Graphic Pencils

Good pencil drawings start with a good graphite pencil. With Derwent Graphic pencils you’ve got a wide choice of degrees from the popular HB pencil, to the fine and crisp 9H and soft and smudgy 9B. So whether you're doing fine detailed illustrations or adding shading and texture to your drawing we’ve got the right pencil for you!

This is where good drawing starts. Whatever your drawing style or media preference, you’ll need some traditional, high quality graphite pencils – and you won’t find a better range than Derwent Graphic. This high quality pencil is produced in a fantastic choice of 20 degrees, from a crisp, non-scratchy 9H to a soft, smudgy 9B. The hexagonal barrel is easy to hold and the pencil sharpens to a good point to cover all your drawing and sketching needs. All the degrees are available individually or in specially selected sets.

Available individually, and in tins of 6, 12 and 24.

Ten Top Tips - By Jenny Hill

1. Make a tonal swatch for each of the Graphic degrees on a strip of card for easy tonal comparison.
2. For quick and effective backgrounds use a craft knife to scrape graphite from the tip of the pencil and then rub into the paper with a paper stump.
3. One of the very hard graphic pencils (9H) can be used in a similar way to an indenting tool, particularly good for adding detail to the iris of an eye.
4. To even out the texture of a soft pencil (4B) shade over with a slightly harder pencil (HB).
5. To add interest to dark areas, you can add shapes into your drawing with a hard pencil (2H) then go over lightly with a softer lead (6B), the harder pencil will show through.
6. Use a paper stump to soften edges and smooth out shading
7. Don’t throw away stubs of paper stumps as these can be used for soft, fine shading.
8. To lift highlights or neaten edges use an eraser shield and battery eraser
9. Use a Derwent eraser pencil and brush to gently brush debris off your paper/drawing.
10. Use small circular strokes to create texture in your shading

Watch the Video

In this video professional artist Fiona Peart demonstrates how to draw a raccoon using Derwent Graphic Pencils. During the clip Fiona shows various techniques on how to get the best from your Graphic Pencils including highlighting, creating fur and shading.

You can also download a project sheet where Fiona will guide you through the process of creating drawing of a feather.