What do I use for sketching?

A few days ago, I was sketching a new commissioned portrait, when I realised that the pencil marks were coming out darker than what I was used to.

Now I’m not that absent-minded not to realise that I had picked up a different pencil for my sketching. I just hadn’t realised how different it was to my other pencils.

I typically start my portraits with a pencil sketch, then ink the outlines and finally use watercolours. So the type of pencil I use isn’t really very important.

It got me thinking about artist’s pencils in general, and my collection of them. I used to make pencil-only artwork; mostly of people, but sometimes (rarely) buildings. It was a plan of mine to start on a large-ish sized pencil artwork of our home. In art school, I drew a lot with only pencils, my favourites being 3B, 5B and 8B.

So it’s no surprise that I have a fair number of pencils in my home. Add to that the random pencils I sometimes get as gifts—a friend gifted me a lovely set of souvenir Andy Warhol pencils from a bookshop… I’ve never used them—and the pencils that my children get from party treats and more.

But somehow, I always end up picking the easiest pencil at hand. Which usually ends up being the ones I see lying around closest to me.

Spontaneously, I decided to create a little reel about the pencils. Watch till the end to see what I am currently using. Also, turn the sound on to enjoy the music.

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