PENCILS

Pencils come in a variety of grades, each having a slightly different usage from one another. Leads come in soft or hard varieties, with medium inbetween. The hard leads rate from 9H (Hardest) to H, then HB is in the middle, and finally the soft leads ranging from B to 6B (Some companies rate up to 9B).

The harder a lead is, the grayer the line it produces, and the longer it holds its edge. Hard sharp leads can dig into the paper.

The softer the lead, the blacker the line produced, and more often in need of sharpening for a fine line.

9H 8H 7H 6H 5H 4H 3H 2H H HB B 1B 2B 3B 4B 5B 6B HARDER SOFTER GRAYER BLACKER HOLDS EDGE SHARPEN OFTEN

It is common that a designer picks only a few specific pencils to work with... those needed to accomplish the work.

PENS

Pen tips come in a variety of brands, sizes, and uses. Some general categories and brands are displayed below.
Purchase and try several different nibs until you find the ones with which you can make the line you need.

Brushes range from size 000 (smallest) on up. Sizes 2-5 are excellent all-around values for line drawings.