Which Graphite Pencil to Use?

Mechanical pencils are great for fine lines and details, and you never have to sharpen them. While a mechanical pencil is my pencil of choice, the lead is the most important part. 2B is a soft lead that offers a smooth blend. You can also use 4B or 6B with similar results.

What grade of pencil is best for sketching?

When to Use Which Pencil

For simple sketching, the HB pencil is probably the most popular, with artists also favoring the H and the B pencils. For preliminary sketches that will be used as a guide for a painting or illustration, the lighter 2H–4H pencils are ideal.

Which graphite pencil is best for shading?

The 4B is a good choice for darker shading. It's soft enough to give a good layer of graphite quickly without going blunt too fast. The 6B pencil is good for very dark areas, but it's very soft and blunts quickly, so it's difficult to use for detail and tends to look grainy, skimming over the surface of the paper.