Pencil and Graphite Drawing
Pencils are the one of the first things we all begin to draw with; the only tool that we may use earlier are crayons. Pencils are an extremely versatile medium. Given the wide variety of styles and shapes we have to choose from, they can provide us with many types of lines and forms.
Another thing that makes it such a versatile medium is the variety of hard and soft lead. Often called a "lead pencil", it is not made from lead but from graphite. Actually a combination of graphite and clay. The ratio of graphite to clay determines the hardness of a pencil. They come in a range from 9H (very hard) to 9B (very soft), and in the middle we find HB.
To Get Started
You do not need a lot to get started in pencil drawing, just a pencil and some paper. An eraser really isn't needed to get started. In fact, in all of my drawing classes the instructor discouraged us from trying to erease lines we considered mistakes. These "mistakes' often added additional character to a drawing. There are several types of pencils; the type of drawing you do will determine the type of pencil you choose.
The most common types of pencils are the standard hexagonal pencil, round drawing pencil, mechanical pencil, large hexagonal pencil, rectangular lead pencil, and the Graphite stick, all of which come in various sizes.
