20 Best Graphite Pencils For Drawing (2023 Updated)

I enjoy drawing and creating new designs for my small growing business. Although most of my creative mind is out in the open, I enjoy the fact that this is in its own tin and able to thrown into my art bag with out breaking.

The no. grade is efficient enough to make a 1st draft freestyle and once able to remake the project, these grades give good feedback. Not professional grade but sufficient enough for those on the go projects.

I like also that ad coupons from Michaels was a great discount. I would recommend this product to on the go artist or creator in aiding in their creative minds. Thanks for you time.

This set is a great value for the artist out there looking for mid-range quality and essentials for sketching. I have done a lot of sketching in my life and have had various brands of graphite pencils over the years ranging from base line to professional and I would say that these are a value mid-range that are great for beginners and also more skilled drawing abilities.

The dark end of the color of the graphite is great but, the lighter shading leaves something to be desired. The handle on the pencil is great and fits perfectly within my hand. The small carrying case is a nice touch and the sharpener is just above that of a traditional store bough pencil sharpener.

I would definitely recommend these pencils for someone looking for sketching pencils who are also looking for value.

Father-Castell has always been my top brand that I have purchased for my art projects because no one can beat the quality of their pencils. Now that my son is very much into art this set for him was perfect.

I like that it came with a case and a sharpener that he could just keep everything together in one place. The brand never disappoints with its ability to shade and blend way better than other brands.

Will always be my go to brand for all my art needs! Cannot beat the quality here!.

They’re wonderful! I just love how the Creative Studio pencils work. Each has their own job to do and they do it quite well. I get a crisp narrow line when I need one. I love that it doesn’t smear as my hand brushes over it, being a leftie that is the single most important part of the pencil.

One is for a little thicker line when necessary. and most of that I control via the included sharpener. My favorite is the shading, I just love watching the page come alive with shading. it’s always been my favorite! I highly recommend the Creative Studio set, it has everything you need and its economical!.

I had the 24 set for a while. Decided to upgrade to the full 48 set. I like using colored pencils in mixed media apps over paint for the finishing details. PROS: These pencils sharpen nicely, are strong and lay down color easily similar to Prismas.

Winsor & Newton’s web page says they have high lightfastness based on the ASTM standards. W&N hasn’t published the lightness ratings yet as they are still testing. Color palette is compatible with W&N Cotman and many W&N Pro watercolors.

The compatible color palettes make these pencils ideal for use over W&N watercolor paintings for finishing details. Color palettes vary greatly between colored pencil lines. Having the right colors available for edge work is a definite plus.

CON: No open stock for replacements. But the sets are inexpensive compared to other brands.

A very beautiful set of pencles i use evreyday. I just started working at Taco Bell and let’s just say my life has become really dull. I’ve started feeling a little depressed so I went to Michael’s to make myself feel artistic I Ended up telling one of the workers about How I was feeling and he guided me to the drawing section after finding out that that’s my favorite type of Medium.

I haven’t stopped using it and every day on my break I go around and draw in the target lot. Lately I’ve been focusing on the drive-through window and I’ve made a really beautiful piebeautiful peace inspired by it.

Winsor and Newton is a great name in art circles hence my confidence in this purchase. Excellent selection of pencils and aesthetically pleasing but in terms of quality, they fall short. Maybe the problem is me or my paper but these pencils to me are a little to smeary.

I am unable to get sharp lines no matter how I sharpen. Also with some cheap pencil I got from the dollar store, I achieve the result I want so I cannot complain too hard.

This sketching tin has all the supplies you need to begin your drawing journey. I definitely recommend them to art students or beginners who don’t want to use low low grade supplies. I especially like the addition of the sepia drawing tool.

The supplies found in this kit can be purchased open stock as well! Only downside is that the tin doesn’t fully secure in place when you close it, but that can be remedied by tying a rubber band around it.

These blend very nicely and have a soft touch of color once water has been applied. The pencil marks don’t necessarily go away once I try to wash over them and blend the colors, there’s still some noticeable strokes of color pencil.

But they do make watercolor by pencil very fun and entertaining for someone who hasn’t messed with watercolors for long. These were perfect for beginning the trial and error of watercolor. #sweepstakes.

I suffer from anxiety and depression I used to draw before, so I wanted a positive way to ease up my anxiety, and let’s just say I am in love with these pencils. When I’m feeling down and overwhelmed this is the perfect way to come back to my own happy thoughts.

Really love how they feel when I draw I can feel my face smiling when I use them it’s like a fresh air goes through me. Well definitely buy more down the line.

I bought these pencils about 2 months ago and I love them. They don’t break the bank when you purchase them and they’re just as good as any other pencil if not better. I also like the Prismacolor graphite set to and the 12 set art pencils and both would still be a good purchase.

IšverstiShow in original languageI’ve used Faber and Castell’s products for years now, and no matter what I’ve used of their products I’ve always gotten excellent results and excellent quality. These pencils are some of my favorite pencils to use and I got through them like crazy.

The writing is always smooth and glides perfectly on the page. It feels like I’m writing with butter rather than a pencil. The lines are wonderfully dark and excellent for getting that extra value that you don’t see in other products.

All in all I’m a big fan of Faber and Castell’s products.

IšverstiShow in original languageI have the set that runs from 2H to 8B. I have had these four months, and am no where near having to sharpen them, and i use them to at least 20 minutes a day most days.

Not even close to breaking, blend well, and stay very sharp, even the softer/darker ones. I mostly use the 2H, F, HB (which is the most worn out), 3B, 6B, and 8B. I am very pleased with the tin case, which is hinged.

I actually only look for art supplies in tin cases, as I keep my supplies in a briefcase, and cats will knock it over, and try to play with it. With out the case, one pounce from a 12 pound cat would probably break the pencils.

IšverstiShow in original languageI’ve used various pencils and artist’s pencils my entire life. For some reason, I had never used Faber-Castell drawing pencils before though I love their colored pencils.

They’re incredible. My new favorite pencils. So smooth.

I ordered a handful to fill in the gaps in my softer pencils. I love the way they glide and feel on the paper. The 9B is one of the darkest graphite pencils out there. The leads seem to be a touch larger on the harder end of the scale, so gives more shading area and lasts longer.

My only wish is that they printed the hardness on all six sides, like Staedtler. If these were the only wooded drawing pencils out there, I would have no complaints at all. Glad Blick carries them open stock.

I ordered 2 pencils (Cretacolor Fine Art Graphite 9B) – my art teacher requires those pencils in particular. They arrived in a box that was much too large. The pencils were together, in a small plastic sleeve, at the bottom of the box.

The rest of the box was filled with large packing balloons (those linked-together bags of air that companies use for package filler, these days). There was no cushioning between the pencils and the bottom of the box.

The first time I went to sharpen one of them, it became apparent that the leads were broken, inside the pencils. I’m hoping I might get some use out of them, but even if I can manage to get a point, the lead just falls out of the pencil as soon as I start to use it.

I really like these pencils. I’ve used Tombow and Blackwing and those two were a favorite of mine. But, I’d have to say these just might beat them. While drawing I get a smooth line that draws easily and does not seem to smear.

Or very little. That is odd for me because the pencils I traditionally use to get a decent drawing do have some smear. This is a clean line. I found these a pleasure to draw with.

My son has got into sketching and these pencils are perfect for him (and me). He loves Lions and Castles so even the tin is a winner! Great prices abs great value. Would highly recommend this company.

All of my art media is from castle arts!! I just can’t get enough, amazing quality and I wouldn’t go anywhere else for my art supplies. Very much recommend Castle Arts.

I have used this brand for years and the quality is great. It lasts a really long time. And the price is unbeatable. I would recommend this to any artist or person who is just starting to draw.

Perfect starter set for the beginner artist. Includes all the shades for detailing and shading your drawings. I recommend this set to start with.

Although, item is “as shown” it’s very small and sort of inexpensive looking compared to the price. It is for a teenager (who’s a budding artist) so, I wrapped it along with a paint brush set I’d purchased separately.

I would definitely not recommend for an adult. Shipping was quick well packaged.

I bought some 6H, 8H and 9H pencils for a friend who is a professional builder. Of the 3 choices he likes the 8H pencils best for layout and overall performance. Softer lead pencils leave him sharpening all day, but he was happy with the performance of these pencils drawing on cement board and other pencil eating materials.

They don’t quite measure up to some ancient drawing pencils he bought from a local bookstore, but come closer than anything he’s been able to find lately. I was very happy to be able to purchase these individually to try them out without having to buy a variety pack containing many pencils I did not need.

He just wishes that he could get the same hardness in a jumbo pencil :0). Overall great shopping experience from Dick Blick.

Well let me cut right to the chase. I buy these pencils every school year for my advanced art classes and these are subpar pencils. As other reviwers have mentioned the pencils have a tendency to scratch the paper even when pressing lightly due to impurities in the graphite itself.

The shades of pencils seem to fall in the same muted tone so you need to skip a few pencils ahead to get the stark contrast between light and dark. The way I draw is the grid method where you use a ruler and some mental math to recreate the photograph, and when I go to erase the 4h lines and shade in the background imagine my anger to find with lines showing through the background where I used the grids!!! And I was pressing so light that I couldn’t even see the boxes half the time so that whole ordeal was frustrating.

After hours of smoothing the background I was able to get somewhat of a desired result. Now these pencils seem like the big bad wolf but when you take in consideration of the price they are cheap, which may be a good thing if your looking for wallet friendly products.

I recommend this for kids all the way until high school, because if your school is like mine art competitions in 9th grade on are no joke and being this my junior year working with them I regret not investing in something better.

But if money isn’t a matter to you and you’re serious about your art get some better pencils that won’t scratch the paper when you apply the pressure of an ant.

This pencil is especially nice for rendering hair. It produces nice dark tones, doesn’t shine and doesn’t blend our completely. That’s helpful when you want the surrounding tones blended but want some lines to stay and not disappear in the blending process like with hair.

That is where this pencil shines. It doesn’t completely erase so you have to be careful when applying of course.

These pencils are great. The feel, the lines produced and even the smell are really great. Better than any other pencils I have used. Being stored in the metal box keeps them ever ready and secure, while protecting the points.

The range of lead grades is excellent in this set. So you can lay out fine and feint lines then build up the shading to a fine finish. Hence I feel they are excellent value. They actually encouraged me to do more and so I have progressed further than I would have expected.

I can thoroughly recommend them.

These are wonderful pencils, the best for graphic and drawing works. The most valuable in them is that their hardness / softness really corresponds to the marking and they are more black in comparison with 50 shades of gray of all other firms.

I rate the Koh-I-Noor range of graphite pencils to be as good as any that I have tried. The grades are consistent and for the prices that you can find them for on Ebay, represent excellent value. They also make a range of water soluble pencils that are also well worth exploring.

For the dabbler and the determined, these Faber-Castell graphite pencils are an essential tool for drawing. I’m returning to the blank page after many years off and I love these pencils. They work smoothly and beautifully.

These pencils go on lightly and they are very smooth when drawing with them. Since there are so many different sizes I can use the one I need for a certain drawing idea.

Good variety of pencils for a decent price. They sharpen and erase well. No issues, highly recommended!

I can’t be sure if it was the product itself or if it was damaged in shipping, but the lead in these pencils arrived mostly broken. I teach Studio Art at the high school level, I thought the students might be misbehaving and grinding up entire pencils in the sharpener until I experienced it myself – every time I sharpened a pencil to a reasonable point it would break off when I attempted to draw.

Talk about frustrating! Again I don’t want to say it was the quality of the pencil at fault but I haven’t experienced this before. I had expected to have some usable pencils leftover for next semester but this order (Maybe 36 pencils?) are down to nubs already.

I watch Bev Jozwiak’s watercolor tutorials and have learned a lot from them. She uses this soft lead pencil to sign her work and add some details to watercolor paintings. I’m using it for that same purpose.

I am a student so am probably not getting all I could out of these high quality pencils, but I love them. They are so smooth: lovely shading. Don’t see the shininess usually present with the darker pencils (but that might be my inexperience).

The pencil coloration helps find a particular pencil soft/hardness: handy. I worry about them crashing around in the metal tube when I carry them to sketch in various places (I got the larger set) and will probably store them in a soft roll if I can find one long enough.

These pencils are truly amazing! Expensive? Definitely. Worth it? Without a doubt! I have several other top shelf brands of pencils; Prismacolor Turquoise, Faber-Castell 9000 series, Derwent Graphic.

Some of the other pencils share some qualities with the Graftwood but none of them share all of those qualities. Even, buttery lay-down with a light touch, sharpens beautifully and hold their point longer than most other artist pencils (softer pencils wear down more quickly than the harder leads).

Side by side comparison will prove this point. Graphite smudges only minimally. Great shape and balance make using these pencils a joy for those long drawing sessions. I see only one down-side, if you want to call it that, they are more expensive than the others.

It may just ruin your opinion of the competition and spoil you into not wanting to use the others. Lol Expensive but worth every penny!.

These pencils were hard to find but I was so happy DickBlick had them, and at such an excellent price too! I have been testing out different graphite pencils and I really enjoy these. They are smooth and buttery so you don’t have to press down as hard as other pencils to get a dark line.

The value range is excellent as well, especially the H pencils are the best ones I’ve found. The graphite they lay down also does not smudge quite as much as other brands I’ve tried, and is a bit more waterproof, although it still erases easily, so that is a bonus since I like to use them to outline watercolor paintings.

They look beautiful as well. #sweepstakes.

The Faber Castell 9000 Art Set is a very useful range of drawing pencils ranging from 2H to 8B, ensuring that there is plenty of choice to ensure a great range of tones. They sharpen well and have very smooth coverage, not at all gritty in use.

They come in a useful tin which helps protect them in transit, and encourages me not to leave them all over the place. Having only had cheap and cheerful drawing pencils before, these have certainly helped to improve my drawing and shading skills.

I also bought a “jumbo” 8B pencil of the same make to see what it was like, and it’s great for covering larger areas.

Faber-Castell – Castell® 9000 Graphite Pencil Art Set – Tin of 12 These are great pencils. They offer exceptional range and variance and the feel and grip are nice. They come sharpened. I’ve pitched a few different brands and these are my favorite for drawing and shading.

Faber-Castell pencils were the first set of drawing pencil I ever used and there is a reason why I still use them to this day, many years later might I add! They are a sturdy pencil and a very well known brand of pencils amongst artists.

I have to say the best part though is the fact that it practically already comes in a carrying case for your pencils, no pencil case needed!.

These pencils are excellent they write and draw beautifully and I can’t ask for anymore than that. They’re just right for fine intricate drawing and they can put shade dark or light depending on how heavy you lean on the pencil.

The owner also sent me a lovely message thanking me for my business which was a touch of class in my opinion and I’ll definitely buy more of these in the future. I’d recommend these pencils to anyone with an artistic bent.

Excellent pencil my husband prefers for different types of essays. He’s been looking for 9H for a long time and these are perfect! On the other hand, I can hardly see the faint little chicken marks he makes with them but he was like a kind at Christmas.

Oh! those writers and their pencils!.

Student do their preliminary drawing with these pencils. The pencils allows for light outline and also allows for details to be rendered accurately no matter how delicate. The bad about this pencil is that it does have a hard point so if a student presses strongly, the result can end up being torn paper.

Pencil is great for details and preliminary drawings before added mediums or colors.

Everyone can use a pencil!

TranslateShow in original languageMuito boa a matéria temos um site de Curdo de Desenho Realista Online e gostei muito nos só usamos Lápis Profissionais da marca Koh-I-Noorse com nossos alunos, quer aprender a desenhar acesse nosso site e Veja o Cursos de Desenho Técnicas Realista realizado pelo Estúdio França de Desenho.

TranslateShow in original languageÉpségben megérkezett, figyelmesen be volt csomagolva hogy a belseje se törjön meg.

For some reason, it has been difficult to find good quality wooden pencils, so I’m happy to have found the Tombow 8900 (2B) pencils. I prefer a softer lead when writing, and these are especially good for calligraphy and drawing.

Tombow pencils are great. The graphite is smooth and the wood is excellent quality. For a B, the point retention is very good. The green finish has a classic retro feel that I enjoy. I don’t mind that there’s no eraser because I like putting arrowhead erasers on some of my pencils.

The only problem with Tombow pencils is the massive bar code, which I find ugly. I wish they would put it down near the end, where it will sharpen away.

I love the darkness of the lead. My manuscripts photocopy very well without adjusting the darkness on the photocipier. They do require more frequent sharpening but are worth the extra effort and cost.