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My Hobby Drawing – Essay on My Hobby Drawing in English for Students

May 23, 2020 by Leya Leave a Comment

Table of Contents

My Hobby Drawing – Essay 1

When I was 5 years old, I loved to play with colors. I always used to use my elder sister’s pencil colors. Since then, my love for drawing and painting has increased. Everyone has some kind of habit and hobbies, and in my opinion, everyone should have hobbies. There are lots of benefits of hobbies. It gives freedom to express. It gives wings to the creator. It can be a stress bursting.

Essay on my Hobby : My favourite hobby drawing

As I mentioned above, my hobby of drawing started when I was 5. At first, I was just using colors to paint. I used just to draw some random pictures. I used to draw something every day. That is how I developed my drawing skills. I used to take part in various competitions. I was very interested in taking part in multiple events. I won lots of medals, trophies, and certificates by taking participate in these kinds of competitions and events. Apart from that, when I improved my skill, I started painting for others. I used to draw for my friends, cousins, and family members. I used to participate in school events. I was popular among my friends in my school days. Everyone wanted to make drawing for them. It gave me more motivation to do something new and to upgrade my skill.

Why do I love drawing?

I love drawing because it gave me respect. It made me popular among my friends. One of the major reasons why I love drawing because it gives me wings to fly. I can draw anything which is in my mind. I can express my thoughts through drawing. I draw various things. I draw for a social cause. I draw about the current situation. I love drawing because I can speak through my drawing and painting without uttering a word. I love drawing because this hobby is my favorite timepass. I draw in every mood. It helps me put my emotions on the canvas. Whenever I feel low or sad, I just put my sketchbook out from the cupboard and start drawing anything, whatever in my mind. People call it freestyle painting, it means without any purpose. After that, I feel very satisfied.

Benefits of Drawing

There is no particular benefit of drawing. But if we talk, there are many. There are several benefits of drawing, which I will be mentioning below.

It develops fine motor skills. Any specialized movement of hand, wrist, and fingers are included in fine motor skills. As an adult, you rely more on these fine motor skills whenever you type, write, drive, or even when you text on mobile. Holding and manipulating writing implements represent one of the best ways to improve fine motor skills. The drawing creates immediate visual feedback. That depends on what kind of writing instrument the child is holding.

It encourages visual analysis. Children don’t understand the concepts that you take for granted. Such as distance, size, color, or textural differences. Drawing offers the perfect opportunity for your child to learn these concepts. It helps children to get knowledge about fundamental visuals. To support this fundamental visual, give small projects to your children on an everyday basis. Which will help them get the difference between near and far, fat and thin, big and small, etc.?

It helps establish concentration. Most children enjoy drawing. this activity provides time to establish concentration. It helps children to concentrate. It helps children to practice drawing and eventually, it helps children to concentrate. It helps children observe small details.

It helps improves hand-eye concentration. In addition to improving fine motor skills, drawing enables your child to understand the connection between what they see and what they do. This hand-eye coordination is important in athletic and academic scenarios such as penmanship lessons, as well as in recreational situations. For a hand-eye coordination boost, have your child draw an object while looking at it or copy a drawing that you made.

It increases individual confidence. As a parent or guardian, you probably love to hear what your child has made new today. He or she gains confidence. When your child has an opportunity to create physical representations of his or her imagination, thoughts, and experiences. Drawing can help your child feel more intrinsic motivation and validity. This will make him or her more confident in other areas that may not come as naturally as drawing.

It teaches creative problem-solving. Drawing encourages your child to solve problems creatively, Along with visual analysis and concentration. When they draw, your child must determine the best way to connect body parts, portray emotions, and depict specific textures. Always Provide specific drawing tasks, such as creating a family portrait, and talk about your child’s color, method, or special choices that can help him or her develop stronger problem-solving skills over time.

Drawing events

As I mentioned, I loved taking part in the competition. When competing in the event, I used to meet many more talented people. It motivated me. I have lots of painter friends now. Whenever I get stuck in the painting, they help me. When I used to participate, I won lots of medals and trophies. It motivated me a lot, too. Several drawing and painting events are happening every day across the world. I used to take part in most of the interschool and state-level competition. I used to take part in online events, too. It helped me know what kind of talents are there in the world.

My future in drawing

I will try to continue my drawing skills in the future also. I am learning more skills related to painting. I am currently focusing on graphic designing and doodling. The world is moving towards digitalization. That is the reason I am trying my hands there too. There is many things to learn from now. I am looking forward to doing that. Moreover, I am very excited.

In the end, I want to add that everyone should have one hobby. It helps a lot in daily life. It helps to build your social image.

My Hobby Drawing – Essay 2

Drawing is something I enjoy doing in my free time and it is my favourite hobby. Although I love to dance and sing, drawing has a special place in my heart.

When I was in kindergarten, my teacher drew a rose on the blackboard using a few simple shapes. I was surprised that it is so easy to create a rose on paper. I tried drawing it in my book and was really very happy when the little triangles I drew started resembling the flower. That was when I started enjoying drawing.

I understood that all complex images can be drawn by breaking them down into simple shapes. I used to follow instructions from children’s magazines on how you can improve your drawing. Recently, my sister has introduced me to YouTube drawing tutorials. Through these videos, I have learnt to draw beautiful Disney princesses and different types of fruits.

Colour Pencils, Crayons, and Oil Pastels

I was taught to use crayons and pencil colours during art classes in school. Later, I started using oil pastels, as these colours are much brighter than the others. Oil pastels add a special colour pop to the painting and these are easy to use, like crayons. There are several artists in the world who specialise in painting with oil pastels. These works of art also look like oil paintings.

The Motivation to Draw

I feel very happy when I complete a painting and my friends admire my work. My teacher has told me that I am very good at colouring. She has also encouraged me to participate in several drawing competitions as a representative of the school. So I take great pleasure in saying that my hobby is drawing.

One of my biggest sources of inspiration is my mother, who draws like a professional artist! She uses watercolours in most of her paintings. I have recently started using watercolours and I feel it is a lot of fun working with this medium.

The beauty of the colours blending into each other cannot be easily expressed in words. I have used watercolours to paint sunsets and to make abstract paintings. I prefer to use the colours in the tube, rather than the watercolour cakes.

Drawing Events

There are several drawing events that people follow these days. Inktober is an annual event where an artist creates one ink drawing each day for the whole month of October. The drawings will be based on prompts that are decided before the event. Artists display their work on social media and other forums for comments and criticisms.

I am looking forward to participating in Inktober this year. It will be fun to see the different drawings that people come up with for the same prompt.

My Future in Drawing

I intend to continue learning new drawing techniques like mandala art, doodling, and oil painting. There is so much to learn out there, and I am excited to try them all! My mother has promised me that she would enrol me into some painting classes where I can improve my skills in my hobby, drawing. I understand that practise is crucial here, and I should try to draw at least one illustration per day to improve my work.

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Essay on Drawing

500 words essay on drawing.

Drawing is a simplistic art whose concern is with making marks. Furthermore, drawing is a way of communicating or expressing a particular feeling of an artist. Let us focus on this unique form of art with this essay on drawing.

Essay On Drawing

Significance of Drawing

Drawing by itself is an art that gives peace and pleasure. Furthermore, learning the art of drawing can lead to efficiency in other mediums. Also, having an accurate drawing is the basis of a realistic painting.

Drawing has the power to make people more expressive. It is well known that the expression of some people can’t always take place by the use of words and actions only. Therefore, drawing can serve as an important form of communication for people.

It is possible to gain insight into the thoughts and feelings of people through their drawings. Moreover, this can happen by examining the colour pattern, design, style, and theme of the drawing. One good advantage of being able to express through drawing is the boosting of one’s emotional intelligence .

Drawing enhances the motor skills of people. In fact, when children get used to drawing, their motor skills can improve from a young age. Moreover, drawing improves the hand and eye coordination of people along with fine-tuning of the finger muscles.

Drawing is a great way for people to let their imaginations run wild. This is because when people draw, they tend to access their imagination from the depths of their mind and put it on paper. With continuous drawing, people’s imagination would become more active as they create things on paper that they find in their surroundings.

How to Improve Drawing Skills

One of the best ways to improve drawing skills is to draw something every day. Furthermore, one must not feel pressure to make this drawing a masterpiece. The main idea here is to draw whatever comes to mind.

For drawing on a regular basis, one can make use of repetitive patterns, interlocking circles , doodles or anything that keeps the pencil moving. Therefore, it is important that one must avoid something complex or challenging to start.

Printing of a picture one desires to draw, along with its tracing numerous times, is another good way of improving drawing skills. Moreover, this helps in the building of muscle memory for curves and angles on the subject one would like to draw. In this way, one would be able to quickly improve drawing skills.

One must focus on drawing shapes, instead of outlines, at the beginning of a drawing. For example, in the case of drawing a dog, one must first focus on the head by creating an oval. Afterwards, one can go on adding details and connecting shapes.

Get the huge list of more than 500 Essay Topics and Ideas

Conclusion of the Essay on Drawing

Drawing is an art that has the power of bringing joy to the soul. Furthermore, drawing is a way of representing one’s imagination on a piece of paper. Also, it is a way of manipulating lines and colours to express one’s thoughts.

FAQs For Essay on Drawing

Question 1: Explain the importance of drawing?

Answer 1: Drawing plays a big role in our cognitive development. Furthermore, it facilitates people in improving hand-eye coordination, analytic skills, creative thinking, and conceptualising ideas. As such, drawing must be used as a tool for learning in schools.

Question 2: What are the attributes that drawing can develop in a person?

Answer 2: The attributes that drawing can develop in a person are collaboration, non-verbal communication, creativity, focus-orientation, perseverance, and confidence.

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The Joy Of Art: An Essay On My Hobby Drawing

Essay On My Hobby Drawing: Drawing is one of the most ancient forms of human expression. From cave paintings to modern art, drawing has always been an important medium for humans to convey their thoughts and emotions. Drawing as a hobby is a wonderful way to explore your creativity, reduce stress, and improve your focus. In this essay, I will share my personal experience with drawing as a hobby, discuss the benefits of drawing, and provide tips for beginners to improve their skills.

In this blog, we include the Essay On My Hobby Drawing , in 100, 200, 250, and 300 words . Also cover Essay On My Hobby Drawing for classes 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, and up to the 12th class. You can read more Essay Writing in 10 lines, and essay writing about sports, events, occasions, festivals, etc… The Essay On My Hobby Drawing is available in different languages.

Benefits Of Drawing As A Hobby

Drawing as a hobby has several benefits that go beyond the joy of creating a beautiful piece of art. Drawing can help reduce stress and anxiety by providing a meditative and relaxing activity. When we draw, we enter into a state of flow that takes our mind off our worries and focuses it on the present moment.

Drawing can also be therapeutic. Art therapy is an established form of therapy that uses art as a means of expression and healing. Drawing can help us express our emotions, thoughts, and feelings in a non-verbal way. This can be especially helpful for those who find it difficult to express themselves through words.

Another benefit of drawing is that it can improve our focus and mindfulness. When we draw, we have to pay attention to the details of what we are drawing. This requires us to be fully present in the moment, which can improve our overall mindfulness and awareness.

My Experience With Drawing

I started drawing as a hobby when I was a child. I would spend hours creating doodles and sketches in my notebook. As I got older, I continued to draw, but I never considered it to be more than just a fun pastime. It wasn’t until I started experiencing stress and anxiety in my adult life that I realized the therapeutic benefits of drawing.

Drawing has become a form of meditation for me. When I draw, I am fully immersed in the process, and my mind is free from worries and stress. Drawing has also helped me express my emotions in a non-verbal way. When I am feeling overwhelmed or anxious, I can sit down and draw, and it helps me feel more centered and calm.

Drawing Techniques And Tools

Drawing is a skill that can be improved with practice. There are several drawing techniques and materials that can help beginners improve their skills. One of the most important things for beginners is to start with simple shapes and lines. This will help you develop a steady hand and improve your control over the pencil or pen.

There are several drawing materials that beginners can use, including pencils, pens, charcoal, and pastels. Each material has its own unique qualities, and it’s important to experiment with different materials to find the ones that work best for you.

In addition to the materials, there are several drawing techniques that beginners can learn. These include shading, perspective, and composition. Learning these techniques can help beginners create more realistic and dynamic drawings.

Inspiration And Motivation

Inspiration for drawing can come from anywhere and everywhere. Some people find inspiration in nature, while others are inspired by music or literature. One of the best ways to find inspiration is to explore different art forms and styles. This can help you develop your own unique style and vision.

Motivation is also an important factor in the drawing. Like any skill, drawing requires practice and perseverance. It’s important to set goals and challenges for yourself to stay motivated. You can also find motivation by joining a community of artists or taking a drawing class.

Drawing as a hobby has several benefits that go beyond the joy of creating a beautiful piece of art. Drawing can reduce stress, improve focus and mindfulness, and be therapeutic. Learning drawing techniques and experimenting with different materials can help beginners improve their skills. Finding inspiration and staying motivated are also important factors in becoming a skilled artist. Drawing is wonderful.

FAQ’s On Essay On My Hobby Drawing

Question 1. Why is drawing my hobby?

Answer: However, I can tell you that people have different reasons for taking up drawing as a hobby.

Some people find drawing to be a relaxing and meditative activity that helps them reduce stress and anxiety. Others enjoy the creative process and the satisfaction of creating a beautiful piece of art. Some people use drawing as a means of expressing their emotions and thoughts in a non-verbal way.
Drawing as a hobby can also be a way of challenging oneself and improving one’s skills. Learning new techniques and experimenting with different materials can be a fun and rewarding experience.
Ultimately, the reasons for why drawing is your hobby are unique to you and may be influenced by your personal experiences, interests, and passions.

Question 2. How do you write a drawing essay?

Answer: Writing a drawing essay involves describing and analyzing a visual artwork, such as a painting, sculpture, or graphic design. Here are some steps to follow:

Choose an artwork: Select an artwork that you want to write about. It’s best to choose a piece that you have seen in person, but if that’s not possible, find a high-quality image of the artwork to use as a reference.
Observe and analyze: Look at the artwork carefully and take notes on what you see. Note the colors, shapes, lines, and textures used in the piece, as well as any patterns or motifs. Think about the overall composition of the artwork and how the various elements work together to create a visual impact.
Research the artist and the artwork: If you’re writing a formal essay, you’ll want to research the artist and the artwork to provide context and background information. Find out when and where the artwork was created, what inspired the artist, and what artistic movements or styles influenced the piece.
Develop a thesis statement: Your thesis statement should summarize the main point you want to make in your essay. It might be an analysis of the artwork’s meaning, an exploration of the techniques used by the artist, or a comparison of the artwork to other works in its genre.

Question 3. What is your favorite hobby and why is drawing?

Answer: Drawing can be a favorite hobby because it allows for self-expression and creativity. It can also be a relaxing and therapeutic activity that helps to reduce stress and anxiety. Furthermore, drawing can be a way to improve fine motor skills and hand-eye coordination. Additionally, with practice, it can lead to the development of a unique style and a sense of accomplishment.

Question 4. How do you mention drawing in hobbies?

Answer: If you want to mention drawing as one of your hobbies, you can do so in a variety of ways. Here are a few examples:

“In my free time, I enjoy drawing. It’s a creative outlet that allows me to express myself and explore new ideas.”
“One of my hobbies is drawing. I find it to be a relaxing and meditative activity that helps me unwind after a busy day.”

Question 5. How do you describe your drawing?

Describe the subject matter: What is your drawing depicting? Is it a landscape, a portrait, a still life, or something else?
Highlight the style: What techniques did you use in your drawing? Are there any unique features or elements that make it stand out?
Comment on the composition: How did you arrange the elements in your drawing? Did you use any particular techniques to create balance or movement?
Explain your intention: What message or feeling were you trying to convey with your drawing? What inspired you to create it?

Pencil drawing techniques: Pro tips to sharpen your skills

Sharpen your skills with these pencil drawing techniques, for both graphite and coloured pencils.

Pencil drawing techniques

Use the right tools, advanced tips.

These pencil drawing techniques from top artists will help you take your drawing skills to the next level, whether you're using graphite pencil or coloured pencils.

For many artists, pencil drawing is the skill that introduced them to the art world, and even if you've moved on to a different medium, understanding how to draw with a pencil can help you improve your skills elsewhere. These pencil drawing techniques cover everything from the basics of mark-making to advanced processes to push you out of your comfort zone.

We'll also offer advice on the tools and materials you need to know, such as blending stumps, paper options, and different erasers. For some extra inspiration, check out the most unbelievably realistic pencil drawings we've ever seen.

Short on time? The video above, from character designer Bobby Chiu , runs through some pencil drawing techniques in action. For more in-depth advice on composition to how to capture light and shadow, take a look at our art techniques article, for practical buying advice see our guides to the best pencils and best pencil sharpeners . Or, for inspiration, take a look at this roundup of unbelievably realistic pencil drawings .

01. Use the right grip

The first step is to master how to hold a pencil correctly . Chiu recommends holding the pencil like you could a piece of charcoal, and using the side of the lead to draw, rather than the point. This helps keep the pencil sharper for longer.

"When covering large areas, I shade with my pencil perpendicular to the line I'm drawing to get wide, soft lines," he adds. "For details, I hold my pencil parallel to my lines to get sharp, narrow marks. The only time I use the point is when I'm working on intricate details."

"It is important to consider where you are making your mark from – fingers, wrist or shoulder," adds artist Jake Spicer .

02. Consider your lines

The kind of marks you're making will shape the feel and look of your pencil drawing. Things like how fast you draw a line and the weight you put into a stroke will change the look of the line. "A heavy line  is dark and definite; a lightly drawn line is pale and exploratory," says Spicer. "When you are starting out, try to avoid uncertain, feathery marks."

03. Start with an underdrawing

Many artists prefer to start their pencil drawing by laying out the scene with a rough, light underdrawing – this can be especially useful if the end game is a precise line drawing. "Having a more fluid foundation helps you see the end result without the intimidating commitment of getting everything perfect," says artist Timothy von Reuden .

For a pencil underdrawing, make sure you use a hard lead (around 2H) to ensure the lines are light and easy to erase. Alternatively, you could use a digital underdrawing, printed at 1 per cent Opacity. Either way, make sure this acts as a foundation rather than a strict guide. "I strongly believe in letting intuition take over in the creation process, so I work with the underdrawing more as a guideline," continues Von Reuden.

04. Work left-to-right

Pencils are prone to smudging, and the softer they are, the more difficult it is to keep things clean. However, planning which area of the composition you work on first can help. Essentially you don't want to be resting your hand on areas you've already drawn, which means that unless you have an unusual pencil grip, you want to be working top to bottom. Then right-handers should work left to right, and lefties move right to left.

05. Try a blind contour drawing

One common exercise to start out with is blind contour drawing. "Set up a subject in front of you and fix your eye on the top of it, placing your pencil on your paper. Without looking down at the paper, trace your eye around your subject, following its edges and contours, and as you do so, let your pencil follow the same journey on the paper," explains Spicer. "Draw in a single, unbroken line and don’t look back at the drawing until you are finished."

The result will look odd and incorrect, but that's not a problem. The aim of this is to help you draw confidently and unselfconsciously, and it's a great way to overcome a fear of staring at a blank page. "Repeat the exercise regularly as a warm up to get your hand working together with your eye," suggests Spicer.

You can adapt the exercise by flicking your eye down to the page at regular intervals, and trying to adjust your line style and weight to accurately describe what you see (you're still using one, unbroken line). "Don’t aim for precisely accurate proportion, instead aim for an honest process of looking and mark making, without overthinking the drawing," he concludes.

06. Vary line thickness

Varied line thickness can help add depth to a drawing

Varying the thickness of the line you use help guide your viewer through your drawing, explains Von Reuden. Thicker lines can help indicate importance, or tell the viewer that something is in the foreground of the scene. They can also be used to distinguish between two separate, overlapping objects – a thicker line on the outside of an object an help differentiate the outside lines of the subject matter from the lines that represent the details within.

In the example above, you can see how different line weights can be combined to make a form appear more three-dimensional.

07. Mix up shading techniques

Pencil shading techniques - lines all the same way in one portrait versus lines in groups in another

There are lots of different pencil drawing techniques relating to shading. Chiu uses two main approaches. The first is with all the lines going in the same direction. "This makes my shading appear more cohesive, and helps my details pop out from the lines I'm using for shading," he explains.

The second method involves working in patches of shading, to help define shape. "Patches of lines go around the form, which help keep things in perspective," he says. This technique is also great for backgrounds and creating texture.

08. With detail work, control your lines

If you're working on a detailed area, be wary of your pencil line. "When it comes to creating cleaner and tighter line work, staying consistent is key," says Von Reuden. "Not only should you be aware of the look of your line but also the pressure you’re applying to the pencil and on the paper. Be actively aware at this stage and don’t rush it." He suggests regularly stepping back to check the overall effect of your work, and ensure you're keeping your line steady throughout.

09. Master blending

Outline of lips (left), shaded in (right)

US-based artist Jennifer Healy has a specific process for blending her coloured pencil work. She starts with an outline, to check the form is correct before committing to coloured pencil (it's much harder to erase coloured-in areas than an outline). It also helps her plan where the highlights and shadows will fall.

She then builds up colour using subtle layers. "I like to start out with soft gentle layers to gain a better idea of lighting placement, shadows and the colour palette," she says. After each layer she blends gently using the blending stump.

Once she has reached a stage she's happy with, she moves on to the final step: adding an outline. For this final layer, Healy uses coloured pencils alone, and does not blend with a stump.

10. Start lightly and build from there

Pencil drawing technique mixes light and dark lines

"When I start drawing, I plan and explore using loose lines, and avoid committing too early with hard, dark lines," says Chiu. "As I progress my lines will change, so checking and rechecking my work is vital. I darken my lines and add details at the end. I don't focus on one area for too long to prevent overdrawing."

11. Clean up after yourself

Your eraser can be just as important as the pencil itself. There are a few different types (see the Tools section for more on this), but whichever you choose you want to make sure it's close to hand whenever you're working. "Whenever a line gets too thick, I either erase the entire line or try to line up the eraser edge to slim down the existing line," says Von Reuden. "I like to clean up during the entire process and at the end do a final sweep to make sure I didn’t miss an area before calling it done."

12. Check and recheck

Before you move on to stronger lines and detail work, it's essential to make sure you have the correct form down. Chiu's advice is to check and check again. "I have to nail down my drawing's underpinnings before I can add details. I really avoid guessing at the details; I want to make sure things are symmetrical and look right before putting down stronger and harder lines."

He also suggests looking at your work in a mirror or through a camera. Considering different vantage points is a great way to highlight if anything is off. "I constantly ask myself, does this feel right? If anything seems off – even if I can't immediately put my finger on what it is – I trust my gut and troubleshoot my drawing before continuing."

13. Know when to stop

The majority of artists have a tendency to tinker with their work – even after they've signed their name. "I can always find something to change if I look hard enough, so it can be difficult to tell when a piece is truly finished," says Chiu.

However, be wary of overworking your piece. "Eventually, I make a conscious decision to put my drawing away and start something new," he continues. "That's when I consider my drawing done. Well, maybe..."

14. Pick the right pencil

The pencil you choose will have a big impact on both the techniques you can use and the look of your find artwork. Different pencil types are better for different styles of artwork, and you also need to consider the hardness of your lead.

Traditional graphite pencils are available in a scale of hardness from 9H (hard, pale) to 9B (soft, dark), with HB and F sitting the middle of the range. "Typically, the H grades are suited to technical drawing, while B grades are ideal sketching pencils," explains Spicer. He suggests a 2B or 3B pencil is a good place to start with general pencil drawings.

Then you need to pick the type of pencil. Traditional graphite pencils tend to round out quickly, and so need regular sharpening to produce a consistent-sized tip. The softer your pencil, the more sharpening you'll need to do. Traditional pencils are great for shading, especially larger areas.

The other main option is a mechanical pencil (see our guide to the best mechanical pencils for drawing ). These offer clean, crisp edges, and are better at maintaining a consistent line. You don't need to sharpen them, either. If you're creating a large artwork, bear in mind that a mechanical pencil can slow the drawing process. For a more in-depth look at your options, take a look at our guide to the best pencils .

15. Sharpen correctly

"Some drawings require a fine, sharp point for pinning down a crisp line, others a broad, flat side to the pencil lead for blocking in tone. Sometimes, a blunt point can serve your purposes," says Spicer. "Whatever your preference, ensure you always have a sharpener on hand."

Again, there are a few options here. Choose between a regular handheld sharpener (portable, easy to use), a desk-mounted helical sharpener (typically longer-lasting, and will grind the pencil to a longer point) or a craft knife (get the point you want, but there's some danger of slicing your fingers off).

16. Protect your paper

This is a valuable pencil drawing technique for beginners: put a piece of paper under my hand to avoid smudging your drawing while you're working. It seems obvious, but it can be the downfall of a great piece of work!

Healy also prefers to mount her paper on a board, attaching it using a layer of matte medium . This helps keep things neat, and provides a solid surface to work on.

17. Explore different paper textures

The surface texture you're working on will make a big difference to the effects you can create. This is referred to as the grain or 'tooth' of the paper. A rough tooth is more visible, and the ridges will grip the colour from your pencils.

With a smooth tooth, the ridges are very fine, and there's less grip. Healy finds this kind of paper provides an easier surface for blending coloured pencils, although she warns that it's also easy to run the colour off the surface.

18. Invest in a putty eraser

There are a few different types of eraser, and each is suited to different things. Many pencils have a small eraser head, which is ideal for thinning out lines that get too thick. However, don't rely on this alone: you'll also want to invest in a kneaded eraser. This has a putty-like consistency (it's sometimes called a putty eraser), and you knead it before and after use.

"A kneaded eraser is best for lightly picking up the coloured pencil binding off the paper. This works wonders when correcting mistakes, or if you’re deliberately lifting colour from an area such as the eyes," says Healy. A gum eraser has a more solid consistency, and is better if you're trying to fully erase a coloured-in area.

19. Try a stump for soft blending

Drawing of some flowers, with pencils and a blending stump on top

How you blend your work can have a big impact on the final result. For a soft blended effect, try a blending stump.

"After each light layer, I very gently blend the coloured pencils with the stump," says Healy. "Don’t push too hard or the colour will stick, making it more difficult to softly blend. I repeat this process as often as I need. After many layers it produces a very soft and delicate look."

This technique requires a little trial and error, though. Healy warns that if you blend too softly, the stump can pick up colour that you've already layered on the paper.

20. Unify your colours

Having a uniform approach to colour will help bring cohesiveness to your work. "It’s a good idea to make sure that your artwork has unifying colours," says Healy. "This consists of a particular colour palette, mood and a way of spreading these across the entire art piece."

She also suggests creating a harmonious base by using tinted paper or adding a background wash of colour (in paint). "This will show through whatever you lay down on top of it, thus giving it an appearance of cohesion. When I use coloured pencils, I’m fond of using tinted paper produced by Kraft."

21. Try different approaches to outlines

Coloured pencil drawing of a woman's face

The next drawing technique concerns line weight. As well as demarcating different objects, lines can help emphasise shadows. "Thicker lines can fade and disappear into the shadows, which can help convey the 3D form," explains Chiu.

Beyond that, different artists have different approaches to lines – you need to find the style that's right for you. "I prefer to use a distinct outline in my artwork, whether it’s using thin outlines or bold outlines," says Healy. "It can help pinpoint the viewer’s eye to a certain area. It also gives a stylised look, if that’s what you are hoping to achieve."

Chiu, however, prefers a different approach. "I try to avoid outlining my drawings because this tends to make things look flat and deadens the 3D effect. Breaks and spaces in my lines show form in the lights and shadows."

22. Draw on your own experiences

"Dip into your experiences to add a special layer of authenticity to your piece," suggests Healy. "This means using something like a memory, feeling or scent when creating your work. For example, the special feeling you experienced when sitting down with a friend at a coffee shop, or a memory of a childhood experience. You can be abstract or use hyperrealism. Whatever you choose makes the piece unique to you. I’ve found that people resonate with these pieces the most."

23. Use contrasting concepts

Beautiful woman with thorns through her hair

One drawing technique Healy uses in her work is to use contrasting concepts within a piece of work, for example, juxtaposing beauty and ugliness. "I’ll use the beauty of colours, flowers, the softness of skin or hair, and the female form. I’ll also tend to use something that’s the opposite to all of that, such as bones, insects, sharp teeth, or anything that may provide discomfort to the viewer," she elaborates. "Somehow this provides an interesting concept to a piece. Especially when the ‘ugly’ parts are harder to spot at first. To me this is a very stark representation of what life is like."

24. Try combining pencils with watercolour

Watercolour wash with pencil outline on top

While pencils on their own can be used to create a wealth of different effects, it can be interesting to combine them with other media. For example, in her work, Healy likes to combine watercolour and coloured pencils. It's important to start with watercolour and then layer coloured pencils on top, she explains, because pencils can create a waxy surface that repels liquid, and prevents the watercolour from soaking into the paper.

"This is a fun technique to test out," she says. "Both mediums have unique qualities and textures. Combining the two elements creates a medium all of its own."

Also read: The best watercolour pencils you can buy right now

25. Break out of your comfort zone

Woman appearing to break through the paper

While these pencil drawing techniques should help you understand the essentials of the medium, sometimes you need to throw the rules out of the window and find what works for you. "There’s nothing wrong with stepping outside of the box if it means achieving the effect you want," says Healy. "Trial and error will occur when you step outside of that box. But don’t be intimidated! The process is entirely fun."

26. Create fabric

Fabric can range from sleek and shiny to matte and dull. How you shade it will help sell the idea of the fabric you’re trying to depict. For this sketch, von Reuden is trying to capture the golden folds of material found in the original image. He began by outlining the shapes and blocking out areas of shadow.

27. Categorise your fabric

Von Reuden explains how you can add value and shading to create further layers of depth and weight. He says, "when drawing and recreating fabric, the types of wrinkles created can all be placed under three separate categories: hanging/relaxed, stretched/tension, and scrunched/compressed."

"Hanging fabric tends to be loose and have a flowing appearance. Stretched fabric creates long lines, usually with a point of support. Compressed fabrics bunch into each other, creating scrunched-looking areas."

Some of this advice comes from ImagineFX , the world's best-selling magazine for digital artists. Subscribe here .

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Ruth spent a couple of years as Deputy Editor of Creative Bloq, and has also either worked on or written for almost all of the site's former and current print titles, from Computer Arts to ImagineFX. She now spends her days reviewing mattresses and hiking boots as the Outdoors and Wellness editor at T3.com, but continues to write about design on a freelance basis in her spare time.

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Pencil drawing for beginners: All you need to know

Hello artists, I feel like I’ve posted a little too much about painting in the last few weeks and thought, Why not go back to drawing a bit, especially pencil drawings and sketches?

When I first started with art as a child, I was inspired by my dad’s pencil and charcoal drawings. He has a good eye for value and can make amazing drawings using pencils. On the other hand, I’m a huge color person. I love my palettes and I find paint super therapeutic. However, throughout the years, I grew pretty tight on schedule and I realized that the idea of painting daily is very unrealistic for the life I am living, and to keep the habit of practicing art every day, I decided to make sketching and pencil drawing part of my daily routine which improved my drawing skills and taught me so much about it.

So in this article, I will be sharing with you tips to walk you through what you need to know so you can improve or get started with pencil drawing for beginners.

This page contains affiliate links, meaning I earn a commission if you use those links. Please read my Disclosure for more details.

What do I need to start pencil drawing?

Material-wise, you technically need pencils and good paper to draw on.

Best Pencils for Pencil Drawing Beginners

You might have seen tons of tutorials online about all the different numbers of pencils and other supplies you need in order to start drawing. But if you want my advice, I think a beginner could start with anything. Any pencil will do the job.

I first started drawing using basic pencils I got at the craft store, and then about 2 months later, I saved up enough to get this mechanical pencil from Amazon. I highly recommend it; it’s extremely durable and very comfortable to hold, and the eraser is actually efficient and causes no smearing. I get the 0.5 lead because it’s perfect for both drawing and writing on planners. Also, getting a mechanical pencil will save you money on pencil sharpeners and erasers.

Once you have gotten used to drawing with a mechanical pencil, you can start building up your collection. Different numbers on pencils mean different things, like opacity, level of blackness, level of roughness…

Here’s what the letters on the pencils mean:

This Faber-castell set is perfect for beginners and very affordable.

This one right here is another favorite of mine, and I had a bunch of people asking about where to get it from after a video I posted on Pinterest!

Last but not least, if you make the choice of getting a fancier set that comes with pencils, sharpeners, blending stumps, erasers, and so on. You can get this set from Amazon .

Best sketchbooks for beginners in pencil drawing

Now the paper you actually draw on matters so much more than the pencils you’re using. Papers come in different textures and weights; some of them are great for pencil drawing because they are thick and textured, and others suck because they are super thin. The moment you try to erase a mistake you made, you risk ruining the whole thing and making holes in your cheap paper. And for that, I recommend you get papers that go anywhere above 135 gsm.

‘Cartridge’ paper is the standard type of paper that pencil artists use for pencil and graphite drawings. It has just enough grains to produce a pleasing, slightly textured pencil line. Most sketch pads with cartridge paper are white, but some brands produce an off-white, which is warmer and prettier, in my opinion.

I personally bought this Premium sketchbook. It is one of the best on the market.

And whenever I want to get an off-white sketchbook, I buy this Strathmore 400 one.

How to actually start practicing pencil drawing

1- draw and sketch basic shapes.

Keep it simple; that’s the first tip I would give you. In drawing classes, the first thing students start drawing is basic shapes: circles, rectangles, squares, etc. The way you do it is to sketch it using shorter, inconsistent lines instead of drawing one continuous line. Perfection is the enemy of creativity.

You want to focus on creating the general shape instead of committing to creating a final version of whatever you are trying to draw or sketch. Just remember that it’s not going to be perfect, and it’s not supposed to be anyway!

Once you are happy with your 2D shapes and want to step it up to more of a 3D effect, the first thing you need to know is: What does it mean for a shape to be 3D?

Well, my friends! might sound stupid, but it means giving the 2D shape more dimension, depth, and value. And in order for you to do that as an artist, you would first think, Where’s my light source?

A light source will help you figure out where to shade and where to highlight so you can make your drawing realistically 3-dimensional.

Take a look at this sphere right here. Can you tell me where the light is coming from?

Exactly! You guessed it right!

It is now time for you to start experimenting with different light sources, shapes, and dimensions. The more you practice, the easier it gets.

2- Draw and sketch things around you

Your next step is to start practicing still life. I used to sketch flowers, eyes, and my hands all the time. These kinds of drawings are called studies. Because they are done following the academic way of studying objects and drawing them.

Always start with basic shapes and work your way to the details. A beginner’s biggest mistake is getting caught up in the details.

Read this article: 5 DO’s and DON’Ts for Painting and Drawing: Secrets to a Successful Session

3- Draw a still-life

Make a still-life scene and try to recreate it with graphite or pencils. This will slowly introduce you to learning more about composition , art elements , art principles , and how to draw value . Or you can simply subscribe to my blog and read the articles I post weekly 😉

On the other hand, if you prefer to develop your skills in portrait drawing, practice from references and statues, like the famous David statue.

4- Practice anatomy

Also called Écorché drawing. In French, the word écorché means ‘flayed figure’.

For all artists, but especially those interested in figure drawing, studying the anatomy of the human body is what will help you design and draw a body with no reference in the future.

When you understand how muscles and bones are shaped underneath the skin, you will be able to draw and try out different figures, postures, and poses and play with different compositions.

Sorry to tell you, but as an artist, you need to study anatomy the way doctors do!

Joking, but you do actually need to go beyond the front, side, and back forms of the figure. You need to really understand how muscles function alone and in groups so that you can draw the figure in any kind of motion you can imagine.

Start at study drawing the skeleton to know how the body moves and maintains equilibrium, then move to muscles and movement. Study how the form of the muscle changes as the figure moves. Remember that your end goal is to be able to draw from your imagination with no reference.

Check out this book , it’s really helpful.

5- 80% practice and 20% theory

My last tip would be the 80-20 rule. There’s no shortcut to mastering drawing and painting but practice, knowledge, and consistency. Practice will improve your skills, but without knowledge, you will be practicing your mistakes over and over.

You can read this article to learn the right way to follow as a self-taught artist: Art Standards: your go-to plan to learn more about art as a self-taught artist .

Art supplies might help you achieve your desired outcome, but they won’t make great art for you. You can also read this article for more insights on this: Do I need to buy expensive art supplies to make great art?

Conclusion:

Drawing is the right way to start in art, whether your goal is to become an artist or just have fun, I highly recommend you sketch and doodle on a daily basis because it increases your awareness of your surroundings, increases your intuition and memory, and makes you see the world as an artist .

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70 Easy Drawings You Can Do in 5 Minutes or Less

Do you want to learn how to draw but don’t have much time? Or maybe you’re an experienced artist who wants some easy drawings to do on the side. Either way, this blog post is for you!

We’ve collected the best easy drawings you can complete in 5 minutes or less, perfect for beginners and experienced artists alike.

Ready to give easy drawings a try? Grab your pencils and paper, find yourself an easy drawing idea , and let’s get started!

Choosing Your Pencils and Paper

The first step in the drawing process is choosing the right tools.

A standard No. 2 pencil and drawing paper will work just fine, but you can also use colored pencils or markers to add some extra flair to your drawings.

If you’re a beginner, we recommend starting with simple black-and-white easy sketches before moving on to more complex colored drawings. That way, you can practice the basics and gain confidence in your drawing skills before adding color.

Finding Easy Drawings

Now that you have your pencils and paper, it’s time to find easy drawing ideas. There are plenty of online resources with easy drawings for beginners, including YouTube drawing videos and art blogs.

We’ve also included a few easy drawing ideas below that you can print out or draw directly from the screen.

You can also explore easy drawings in nature, like simple shapes and patterns found in plants and animals. Again, start with easy sketches before adding color to make sure you’re comfortable with your tools and techniques.

1. Spaceship

Less than five minutes?! Yes, it’s possible! You don’t have to be an artist to draw a spaceship, and they look even better with color.

Start by drawing a simple shape for your rocket ship’s hull. Then add details like engine exhaust, windows, wings, stars, and asteroids to make it more interesting.

If you want to learn how to draw the zombie in Plants vs. Zombies, here’s an easy video tutorial.

Drawing a zombie may seem intimidating, but with the right techniques, you can create a scary-looking creature in only 5 minutes.

Start by sketching out the overall shape of the head and body. Then add details such as eyes, teeth, and hair to give your zombie a unique look.

If you want to take it one step further, you can add a few rips and tears to the clothing, giving your zombie more of an undead look.

Pikachu is one of the most recognizable and beloved characters in the world of Pokémon. Drawing Pikachu can be a fun and quick way to pass a few minutes while also honing your drawing skills.

Start by sketching out the basic shape, starting with the iconic ears, eyes, and mouth. Then add details like fur and whiskers to bring your drawing to life!

With a few strokes of your pencil, you’ll have an adorable Pikachu drawing in no time.

4. Doraemon

Doraemon is a beloved Japanese anime character and an easy drawing activity for people of all ages.

Start by sketching a circle for the face with his signature ears and nose, then add details like whiskers or glasses to make him look more like the real thing. Give your creation life by adding color!

5. Laughing Santa

Recreating a laughing Santa is the perfect way to channel your inner child.

Begin by sketching Santa’s face, then add details like rosy red cheeks or twinkling eyes to make him look more cheerful. Finally, color it in for an extra-fun result!

6. Christmas Tree

What better way to get into the holiday spirit than drawing a Christmas tree ?

Start with the tree’s shape, then add details like ornaments and candy canes for an extra fun look. Coloring in your design will give it a festive look.

7. Gingerbread Man

What could be more fun than creating your little gingerbread friend? Begin by sketching the gingerbread man’s outline, then add details like buttons and eyes. Once you’re finished drawing out your design, it’s time to bring it to life with color.

8. Christmas Penguin

Adding a Christmas penguin drawing to your décor is an excellent way to spread holiday cheer! Sketch the penguin’s body, then add details like a Santa hat or festive scarf for extra holiday spirit. For even more fun, color it in shades of black and white.

9. Candy Cane

You’ll have a blast drawing a candy cane! To start, capture the classic shape of the cane with your pencil, then add stripes or other designs to make it look more lifelike. You could even color it in for an extra-sweet result!

It doesn’t matter whether you use black-and-white or color to draw a wolf—it will look great either way.

Start by drawing the wolf’s face with pointed ears, then add details like fur and eyes to finish it off. Consider shading and adding texture to give your easy drawing a sense of depth.

11. Baby Shark

Baby shark is a charming, easy-to-follow sketch that features a smiling shark with big eyes, a wide grin, and a friendly fin.

This drawing looks great in both black-and-white and color, so it’s easy to customize and make your own!

12. Cute Dress

Here’s a video tutorial on drawing a cute girly dress.

If you like fashion drawings, this easy dress sketch is perfect for you. It features a simple silhouette with some interesting details like pleats and ruffles.

Just draw the outline of a dress with a few lines and curves, then add some extra details to make it your own.

13. Cute Girl

Here’s another easy-to-follow sketch featuring a cute girl with big eyes and an adorable expression.

This one looks great in both black-and-white and color – just draw the basic shape of the girl, then add some extra details to make your drawing unique.

14. Lollipop

Here’s a video of how to draw an easy lollipop.

Another easy drawing idea is this lollipop sketch.

Draw a curved line for the stick and an oval shape for the candy. Then, add some swirls and other details to make it your own. If you’re feeling creative, you can add color to your design.

15. Mickey Mouse

Here’s a classic drawing idea for Disney fans – Mickey Mouse!

Draw circles for his head and ears, then add details like eyes, nose, and mouth to finish it off. This one looks great in black and white or with a few colorful touches.

You can also follow this easy tutorial:

16. Anime Eyes

If you’re looking for easy anime drawings, this is a great place to start. Simply draw two circles and add some details like eyelashes and pupils to make it your own. If you’re feeling creative, go ahead and color it in!

Here’s a guide on how to color anime eyes:

Drawing a UFO is simple and enjoyable. Start by drawing the round shape of the UFO, then add details like stars or aliens to make it more interesting. You can also color it for an extra-cool result.

18. Camping Area

Here’s another great idea for your next drawing – a camping scene!

You can draw the outline of a tent, trees, and stars in the night sky. Add some extra details, like people around the campfire or animal drawings walking by, to make it more interesting.

If you’re looking for drawing ideas for beginners , this simple nose sketch is perfect.

Once you’ve got your basic shape, start adding shading to give the nose a three-dimensional effect. Use hatching or crosshatching techniques to create shadows and highlights on your drawing.

20. Diamond

Here’s a quick but fabulous drawing idea – a diamond! Just draw four shapes and connect them together, then add some extra details to make it your own. You can also paint it to make it look more glamorous.

21. Easter Bunny

Why not try this adorable Easter bunny drawing idea? Draw two big ears, then add eyes, whiskers, and a fluffy tail to finish it off. If you’re feeling extra festive, bring out the coloring supplies and have at it!

22. Cute Cat

If you’re looking for an easy drawing idea, why not try a cat? Draw the cat with two ears and eyes, then add details like whiskers, fur tufts, and claws to make it your own. You can also color it if you want to add some extra flair.

Roses have been used to symbolize love, beauty, and admiration for centuries, so creating your version of this classic flower is sure to make any art project special.

Simply draw the petals, then add some details like leaves and buds. Not only can you color it to create a lovely piece of art, but you can also frame it and hang it up for all to see!

Drawing a braid is easy and fun! Draw a curved line with some loops, then add details like beads or flowers to make it more interesting. Coloring your braid drawing is a great way to give it extra personality.

25. Eifel Tower

Do you want to draw an iconic structure in less than 5 minutes? Then the Eiffel Tower could be your perfect choice!

Start by sketching a rough outline of the tower and then add details like windows and balconies. You can also add details like plants or people at the foot of the tower for added dimension.

26. Tiny Penguin

Did you know that penguins are one of the easiest animal drawings?

Sketch the penguin with two flippers, then add some details like eyes, beak, and feathers. If you want to make your design even cuter, color it in!

27. Sea Turtle

This cute little guy is a breeze to draw and will only take about five minutes of your time!

Start with the long oval body, then add rounder shapes for the flippers and head. Outline it in black ink and finish off with some scales and details. You can use colorful markers to create a fun pattern on the turtle’s shell.

Here’s another easy way to draw a turtle:

28. Baby Alligator

This super-easy drawing can be done in minutes and is a great place to start for beginner artists.

Begin by drawing the shape of an alligator’s head, followed by the neck. Then draw two parallel curved lines at the bottom to make the legs. Finish it with two small circles on its back for eyes, and you’re done!

29. Planets

Drawing planets can be a great way to show off your artistic skills! Use colors like blues and greens or vibrant shades for a fun look.

Outline the planets’ round shapes, then add details like stars and asteroids. You can even use different shades of color to give your planet depth and texture.

Here’s how to draw our solar system:

30. Little Mermaid

If you’re looking for a cute and easy drawing idea that only takes 5 minutes or less, why not try the Little Mermaid?

Start by sketching a rough outline of the mermaid’s body. Make sure to include her long flowing hair, then add details like eyes, nose, and lips. Finish off the drawing with a tail and a seashell necklace.

Not only is drawing hands easy, but it’s also therapeutic. Just draw circles for the joints, then add lines for the fingers to finish it off. Alternatively, you can add shadows to give it more depth.

Draw a simple mouth with teeth in five minutes or less!

Sketch the outline of the lips, then draw several small curved lines to create a set of teeth. You can also add other elements like tongue if you want.

Anyone can have fun drawing dice, regardless of skill level! Just draw simple lines and slight curves, then add details like numbers to make it more interesting. You can also color it in for a vibrant look.

34. Ballerina Shoes

You don’t have to be a professional artist to draw beautiful ballerina shoes that look amazing in any color scheme.

All you need are simple shapes for the shoe’s sole, heel, and straps, and then add details like ribbons, buckles, or bows. Once you’ve got your shoes down, try experimenting with different colors and textures to give your drawing a unique twist.

35. Woman’s Face

In less than 5 minutes, you can draw a woman’s face with some realistic features. Start by sketching out the shapes and then add facial features like eyes, nose, ears, and mouth.

You can also add details like hair and eyebrows to make it lifelike. To finish your masterpiece, use shading and color to bring out the different elements of your drawing.

36. Head in the Clouds

This timeless design can be recreated in five minutes or less – perfect for when you only have a little time to spare!

Draw an oval shape for the head, then add details like stars or birds to make it more interesting. When you daydream, it’s easy to let your mind wander and feel at ease.

37. Astronaut

Children will love this easy step-by-step drawing of an astronaut. Draw a space suit with a helmet, then add details like stars and planets to make it more exciting.

Here’s another way to do it:

38. Elephant

Drawing an elephant can be fun and easy, taking only 3 to 5 minutes of your time.

Start by drawing the head and trunk of the elephant. From there, fill in details like eyes, legs, tail, tusks, and other features that give it its unique charm. Once satisfied with your drawing, you can add color to make it more lively and interesting.

You can have an elephant drawing session with kids by following this tutorial:

39. Message in a Bottle

Drawing a message in a bottle is an easy and fun way to express your creativity. Just draw a bottle, then add details like stars or messages to make it more interesting. Or, you can color it in for an even more magical look.

40. Nature in a Triangle

Incorporating nature into your drawings is easy and will make them look great. Start with a triangle, then add details like trees, mountains, or birds to make it more interesting. For an even more beautiful look, color it in!

41. Unicorn

Drawing unicorns is one of the most popular doodles out there! It’s not only fun to draw but also quite simple.

Start by outlining a unicorn, then use your pencil to draw horns from the highest point of its head. Give your unicorn some ears, eyes, and a mouth. If you want, you can color it for a truly magical result!

Here’s another easy way to do it:

42. Octopus

Who doesn’t love drawing an octopus? You can have a great-looking octopus with just a few simple lines.

First, draw the head and body of the octopus using curved lines. Then add eight tentacles and some suction cups. Finish by drawing the eyes, and you’ll have an amazing drawing in less than five minutes!

43. Hedgehog

Draw a cute and simple hedgehog that kids will love with this easy step-by-step guide! Start by drawing an oval shape for the body, then add details like spines and a nose to finish it off.

You can also follow this video:

This easy drawing idea of a whale is perfect for beginners and looks great in any color palette.

Just draw an oval shape for the whale’s body, then add details like eyes and fins. Voila! You now have a cute whale swimming in the ocean. Not bad for 5 minutes of drawing time!

Another easy drawing idea you can do in five minutes or less! Owls are a popular subject for many artists, and with good reason – they have wide eyes, big wings, and intricate feathers.

Drawing an owl is easier than it looks. To get started, lightly sketch the shape of the head and body of the owl using a pencil. Then, add details like the eyes and wings, ensuring correct proportions.

Here’s a clever and easy way to draw an owl using the Number 22:

No matter your skill level, you can draw a cute panda in less than 5 minutes! Start by drawing a circle for the head and body, then add two circles for the eyes and black patches for the paws.

Here’s a quick guide on how to draw a panda:

A duck is one of the easiest animal drawings and a classic choice for kids. Draw its simple shape – an oval for its head with a curved bill, then add details like wings and feathers.

Finally, add some feet to your duck with a few curved lines! With these easy steps, you can draw an adorable duck in just 5 minutes or less.

Here’s how to draw a realistic duck using the Number 2 as a guide:

48. Sleeping Moon

The moon is one of the easiest things to draw, and it can be quite calming.

Just draw a crescent moon, then add details like stars or clouds to make it more interesting. You can also color it in with different shades of blue and gray for an extra-magical look.

49. Smiling Sun

Drawing a sun is an easy way to satisfy your creative urges. First, draw a circle with beams of light, then add extras like clouds or planets to make it more captivating. For an even sunnier result, color it yellow and orange.

50. Dragonfly

Kids will love drawing a dragonfly! To begin, sketch the body of the insect on your paper. You can draw an oval shape for the head and two attached wings.

Then, draw four thin legs extending from each side of the body. Finally, add a few details like eyes and antennas to make it look more lifelike.

51. Band-aid

This simple drawing only takes a few minutes to complete, and it looks great! Begin by sketching the outline of a band-aid with curved sides. Then have some fun and go wild by adding extras like stars or hearts.

52. Stegosaurus

Stegosaurus is one of the easiest dinosaurs to try out if you’re just starting with drawing. Its recognizable shapes make it a good subject for even novice artists.

Start by sketching the body and the triangular plates down the back of the dinosaur. Then, add triangular spikes on the end of its tail. Finally, draw four legs and a head with two eyes to complete your stegosaurus drawing!

53. Eye Glasses

Sketching glasses are a great way to spend your extra time. To start, establish the outline of the glasses by drawing the frame and a bridge. After that, add authentic details like lenses. Fill your design with color for an extra-cool look.

54. Ice Cream

Ice cream is delicious, and drawing it can be a fun way to show off your artistic skills. Begin by sketching a scoop of ice cream cone, then add details like sprinkles or chocolate syrup for a delicious look. For a tasty finish, paint it with various colors!

55. Tea Cup

Drawing a tea cup is an easy and creative way to practice your drawing skills. Start by sketching the cup’s shape, making sure you pay attention to the details like its handle and saucer.

You can add more elements, such as steam or patterns around the cup. Finally, give it some dimension by adding colors and shadows.

56. Cute Cake

Designing a cake with pencil and paper is simple and fun. Draw a circle or oval shape for the cake with frosting, then add details like candles and sprinkles to give it that special touch. For more fun, color it with different shades for a vibrant finish.

Here’s a step-by-step guide on how to draw a BTS cake:

57. Cute Lipstick

Drawing cute lipstick is an easy and fun idea for anyone looking to create a quick sketch.

Start by lightly drawing an oval shape in the center of the page. From there, draw two small circles at the bottom of the oval for the base of the lipstick tube. Create details like ridges along the tube or swirls on the cap.

58. Cupcake

Draw a cupcake in under 5 minutes! All you need is some paper, pencils and your imagination.

Sketch a simple circle for the base of the cupcake and some curved lines. After that, add details like sprinkles or icing. To finish it off, use multiple colors to make it look extra sweet.

59. Rainbow Cloud

With this easy tutorial, you’ll be drawing a rainbow cloud in no time!

Start by sketching the basic shapes of clouds with a rainbow in between, then add details like raindrops to make it look more lifelike. For extra color and charm, paint it with shades of yellow, pink, and blue.

60. Cute Shooting Star

This is another easy drawing idea you can complete in less than 5 minutes. Begin by outlining the star, then add details like streaks or sparkles. And that’s it!

You now have a cute shooting star drawing that you can color with shades of yellow and pink for a magical finish.

61. Apple Watch

Drawing an Apple Watch is not only easy but also a fun way to bring technology to life.

Sketch the shape of the watch and its iconic buttons, then add details like bands or stickers for a more realistic look. Color it in with shades of white and silver for an extra-enjoyable result!

62. Cute Watermelon

This cute watermelon drawing is super easy to create and can be done in under 5 minutes!

Draw the large oval shape of the watermelon. Don’t forget to add seeds, texture, and color using just a few simple lines. Draw stripes along the sides of your watermelon to give it its unique look.

63. Yummy Pizza

Try your hand at drawing a delicious-looking pizza in just 5 minutes or less. With some creativity and helpful tips from us, you can have a great-looking pizza drawing in no time.

Start by sketching out a round pizza shape with your pencil. Then, draw fun details like pepperoni, olives, mushrooms, or cheese – whatever looks best to you!

64. Cute Basketball

Anyone can channel their inner athlete by drawing a cute basketball. Draw a circle for the ball, then add details like stars or stripes for a more playful look. Finally, color it in with different shades of orange and yellow for an extra-fun result!

65. Chimney

Drawing a chimney is a great way to express creativity in a short amount of time. Once the shapes are down, feel free to customize your chimney however you’d like!

Add some smoke coming out of the top, or make it look more elaborate with extra decorations. You can even combine different types of bricks for an interesting effect.

66. Pumpkin

Pumpkins are a classic drawing idea, and this one is easy to do in minutes.

Just draw an oval shape with a few lines for the stem and leaves, then you’re done! You can also add some details like eyes, teeth, or vines if you want to make it more complex.

67. Spooky Ghost

Use your artistic skills to create a spooky ghost!

First, sketch the shape of a ghost. Then add eyes, arms, or any other details you want. Finally, use shades of white and grey for the color scheme to make it look extra creepy.

Who doesn’t love a donut? Draw one with this easy tutorial!

Begin by sketching two circles for the donut, then add details like sprinkles or frosting. To finish it off, color it in with shades of pink and brown for an extra-delicious result!

Try your hand at being creative by sketching a monkey. First, draw the monkey’s face, then add features such as fur or a mouth. Make it extra fun by coloring it with shades of brown and yellow.

70. Hello Kitty

Drawing Hello Kitty is a fantastic way to widen your creativity and imagination. Start by sketching a bow and a circle for her head, then add details like whiskers for an extra-cute look. For even more fun, color it in shades of pink and white.

There you have it! We hope you had fun practicing your skills and found easy drawing ideas that inspire you to create something unique .

Whether you’re an aspiring artist or a seasoned pro, easy things to draw are a great way to practice and improve your skills. Enjoy!

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Essay on Pencil

Students are often asked to write an essay on Pencil in their schools and colleges. And if you’re also looking for the same, we have created 100-word, 250-word, and 500-word essays on the topic.

Let’s take a look…

100 Words Essay on Pencil

The pencil: a powerful tool.

Pencils are important tools for learning and creativity. They’re made of wood, graphite, clay, and a rubber eraser.

Creation of Pencils

Pencils are made by mixing graphite and clay, shaping it into thin rods, and baking them. These rods are then encased in wooden cylinders.

The Usefulness of Pencils

Pencils are used for writing, drawing, and coloring. They’re essential in schools, offices, and homes. Their marks can be easily erased, making them perfect for drafting and sketching.

Symbol of Knowledge

Pencils symbolize knowledge and learning. They’re a key part of education worldwide, helping us to express our thoughts and ideas.

250 Words Essay on Pencil

The humble pencil: a tool of change.

The pencil, a simple writing instrument, has been an integral part of human civilization, contributing to the spread of knowledge and ideas. Its simplicity and accessibility have made it a universal tool for communication, transcending linguistic and cultural barriers.

Historical Significance

The pencil’s history dates back to the 16th century when a large graphite deposit was discovered in England. Initially wrapped in string or sheepskin for stability, it evolved into the ‘lead’ pencil we know today. However, it’s not lead but graphite, a form of carbon, which provides the distinctive mark. The pencil’s evolution reflects human ingenuity and our constant pursuit of better tools for expression.

Symbol of Creativity and Learning

The pencil is more than just a tool; it’s a symbol of creativity and learning. It is the first writing instrument that a child holds, fostering early literacy and numeracy skills. For artists, it’s a tool for expressing their innermost thoughts and emotions. The eraser at the end signifies the human capacity to correct mistakes, embodying the concept of resilience and continuous learning.

The Pencil in the Digital Age

In the digital age, the pencil continues to hold its relevance. Digital styluses replicate the feel of traditional pencils, bridging the gap between technology and human touch. Moreover, the pencil’s eco-friendly nature makes it a sustainable choice in an era of environmental consciousness.

In conclusion, the pencil, in its simplicity and versatility, continues to be an indispensable tool. It stands as a testament to human creativity and our relentless quest for knowledge and expression.

500 Words Essay on Pencil

Introduction, the history of the pencil.

The invention of the pencil can be traced back to the ancient Romans, who used a thin metal rod to leave a light but readable mark on papyrus. However, the modern pencil, as we know it, came into existence in the 16th century when graphite was discovered in England. The term ‘pencil’ comes from the Latin word ‘pencillus’, meaning ‘little tail’, which referred to the small ink brushes used for writing in the Middle Ages.

Graphite was found to be an excellent material for writing due to its ability to leave marks on a surface. Initially, graphite sticks were wrapped in string or sheepskin for stability. Later, the wood-cased pencil was born when Nicholas-Jacques Conte, a French scientist, invented a method to make pencil leads by mixing graphite with clay.

Function and Utility

The pencil’s simplicity is its greatest strength. It does not require any additional elements like ink or electricity to function, making it accessible to people of all ages and from all walks of life. Moreover, the pencil’s design has evolved to include variants like the mechanical pencil, which provides more precision, and colored pencils, which add vibrancy to art.

The Pencil’s Impact on Society

The pencil has played a crucial role in advancing human knowledge and creativity. It has been the silent partner in many great works of literature, scientific theories, architectural marvels, and artistic masterpieces. The pencil has democratized the act of writing, making it accessible to all and not just the elite, thereby promoting literacy and education.

In conclusion, the pencil, despite its simplicity, holds a unique and enduring place in human history and society. It is a testament to human ingenuity, adapting and evolving with the times while retaining its core function. As we move towards an increasingly digital world, the pencil still maintains its relevance, reminding us of the power and beauty of creating something with our own hands. The pencil is not just a writing tool; it is a symbol of our capacity to imagine, create, and communicate.

If you’re looking for more, here are essays on other interesting topics:

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Your Friendly Malaysian Writer

Malaysian author and storyteller, why using pencils to write may be more eye-opening than you think.

As much as I avoid romanticising the writer’s life, I do find myself fascinated by famous authors’ creative processes. And what better way of fuelling this fascination than by gawking over their tools of creation?

To be honest, the only reason why I have a LAMY 2000 is because Neil Gaiman used one to draft his novels. I’ve also written with Vim to emulate George Martin’s preference for Wordstar.

But now that I’ve decided to stop blindly going down the path of tool-collecting , I’ve found myself gravitating towards simpler and cheaper options. Enter the pencil.

Learning about pencils—or more specifically, John Steinbeck’s fascination with them—quickly turned into an exploration of Hemingway, Atwood, and Nabokov’s similar preferences for graphite.

And like a kid being peer-pressured into his first drag of a cigarette, I found myself wanting to write with pencils so I too could be cool like the authors I look up to.

The quirk that caught my attention

John Steinbeck’s creative process was thus: sharpen 24 pencils and stick them point up in a container. Start writing. Once a pencil is worked to a dull point—about four to five sentences—it would be stored point down in a separate container.

After all 24 pencils are blunt, they’ll be sharpened once more before the process is repeated.

Now, I wouldn’t say that I followed Steinbeck’s footsteps and ordered four boxes of Blackwing pencils, but I did try out a few lead grades to see which I liked best.

And while those of you in the United States may be used to the #2 (HB) pencil, I found myself actually disliking the light lines. So I’ve defaulted to 4B and I’ve been hooked ever since.

Hooked just like these jackets. Photo: Suad Kamardeen

So why write with a pencil?

Like many of you, I could count the number of times I’ve used a pencil since primary school. But now that I’ve spent some time with it, I can see how it fits into my writing life, and because of that, I’ve decided to regal you with the benefits of using pencils.

They’re cheap

I’ve been using pencils almost exclusively for a couple months now, including for morning pages and journalling, and I have to say, at about MYR 1.50 (USD 0.30) per pop, they’re pretty much the most affordable writing tool out there.

This is compounded by mechanical pencil refills, which cost only MYR 5 (USD 1.20) for a pack of 40 pieces. You know what’s cool about cheap writing tools? You get to focus on the writing.

They write anywhere

I never knew that writing upside down was a problem until I got into fountain pens. Then I realised that ballpoint pens faced the same problem. It’s not like I routinely write while practising yoga, but I sometimes use tilted easels, and that’s enough of an angle to cause skips with my fountain pens. With pencils though? I’m fine as long as the tip touches the paper.

They’re archival

I have to admit that I haven’t really put this to the test, but I do have journals from 20 years back that still have my pencil scrawls as dark as the day I had written them. Sure, they can be erased, but it won’t be me doing said erasing. Oh, and graphite is waterproof too.

They last forever

I mean, a pencil gets shorter as you use it, yes, but if you leave it stored in a cupboard for decades, it’ll still work just as it would today. The same goes with a mechanical pencil. Try that with a fountain pen filled with ink. Heck, try that with any pen, gel or ballpoint.

Your pencil would probably last as long as this anvil, provided you don’t use it. Photo: Nicolas Hoizey

Unexpected lessons from writing with pencils

Look, a tool’s a tool, and a pen should do the same job as a pencil when it comes to writing, right?

Weirdly enough, I’ve found a different cadence when writing with pencils, almost more mindful of the skritches on paper and the way my letters look once the point turns into a chisel.

Thanks to graphite, I’ve also discovered a few unexpected lessons in general. And you all know how much I enjoy connecting the mundane with faux enlightenment.

So here are a few things pencils have taught me about life.

Everything is temporary

Nothing reminds you of that fact better than a wooden pencil. Not only does it get shorter with use, but the balance changes too. And you’ll find that the same pencil will seem like a totally different one as you spend more time with it.

Couple that with the fact that graphite is erasable and you’ll realise just how temporary life is. It makes you appreciate the moment more, because right here, right now, is what really matters.

Who knows what’ll happen tomorrow? Your life will have shortened, just like the pencil, and your efforts will be recorded somewhere, but one day they’ll disappear too, just like you.

So get to writing, while you’re still filled with life, because tomorrow could be a very different day.

You can always fix yourself

I’m pretty light-handed, so I don’t break lead all that much, but there have been times when my cheap sharpener would chip the tip just enough to break at certain angles. The result is two points instead of one, making me feel like I’m writing with a fruit fork.

That’s life for you though. Sometimes you break, and sometimes you grow duller from work. But you’re always a couple of turns away from returning to your old self, sharp and useful as before.

And that’s what we need to remember when life gets us down sometimes, that we can always get back in shape.

Do your job and do it well

The pencil doesn’t call any attention to itself. In fact, it’s so modest that we’ve probably forgotten all about it since pens came into our lives.

But what we take for granted is that the pencil does its job fantastically well. It’s dependable, and it writes even on wood, glass, concrete, or steel.

You know what that’s taught me? That you don’t need to be a remarkable person to do great work. As renowned chef Marco Pierre White likes to say: “Keep it simple. Perfection is lots of little things done well.”

Life is not a zero-sum game

This is more personal than anything. Pencils have taught me that I don’t need to abandon ink just because I’ve recently found joy in graphite, nor do I need to be a pencil zealot.

I like to think of myself as a minimalist, so the tools in my life need to cover as many bases as they can. That was my life with fountain pens, and boy did I write everything with them, even if the situation didn’t call for it like, say, filling in immigration cards where the ink’s easily wiped off.

I’ve since learned that it’s okay to have phases, and that I don’t need to Marie Kondo my other hobbies just because I don’t have enough time for everything.

And while it’s great having less clutter in my life, it’s also awesome to be reminded that I have diverse interests and a rich life.

Man with backpack in the forest with a choice of two paths

Sometimes it doesn’t need to be one or the other, ya know? Photo: Caleb Jones

In the end, it’s all about you

Here’s a TL;DR: Pencils do change the way I write, but sometimes I feel it’s all in my head.

Because in the end, it doesn’t matter whether your fingers are resting on a keyboard or curled around a pencil, because it’s you who’ll be writing. And as we’ve learned, the you today might not be the you tomorrow.

Your word preferences will change. So too will your constitution against the blank page. You’ll approach the same story with a different lens, or you won’t feel like approaching it at all.

Steinbeck wrote: “For years I have looked for the perfect pencil. I have found very good ones but never the perfect one. And all the time it was not the pencils but me.”

Even though he meant that in the context of pencils, it applies so well to writing in general. Because our magic lies not in the instruments we use, but in our very selves. And maybe it takes exploring all these different tools to learn exactly that.

I don’t have pencils for sale, but I do have a snazzy newsletter for more exclusive content like this. You’ll also get a free guide on how to grow your WordPress audience without spending on ads. Just click the button and be part of the community!

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18 Best Drawing Pencils for Professionals and Beginners Who Love to Sketch

Photo: Mounzer Awad This post may contain affiliate links. If you make a purchase, My Modern Met may earn an affiliate commission. Please read our disclosure for more info.

In most creative fields, it's impossible to get away from one important tool—a pencil. It doesn't matter if you're an architect, a professional fine artist, or you're just learning to draw ; a good graphite pencil is an essential part of any artist's supplies.

And while we've gone over how to select the best colored pencils , there are a whole other set of considerations when thinking about the right graphite pencil to add to your collection. In fact, you'll probably—like most artists—wind up using several different pencils depending on the effect you're looking for.

Figuring out the best pencils to bring your sketches and designs to life can appear challenging, but much of it comes down to personal preference. Once you get the hang of which brand you prefer, you can mix and match different pencil grades in order to expand your sketching capabilities. You'll see that much of what we suggest are pencil sets , which allow you to experiment with a wide variety of lines and shading, but each brand will also sell their pencils individually once you need to restock.

So check out our guide to the best pencils for drawing, and once you stock up, head over to our list of the best sketchbooks so that you can start drawing.

How to Select the Best Drawing Pencil

Photo: Jess Watters

When selecting the perfect graphite pencil, the first thing to consider is your drawing style . Technical drawings and detailed artwork with fine lines will require different pencils than those used for shading and sketching figures. Do you use dark, thick lines in your sketches or prefer lighter, thinner strokes? Understanding your personal artistic style and needs will help you narrow down the selection when searching for a good drawing pencil.

Keep in mind that most artists use more than one type of pencil. In fact, many manufacturers sell drawing pencil sets that come with a selection of graphite pencils in different grades . This will allow you to switch between tools depending on the requirements of a particular image.

Pencil Grading Scale

Photo: smbhax

Once you know what type of artwork you need the pencil for, you need to understand the different grades of graphite pencils . Even though we often refer to lead in pencils, there is actually no component of lead used in them. Whereas colored pencils are made with wax and pigment, graphite pencils are a mixture of graphite and clay. The combination of these two components allows for smooth strokes, but graphite pencils will give different lines depending on how much clay is present. Generally, the more clay in the pencil, the harder the pencil—and lighter the stroke—will be.

In the United States, we commonly think of the number 2 pencil, which is standard for schools and test-taking. The American number scale for pencils ranges 1 to 4 (including 2.5), but the rest of the world uses a different grading scale. Most manufacturers use the HB scale , where “H” stands for hardness and “B” for blackness. A standard number 2 pencil corresponds to HB on this scale.

The HB scale ranges from 9H, a hard pencil that leaves fine, light marks, to 9B, a soft pencil with a high ratio of graphite that leaves bold, dark marks. While every manufacturer gives each pencil a designation on the scale, it's all relative to a given brand, so remember that a 6H pencil from one manufacturer might give a slightly different stroke than a 6H pencil from another.

Once you understand the type of lines you can expect from your pencils, it's easy to mix and match to create a graphite pencil set that will meet your needs as an artist.

Best Graphite Drawing Pencils

Photo: Igor Ovsyannykov

Check out our selection of high quality drawing pencils that are ideal for every level of artist. If you're new to drawing, then picking up a set will allow you to try different types of pencils and discover which grading suits you best.

Derwent Medium Graphic Drawing Pencils (set of 12)

Derwent | $17.21

Available in different sets filled with a wide variety of grades, both beginners and professionals swear by Derwent . You can select between soft, medium, and hard sets depending on your subject matter and people note that the pencils are easy to sharpen to a point, as well as a flat shape. This allows for detailed work, as well as shading. And the hexagonal shape makes them easy to grip.

Prismacolor Premier Graphite Drawing Pencils (18 piece set)

Prismacolor | $19.99

Prismacolor's graphite drawing set is a good introductory kit when starting to sketch. It comes with seven graphite drawing pencils of different grades, as well as four woodless graphite pencils. These create beautiful, broad strokes when used on their side, and allow you to experiment with a variety of tools. As an added bonus, the pencil set includes water-soluble graphite pencils, which transform into a wash when brushed with water. All told, the drawing kit is a great way to start sketching seriously.

Staedtler Mars Lumograph Graphite Pencil Set (set of 12)

Staedtler Lumograph best pencils for drawing

Staedtler | $14.15

Many artists swear by Staedtler ‘s range of drawing pencils. Their Mars Lumograph is known for its consistency and lack of breakage, making them great for detailed work. They also erase cleanly, meaning you won't be left with stray smudges on the paper. Staedtler's standard set provides 6B, 5B, 4B, 3B, 2B, B, HB, F, H, 2H, 3H, and 4H drawing pencils, making it extremely versatile. “I've been using Staedtler Lumograph professionally for over 30 years and in that time I've found no better,” says artist and art educator Mike Sibley. “I even give them away at my workshops.”

Lyra Rembrandt Art Design Pencils (set of 12)

Lyra | $20.19

For a good value, you can't beat Lyra Art Design Pencils . The graphite is rigid enough that it works for technical drawing, and with 17 different grades available, there's no shortage of shading you can accomplish. One reviewer writes, “The finest pencils for drawing. High-quality graphite that is smooth and easy to blend. A wide variety of hardness for all your artwork needs.”

Faber-Castell 9000 Graphite Sketch Pencil Art Set (set of 12)

Faber-Castell | $11.44

Faber-Castell is a German brand known for high-quality art supplies, and the Faber-Castell 9000 Graphite Sketch pencils are no exception. The brand makes sets with a variety of grades included or you can purchase single packs of pencils in each grade. Known for their consistency and durability, they sharpen easily and don't often break. Plus, Faber-Castell's handy tin makes the pencils highly portable. It's no wonder they are an artist's favorite, no matter the style or skill level.

Tombow Mono Professional Drawing Pencils (set of 12)

Tombow | $16.98

Japanese manufacturer Tombow is known for its high-density pencils, meaning they sharpen easily and the point stays longer. The Mono pencil is known to run a bit dark and is virtually smudge-proof. The dark lines of the Tombow Mono can almost mimic inks, making it a favorite of artists who focus on linework and tracing.

Cretacolor Monolith Woodless Graphite Pencil Set

Creatacolor | $26.53

Woodless pencils may cost a bit more, but they generally last longer than the typical wood-encased pencils. Cretacolor woodless pencils are perfect for shading and the graphite in them is water-soluble, allowing you to create soft washes over the page. Creatacolor's kit also comes with a kneaded eraser and sharpener, giving you all the tools you need in one box.

Koh-I-Noor Woodless Graphite Pencils (Set of 12)

Koh-I-Noor | $18.21

These Koh-I-Noor pencils are woodless, meaning that they are all graphite surrounded by a thin layer of lacquer. While this makes them fragile, it also has some advantages. One is that these pencils don't need to be sharpened much, and a second, quite important, point is that they lay down a thick layer of color. Artists love them for blending and smudging, particularly when creating shadows. They also produce nice smooth lines without a lot of texture.

General Semi-Hex Drawing Pencils (4-Pack)

General Pencil | $4.50

The General Pencil Company has been in production since 1889 with products whose quality has stood the test of time. In art supply stores, you'll often find that you have to purchase them per pencil, but this four-pack gives you better value—especially if you prefer the softer graphite. The set contains HB, 2B, 4B, and 6B pencils.

Prismacolor Ebony Graphite Drawing Pencil (12-pack)

Prismacolor | $7.34

The Prismacolor Ebony Graphite pencil, which has a 2B grade, is a beautiful choice for rich, velvety lines. It is easily blendable and soft, and while it won't create jet-black lines—it gets close for graphite. Due to its softness, you'll need to sharpen it often, and many swear by it for shading that is difficult to achieve without using charcoal.

ARTEZA Woodless Drawing Pencils (Set of 12)

Arteza | $15.99

This set of 12 woodless pencils covers all the grading you'll need for sketching. The comprehensive kit includes pencils from 6B to 4H and gives you the range needed to complete all types of drawing–from quick, gestural strokes to more precise artwork. ARTEZA boasts that the “woodless pencil contains more graphite, making it last longer and shade larger areas.”

Palomino Pearl Pencils (box of 12)

Blackwing | $30

Although new, California-based brand Blackwing has already established itself as a favorite among illustrators. The Palomino Pearl pencils feature an elegant white body with a smooth Japanese graphite core of medium hardness—ideal for lettering and line work.

Caran D'ache Graphite Line Gift Box Set

Caran D'ache | $240.88

Don't be scared by the price. Caran D'ache is for serious sketchers looking to up their drawing game. As Switzerland's only pencil maker, the brand has carried out exacting studies to get things just right, making them the favorite of many artists. This gift set will get you 15 graphic pencils, 3 water-soluble graphite pencils, plus accessories. Some say they are the best drawing pencils on the market, and that once you try them, you'll never go back.

Best Pencil Sharpeners

Photo: londondeposit/ DepositPhotos

If you know you'll be working with graphite pencils frequently, then you'll be in need of a good pencil sharpener to make sure your utensils are always at a point. We've selected a few to help you get started.

Dux Pencil Sharpeners

DUX | $5.99

DUX is the oldest pencil sharpener factory in Germany, so you know you can't go wrong with their utensils. Their pencil sharpener includes openings for slim and oversized pencils and comes in a variety of cute colors to complement your drawing set.

Blackwing Long Point Pencil Sharpener

Blackwing | $15

Unlike most pencil sharpeners, Blackwing ‘s product goes through a two-step process. The first hole is intended to shave away the wood, while the second opening will carve the graphite to a fine point. It includes an automatic brake to prevent oversharpening, too.

Stanley Bostitch Electric Pencil Sharpener

Stanley Bostitch | $66.94

If you're an artist that will be using graphite drawing pencils frequently, then you may want to invest in an electric sharpener. This one by Stanely Bostitch will cut the time it takes to sharpen your pencils in half (it even works with colored pencils!). It also features SharpStop technology so you won't risk oversharpening, and instead keeping them at a perfectly fine point.

Best Mechanical Pencils for Drawing

Mechanical Pencil Next to Orange Spiral Notebook

Photo: Stock Photos from Auttapon Jantham/Shutterstock

While some artists prefer the look and feel of traditional wooden pencils, others prefer the more consistent and controlled marks of mechanical pencils . Refillable and made from plastic or metal, these utensils are ideal for those who prefer long-lasting tools. Depending on the size of lead you choose (0.7, 0.5, etc.), mechanical pencils might be the better choice for creating fine details in your artwork.

Tikky by rOtring Mechanical Pencil (0.7 mm)

rOtring | $6.67

ROtring is the dominant name in the field of technical drawing pens, and this model carries on the tradition. This lightweight drafting pencil has been specially designed to reduce breakage, meaning you'll waste less money on refills. With a retractable tip and comfortable rubber grip, it will quickly become a favorite whether used for drafting or sketching.

Faber Castell Grip 2011 Mechanical Pencil 0.7 mm

Faber-Castell | $18.94

Faber-Castell's Grip 2011 Mechanical Pencil has won design awards for a reason. Rubber dots along the triangular barrel make it extremely comfortable and easy to grip. It also comes with a twist-out eraser and is pre-loaded with lead.

Staedtler Mars 780 Technical Mechanical Pencil

Staedtler | $11.10

If you're looking for a pencil for technical sketching, give the Staedtler Mars 780 a try. Reviewers talk about these pencils as keepsakes that they use for years and only replace when necessary. “I've used this specific lead holder for over a decade and when I lost it I just had to replace it,” one person wrote . “The holder itself is light, with a nice weight given by the metal grip. Despite what you might expect the metal diamond grip is actually very comfortable and pretty smooth.”

Pentel GraphGear 1000 Mechanical Pencil (0.5 mm)

Pentel | $10.88

Work in comfort when you use the Pentel GraphGear mechanical pencil. It is inlaid with soft pads that will feel good on your fingers. Beyond that, the pencil features a dual retractor to both advance and retract your lead with ease.

Looking for more drawing tips? Subscribe to our Drawing Club newsletter .

This article has been edited and updated., related articles :.

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The Best Pencils for Drawing

Find the best pencils for drawing in this guide.

When it comes to drawing pencils, almost every artist will have a good set of graphite pencils. Whether they are used to sketch out compositions before painting, or as a medium in their own right.

However, there are more varieties of pencils than you may think. In this guide, I’ll run through all the different kinds of pencils, from traditional graphite to watercolour pencils and oil pencils. I’ll explain their uses and the best brands for each type. Take a look at the contents navigation, if you see a section that interests you, skip down to it.

Pencil is a versatile and forgiving medium. It’s often the very first art medium that people experiment with—it’s erasable so it doesn’t matter if you make mistakes. You can create a wide variety of effects—draw in a hyper realistic style , or create more illustrative line drawings.

If you’re a bit of an art supply addict, like me, you’ll have fun trawling through all the different drawing pencil options.

Disclaimer: Fine Art Tutorials is a reader supported site. When you make purchases through links on this site, we may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you.

The most common kind of material used for drawing, graphite is a form of crystalline carbon that is bound in clay and encased in wood to make a pencil. Pencils made from graphite are renowned for their smoothness and erasability. They come in varying levels of softness, from 9H (hard) to 9B (soft). H indicates that a pencil is ‘Hard’ and B indicates a pencil is ‘Black’.

The best pencils for drawing: pencil hardness infographic

A soft pencil, like 6B or 8B would be perfect for techniques like shading, blending and making areas of a drawing appear darker in value. They especially lend themselves to realism drawing, as depending on the amount of pressure applied, you can create varying degrees of darkness and shadow.

Hard pencils like 4H will make crisp, light lines. This makes them perfect for technical drawings—a 3H would be more useful to an architect than a 9B. As the pencil is hard, you can only really use them by applying light pressure to the surface, or you could damage the paper.

Soft pencils wear down quickly, if you use them fairly often you may have to replace them after a shorter amount of time compared to a hard pencil. You’ll find yourself reaching for the sharpener much more often.

A 2H pencil would be useful for any avid pencil artist—sketch out a composition without worrying too much about having dark lines to erase. If you choose, you can go over the light lines with a darker pencil.

The best graphite pencils

Quality graphite pencils will give a reliable, smooth, consistent tonal range. Better quality pencils are less prone to breakage and the softer varieties of better quality pencils blend more easily.

Caran d’Ache

This is the luxury option on the list, the graphite line pencils are made from extra fine graphite and the wood casing is varnished in a colour that depicts the hardness and depth of the black. The pencils have a good lightfast rating, which means they won’t fade over time. They have a silver tone and velvet finish.

Faber-Castell 9000 series

Another professional quality graphite pencil, however these are slightly cheaper. The tips are resistant to breakage and are made with smooth graphite.

Koh-I-Noor woodless graphite pencils

Koh-I-Noor Progresso Woodless Graphite Pencils - Set of 12

These pencils have a lacquered coating, rather than being encased in wood. These are great if you want to create thicker lines.

Graphite powder

Dry brush this powder onto your paper to get smooth blends and create deep shadows. It’s a dry medium, but bridges the gap between painting and drawing. Use this medium to add unique texture to your artwork.

Graphite putty

Kneadable graphite is soft, malleable putty that encourages expression. It can be modelled into interesting shapes to create a variety of effects. It’s also water soluble, which gives the artist the ability to create dark marks on paper.

The best graphite drawing set

A professional drawing set, beautifully presented and containing all the different kinds of pencils an artist could need. The quality of Swiss made Caran d’Ache Pencils are unparalleled.

Water soluble graphite

Water soluble graphite is pretty versatile—use it to enhance watercolour sketches, or in regular graphite drawings. They have the appearance of graphite but when water is added, you can create smooth tonal transitions. Create washes much like you would with watercolour pencils.

Mechanical pencils

Mechanical pencil cores are usually made from graphite in HB (medium hardness). The advantage of a mechanical pencil is that the graphite maintains its sharpness.

So with it being sharp and relatively hard, it suits technical drawings, precise lines and preliminary sketches for paintings. Sketch lightly with these pencils and the lines will be easy to rub out. Mechanical pencils won’t be the best choice if you want to do lots of shading, but for line work they are perfect.

Charcoal pencils

Charcoal is made by heating wood such as willow. The drawing material is made from carbon remains. It’s lightweight and can be used to create dark, bold strokes. The results of a charcoal drawing can look expressive, however, if you press lightly with charcoal you can achieve delicate looking lines too. Smudge and blend charcoal, or spray with a fixative to keep layers in place.

Best charcoal pencil

Faber-Castell Pitt Compressed Charcoal Sticks - Medium, Pkg of 3

Faber-Castell Pitt Charcoal: Buy here

Available in soft, medium and hard, charcoal pencils are easy and clean to hold. They have the same properties of charcoal sticks, but in a useful pencil shape, meaning that they can be sharpened to create finer points.

Best charcoal sticks

Winsor & Newton willow charcoal sticks: Buy here

These charcoal sticks have been heated evenly to give smooth and consistent results when drawing. Charcoal is brilliant for creating underdrawings in paintings and for indelible mark making.

Coloured pencils

Coloured pencils are simply pigment carried in various binders and encased in wood. There are several different options for artists when it comes to coloured pencils, whether you choose oil, watercolour or pastel coloured pencils will depend upon the effects you want to achieve.

Oil based coloured pencil

Faber-Castell Polychromos Pencil Set - Wood Box, Set of 120

Buy Faber-Castell Polychromos oil pencils

Oil pencils are brilliant for layering and creating highly vivid, realistic works. They are oil based and contain a mix of linseed oil and a small amount of wax with pigment.

They can be thinned with solvent too to emulate oil paints or make washes. Oil pencils can be blended, mixed and layered in a similar way to oil pastels.

Use the pencils on oil paper , pastel mat, gesso board , a primed wooden panel or any surface with a slight ‘tooth’ (surface texture) for optimum layering effects. Many artists that have a hyper-realistic style enjoy using oil pencils for the control and level of detail they can achieve. By building up layers of an oil pencil drawing, the finished result can resemble a painting.

Choose to use these under oil paints to sketch out your work or as a medium in their own right. Oil pencils are harder to erase than other types of pencils, however it is still possible to rub out lines. Draw lightly to rub out marks more easily.

Coloured pencils made from oil are resistant to breakage, the nib will stay intact for even the most heavy techniques. Oil pencils can be layered on top of other mediums like marker, watercolour and gouache.

Pastel pencil—wax based coloured pencil

Buy Prismacolor Pencils

Pastel pencils are wax based and are softer than oil pencils. Blend, layer and mix wax pencils the same as you would with oil pencils or pastels. They are much easier to erase than oil pencils. Nibs are more prone to breakage than oil pencils because they are softer; they will wear down quicker and need sharpening more often.

Wax based pencils can create a waxy film or ‘wax bloom’. This is where the build up of wax creates a slight sheen. Artists can fix this by wiping their drawing with a slightly damp cloth to remove the bloom.

Wax and oil drawings look similar in appearance, however wax pencils are slightly cheaper.

Blending with solvent is best used with oil pencils rather than wax pencils, to blend with wax pencils, use a colourless blender.

Watercolour pencil

Faber-Castell Albrecht Durer Watercolor Pencil Set - Set of 60

Faber-Castell watercolour pencils: Buy here

Watercolour pencils are completely different to wax and oil pencils in that they are water soluble.

Use these alongside your watercolour paints to achieve fine detail, or use them on their own. You don’t have to add water to watercolour pencils, but by adding water on top of your drawing, you can get some more diverse effects.

When used as a dry media, they can be blended like regular colouring pencils, they are great for beginners due to their versatility.

Using watercolour pencil can actually be a great way to ease yourself into experimenting with the watercolour medium. If it feels more natural for you to draw with a pencil rather than a brush, you can complete your artwork then add water afterwards in a more controlled way.

Colours intensify with the addition of water, they become much more bright and saturated. These pencils are a great option for livening up some line work, an illustration or for travelling, as painting with watercolour paints outside can get messy. To use with a brush, apply the watercolour pencil to the paper first, wet a brush, then paint over the coloured areas. Alternatively, you could wet the paper, then draw over with pencil and see the pigment spread. Another way to use them is to dip the pencil in water to create bold marks on paper.

Metal Point pencil

Metal point is a traditional medium that dates back to the Medieval times. Leonardo Da Vinci used silverpoint to create many of his famous drawings.

Various types of soft metals can be used as a pencil medium, lead is the easiest to use, as it doesn’t require the surface preparation that silver and gold does. However lead is associated with adverse health effects and isn’t as widely used today.

Silverpoint

A silver rod is trailed across an abrasive surface, a silver point ground should be applied to the surface, for optimum results. Ground is easy to apply, you only need one layer, it’s made from self levelling liquid that you brush onto paper.

The marks silver point makes are faint and shine in the light. Silver is permanent, lightfast and won’t smudge. Wire is held in a pencil shaped ‘clutch’ casing for ease of use.

It takes time to build up tone in a drawing with silver or gold, as the marks made are so faint.

Marks made with gold are even fainter than silver, but it makes a good medium to sketch out composition before starting to establish tone in a drawing.

A 9 carat gold wire fits in a pencil clutch. Gold is softer than silver and it maintains its colour over time. Silver will tarnish and change colour slightly.

Read this book for more information about metal point drawing.

Other supplies for pencil art

Extra supplies can help you to master specific techniques, effects and achieve polished looking drawings.

Best pencil erasers

Kneaded eraser.

These erasers can be moulded like putty. Shape the end to a point to erase small areas. Kneaded erasers are much softer than regular erasers so you can remove layers of a drawing at a time to create highlights.

Fine point eraser

Erase precise details with this small pointed eraser. It can be held like a pencil for precision.

A good pencil sharpener will keep your pencils in great condition—get a blade that can sharpen pencils to a swordfish point so that pencils last for longer. It will sharpen the wood around the core, emulating the effect sharpening with a knife can give.

A paper’s texture can affect how a drawing looks.

For example, if the paper is smooth and thick, you will be able to achieve fine detail. Thick paper is more durable and would be able to withstand gestural techniques and erasing.

I’ll run through some of the types paper you could use with your choice of pencil media to get the best results. For a more detailed look at types of paper for drawing, read our review on the best drawing papers .

Bristol Board

Strathmore Bristol Pad - 9'' x 12'', 2 Ply, Smooth, 15 Sheets

Extra smooth paper. A great option for graphite drawing and illustrative styles. If you are a professional artist and need to scan artwork to make prints, or publish online, then Bristol board would give a clean scan due to the lack of texture.

Papers that are slightly more rough in texture are better for blending, however. Plus, while you can of course use Bristol board with all types of pencil, in order to build layers with colouring pencils you would need a thicker more abrasive paper. Watercolour pencils can be used dry, but I wouldn’t advise wetting Bristol Board as the paper could warp and buckle.

Thick paper with an abrasive texture. Use this with pastel pencil or oil pencil to achieve layered drawings.

Watercolour paper

This is the most suitable type of paper to use with watercolour pencils. The thickness, durability and absorbency of the paper can handle washes of water thinned pigment.

Museum Board

This 100% cotton fibre board is archival quality so can be used in professional applications. The board is acid-free, so the appearance won’t degrade over time. Museum board can be used with charcoal, pastel pencil and even watercolour pencil (if you use very light washes). Andy Warhol used this paper for his silkscreen printing.

Blending stubs

Blending stubs and tortillions are tightly rolled pieces of paper which can be used to blend charcoal, wax or oil pencil. Tortillions are sharper than blending stubs so are more suited to blending smaller areas. They can become discoloured quickly, but you can clean them by buffing with sandpaper.

Buy universal fixative

Prevent a finished drawing from smudging by spraying with fixative. Different fixatives should be used for oil pencil and graphite. However, I’ve linked to a universal fixative above that can be used with coloured pencils, charcoal and graphite.

Fixatives can be applied between layers as well as at the end of a drawing. Make sure your space has adequate ventilation before spraying fixative.

Pencil lengthener

Get the most out of a used pencil stub by attaching a pencil lengthener.

I bet you didn’t know you could get so many pencil art supplies! If you love buying art supplies, then maybe more than a few of these will tempt you. Let me know in the comments which pencil supplies you want to experiment with next. If you want to read a more comprehensive guide on the best drawing tools for artists, check out our guide.

Best pencils for artists: Pin it!

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Graphite Pencil Drawing Basics 101

When learning to draw with graphite pencil, knowing the fundamentals is key. Below, Lee Hammond shares expert insight into the basics, excerpted from her book, Lee Hammond’s All New Big Book of Drawing .

Working with Graphite Pencil

Graphite has always been my go-to medium for art. It was my first love when I started learning basic drawing techniques. Because I am self-taught, it was the easiest medium to master. It’s also the most portable and clean medium, so it was convenient when I was raising my children.

In the 80s, I developed the “Lee Hammond Blended Pencil Technique” and started teaching it to small groups. Like me, the students found graphite to be the easiest medium to control. By the 90s I was hooked — and writing books about it. This technique has changed the way people draw.

My book will make you proficient in graphite drawing. Even if you have previous experience, the projects will give you additional skill and understanding. I hope the illustrations will inspire you and prove that graphite pencil is not just a tool to be used for preliminary sketching, but is a fine-art medium in its own right.

Swan by Lee Hammond, graphite on smooth bristol | Graphite Pencil Drawing Basics | Artists Network

Graphite Tools

You cannot create quality artwork with inadequate art materials. My blended pencil technique requires the right tools to create the look. Don’t scrimp in this department or your art will suffer.

I’ve seen many of my students blame themselves for being untalented when it was their supplies keeping them from doing a good job. The following tools will help you be a better artist.

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.

Smooth Bristol Board or Paper (Two-Ply or Heavier)

I like a paper that is very smooth (plate finish) and can withstand a good deal of rubbing, scratching and erasing.

Blending Tortillions and Stumps

Both are used for blending the graphite pencil. Tortillions are spiralwound pieces of paper that are good for small areas. Stumps are paper pressed and formed into the shape of a pencil. They are pointed on both ends and work well for blending large areas.

Kneaded Erasers

These erasers resemble modeling clay and are essential to a blended pencil drawing. They gently lift highlights without ruining the surface of the paper.

Stick Erasers

These erasers resemble mechanical pencils with a click mechanism for advancing them. The erasers in these are made of vinyl, and they erase pencil marks cleanly. The small point of the vinyl eraser can remove precise lines and details within your drawing. They come in a variety of sizes from large tips to micro.

graphite pencil spray fixative from blick

Workable Spray Fixative

This is a spray used to seal your work and to prevent it from smudging when you are finished. Workable means you can spray down an area and continue to draw on top of it. However, I don’t recommend it for the techniques I share in my book. It will change the smoothness of the paper and interrupt your blending.

Drawing Board

It’s important to tilt your work toward you as you draw. This prevents the distortion that occurs when working flat. Secure your paper and reference photo with a clip.

Rulers help you measure and graph your drawings.

Acetate Report Covers

Use these covers for making graphed overlays to place on top of your photo references. They’ll help you accurately grid your drawings.

Reference Photos

These are valuable sources of practice material. Collect magazine pictures and categorize them into files for quick reference.

A word of warning: Don’t copy the exact image; just use the images for practice. Many photographers hold the copyright for their work, and any duplication without their express permission is illegal. You can avoid this issue altogether when you use your own reference photos .

Blending Graphite

Back in the 80s when I first started teaching my Lee Hammond Blended Pencil Technique, graphite drawing had a looser, more impressionistic approach. Smooth blending was rarely seen. Over the years, this smooth and realistic approach has been embraced by thousands of people and become one of the most popular styles of drawing.

To create this look, blend your graphite until it appears smooth. It is not as easy as it looks, but with practice you can master this technique.

The following examples show what your blending should and should not look like. The smoothness of your blend will depend on how smoothly you apply the pencil.

It’s important to place your pencil lines down slowly and evenly at the very beginning. If your pencil lines are put down in a fast, scribble-like application, no amount of blending will make them look smooth.

Don’t Scribble

No amount of blending will ever be able to make this scribbled application look smooth.

Smooth Lines from Dark to Light

This is what your pencil lines should look like before you begin blending. The individual lines are barely visible. Work from dark to light, going up and down and back and forth at the same time to help the liens fill in as you go.

Use a Light Touch for Blending

Apply the tortillion in the same up-and-down, back-and-forth application as you applied your graphite pencil. Do not press down hard as you blend — this will just rough up the paper and make it look choppy. The lighter your touch, the smoother your blend will be.

Use a Light Touch When Blending | Graphite Pencil Drawing Basics with Lee Hammond | Artists Network

Pro tip : When blending, always hold your stump or tortillion at a slight angle to get the best results for a smooth finish.

Blending Tools | Graphite Pencil Drawing Basics with Lee Hammond | Artists Network

The 5 Elements of Shading

In order to draw realistically, you must first understand how lighting affects form. There are five elements of shading essential to depicting an object’s form realistically.

Without a solid foundation of these elements, everything you draw will look flat. Your subject will look three-dimensional only when the effects of light and shadow are properly placed. Each of the five elements of shading can be seen on the sphere below.

The Five Elements of Shading | Graphite Pencil Drawing Basics with Lee Hammond | Artists Network

1.Cast Shadow

This is the shadow the object you are drawing casts onto a surrounding surface. It is often the darkest part of your drawing because this is where the light is completely blocked. It should be drawn in as close to black as possible. As it comes out from the object, it will start to appear lighter. It is No. 1 on the value scale.

2. Shadow Edge

This is also referred to as a turning shadow. It is not the edge of the object, but rather the shadow on the object that shows it’s a rounded surface. This is a dark gray tone that corresponds with No. 2 on the value scale. You will find this shadow where an object has protruded and the surface recedes to the other side.

3. Halftone

This is the true color of your object, unaffected by the light. It has no shadow and is No. 3 on the value scale.

4. Reflected Light

Look at the sphere above, and you’ll see a subtle rim of light along the edge of the shadow side. This is the light bouncing up from the surface and coming from behind. It is the element most often left out of a drawing. Yet without it separating the shadow edge and cast shadow, your object will look flat.

Be sure to study your reference for the reflected light — it is always seen on the edges, rims or lip of an object. While it is lighter than the shadows, it is still seen on the darker side of the object. It should never be left too white, or it will not look realistic. It is a light gray and corresponds with No. 4 on the value scale.

5. Full Light

This is the part of your subject that receives the most light. It’s No. 5 on the value scale, where the tones fade gently into the white of the paper.

Let Lee show you how to turn a photo reference into a gorgeous graphite pencil drawing in this free video demonstration!

Matching Values

It is important to match the values of your subject matter. I always tell my students to analyze and replicate the tones. However, there are times it may be difficult to judge the values in your reference photo and determine whether you are close.

To compare your tones, use this little trick: Take two small pieces of white paper and punch a hole in each. Place one over an area of your reference photo.

Place the other over the same area of your drawing. Look at both of the holes and see if the tones match. By isolating the tones within these holes, you can then compare them to white and see how dark they really are.

Comparing Tones | Graphite Pencil Drawing Basics with Lee Hammond | Artists Network

Here are some helpful tips for blending, shading and achieving even tones:

Contrast . Don’t be afraid to get dark in the shadows. Contrast is very important for creating the look of realism.
Application of Tone . Always apply your pencil lines according to the contours of your subject. Blend using long vertical strokes, lightening your touch as you get into the light (like a value scale). You cannot control the fade into the light with cross-blending.
Edges . Anytime you have to use a line to describe the shape of something, you must get rid of the look of outlining. The darkness of a drawn line belongs to one surface or another. Fade the dark out into the surface it belongs to and create the look of an edge, not an outline.
Uneven Tones . Correct uneven tones with a kneaded eraser. Form the eraser into a point and gently “draw” the irregularity out. Use a very light touch. This is called “drawing in reverse.” You can also crisp up edges this way.

Backgrounds and Edges

Graphite is a foundation medium. The gray tones it produces provide you a means for fully exploring and understanding the importance of value and the five elements of shading we have touched on earlier.

One way you can use value to achieve a better sense of depth in your drawings is to add tone to the background. Notice below how the dark backgrounds affect the look of the shapes. If these shapes were set against white backgrounds, their edges would look much different.

When it comes to drawing shapes, there are two distinct types of edges: hard and soft. Hard edges are found where two surfaces come together or overlap. They are quite defined as their tones create the look of an edge by stopping abruptly. Soft edges can be found in areas when an object bends gently. They have a gradual change in tone.

Background Makes a Difference

When the sphere is placed in front of a toned background, its edges look different compared to the previous sphere with the white background. When drawing, always ask yourself if you are blending light over dark or dark over light.

Sphere Drawing | Graphite Pencil Drawing Basics with Lee Hammond | Artists Network

Hard and Soft Edges

This cone has two distinct types of edges: hard and soft. The soft edge can be found in the curve of the shadow on the rounded surface of the cone. Hard edges are created were the cone overlaps the background and touches the table.

Cone Drawing | Graphite Pencil Drawing Basics with Lee Hammond | Artists Network

Keep Learning

Now that you have the basics of graphite pencil covered, start practicing! Lee Hammond’s All New Big Book of Drawing is a culmination of the artist’s 40 years of teaching, featuring more the 80 step-by-step projects and tips for both drawing with graphite pencil and colored pencil. Onward, artists!

Join the Conversation!

This was very helpful. I appreciate when an artist gets into the theory or technique of a medium rather than just describing what to do. Thanks, Barbara

Amazing pencil arts tips. Similar pencil arts in my youtube channel “HMS Rangoli”. https://youtu.be/3JaCOgRn13k

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Home office

The Best Pencils for Writing and Schoolwork

By Sarah Witman

Sarah Witman is a writer focused on batteries and charging accessories. She has spent countless hours charging, discharging, and recharging batteries.

Whether you’re filling in multiple-choice bubbles on a standardized test or solving the Sunday crossword puzzle, you should have a great pencil in your hand.

We’re confident that the Palomino Golden Bear #2 Pencil (Blue) is the best pencil for writing and schoolwork, thanks to its high-quality wooden barrel, a dark core that writes clearly and fluidly, and an eraser that removes marks cleanly with minimal tearing.

Everything we recommend

Palomino Golden Bear #2 Pencil (Blue)

A high-quality pencil you can buy in bulk.

This inexpensive pencil is made of premium incense cedar. It is comfortable to hold, has a neatly painted exterior, and its eraser removes marks cleanly.

Buying Options

Budget pick.

Dixon Ticonderoga Classic Yellow Wood-Cased Pencil

Good performance for the price.

Quality control for this iconic pencil has gone downhill, but it’s still the best cheap pencil you can buy, with a decent eraser, smooth writing, and a comfortable grip.

Upgrade pick

Palomino Blackwing 602 Pencil

The cadillac of pencils.

This comfortable pencil has a replaceable eraser, an incense-cedar barrel, and a smooth, dark core. But it costs over twice as much as most writing pencils, and you can’t use it on standardized tests.

Faber-Castell Grip 2001 Graphite EcoPencil with Eraser

An extra-grippy triangular pencil.

This is the only triangular pencil we recommend. It writes, sharpens, and erases about as well as our other picks, and its uniquely textured grip area was beloved by many of our testers.

The Palomino Golden Bear #2 Pencil (Blue) is made of top-tier incense cedar, which has a uniform wood grain and a faintly woodsy smell when sharpened. Its hexagonal shape makes it comfortable to grip and resistant to rolling off your desk.

It has a glossy, blue-painted barrel, and it contains a No. 2/HB core, which makes smooth, dark marks. Even though both darkness and hardness vary among brands, No. 2 and/or HB pencils are widely considered to be the ideal lead grade for writing (and they’re required for many standardized tests). So this Golden Bear pencil is a perfect choice for elementary school and beyond.

Aside from pencils costing twice as much or more, the azure Golden Bear pencil is the best overall performer among the pencils we tested. It’s also a solid value, especially if you buy in bulk .

The Dixon Ticonderoga Classic Yellow Wood-Cased Pencil is not made of the same high-quality wood as our other picks—and we have reason to think it’s more prone to breaking or having an off-center core—but it is the best pencil we’ve seen in the budget price range (typically less than 20¢ per pencil).

In testing, it performed well in terms of writing ability, surpassed only by the Arteza #2 HB Wood Pencil (which is saddled with the worst eraser we tested) and far pricier pencils. The eraser is just okay, but it scored well in comfort and sharpening ability.

The Palomino Blackwing 602 is the most expensive pencil we tested, but it’s pretty much unsurpassed in quality.

It’s made of incense cedar, like our top pick, and it’s the only pencil we tested with a replaceable eraser (which, unlike most pencil erasers, has a rectangular shape that enables more detailed erasing). Its hexagonal body has slightly rounded corners, so it’s more comfortable to write with than most pencils, and it’s glazed in a velvety, dark silver paint.

Some of our testers had trouble sharpening the Blackwing 602, especially right after unboxing it; the same thing happened with our top pick. But otherwise its biggest flaw is its price tag—more than $2 per pencil at the time of publication.

It is also likely to be rejected by standardized-test proctors because it doesn’t list a lead grade on the side (though its core is similar to that of a No. 2/HB pencil).

If you have trouble gripping hexagonal pencils, or you just prefer a triangular barrel, look no further than the Faber-Castell Grip 2001 Graphite EcoPencil with Eraser .

It’s the only triangular pencil we’ve tested that we recommend; nearly all of our testers, many of whom don’t typically use triangular pencils, enjoyed using it.

It earned good marks in our writing, sharpening, and erasing tests, and its array of raised dots along the front end of the barrel give it a more comfortable grip than most pencils.

On the downside, it’s not made of incense cedar (as our top and upgrade picks are), it’s on the pricier side (about 80¢ per pencil at the time of publication), and it’s unavailable to buy in bulk.

The research

Why you should trust us, who this is for, how we picked and tested, our pick: palomino golden bear #2 pencil (blue), budget pick: dixon ticonderoga classic yellow wood-cased pencil, upgrade pick: palomino blackwing 602 pencil, also great: faber-castell grip 2001 graphite ecopencil with eraser, other good pencils, what to look forward to, the competition.

For this guide, I spent hours writing in cursive and print, drawing, doodling, shading, sketching, erasing, sharpening, and filling in Scantron bubbles with various pencils. Furthermore, I asked five Wirecutter staffers to test pencils, all of whom are self-described stationery fanatics.

A person erasing a crossword puzzle answer with the Blackwing 602 pencil eraser.

This guide focuses on wooden pencils designed for K–12 students to write, draw, doodle, take notes, and complete exams. But even if you’ve left school, you might like to have a few good pencils on hand to write letters or do a crossword puzzle.

Pencils that are specifically designed for certain activities, such as fine art or carpentry, are beyond the scope of this guide.

Our four picks for the best pencils for writing and schoolwork, shown neatly arranged side by side on a spiral notebook.

After scanning the websites of major retailers, as well as smaller suppliers like Pencils.com, we narrowed our list based on the following criteria:

Lead grade: We considered only those pencils that were No. 2/HB grade or (for pencils without a listed lead grade) a similar color and hardness. Not every No. 2/HB pencil is created equal, since No. 2/HB is more of an industry guideline than a rule. But such pencils are still compulsory for most standardized tests, such as the ACT and AP exams.
Eraser: We considered only those pencils with erasers on the end, since we were primarily looking at pencils for writing and schoolwork—activities that require a handy eraser.

View of the cores and hexagonal shape of two pencils we tested.

Hexagonal or triangular barrel shape: Hexagonal pencils (or semi-hex, which have slightly rounded corners) are fairly ubiquitous, and they’re great for everyday use because they allow you to get a firm grip and don’t roll off an inclined desk as easily as a round pencil. Triangular pencils offer these benefits, too, but they’re less common.
Wood quality: Most pencil brands don’t advertise the specific type of wood they’re using, especially in cheaper options. But we preferred pencils made of incense cedar, which Caroline Weaver, author of The Pencil Perfect and Pencils You Should Know , said was “the gold standard” of pencil wood. In our experience, other common pencil woods like basswood or poplar tend to be shaggier when sharpened—and we prefer cedar’s earthy, camphoraceous fragrance.
Pre-sharpened: We prefer this feature because some teachers ask that students arrive at school with sharpened pencils.
Price: We tested pencils across a wide range of prices, from less than 10¢ to more than $2 per pencil, and we gave preference to those available to buy in bulk.

Twelve pencils that we tested, shown side by side next to a notebook with writing on one of its pages.

To test each pencil, we wrote the same phrases on the same type of paper, then ranked their writing ability from best (smooth and dark) to worst (grainy and faint). We also answered the following questions:

Are any of the pencils especially comfortable or uncomfortable to write with?
Do any of the erasers work especially well (erasing marks completely with minimal tearing) or especially badly (leaving marks or smudges behind or tearing the paper)?
Do any of the pencils sharpen especially well (with long, clean shavings) or especially badly (with lots of crumbly shavings)?
Did any of the pencils have noticeable defects, such as flaky paint or a wiggly ferrule ?

Our pick for the best pencil for writing and schoolwork, the Palomino Golden Bear #2 Pencil (Blue).

The Palomino Golden Bear #2 Pencil (Blue) has the best combination of writing, erasing, comfort, and sharpening abilities of any pencil we tested—aside from the pricier Palomino Blackwing 602 , that is—and it’s made from our preferred incense cedar. It’s also fairly inexpensive and available for purchase in bulk .

It makes precise, clear marks. The core of the Palomino Golden Bear pencil is a medium-soft, dark lead with a No. 2 grade. It doesn’t take much pressure to write cleanly, avoiding the stickiness that sometimes plagues pencils in this price range .

Though it doesn’t write as fluidly as our upgrade pick (or even the cheaper Arteza #2 HB Wood Pencil ), it was among the best performers in writing ability of those we tested.

The eraser works well. The Palomino Golden Bear #2 Pencil has a soft, orange eraser that cleanly removes marks without damaging the paper, and our testers generally enjoyed using it—though one tester said it felt a bit “grainy” in texture.

The eraser is firmly attached to the body of the pencil by a gold, crimped-aluminum ferrule with a decorative band of red paint.

A view of the orange colored eraser on the Palomino Golden Bear pencil, attached by a gold, crimped-aluminum ferrule.

It smells great, looks great, and feels nice. The incense-cedar wood of the Palomino Golden Bear pencil is a pale reddish color, and it emits a woodsy smell when sharpened.

It’s coated in a glossy, indigo paint with metallic-gold lettering neatly stamped into the barrel. It has a hexagonal shape that offers a good grip for your fingers while you’re writing and prevents it from easily rolling off of flat surfaces. The corners of its hexagon are fairly angular (like our budget pick ), but they don’t dig into your fingertips as much as some other pencils we tested .

You probably won’t get any duds. The Palomino Golden Bear #2 Pencils we tested had no noticeable defects—such as sloppy or flaking paint, a wiggly ferrule, or an off-center core—which can indicate lapses in quality control.

We also appreciate that this pencil is manufactured in a single facility, whereas others (like our budget pick , which is primarily made in either China or Mexico ) can have slight differences in construction or materials depending on where they’re made.

A view of the Palomino Golden Bear (blue) pencil next to some of its shavings.

It balances affordability and quality. This pencil has a midrange price compared with others we tested. At the time of publication, it costs 33¢ per pencil if you buy a 12-pack , or 24¢ per pencil if you buy a gross .

In contrast, the Palomino Blackwing 602 costs about $2.08 per pencil, the Faber-Castell Grip 2001 Graphite EcoPencil with Eraser costs about 80¢ per pencil, and the Dixon Ticonderoga Classic Yellow Wood-Cased Pencil costs about 17¢ to 65¢ per pencil depending on how many you buy.

Flaws but not dealbreakers:

This pencil doesn’t come pre-sharpened. However, it’s a minor inconvenience for most people to sharpen their own pencils, and one of our testers said they prefer their pencils to come unsharpened so the points don’t break in transit.
Most of our testers had lukewarm feelings about sharpening it by hand, and one commented that it produced “small, crumbly” wood shavings.
We wish the barrel of this pencil were more like that of some other Palomino pencils we tested , as their lightly sanded-down corners make them a bit more enjoyable to hold.

Our budget pick for the best pencil for writing and schoolwork, the Dixon Ticonderoga Classic Yellow Wood-Cased Pencil.

We don’t think it’s “The World’s BEST PENCIL,” but the Dixon Ticonderoga Classic Yellow Wood-Cased Pencil is the best option we tested that costs less than 20¢ apiece. It performed well in our writing and sharpening tests, and it did decently well in erasing and comfort. And it’s one of the most widely available pencils, so it’s unlikely to ever go out of stock.

It writes well enough for everyday work. The iconic yellow Ticonderoga pencil contains a No. 2/HB core that makes dark, fluid marks. Our testers generally enjoyed writing with it, placing it just ahead of our top pick in their average rankings for writing ability.

The eraser isn’t a strong point. Our testers were ho-hum about this pencil’s eraser. It has a slightly gooey texture, a bubble-gum pink color, and a tendency to leave behind smudges and faint marks.

This result was disappointing, since its silver-and-black sibling had one of the best erasers of any pencil we tested. A leaf-green ferrule made of crimped aluminum firmly attaches the eraser to the barrel.

A view of the pink eraser on the Dixon Ticonderoga pencil attached by a green ferrule adorned with two bands of yellow paint.

It doesn’t smell as nice as our other picks, but it feels good and sharpens just fine. Ticonderoga says this pencil is made of “premium wood,” though what kind is unclear—in our tests, it lacked the distinct redwood forest smell that our other picks gave off when sharpened.

The body of the pencil has a hexagonal shape, and it’s painted a sunny yellow color that has become synonymous with schoolwork. None of the testers remarked that it was especially comfortable or uncomfortable to write with, though I found it to have slightly softer corners than our top pick—almost a semi-hex shape.

The Dixon Ticonderoga Classic Yellow Wood-Cased Pencil usually comes pre-sharpened (though it’s hard to know what you’re going to get when you place an order—some of ours did and some didn’t), and it performed well in our sharpening tests. One tester said it had “relatively neat shavings,” and another wrote that it produced “nice curls” of wood.

A view of the Dixon Ticonderoga Classic Yellow Wood-Cased Pencil next to some of its shavings.

Quality control is questionable . One strike against Ticonderoga’s pencils is something we couldn’t adequately assess in our testing: quality control. Since the company was acquired by an Italian company in 2005 , Caroline Weaver told us, the attention to detail has seemingly gone downhill. (Dixon Ticonderoga didn’t respond to our request for comment.)

But it’s the best of the budget options. Even with these caveats, Ticonderoga’s Classic Yellow Wood-Cased Pencils were standouts in our testing, as similarly priced competitors had crummy erasers, flaky paint, or a combination of various flaws that knocked them out of the running.

At the time of publication, you can get these Ticonderoga pencils for about 25¢ apiece if you buy a 12-pack or about 19¢ each if you buy a box of 144 . If you’re on a tight budget, or if our other picks are unavailable, this is your best bet.

Our upgrade pick for the best pencil for writing and schoolwork, the Palomino Blackwing 602.

The Palomino Blackwing 602 Pencil passed nearly all of our tests with distinction—but it doesn’t come cheap.

It’s a pencil, but it’s also a luxury item. The Blackwing 602 is one of just a few high-end pencils ( our also-great pick is another) with both a No. 2/HB-equivalent core and an eraser on the end. Plenty of nice drawing pencils are probably just as great to write with, but they lack one or both of those qualities.

It’s made of the best wood. Like our top pick , the Palomino Blackwing 602 is made of incense cedar by California Cedar Products Company. It has a hexagonal body with soft, rounded edges, and it’s covered in a buttery-smooth, dark-silver, and glossy paint.

After putting it up against cheaper pencils and several other Blackwing models, one tester called it “very enjoyable” to grasp, another praised its “luxe, soft coating that feels fantastic,” and I thought it was unparalleled in comfort.

It writes beautifully. Our testers scored the Blackwing 602’s writing ability as high as any other pencil we tested in terms of clarity and fluidity, too.

Other experts agree: It’s “smoother than a typical writing pencil” and it “uses firm graphite, ideal for writing,” according to JetPens’s comprehensive guide to Palomino Blackwing pencils . JetPens also noted that it’s “the pencil that is closest to the original Eberhard Faber Blackwing” that was beloved by John Steinbeck and other celebrated pencil-wielders.

A view of the removable, replaceable, rectangular eraser on the Palomino Blackwing 602.

Proctors might toss it from standardized tests. A major downside of the Blackwing 602, however, is that it’s not advertised as a No. 2 or HB pencil. No Blackwing pencil has any kind of lead grade printed on its box or barrel.

Its core is roughly akin to a typical No. 2/HB in its darkness and hardness, but it isn’t graded as such. So if you were to show up to take the ACT, the SAT, or an AP test with one, you’d likely be turned away or loaned a different pencil.

The replaceable eraser is a great touch. The Blackwing 602 is the only pencil we tested with a replaceable eraser, which is helpful if the eraser wears down to an unusable nub before the rest of the pencil does ( replacement erasers cost about 30¢ apiece).

Tiny clasps on either side of its curvaceous, gold-hue ferrule allow you to move the eraser up a few millimeters at a time as it starts to wear down.

I prefer this eraser’s shape (flat and rectangular like a book, unlike most pencils’ cylindrical erasers) because you can apply either a single corner for precision erasing or the full top edge for tackling large areas.

A view of the Blackwing 602 pencil next to some of its shavings.

It doesn’t sharpen as smoothly as some less expensive pencils. Like our top pick, the Blackwing 602 does not come pre-sharpened. And though most of our testers found that it sharpened smoothly, one noted that it “had small shavings during sharpening,” and another said that it was “a little difficult to sharpen.”

In my experience, the Blackwing 602—much like our top pick—was tougher to sharpen on the first go-around but silky smooth after that—producing long, zig-zaggy tendrils of wood.

Did we mention it’s not cheap? The Blackwing 602 is the most expensive pencil we tested by far—about $2.08 per pencil at the time of publication. It also only comes in a pack of 12, so unlike with our other picks you can’t save by buying in bulk.

The also great Faber-Castell Grip 2001 Graphite Pencil with Erase.

If you have trouble gripping the hexagonal pencils we recommend or you simply prefer a triangular barrel, you should get the Faber-Castell Grip 2001 Graphite EcoPencil with Eraser .

It’s uniquely grippy. This is the only triangular pencil that we recommend, and it embodies most of the same qualities we prize in our other picks.

In general, triangular pencils are even more averse to rolling off an inclined desk than hexagonal pencils, as their flat sides provide a more stable base with more surface area.

Just as notable as the shape are the small, raised dots covering most of the barrel. These dots—acting like bumps on the sole of a no-slip sock—reduce rubbing and add cushioning to create a more comfortable grip than most pencils offer. They’re soft, shallow, and well spaced, and they didn’t impede writing or sharpening abilities in our testing.

It writes smoothly and erases cleanly. The core of this Faber-Castell pencil has a No. 2/HB grade and makes smooth, moderately dark marks that can be erased cleanly.

Its black eraser performed well in our testing, and it’s attached to the body of the pencil with a black, crimped-aluminum ferrule. Three testers said it was their favorite eraser, and one noted that it “left the most eraser material behind, though was fairly thorough in removing the marks.”

A view of the black eraser on the Faber-Castell Grip Graphite EcoPencil attached by with a black, crimped-aluminum ferrule.

Its mystery wood is sustainably harvested but shaggier than our other picks. The Faber-Castell Grip 2001 Graphite EcoPencil is coated in a matte-silver paint, which contrasts nicely with the pencil’s black details. Its wood type isn’t listed, and it has a rougher look than our other picks when sharpened.

But, it’s certified by the Forest Stewardship Council, which means the wood has been sustainably harvested from well-managed forests. It’s also made in a single location (Germany), whereas some pencils, such as our budget pick , are made in various facilities and tend to have more inconsistencies.

It’s a little pricey but worth it if you prefer the shape. Compared with most pencils we tested, this Faber-Castell model is on the pricier side (about 77¢ apiece at the time of publication), and it’s not available to buy in bulk. However, these are reasonable tradeoffs given its specialty shape, upscale look, and good overall performance.

If you like our top pick , but it’s unavailable and you don’t need to buy in bulk: The Palomino Golden Bear #2 Pencil (Orange; USA) , Palomino Golden Bear #2 Pencil (Orange; TH) , Palomino Blue Eraser-Tipped HB Pencil , and Palomino Orange Eraser-Tipped HB Pencil are all solid alternatives.

They’re not picks because they aren’t available to buy in bulk, but other than slight variations in their paint and eraser colors, they’re practically indistinguishable from from the Palomino Golden Bear #2 Pencil (Blue) .

If you like our top pick but prefer an unpainted barrel with slightly rounded corners: The Palomino ForestChoice #2 Graphite Pencil is your best bet.

It used to be our top pick, and like the Palomino Golden Bear #2 Pencil (Blue) , it’s made of incense cedar, contains a No. 2/HB core, and has a great eraser. It was one of the best performers in terms of writing ability in our testing, though it got so-so reviews in sharpening and comfort.

It is often out of stock at popular retailers and is almost impossible to find in bulk. But if you can get it for a reasonable price—at the time of publication, for instance, you can buy it in a pack of 12 for about $14 or by the gross for $50 —it’s a great pencil.

If you like our upgrade pick but prefer an unpainted barrel and extra-firm core: The Palomino Blackwing Natural Pencil is the one to get.

It’s nearly identical to the Palomino Blackwing 602 but with an unpainted, lightly varnished finish that feels slightly less luxurious than the 602’s. It also has an extra-firm graphite core, whereas the 602’s firm core is a bit softer and darker, but both are in the general realm of a No. 2/HB-grade core .

If you’re prepared to pay nearly twice as much as our top pick for a high-performing pencil, and you don’t care about buying in bulk: The Mitsubishi 9850 HB is a delight.

All of our panelists praised its jet-black, fluid marks. The hexagonal, incense-cedar wood pencil is coated in a glossy, maroon paint. It has fairly sharp corners, but it’s about as comfortable to write with as our top pick. It has a white eraser—one of the best we tested—fastened firmly to the body of the pencil. And it sharpens cleanly. You can’t really ask for more.

However, it’s not available in bulk, and the per-pencil price (around 69¢ at the time of publication) is hard to justify when the Palomino Golden Bear #2 Pencil (Blue) costs half that and is just as good.

If you’re willing to pay more than twice as much as our top pick for a high-performing pencil and you don’t mind a barrel with slightly sharper corners: Try the Musgrave Pencil Company Harvest 320 Professional #2 .

Just like the Palomino Golden Bear #2 Pencil (Blue) , it’s made of incense cedar and has a No. 2/HB core, and it’s made by one of the oldest pencil makers in the US . In our testing, its sharpening and erasing capabilities were on par with those of our top pick.

It’s not available to buy by the gross like our top pick is, and it has a slightly more angular shape, but it still offers an excellent overall writing experience.

We’re planning to test the following pencils against our current picks in fall 2024:

Mitsubishi 9852 HB
Mitsubishi 9852EW HB
Musgrave Pencil Company Ceres 909
Musgrave Pencil Company Choo-Choo 8500
Musgrave Pencil Company Cub 3030T
Musgrave Pencil Company Greenbelt
Musgrave Pencil Company Tennessee Round
Musgrave Pencil Company Unigraph 1200 HB Tipped
Notsu All Black #2
Palomino Blackwing Pearl
Dixon Ticonderoga Tri-Conderoga

This is not a comprehensive list of all the pencils we’ve tested. We’ve culled any pencils that are discontinued or do not meet our latest requirements.

The Amazon Basics Woodcased #2 Pencil was one of the cheapest we considered, but its lead was hard and grainy (it was one of the worst performers in our testers’ averaged rankings for writing ability). It also fared poorly in comfort, erasing, and sharpening.

The Arteza #2 HB Wood Pencil was on the cheaper side, and it also fared pretty well overall in our testing—ranking just after our upgrade pick in writing ability and middling in comfort and sharpening. Unfortunately, its eraser performed worse than that of every other pencil we tested: One tester wrote “didn’t erase” and “felt rubbery” in their feedback, and another wrote “doesn’t erase much and also sheds.”

The Dixon Ticonderoga Black Wood-Cased Pencil has one of the best erasers of any pencil we tested, but it performed much worse than its yellow twin (our budget pick ) in writing ability. One tester said this pencil’s “lead was too hard and sticky, causing me to have to use more force to write.”

The Dixon Ticonderoga Tri-Write Wood-Cased Pencil is one of just two triangular pencils we tried in our latest round of testing—the other being our also-great pick . It’s not especially grippy, though, and three panelists called it out as the least comfortable pencil to hold and write with among those tested.

The General Pencil Company General’s Semi-Hex Pencil is made of incense cedar, and it’s one of the most comfortable pencils we tested. However, it’s more expensive than pencils that performed just as well or better, and some of our testers noted paint flaking off the sides of its barrel.

The General Pencil Company General’s Cedar Pointe #2 Graphite Pencil was a top performer in all areas of our testing. However, even if you buy it by the gross , It costs about 58¢ per pencil at the time of publication, and it doesn’t have any features that would justify paying more for it than our top pick .

The Madisi Wood-Cased #2 HB Pencil is one of the cheapest pencils we considered, but it’s also the absolute worst pencil we tested in pretty much every way. Our testers found it to be lightweight and unwieldy, making it difficult and uncomfortable to write with.

The Musgrave Pencil Company Harvest 320 #2 Pencil was a good all-around performer in our testing, but it’s typically a little pricier than our top pick , and since it’s made of basswood instead of incense cedar it’s more prone to splintering and other imperfections.

The Musgrave Pencil Company Tennessee Red Pencil has an unpainted, lightly varnished barrel made of red cedar wood—which has a warmer color than incense cedar and emits an even more camphoraceous smell when sharpened—and it performed well in all areas of our testing. However, at the time of publication, it costs more than a dollar per pencil, and it’s unavailable to buy in bulk.

The Staedtler Norica Pencil (Blue) is one of the most expensive pencils we tested as well as one of the worst performers. It scored about the same as the cheapest pencils we tested (the Amazon Basics and Madisi pencils) in writing ability.

The USA Gold Classic Wood Pencil gave our budget pick a run for its money—it was slightly more comfortable to grasp and write with, and it’s usually a few cents cheaper. However, our testers didn’t rank it quite as highly in their writing-ability comparisons, and the paint on its barrel was really flaky.

This article was edited by Ben Keough and Erica Ogg.

Meet your guide

Sarah Witman

Sarah Witman is a senior staff writer who reports on powering and charging technology for Wirecutter. She previously worked as a writer, editor, and fact checker for several science magazines. Though she researches and tests chargers for a living, her phone battery is usually low.

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02. Consider your lines

03. Start with an underdrawing

04. Work left-to-right

05. Try a blind contour drawing

06. Vary line thickness

07. Mix up shading techniques

08. With detail work, control your lines

09. Master blending

10. Start lightly and build from there

11. Clean up after yourself

12. Check and recheck

13. Know when to stop

14. Pick the right pencil

15. Sharpen correctly

16. Protect your paper

17. Explore different paper textures

18. Invest in a putty eraser

19. Try a stump for soft blending

20. Unify your colours

21. Try different approaches to outlines

22. Draw on your own experiences

23. Use contrasting concepts

24. Try combining pencils with watercolour

25. Break out of your comfort zone

26. Create fabric

27. Categorise your fabric

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2- Draw and sketch things around you

3- Draw a still-life

4- Practice anatomy

5- 80% practice and 20% theory

Conclusion:

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