In the section on the question Who understands the marking of pencils - 2B, B, HB, given by the author Alexander Chumakov the best answer is
Pencils differ in the hardness of the lead, which is usually indicated on the pencil and indicated by the corresponding letters. Pencil hardness markings vary from country to country. On the pencil, you can see the letters T, MT and M. If the pencil is made abroad, then the letters will be H, HB, B, respectively. Before the letters, a number is indicated, which is an indicator of the degree of hardness of the pencil.
Pencil hardness markings:
US: #1, #2, #2½, #3, #4.
Europe: B, HB, F, H, 2H.
Russia: M, TM, T, 2T.
Hardest: 7H,8H,9H.
Hard: 2H,3H,4H,5H,6H.
Medium: H,F,HB,B.
Soft: 2B,3B,4B,5B,6B.
Softest: 7B,8B,9B.
Answer from Alexander Kobzev[guru]
artists))) and draftsmen))
Answer from Sedoy[guru]
H - hard, M or B - soft and softness levels
Answer from Tiger[guru]
Pencils differ in the hardness of the lead, which is usually indicated on the pencil and is indicated by the letters M (or B) - soft and T (or H) - hard. A standard (hard-soft) pencil, in addition to combinations of TM and HB, is denoted by the letter F.
Answer from Galchenok ......[active]
2B - hard lead. B - medium hardness. HB - soft
Answer from Sergey[newbie]
B means soft lead, 2B is a very soft pencil and is good for shading, B is a soft lead pencil, H is a hard lead pencil, and HB is a hard-soft pencil. Depending on the softness or hardness, lines of different thicknesses are drawn. Well, in my opinion, NV is suitable for all cases. Well, randomly in drawing they use pencils of different softness.
Koh-i-Noor Hardtmuth on Wikipedia
See the wikipedia article for Koh-i-Noor Hardtmuth
What could be easier than a pencil? This simple tool, familiar to everyone since childhood, is not as primitive as it seems at first glance. It allows you not only to draw, write and draw, but also to create a variety of artistic effects, sketches, paintings! Any artist must be able to draw with a pencil. And, more importantly, understand them.
Graphite ("simple") pencils are pretty different from each other. By the way, "pencil" comes from two Turkic words - "kara" and "dash" (black stone).
The pen's nib is set in a frame made of wood or plastic, and may be made of graphite, charcoal, or other materials. The most common type - graphite pencils - differ in the degree of rigidity.
Let's start!
Pavel Chistyakov, professor at the St. Petersburg Academy of Arts of the 19th-early 20th century, advised to start by putting paint aside and practicing drawing “with a pencil for at least a year.” The great artist Ilya Repin never parted with pencils. Pencil drawing is the basis of any painting.
The human eye distinguishes about 150 shades of gray. An artist who draws with graphite pencils has three colors at his disposal. White (paper color), black and gray (color of graphite pencils of different hardness). These are achromatic colors. Drawing only with a pencil, only in shades of gray allows you to create images that convey the volume of objects, the play of shadows and glare of light.
Lead hardness
The hardness of the lead is indicated on the pencil with letters and numbers. Manufacturers from different countries (Europe, USA and Russia) have different markings for the hardness of pencils.
Rigidity designation
In Russia hardness scale looks like this:
- M - soft;
- T - solid;
- TM - hard-soft;
European scale somewhat wider (marking F does not have a Russian equivalent):
- B - soft, from blackness (blackness);
- H - hard, from hardness (hardness);
- F is the middle tone between HB and H (from the English fine point - subtlety)
- HB - hard-soft (Hardness Blackness - hardness-blackness);
IN THE USA a number scale is used to indicate the stiffness of a pencil:
- #1 - corresponds to B - soft;
- #2 - corresponds to HB - hard-soft;
- #2½ - corresponds to F - medium between hard-soft and hard;
- #3 - corresponds to H - hard;
- #4 - corresponds to 2H - very hard.
Pencil pencil strife. Depending on the manufacturer, the tone of the line drawn with a pencil of the same marking may differ.
In Russian and European marking of pencils, the number before the letter indicates the degree of softness or hardness. For example, 2B is twice as soft as B and 2H is twice as hard as H. Pencils are commercially available and are labeled 9H (hardest) to 9B (softest).
soft pencils
Start from B before 9B.
The most commonly used pencil when creating a drawing is HB. However, this is the most common pencil. With this pencil draw the basis, the shape of the picture. HB handy for drawing, creating tonal spots, it is not too hard, not too soft. Draw dark places, highlight them and place accents, a soft pencil will help to make a clear line in the picture. 2B.
Hard pencils
Start from H before 9H.
H- a hard pencil, hence - thin, light, "dry" lines. With a hard pencil, draw solid objects with a clear outline (stone, metal). With such a hard pencil, according to the finished drawing, over the shaded or shaded fragments, thin lines are drawn, for example, strands are drawn in the hair.
The line drawn with a soft pencil has a slightly loose outline. A soft lead will allow you to reliably draw representatives of the fauna - birds, hares, cats, dogs.
If it is necessary to choose between a hard or soft pencil, artists take a pencil with a soft lead. An image drawn with such a pencil is easy to shade with a piece of thin paper, a finger or an eraser. If necessary, you can finely sharpen the graphite core of a soft pencil and draw a thin line similar to the line from a hard pencil.
The figure below shows more clearly the hatching of different pencils:
Hatching and drawing
Strokes on paper are drawn with a pencil inclined at an angle of about 45 ° to the plane of the sheet. To make the line bolder, you can rotate the pencil around the axis.
Light areas are shaded with a hard pencil. Dark areas are correspondingly soft.
It is inconvenient to hatch with a very soft pencil, as the stylus quickly becomes dull and the fineness of the line is lost. The way out is to either sharpen the point very often, or use a harder pencil.
When drawing, they gradually move from light to dark areas, since it is much easier to darken a part of the drawing with a pencil than to make a dark place lighter.
Please note that the pencil must be sharpened not with a simple sharpener, but with a knife. The lead should be 5-7mm long, which allows you to tilt the pencil and achieve the desired effect.
Graphite pencil lead is a fragile material. Despite the protection of the wooden shell, the pencil requires careful handling. When dropped, the lead inside the pencil breaks into pieces and then crumbles during sharpening, making the pencil unusable.
Nuances to know when working with pencils
For hatching at the very beginning, you should use a hard pencil. Those. the driest lines are made with a hard pencil.
The finished drawing is drawn with a soft pencil to give it richness and expressiveness. Soft pencil leaves dark lines.
The more you tilt the pencil, the wider its mark will be. However, with the advent of pencils with a thick lead, this need is no longer necessary.
If you do not know how the final drawing will look like, it is recommended to start with a hard pencil. With a hard pencil, you can gradually dial the desired tone. At the very beginning, I myself made the following mistake: I took too soft a pencil, which made the drawing dark and incomprehensible.
Pencil frames
Of course, the classic version is a lead in a wooden frame. But now there are also plastic, varnished and even paper frames. The lead on these pencils is thick. On the one hand, this is good, but on the other hand, such pencils are easy to break if put in a pocket or dropped unsuccessfully.
Although there are special cases for carrying pencils (for example, I have a set of KOH-I-NOOR Progresso black lead pencils - good, solid packaging, like a pencil case).
What is a pencil? This is a kind of instrument that looks like a rod made of writing material (charcoal, graphite, dry paints, etc.). Such a tool is widely used in writing, drawing and drawing. As a rule, the writing rod is inserted into a convenient frame. pencils can be colored and "simple". That's just about such "simple" pencils today we'll talk, or rather about what types of graphite pencils exist.
Interesting from history
The very first object, remotely resembling a pencil, was invented in the 13th century. It was a thin silver wire soldered to the handle. Stored this "silver pencil" in a special case. To draw with such a pencil, remarkable skill and skill was required, because it was impossible to erase what was written. In addition to the "silver pencil" there was also "lead"- it was used for sketches.
Approximately in the 14th century, "Italian pencil": rod made of clay black shale. Later, the rod was made from burnt bone powder mixed with vegetable glue. Such a pencil gave a clear and color-saturated line. By the way, this kind of writing instruments are still used by some artists to achieve a certain effect.
Graphite pencils have been known since the 16th century. Their appearance is very interesting: in the Cumberland area, English shepherds found a certain dark mass in the ground, with which they began to mark sheep. Since the color of the mass was similar to lead, it was mistaken for metal deposits, but later they began to make thin sharp sticks from it, which were used for drawing. The sticks were soft and often broke, and dirty hands, so it was necessary to put them in some kind of case. The rod began to be clamped between wooden sticks or pieces of wood, wrapped in thick paper, tied with twine.
As for the graphite pencil that we are used to seeing today, Nicolas Jacques Conte is considered to be its inventor. Conte became the author of the recipe when graphite was mixed with clay and subjected to high temperature treatment - as a result, the rod was strong and, in addition, this technology made it possible to regulate the hardness of graphite.
Types of pencils
Graphite pencils come in two main types: soft and hard. As a rule, the degree of softness or hardness is indicated on the body of the pencil. So, the letter "M" means that the lead is soft, the letter "T" is hard, and the letter combination "TM" tells us that the pencil is hard-soft. Numbers are sometimes located next to the letters - they indicate the degree. For example, "2M", "3T", etc.
A visual difference between pencils depending on the degree of softness or hardness
In Europe, hardness and softness are also denoted by letters, but by others: "H" - hard, "B" - soft, "HB" - hard-soft. It is more convenient for an artist to have all types of pencils in his arsenal: for sketching, drawing, hatching, etc.
It is important to properly store pencils and, of course, take care of them. Try not to drop the pencils on the floor, as the lead may simply break on impact. In addition, "simple" pencils do not like high humidity - after the lead becomes damp and dries again, it will deform.
The type of graphite pencils can also be attributed to a mechanical pencil. The lead of such a pencil is movable - the length is regulated by a special button. Mechanical pencils can have very thin leads (0.1 mm) or fairly thick leads (5 mm). By the way, professional artists are increasingly opting for high quality mechanical pencils.
By the way, the combination of different types of pencils in one drawing gives excellent results.
Let's see how amazing pencil drawings can be.
Drawings with graphite pencils have their own charm. Experiment with different types of pencils, look for your own unique style!
What could be easier than a pencil? This simple tool, familiar to everyone since childhood, is not as primitive as it seems at first glance. It allows you not only to draw, write and draw, but also to create a variety of artistic effects, sketches, paintings! Any artist must be able to draw with a pencil. And, more importantly, understand them.
Graphite ("simple") pencils are pretty different from each other. By the way, "pencil" comes from two Turkic words - "kara" and "dash" (black stone).
The pen's nib is set in a frame made of wood or plastic, and may be made of graphite, charcoal, or other materials. The most common type - graphite pencils - differ in the degree of rigidity.
The human eye distinguishes about 150 shades of gray. An artist who draws with graphite pencils has three colors at his disposal. White (paper color), black and gray (color of graphite pencils of different hardness). These are achromatic colors. Drawing only with a pencil, only in shades of gray allows you to create images that convey the volume of objects, the play of shadows and glare of light.
Lead hardness
The hardness of the lead is indicated on the pencil with letters and numbers. Manufacturers from different countries (Europe, USA and Russia) have different markings for the hardness of pencils.
Rigidity designation
In Russia, the hardness scale looks like this:
M - soft; T - hard; TM - hard soft;
The European scale is somewhat wider (marking F does not have a Russian equivalent):
B - soft, from blackness (blackness); H - hard, from hardness (hardness); F - this is the average tone between HB and H (from the English fine point - thinness) HB - hard-soft (Hardness Blackness - hardness-blackness );
In the US, a scale of numbers is used to indicate the hardness of a pencil:
Corresponds to B - soft; - corresponds to HB - hard-soft; - corresponds to F - medium between hard-soft and hard; - corresponds to H - solid; - corresponds to 2H - very hard.
Pencil pencil strife. Depending on the manufacturer, the tone of the line drawn with a pencil of the same marking may differ.
In Russian and European marking of pencils, the number before the letter indicates the degree of softness or hardness. For example, 2B is twice as soft as B and 2H is twice as hard as H. Pencils are commercially available and are labeled 9H (hardest) to 9B (softest).
soft pencils
Start from B to 9B.
The most commonly used pencil when creating a drawing is HB. However, this is the most common pencil. With this pencil draw the basis, the shape of the picture. HB is good for painting, creating tonal spots, it is not too hard, not too soft. To draw dark places, highlight them and place accents, a soft 2B pencil will help to make a clear line in the picture.
Hard pencils
Start from H to 9H.
H is a hard pencil, hence the thin, light, "dry" lines. With a hard pencil, draw solid objects with a clear outline (stone, metal). With such a hard pencil, according to the finished drawing, over the shaded or shaded fragments, thin lines are drawn, for example, strands are drawn in the hair.
Hatching and drawing
Strokes on paper are drawn with a pencil inclined at an angle of about 45 ° to the plane of the sheet. To make the line bolder, you can rotate the pencil around the axis.
Light areas are shaded with a hard pencil. Dark areas are correspondingly soft.
When drawing, they gradually move from light to dark areas, since it is much easier to darken a part of the drawing with a pencil than to make a dark place lighter.
Graphite pencil lead is a fragile material. Despite the protection of the wooden shell, the pencil requires careful handling. When dropped, the lead inside the pencil breaks into pieces and then crumbles during sharpening, making the pencil unusable.
And a little about pencils, whose companies you may have known for a long time.
"Constructor"
Well-proven inexpensive pencils are made of high-quality wood, the lead does not break and is easy to sharpen. Eco-friendly, easy to grip, and the stylus hardness markings always match the letters on the pencil (the last two are pretty obvious, but artists forum users often mention them in their descriptions).
Quite good, high-quality pencils, many artists are a favorite model. Sold in sets of 24 pieces. They have a strong body, sharpen well. As features of these pencils, their persistent and rather specific smell is noted, as well as, pardon the tautology, the softness of soft pencils. They are really much softer than similar models by other companies, the softest ones even crumble and smear a little. But in general, this is a great option even for the pros, very comfortable and high-quality pencils.
“Koh-i-noor”
High-quality, perfectly sharpened, these pencils are easily erased and do not break at all, even after repeated falls on the floor.
Sold individually or in stylish metal boxes - in general, they are a pleasure to use. The only drawback is the price, they are often one of the most expensive in the assortment of a single store. By the way, they got their name in honor of the large Kohinoor diamond, one of the most famous gems in the world.
If you have your favorite brand of pencils, then you can tell us about it in the comments.
Thank you for your attention!
In everyday life and work, each of us, to one degree or another, needs pencils. For people of such professions as an artist, designer and draftsman, such a value as the hardness of a pencil is important.
History of pencils
In the 13th century, the first prototypes of pencils appeared, made of silver or lead. It was impossible to erase what was written or drawn by them. In the 14th century, they began to use a rod made of clay black slate, which was called the "Italian pencil".
In the 16th century, in the English town of Cumberland, shepherds accidentally stumbled upon a deposit of a material that looks very similar to lead. It was not possible to get bullets and shells from it, but they were excellent at drawing and marking sheep. They began to make thin rods from graphite, sharpened at the end, which were not suitable for writing and were very dirty.
A little later, one of the artists noticed that it was much more convenient to draw with graphite sticks fixed in a tree. This is how simple slate pencils got a body. Of course, at that time no one thought about the hardness of a pencil.
Modern pencils
The type in which pencils are known to us today was invented at the end of the 18th century by the French scientist Nicolas Jacques Conte. At the end of XIX and beginning of XX century. Several important changes were made to the design of the pencils.
So, Count Lothar von Fabercastle changed the shape of the pencil body from round to hexagonal. This made it possible to reduce the rolling of pencils from various inclined surfaces used for writing.
And the American inventor Alonso Townsend Cross, who thought about reducing the amount of consumable material, made a pencil with a metal body and a graphite rod extended to the desired length.
Why is hardness so important?
Any person who has drawn or drawn something at least a couple of times will say that pencils can leave strokes and lines that differ in color saturation and thickness. Such characteristics are important for engineering specialties, because at first any drawing is done with hard pencils, for example T2, and at the final stage - with softer ones, marked M-2M, in order to increase the clarity of the lines.
No less important is the hardness of the pencil for artists, both professionals and amateurs. Pencils with soft leads are used to create sketches and sketches, and harder ones are used to finalize the work.
What are pencils?
All pencils can be divided into two large groups: simple and colored.
A simple pencil has such a name because it is structurally very simple, and it writes with the most ordinary graphite lead, without any additives. All other types of pencils have a more complex structure and the mandatory introduction of various dyes into the composition.
There are quite a few types, the most common are:
- ordinary color, which can be either one-sided or two-sided;
- wax;
- coal;
- watercolor;
- pastel.
Classification of simple graphite pencils
As already mentioned, graphite leads are installed in ordinary pencils. An indicator such as the hardness of a pencil lead is the basis for their classification.
Different countries have adopted different markings indicating the hardness of pencils, of which the most common are European, Russian and American.
The Russian and European markings of black lead, as simple pencils are also called, differ from the American one in the presence of both an alphabetic and a digital designation.
To indicate the hardness of a pencil in the Russian marking system, it is accepted that: T - hard, M - soft, TM - medium. To clarify the degree of softness or hardness, numerical values are entered, next to the alphabetic ones.
In European countries, the hardness of ordinary pencils is also indicated by letters taken from words that characterize hardness. So, for soft pencils, the letter “B” is used from the word blackness (blackness), and for hard pencils, the letter “H” is used from English hardness (hardness). In addition, there is also an F marking, coming from the English fine point (thinness) and showing the average type of pencil. It is the European system of marking hardness with letters that is considered the world standard and is the most common.
And in the American system, which determines the hardness of pencils, the designation is carried out only in numbers. Where 1 is soft, 2 is medium and 3 is hard.
In the event that no marking is indicated on the pencil, then by default it belongs to the hard-soft (TM, HB) type.
What does hardness depend on?
Today, graphite is also used to make the lead of a graphite pencil. The hardness of the pencil depends on the proportions of these substances mixed at the initial stages of production. The more white kaolin clay is laid, the harder the pencil is. If the amount of graphite is increased, then the lead will be softer.
After mixing all the necessary components, the resulting mixture is fed into the extruder. It is in it that rods of a given size are formed. Then the graphite rods are fired in a special furnace, the temperature of which reaches 10,000 0 C. After firing, the rods are immersed in a special oil solution that creates a surface protective film.
