Graphite is the most common material that is essential to all artists and even non artists. The standard pencil is a number 2 pencil which translates into an HB graphite pencil. Graphite pencils range from 9H to 9B, 9H being the hardest and 9B being the softest. This range of grades are for artists who are interested in creating a full range of tones from light grey to black which tend to fall in the B graphite range. Engineers prefer harder pencils which allow for a greater control in the shape of the lead so they tend to stick to H graphite pencils. Graphite also comes in many forms similarly to charcoal, there are compressed graphite sticks and graphite powder which are both utilized by artists. Below is the scale range for all graphite pencils:
Graphite Pencils
Derwent |
DerwentDerwent Graphic pencils has a wide choice of degrees from the popular HB pencil, to the fine and crisp 9H and soft and smudgy 9B. So whether it be fine detailed illustrations or adding shading and texture to your drawing Derwent has your perfered pencil. |
Faber-Castell
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Faber-CastellFaber-Castell pencils quality and finely graduated degrees of hardness have made it a firm favorite with artists and illustrators. Its lead is fully bonded with the wood surround and is therefore particularly break-resistant. The Faber-Castells are available in 16 different degrees of hardness, making it the ideal pencil for all technical and artistic applications. |
Koh-I-Noor
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Koh-I-NoorKoh-I-Noor’s woodless drawing pencils are lacquer-coated and has a smooth feel and excellent laydown properties. These woodless pencils have a solid, weighty feel, a 7.6mm lead diameter, outlast the standard wood-cased pencils, and can be sharpened with any electric or manual pencil sharpener. They are sold individually or in sets. |
Prismacolor Turquiose
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Prismacolor TurquiosePismacolor Turquiose pencils are precise. They are made from the highest quality graphite, pick from 20 distinct degrees of lead hardness depending on the project. They range from 9B (softest) to 9H (hardest). They are sold both individually and in sets. The Premier Turquoise line also has Lead Holder which is a plastic barrel and textured metal grip that can hold lead from9B (softest) to 9H (hardest). Lead Holders are great for adding light touches to your drawing pieces. |
Staedtler
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StaedtlerStaedtler Graphite Pencils are premium quality pencils for writing, drawing and sketching on paper and matt drawing film. They are unbelievably break-resistant through special lead formulation and super-bonded lead and have a wide range up to 16 degrees. Staedtler pencils contains wood from certified sustainably managed forests. |
Tombow
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TombowTombow’s line of Professional Pencils are available in a wide range of hardness. The Tombow MONO Drawing Pencil is a favorite among many artists and illustrators because of its superior extra-refined, high-density graphite, smear proof lines and high point strength. There are 12 assorted degrees to choose from and they are the professional quality pencil for drawing and drafting. |
Artists’ charcoal is a form of dry art medium made of finely grounded organic materials that are held together by a gum or wax binder, These charcoals are often used by artists for their versatile properties such as the rough texture that leaves marks less permanent than other art media. It can produce lines that are very light or intensely black while being easily removable and vulnerable to leave stains on paper. The dry medium can be applied to almost any surface from smooth to a very coarse. Fixatives are often used with charcoal drawings to solidify the positions to prevent erasing or rubbing off of charcoal dusts. There are various types and uses of charcoal as an art medium, but the commonly used types are:
Compressed charcoal ( also referred as charcoal sticks) is shaped into a block or form of a stick. Intensity of the shade is determined by hardiness. The amount of gum or wax binders used during the production process affects the hardiness. Soft hardiness leaves intensely black markings while Hard hardiness leave light markings.
Vine charcoal is a long and thin piece of charcoal stick that is the result of burning sticks or vines in a kiln without air. The removable properties of vine charcoal from dusting and erasing is favored by artists for making preliminary sketches or basic composition. This also makes vine charcoal less suitable for creating detailed images.
Charcoal pencils are compressed charcoals that are wrapped with a layer of wood. The design of charcoal pencils are similar to that of graphite pencils while keeping intact with the properties of charcoal. Often used for fine and crisp detailed drawings while keeping the user’s hand from being marked during its use.
Below is a list of charcoal brands we carry:
Alvin
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Heritage ArtsAlvin’s Char-Cole Artist Soft Pastel sticks are non-toxic, compressed, pure black charcoal produce a velvety surface. Very fine, grit-free consistency for smooth and easy drawing and blending. It comes in a set of 12 or 3 and is available in either black or white. These sticks are great for sketching and perfecting all charcoal related work. |
Conte a Paris
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Conte A ParisConte A Paris’ natural charcoals are made by carbonizing branches from softwoods. The charcoal sticks are created from a chemical formula based pigments and binders. This process gives the charcoal a regular shape which allows it to be handled eaiser. These charcoals are less volatile and last longer than natural charcoal. The black is deeper but charcoal is less easy to work with than natural charcoal because thicker and harder to fade: it leaves no trace on paper. |
Creata Color
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Creata ColorWhether sketching, outlining or combining with pastels, there are no limits when using sketching charcoals. Available in extra-wide, square sticks for covering large areas, compressed sticks for a smooth and intense black stroke, and straight from nature vine charcoal for velvety grays. Creata Color also carries charcoal pencils that can be sharpened to a fine point and are ideal for detail work. Achieve smooth and vivid charcoal lines with the convenience of a pencil. Creata Color comes in sets that include both charcoal sticks and charcoal pencils. |
Derwent
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DerwentDerwent’s charcoals are often used for life studies and it is a traditional art material. Derwent’s charcoal pencil gives you greater control over your drawings while keeping all the charcoal effects. Derwent also carries an XL Charcoal line which are large blocks have all the qualities of charcoal. They are combined with rich natural colors to create new tones and colors. The blocks come in 6 muted shades from Sanguine and Violet to Sepia and Ochre. Naturally water-soluble you can use them on a damp surface and release lots of color really quickly and build up layers of different colors as you go. |
Generals
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GeneralsGenerals charcoal comes in various forms they carry charcoal sticks, pencils, chunks and powder. Each is a variation on charcoal which can be used in different techniques in drawing and sketching. Compressed Charcoal sticks are handcrafted from high quality carbon and fine organic blacks for an extra smooth drawing stick. Charcoal pencils are made of highly carbon and fine organic blacks available in 4 degrees of black and 1 degree of white. The charcoal chunk is a large, primitive style of black, extra smooth drawing charcoal. Use it for sketching, large human figure drawing, and bold strokes. The powdered charcoal is pure powdered artist quality charcoal. Ideal for toning large surface areas quickly. At these are great for sketching and working with charcoal. |
Prismacolor
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PrismacolorPrismacolor comes in both compressed charcoal packs as well as pencil forms. Prismacolor charcoal pencils keep your lines defined, shading subtle and hands clean with wood casing surrounding your charcoal. It is available in soft (black), medium (black) and hard (black). Their compressed charcoal packs are the best solution for sketching. Use for warm ups, under painting layouts or to complete finished charcoal pieces. |
Winsor and Newton
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Winsor and NewtonWinsor and Newton carries gorgeous rich willow and vine charcoal, carefully baked so that each stick gives a perfectly consistent intensity. Use it thickly to create patches of the darkest black, or soften your hand for smokey shades. They come in various hardness from extra soft to hard; in a standard 3 or 12 pack. |
