How do hard, soft, and medium charcoal pencils compare against their counterparts in graphite?

Question

***Example:*** For shading, I have ***soft*** charcoal pencil, and ***8B*** graphite pencil. The charcoal pencil I have does not have a specific label except the word "soft" written on it.Both of them are known for dark strokes. What are the guidelines for deciding which one to prefer for shading a flower pot among the above?Does types of paper also play a role in choosing between these two types?

Answer 1

A pencil labeled B, in this case 8B refers to the darkness or blackness it is able to achieve. B pencils are bold, soft and contain thicker lead making darker and larger lines. Whereas H pencils are hard and fine meaning the lead is thinner creating lighter lines.

A 'soft' charcoal pencil will be the same as using a B pencil however it isn't clear which number it is. The larger the number the darker and softer the pencil. Same with H pencils except they will be harder and finer as the number goes up.

Generally charcoal will always reach a richer darker black compared to graphite however, graphite can vary in a wider amount of values more easily creating more naturalistic drawings.

The mediums should react similarly on different paper depending on which types you use. You could consider the color of the paper if you want a greater contrast, or the thickness of the paper to help with blending ability.