Soft leads

Pencils, Continued Soft leads Soft leads, that is, leads in the 6B to 2B range, are well suited to freehand drawing. They tend to be thick in core diameter and leave some graphite residue. Illustrations in soft lead tend to smear easily. Smearing and smudging are creative options with soft leads. Use kneaded erasers to bring out illustration highlights. When used on paper with pronounced grain or tooth, soft leads appear granular and black. Soft lead pencils are brittle and require more frequent sharpening than hard leads. Medium leads Hard leads Humidity Leads in the range of B to 3H are medium hard leads. Ideal for general purpose layout work, they are dense enough to leave an image and easily erased. Graphite residue is minimal and the illustration has a light sheen to the surface. Technical drawing and drawings that require a high degree of precision are done by hard-leaded pencils in the 4H to 6H range. Hard-leaded pencils have small diameter cores and hold points longer than soft leads. The lines appear light and have a high sheen. Heavy pressure on hard-leaded pencils creases the paper and is difficult to thoroughly erase. Humidity affects the graphite core of lead pencils. On dry days, the pencil leaves more dust or residue than on days of high humidity. On damp days, pencil lines appear more black or dense. When continuing a pencil drawing on a day of high humidity, you may have to select a lead that is a few degrees harder than the lead you would use on a dry day. Variation You may find that as you master the medium of the pencil, you may increase the selection of pencil leads at your disposal. Continued on next page 1-13