Brian B. answered • 09/19/19
An artist learns for a lifetime.
The material used in carbon and graphite pencils is structurally different forms of the same element, carbon. In graphite, the atoms are tightly bonded into sheets, but the sheets can slide easily over each other, making graphite soft. Amorphous carbon is a more random arrangement that does not have any crystalline structure.
Graphite pencils are made of a mixture of clay and graphite and their darkness varies from light grey to black. Their composition allows for the smoothest strokes.
Carbon pencils generally are made of a mixture of clay and lamp black, but are sometimes blended with charcoal or graphite depending on the darkness and manufacturer. They produce a fuller, flatter, more neutral black than graphite pencils, but are smoother than charcoal.
