Art Pencils and Pens - FAQs

Q1: What is graphite pencil in art?

Answer: Graphite is a metallic grey writing and drawing material most commonly used in pencil form.

Q2: What are the types of graphite pencil?

Answer: Graphite pencils are classified as; soft black (B), hard (H), hard black (HB), and firm (F). They are further classified by numbers according to the lead intensity, the higher the number the higher the intensity.

Q3: What is the difference between art pencils?

Answer: H series pencils have hard but light in intensity lead. Harder pencils produce lighter marks. B series pencils have soft but dark in intensity lead. Softer pencils produce darker marks.

Q4: What does soft mean on a pencil?

Answer: A type of pencil that contains a thicker, oilier and darker form of graphite. Use a soft pencil rather than an HB.

Q5: What are hard pencils used for?

Answer: Hard pencils are good for technical drawing. Do not lubricate, work very accurately. Their lines are more grey than black.

Q6: What is a pastel pencil?

Answer: Pastel pencils are simply pastel material in pencil form. It is easy to sharpened them to a point and used to create details in a drawing. These pastel pencils will work just like regular pastels do.

Q7: Do pastel pencils need fixative?

Answer: Yes, it is recommended to apply a fixative on the pastel pencils.

Q8: Difference between soft pastel and oil pastel?

Answer: Soft pastels are water-base colors, created by combining the pigment with water. They are very dry and chalky, can easily be crumbled. Oil pastels are oil-base colors, created by combining the color pigment with a binder mixture of non-drying oil and wax. Having a waxy and greasy feel, oil pastels are more durable than soft pastels and will not crumble as easily

Q9: Is oil pastel and wax crayon same?

Answer: An Oil pastel is made of pigment mixed with a binder mixture of non-drying oil and wax. A Wax crayon is made without oil. Wax crayons are harder and more brittle but less vibrant than oil pastels.

Q10: What is an eraser pencil?

Answer: Eraser pencils are fine pointed erasers, perfect for erasing fine pointed unwanted areas and also creating unique eraser effects in sketching. Can erases black-lead color pencils and charcoal.