Woodless Pencils
Woodless pencils have only a thin coating over their thick cores. This is a novel idea, but woodless pencils are prone to breaking, especially when carried in a pocket! Use pencils with wood surrounding the core instead.
Though one pencil may look just like any other, there are many different types of pencils to choose from. Each has different uses to achieve a wide range of results. One difference among pencils is the core, which may be made of graphite, carbon or charcoal. I especially like the graphite (commonly mislabeled lead) pencil because it can easily be erased, it comes in many degrees of firmness and it does not easily smear. Carbon and charcoal pencils provide rich, dark colors but they don't erase as well, smear easily and have a very soft feel. Black colored pencils don't smear, but they don't erase well and have a firm but waxy feel.
Hardness is another important quality to consider when selecting pencils. Ratings, usually stamped on the pencils, range from H (hard) to B (soft), with F and HB in the middle. For the demos in this book, we will use 4H, HB and 4B graphite pencils. These will provide a range in hardness without requiring you to keep track of an overwhelming number of pencils. 8B pencils create nice darks, but they are so soft that they need to be continually sharpened.
4H, HB and 4B graphite pencils are used for the demonstrations in this book, but you may choose to use a different combination of pencil grades or a mechanical pencil for your own drawings apart from this book. If you are trying to duplicate the finished drawings in this book, make it easy on yourself and work with the same materials suggested, or you may end up frustrated, wondering why you achieved different results.
Woodless pencils have only a thin coating over their thick cores. This is a novel idea, but woodless pencils are prone to breaking, especially when carried in a pocket! Use pencils with wood surrounding the core instead.
Use hex-shaped pencils instead of round pencils because round pencils roll and can get away from you.
To get more miles out of your pencils, use a pencil extender on the end of a pencil that has been shortened by use.
If you want to draw a thin line, you will need a sharp point on the tip of your pencil. You can sharpen your pencils in two ways: with a pencil sharpener or by hand, using a craft knife and a sandpaper pad.
A pencil sharpener is the quickest and easiest way to keep the tips of your pencils sharp.
For a controlled point that exposes more of the core, sharpen your pencil with a craft knife and sandpaper pad. The top pencil was sharpened with a pencil sharpener, the bottom pencil was sharpened with a craft knife and sandpaper pad.
Grip the pencil in one hand, with the point away from you, and the craft knife in the other. Push the thumb holding the pencil against the thumb holding the knife to create leverage so the blade cuts into the pencil. Cut, then turn the pencil and repeat the process until you've worked the area into a point.
Sand the core back and forth on the sanding pad for a sharp point.
To avoid having to search and squint to read the markings on the sides of your pencils, label the pencil ends with nail polish or colored tape. Place the nail polish or tape toward the top of the pencil, but avoid covering the rating stamp or placing it where the pencil extender would cover it.
