Which manufacturer should I choose to buy?
This often depends on your budget, but quality will affect the quality of marks you are able to create when drawing and sketching. The best pencils for drawing and sketching are made by these manufacturers;
- Rembrandt
- Derwent Graphite
- Faber Castell
- Staedtler Mars Lumograph
- Caran d’Ache graphite
As you can tell by the photos I tend to use a mix of pencils from different manufactures. This is because over the years I have come to prefer the different qualities of the different pencils so tend to stick to those as much as possible. They can of course be used interchangeably as you begin to learn about your pencils and what you can make them do. Just so long as they are all graphite pencils.
Do beginners really need expensive pencils?
Don’t fall into the trap of thinking that as a beginner you can get away with cheap pencils while just ‘seeing how it goes’. Low quality materials and tools usually end up in frustration and cause people to abandon a new hobby. Cheap tools will limit the success you will able to have with your drawing. Quality pencils will ensure you achieve the best results when beginning and this will encourage you to continue.
My advice when choosing the best pencils for drawing and sketching is to buy the best quality you can afford. It’s better to buy fewer quality pencils than a whole set of cheap pencils – most of which you are now realising you won’t actually need!
Don’t be beguiled by the ‘value for money’ packs of 19 or so pencils (9B – 9H) you can buy in budget shops. I wouldn’t even be tempted by the packs of quality pencils (aprox £13) that offer the whole B range + 2H and F. Better to buy the 4 pencils I suggest at the end of this post. At about £1.20 each they still represent a considerable savings allowing you to buy more of the pencils you’ll use on a regular basis.
