The pencil is probably the oldest and most simple drawing tool in the world. It can be used in any situation and at any temperature, even above your head. When used together with an eraser, you can always redo any stroke at any time. It is therefore the perfect drawing tool for beginners as well as – thanks to its numerous degrees of hardness – advanced users. In many drawing and painting techniques it is employed at the beginning of a work of art, as it is used to sketch the motif. But impressive works can be created from pure pencil drawings too. If you prefer your art to be more colourful, you can use crayons.

Learn more about pencils here

The classic pencil comprises a wooden body and the pencil lead. This is manufactured from a mix of graphite, clay and impregnating agents such as wax and grease. After the mixture has been mixed together and pressed into thin strands, the pencil lead has to harden in an oven at approx. 900°C. This sets the clay and gives the pencil lead its hardness. The graphite element determines the blackness of the pencil. A good pencil is characterised by an even proportion of graphite. The wood also plays a decisive role in the quality of the pencil. For our MONO 100 range, cedarwood is used as it can be sharpened easily and evenly. Wood is a natural product. The growth, colour, structure and fibre are unique to each tree. For this reason you may notice differences between individual pencils that result from the wood. These differences do not represent a lack of quality.

In addition to the wooden pencil, there are also a large number of mechanical pencils that are not set in wood, but whose lead is encased in a refillable metal housing. 

The composition of coloured pencils is similar, except that instead of graphite they contain various colour pigments and additional mineral fillers such as talcum or kaolin. 

The various degrees of hardness result from the proportion of clay versus graphite.  More clay gives the lead greater strength and more graphite means a darker mark is left on the paper. The scale of the MONO 100 line ranges from 9H (hard), encompassing various degrees from HB (hard black), F (firm) to 6B (black). As there is no fixed definition for the various degrees of hardness, an HB pencil can vary from manufacturer to manufacturer.

A different ratio between clay and graphite results in different degrees of hardness.

3B

Hatching for copying originals

Here, as much graphite as possible is required, which is why a soft pencil is an advantage. You can find out exactly how to go about this in the tutorial Watercolour Popcorn Lettering.

5B-6B

Shading of sketches

Thanks to the high proportion of graphite, the pencil is very soft and can be smudged well. This means that you can create flowing shading.