Using an entire Pencil Set

When I first started to draw, I had absolutely no idea what to do with half the supplies that came in a simple pencil set. I didn't even know what the HB, 3B, 5H, or anything on the pencils meant! But now that I've learned what they mean, how to use them, and how much better your art can get, I'll explain the basics of a simple pencil set.  

    Pencils
    Each set of pencils is unique, and when you get them, you might be wondering, (Like I did) what on earth does each number mean? Well, first of all, the letters are very important in order to understand the numbers. H is the letter used for lighter tones in the grayscale of graphite. And yes, artists' pencils are usually graphite, so you don't have to worry about lead poisoning if you accidentally prick your hand. B is the darker tones for your pencils, and the higher the number, the darker your pencil. On the other hand with H pencils, the higher the number is, say 5H, it gets lighter and is best used for tracing out your design before shading it in with darker tones. 

Stumps

    Do you see those white rolls of paper in the middle of the picture? No, those are not useless and DON'T throw them away! These are called stumps, which you can use for blending your sketch into a smooth even tone. When you finish shading a piece of art, have you ever thought to yourself, "How to artists make their art look so pretty?" Well, now you know! Smudging the graphite with your finger can blend it a little, but with a stump, you are able to achieve a level of smoothness that wasn't happening with your grubby little finger. 

    The different sizes of stumps also help you get into the smaller places of your drawing, where an enormous stump won't cut it. So use all of them! Make sure that you use them to the best of their ability. 

Sandpaper

    Now, what you might not see in this picture, is a sanding tool. It's this little piece of brown cardboard-like substance that has strange sandpaper on it in several layers. This is used to clean off the tips of your stumps when they get dark gray and need to be clean so that it doesn't turn every part of your drawing into a mess.

    When you do clean your stumps, be sure to sand them in smooth strokes going with the grain of the roll, that way you don't tear up the paper.

Kneaded Eraser 

A kneaded eraser (Also known as a gum eraser) is a small square or rectangle of squishy, gray, gum-like substance that is actually usable. Yes, this is yet another tool that I threw away. The truth is that when you take this sticky eraser out and knead it into any shape that you want, you can gently roll it over your rough sketch to erase all unneeded lines, before going over it with line art. You can also use it before violently erasing with the hard erasers that you use in school, to get a cleaner erase and not leave ghost marks on your paper. 

And that is pretty much the standard pencil set. I hope this helped and if you want notifications of my next post, please leave a comment in the contact form below! Thank you and God bless!