Best Graphite Drawing Pencils

Not all pencils are alike. The regular, everyday HB or #2 pencil is not the ideal pencil to complete a fine art drawing. It works fine to start off learning to sketch, but eventually you will want pencils that give you fine lines and dark shading. Below I explain the different grades of graphite pencils and review some of the best pencils for graphite drawing.

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Graphite Drawing Pencils

Graphite pencils are composed of a mixture of graphite and clay encased in a lacquered wood casing (usually cedar). You can also buy wood-less pencils, which are graphite and clay coated with lacquer, to keep your fingers clean.

Most manufacturers outside of the US use the HB scale to grade pencils. H represents the pencil’s hardness, while B represents its blackness.

Manufacturers also include numbers with the letters. A 9H would be the hardest and give you the lightest stroke. A 9B would be the softest and give you the darkest stroke.

F is a balance between soft and hard, while HB is equivalent to your average #2 writing pencil.

Since there are no set international standards for pencil grades, there will be slight variations between brands depending on the country where they were manufactured.

H and B Grades of Graphite Pencils

The H grades of graphite pencils contain a higher proportion of clay and make lighter marks. They stay sharp longer and can be sharpened to a finer point.  A light hand is recommended since it is easier to scratch your drawing paper with these pencils. The H grades are excellent for making very fine lines or light sketches, but they are difficult to erase completely from the paper.

The B grades of pencils have more graphite, so they are softer and make darker marks. Because of their softness, they are much easier to blend. B-grade pencils are smooth and perfect for making dark shadows. They are easier to erase than the H pencils, but they are also easier to smudge.

Pencil grades vary slightly among manufacturers, so you may get a slightly lighter or darker mark with the same number pencil from different brands. Over time you will mix and match your own set that you are comfortable with.

Comparing Graphite Drawing Pencils

There are many, many drawing pencils on the market. I have reviewed just a few of the more popular professional brands below. Finding the brand or brands you like takes a bit of experimenting. These are just some general observations to get you started.

Staedtler Mars Lumograph   

My favourite pencils are Mars Lumograph, which are also the favourites of many artists. They are well constructed and don’t break easily. Mars Lumograph comes in a full range of grades from 9H to 9B.

Staedtler also manufactures a Mars Lumograph Black pencil in a limited range of 2B, 4B, 6B, and 8B. These pencils are excellent for creating very dark shadows and backgrounds.

Staedtler graphite pencils are moderately priced and readily available. They can be purchased in sets of various sizes or individually as needed.

Derwent Graphic and Drawing Sets  

This is a good set of pencils that come in a full range of grades. They are slightly thicker than most drawing pencils, so it can be hard to get a fine line.

The quality of the graphite in their older sets tended to be a bit inconsistent, but Derwent seems to have solved that problem in their newer pencils.

Derwent drawing pencils can be purchased individually in soft, medium, and hard sets.

Faber Castell 9000  

A high quality graphite pencil made in Germany. They are easy to sharpen and erase. They smudge less than other graphite pencils but are harder to blend.

Tombow Mono Professional Drawing Pencils  

These Japanese made pencils are a little darker than most graphite pencils and do not smudge as easily. They come in a range of 6H -6B.  This set includes the Tombow Mono eraser which is a pencil like eraser great for erasing fine lines for hair and whiskers and erasing in small areas.

Cretacolor Monolith Woodless Graphite Pencils  

These are beautiful pencils to work with. They are woodless and water-soluble, enabling you to get soft washes of graphite. They are slightly heavier than other graphite pencils and feel good in the hand.

Caran D’Ache Graphite

These premium pencils, manufactured in Switzerland, can be very pricey but are excellent pencils. They are color-coded for easier use and lay down smooth, even strokes and layers.

Lyra Rembrandt  

A reasonably priced pencil that comes in a range of 6H to 9B. They are hexagonal and give a smooth, consistent mark—good value for your money.

This is a great set to start with. It comes with 7 graphite pencils ranging from 6H to 8B encased in a pretty turquoise lacquer. It also includes 4 woodless graphite pencils and 3 water-soluble graphite pencils. The pencils are smooth, won’t scratch your paper, and can be sharpened to a fine point. They’re great for fine details or smooth, broad shading.

Mechanical Pencils

I always like to have a good-quality mechanical pencil on hand. They are good for very fine lines and initial drawings of landscapes or buildings. Some artists do all of their drawings with a mechanical pencil. It depends on how and what you draw. I have listed three that I have used below, but there are many other options available.

rOtring Rapid Pro  

This is a premium and pricey pencil. It is used mostly for drafting, but I like to use it to get extremely fine lines. The rOtring Rapid Pro is comfortable to use and comes with a sharpener under the cap. It is a solid, well-manufactured pencil with a metal body that is easy to hold.

Faber Castell Grip 2011

This is an award-winning pencil that is reasonably priced. It has a 0.7mm HB lead and is comfortable to hold. It has a triangular shape and grip dots for comfort.

Staedtler Mars 780 Technical Mechanical Pencil 

It is on the lower end of the price range but not lower in quality. It is a very good pencil for drawing, drafting, or writing. It comes with a built-in sharpener. This is the mechanical pencil I use most often.

These are just a few of the many pencils available to artists. You have to experiment with different pencils to find the ones that are right for you.

All artists draw differently. Some are more heavy-handed than others. Some artists like to use just a few pencils, while others like to use a complete range.

Mix and match pencils from different brands to compile a set that you are happy with.

Avoid the cheapest of pencils if you can afford to. The lower-end pencils tend to break or crumble more easily, often scratch your drawing paper, and leave little clumps of graphite.

It can be annoying and frustrating to have your drawing ruined by scratches or inconsistent quality of graphite.

The type of paper you use is also important. Great pencils cannot make up for bad paper. For more information on what kind of paper to use, see my post on choosing the best drawing paper.

I hope this information has helped you decide which pencils to buy. If you have used a pencil you love, let me know in the comments below.

Thanks for reading.

If you have questions, you can leave them in the comments below. You can also join our free Facebook group, Trembeling Art Creative Corner, where you can ask questions, post your work and get to know some fantastic artists from all genres and skill levels. 😊