Which kind of pencils should be used by a beginner for drawing?

Question

I am curious what people would consider a basic / standard pencil type to have in their toolbox for pencil sketching.There are a ton of variants I see with different hardness/softness etc and I don't plan to do anything advanced just want to sketch things out but I feel like while a regular pencil is just fine maybe there is a common type that may be more appropriate to learn with.If your answer is 'use a regular pencil until you feel it's holding you back' that's fine too, just looking for a little guidance.Trying to understand how to see things differently (mainly perspective) as coming from a technical and CAD background everything I try to sketch comes out reflecting that.Edit:If it makes a difference I am used to drawing lines firmly on paper. So based on my understanding a harder pencil may be more appropriate? Or maybe a softer one to teach myself to not try and stab the paper?

Answer 1

Yes! My background is architectural drawing so I tend to rely on different weights of lead to avoid "stabbing the paper!" This is known as damaging the tooth of the paper.

I tend to draw very lightly so I go for the softer leads but for those that have a heavier hand I would recommend going with a harder lead weight. In addition I would recommend holding the pencil or graphite like a magic wand rather than an instrument for writing.

The magic wand posture is achieved simply by turning the drawing instrument upside down and making marks with it's edge rather than it's point. This technique is further useful if you learn to draw from the shoulder rather than from the knuckles.

I am going to make a video to help further understand how to sharpen and hold pencils for drawing.

Answer 2

Honestly? The answer changes from person to person. What I ended up doing was going out and buying a cheap set of artist pencils with a range of hardness/softness, then experimenting with which ones I liked more. Artist Loft products were good for this: they're not great, but they're pretty cheap, and they'll still give you a good idea of what you like in a pencil.