars Lumograph: Widely used by architects/designers for its ability to sustain a sharp point. These pencils range from 6H through 8B.

✓ Tombow Mono Professional Pencil: Boasts a high-density graphite that’s not only break-resistant but also smearproof (a storyboard artist’s dream). These pencils range from 6H through 6B.

✓ Turquoise Drawing Pencil: Its balanced composite of clay and graphite makes this pencil less prone to breakage. Used widely in studios and classrooms. These pencils range from 7H through 6B.

✓ Wolf’s Carbon Pencil: Has a unique composite of charcoal and graphite. Encased in cedar wood, these pencils are easy to sharpen and are great for detail work. Choices
include B, 2B, 4B, and 6B.

✓ Prismacolor Woodless Drawing Pencil: A pure graphite drawing pencil that needs no sharpening to draw (although you may want to sharpen the tip just a little occasionally). This pencil is an excellent choice for artists who feel the standard wood casing pencils are too light. You have the choices of 2B, 4B, 6B, and 8B.

✓ Faber-Castell PITT Graphite Pure 2900: Faber-Castell’s version of the woodless drawing pencil comes in choices of HB, 3B, 6B, and 9B.

Although my favorite drawing pencil is the Faber-Castell 9000 (and I definitely recommend giving it a try for starters), you need to figure out what best suits your needs. Here are some points to consider as you embark on your journey in search of a compatible drawing pencil:

✓ Beware that products with the same degree of hardness or softness but from two different brands may not be identical. I find that some brands tend to have a more flexible labeling system.

✓ I recommend trying three or four grades of softness or hardness from a single brand (say H, 2B, 6B, and 8B). If you’re new to drawing, avoid pencils harder than H. Leads with more challenging tips are great for drawing technical drawings with precise details, but they don’t provide as much diverse line quality as the softer leads do.

✓ Trying out pencils before committing to buy them is essential. If stores don’t have a test pad to try out, I recommend carrying a piece of drawing scrap paper with you when you enter the store. Although stores don’t allow you to pop open a box of fresh pencils to test one out, some stores have individual pencils in an open display. Those stores may be lenient in letting you draw a couple of lines on a piece of scrap paper to test the pencil.