A friend of mine, who wants to start drawing, asked me why the sketching pencils have numbers and letters on them. Those are what’s called a Graphite Grading Scale.
The scale is a code to tell the hardness and blackness of each pencil. Simply put, the number next to an “H” relays the hardness of the core. The higher the number, the harder the core AND the lighter the mark. The numbers next to a “B” indicate the blackness of the core. The higher the number with a “B”, the softer the core and darker the mark, as it leaves more graphite behind on the paper. And then there’s that one pencil with an HB on it, without a number. It’s right in the middle, and otherwise goes by the name of a “#2 pencil”.
As a beginning artist, it’s good to have some choices to draw with. I’d start with a 4H, 2H, HB, 2B, and a 4B. This would give a nice range, without being overwhelming. As far as quality and brand names, I stay pretty middle of the road until I develop a a preference. Derwent is an excellent quality product, reflected by the highter cost. However, Faber-Castell always puts out a good product, and at half the price. But hey, grab any pencil lying around. Just get started and DRAW!
