Pencil Types

[Adam R Davis]

For those among us who still draw with good ol' pencil and paper, I'd like to find out what types of pencils folks are using. This really isn't a "what method is best" inquiry. I'm just curious about the various approaches people take. Myself, I have the usual blue and red col-erase, and a big stack of #2s.

[zanekohler]

I use a variety. I do use the Blue Col-Erase a lot. One of my favorite for black lead is the Mirado Black Warrior 2HB.
http://pencilgrinder.files.wordpress.com/2008/03/packaging.jpg

Found cheap at places like Walmart and Staples.


Then I also use on occasion the mechanical pencil Staedler 980. It still has the thickness of an average lead pencil. Has a self sharpener on the back. I like to use it when I travel. Great topic.

http://leadholder.com/assets/lh-draft/staedtler/staedtler-780-mip1.jpg

[Sam Ellis]

I personally like using a lead holder, (I like having that consistent feel), with 4-8b lead.
I like the soft lead so I can keep moving, (which usually give me better gestures), when I get into anything harder my hand tends to fatigue sooner.

[Rodney]

I've recently fallen in love with the Mitsu-bishi Hi-uni 10B.
It's soft dark thick line is ideal. It glides over smoother paper almost like ink and on standard paper has a nice drag on it, depending on the tooth of the paper.

Mitsu-bishi 10B pencils: the brush pencil fude enpitsu and the Hi-Uni (http://www.penciltalk.org/2008/11/mitsubishi-10b-pencils-the-brush-pencil-fude-enpitsu-and-the-hi-uni) Note: I've never seen the brush pencil they compair to the Mitsu-bishi. Looks very interesting. I'll have to investigate.

It is not a very good pencil for erasing but any line put down with any confidence using it shouldn't need to be erased. It's fine for light sketching too but for detailing and a thinner line I'm liking the Stabilo Swano 4909 HB2. Unlike the Mitsu-bishi this one comes with an eraser and unless really pressured into the paper the lines completely erase.

Previously I'd been enjoying those pencils that kids use all the time that have the presharpened lead in plastic. They are a soft lead and once they lose their sharpness you just pull out the tip and push it through from the back end and out pops the new sharpened lead. The unsharpened pencil components are useful later when drawing thicker lines. These are especially ideal when traveling!

Seriously though... 9B... 10B... I'm loving those!

Added: I should say... just about any pencil is in danger of being used if it hangs around me. :)

[wolfsymphony]

I'm currently using Staedtler Norica's in HB #2 and am loving them so so much. I haven't been able to find any col-erase pencils in my area, however.

[OwenWelsh]

I like the Tombow Mono 2B pencil. They are japanese and extremely high quality. I like how dark the lines can get with this pencil and how easily it glides. I've tried others but I think I'm stuck on this one.

[Ben Sword]

I agree with Zane on the "Mirado Black Warrior", Ive used those for several years.
Lately though Ive been using "Derwent Sketching" pencils.
http://www.pencils.co.uk/product.aspx?mid=728 (http://www.pencils.co.uk/product.aspx?mid=728)

Also when I'm just sketching and practicing Ive been using this thing called "Writing In Metal" on the manufacturers websitehttp://www.axelweinbrecht.de/en/Produkte/Schreiben_mit_Metall.html, or "Inkless Metal Pen" at www.vat19.com (The online retailer were I originally found it.)
It cant be erased but it doesn't smudge, so its like drawing with a permanent pencil. So when I'm just sketching down some ideas or practices that I don't intend to clean up or finish this works great.

[DNethery]

For me the Col-Erase Blue and Col-Erase Red pencils are mainstays for underdrawing.

For finishing I like to use the Tombow (http://www.dickblick.com/products/tombow-mono-professional-drawing-pencils/) brand pencils , and a mechanical pencil (various types) for fine detail on clean-ups , with H or HB lead .05 or .03 depending on the size of the drawing.

I have also enjoyed using the new incarnation of the "Blackwing" , from California Republic Pencil Co. the Blackwing Palomino (http://www.pencils.com/blackwing) , which is meant to reproduce the old Eberhard-Faber Blackwing 602 , which used to be a favorite of mine . The "New Blackwing" is not exactly the same as the old one , but it's a nice enough pencil on it's own and the styling is close enough to the original Blackwing that it satisfies a feeling of nostalgia.

Just saw this photo of Don Bluth at Disney's posted recently on Dan Caylor's site "On Animation" (http://www.onanimation.com/2011/03/26/don-bluths-animation-school/) . Noticed he's using a Blackwing ...

http://www.onanimation.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2011/03/don.jpg

[C. Siemens]

It's Col-erase for me, too.
When I was in the US last October, I bought myself some Sanford Design Ebony pencils because I think those are the ones Glen Keane uses to animate. An animator who worked for him on Tarzan once told me Keane made all his animators use his pencils so their ruffs would have a smilar line quality.
Well - I'm not sure whether or not I bought the right ones but I've got to say they're rather too smudgy and dusty for my taste.

[OwenWelsh]

I have tried col erase blue pencils, but whenever I get to inbetweening I can't see the blue lines with the backlight. So I just stick with the tombows.

[LMR70]

I use the trusty col-erase 20044.
Also Faber Castell blue polychromo pencils are great, nice and soft.

[DNethery]

It's Col-erase for me, too.
When I was in the US last October, I bought myself some Sanford Design Ebony pencils because I think those are the ones Glen Keane uses to animate. An animator who worked for him on Tarzan once told me Keane made all his animators use his pencils so their ruffs would have a smilar line quality.
Well - I'm not sure whether or not I bought the right ones but I've got to say they're rather too smudgy and dusty for my taste.

I don't know what Glen is using these days, but back in the day his preferred pencil was the Blaisdell Layout Pencil (http://blackwingdiaries.blogspot.com/2006/08/blaisdell.html). Those pencils, like the Eberhard-Faber Blackwing 602's, are no longer available. Rumor was that Glen purchased as many boxes of the Blaisdell's as he could lay his hands on before they went out of stock .

Sanford Design Ebony is similar as I recall , but not quite the same as Blaisdell, which was capable of big bold lines , but was not a dark and smudgy as the Sanford Ebony .

[Rodney]

That Blaisdell... good grief that's a big line to put down.
I can see why it works so well for Glen Keane's rough searchings of powerful forms and gestures all the time.

Looks like the smudginess would be very useful in shading in the forms created by the lines.

[C. Siemens]

I don't know what Glen is using these days, but back in the day his preferred pencil was the Blaisdell Layout Pencil (http://blackwingdiaries.blogspot.com/2006/08/blaisdell.html). Those pencils, like the Eberhard-Faber Blackwing 602's, are no longer available. Rumor was that Glen purchased as many boxes of the Blaisdell's as he could lay his hands on before they went out of stock .

Sanford Design Ebony is similar as I recall , but not quite the same as Blaisdell, which was capable of big bold lines , but was not a dark and smudgy as the Sanford Ebony .

I see! Well, it's a pity I won't be able to try them. Even though Keane isn't my favourite animator (just a personal preference, he's still waaay up on my list) I like his ruff tests best because of their appealing line work.
Except for some early Fox & The Hound ruffs I've never really seen him do underlying sketches in another colour which I guess is something I'd have a hard time doing. Except for life drawing, I prefer sketching blue or red and then tying down in another colour or pencil, whether I'm animating or just doing poses. Makes it easier for me to pick out the defining strokes because I can relate to Keane's sculptural, bold drawing approach to building a pose.

[Adam R Davis]

I don't know what Glen is using these days, but back in the day his preferred pencil was the Blaisdell Layout Pencil (http://blackwingdiaries.blogspot.com/2006/08/blaisdell.html). Those pencils, like the Eberhard-Faber Blackwing 602's, are no longer available. Rumor was that Glen purchased as many boxes of the Blaisdell's as he could lay his hands on before they went out of stock .

Sanford Design Ebony is similar as I recall , but not quite the same as Blaisdell, which was capable of big bold lines , but was not a dark and smudgy as the Sanford Ebony .

Honestly... I thought he used something like a grease pencil. XD
Learn something new every day.

[DNethery]

Except for some early Fox & The Hound ruffs I've never really seen him do underlying sketches in another colour ... I can relate to Keane's sculptural, bold drawing approach to building a pose.

Yes, that's why he likes the Blaisdell pencil , because it's possible to put down a very soft, light line as the underdrawing using the flat side of the big wide lead , then use the sharp edge of the pencil to chisel in the final lines. Plus he likes to shade his drawings for that "sculpted" effect, and the flat side of the Blaisdell is good for shading-in large areas on the drawing in big strokes.

I used to have some Blaisdell's but those are long ago used up. They were a really nice pencil for sketching , the line was very sensitive and could produce a range from very soft grey to dark black.

I don't know if the rumor is true that Glen bought up hundreds of boxes of the remaining Blaisdell pencil stock for his personal use or if he's using some other type of similar pencil now. His drawings in the recent "The Art of Tangled" book certainly look the same in line quality as his older drawings.

The thing is : it's all Glen , not the pencil . He makes the Blaisdell pencil produce magic lines , but like all tools it is not in the tool that the magic resides, it's in the artist. Someone else might use a Blaisdell pencil thinking it will help them "draw like Glen Keane" and they just end up with a mess of smudgy lines. I'm sure if Glen had to use a cheap No. 2 pencil from the office supply store his drawings would still look great.

[frankenart]

dixon #2 HB and a ticonderoga carmine red erasable checking pencil. colerase pencils from time to time or a lead holder/mechanical pencil also.

[Johnny]

I like the Tombow Mono 2B pencil. They are japanese and extremely high quality. I like how dark the lines can get with this pencil and how easily it glides. I've tried others but I think I'm stuck on this one.
ditto this one - they are sometimes hard to fine - I talked with their home office here in usa about this and they said they are going to set up their home page for buying them direct from them. They are creamy smooth (least wise the ones I have used).

[Johnny]

I did a check to see if the tombow drawing pencils where on there site - not yet - however they have added a lot more place to get them see (if you are interested) the right side of the that has heading art and crafts here is the link
http://www.tombowusa.com/Retailers.aspx
and here the mono 100 info
http://www.tombow.com/en/catalog/pencils/wood_pencils_01.html

[zanekohler]

I did a check to see if the tombow drawing pencils where on there site - not yet - however they have added a lot more place to get them see (if you are interested) the right side of the that has heading art and crafts here is the link
http://www.tombowusa.com/Retailers.aspx
and here the mono 100 info
http://www.tombow.com/en/catalog/pencils/wood_pencils_01.html

Thanks for posting,
I was thinking of giving them a try again. I had a couple back in the day. First one I had no problem with. The second was either defective or I must have dropped it or something. The lead seemed to have some week spots. I stayed away from them since. However I have only heard good things about them before and since.