Hello everyone. Was wondering what pencil should i use when first starting a drawing? I just bought a Derwent set, has anybody used these before?? They range from 9B to 9H and i thought i would use a harder lighter pencil to start with but finding the softer pencils(the ones i use for shading) dosnt cover the harder pencil marks. Anybody have any tips on what pencils to use on just a basic pencil drawing and what order? THanks alot.

If you just type 'which pencil to use' into your search. you'll come up with quite a few sites which could help. I tend to use HB and 2B most.

I have found a HB or B is better to start with because it is easier to erase or lighten

I never use anything harder than a 2H, and 2H I will only use with a chisel point to do some very light shading. It is not at all clear to me who would ever use a 9H or what they would be made of (diamond, I guess!)

If you are making marks with a hard pencil that can't be covered up by a soft pencil, then you are pressing too hard. Don't do that!

Thanks everyone. Starting to use the HB and 2B more now ... Yeah i think i was maybe pushing to hard with a pencil that was to hard It's starting to work a little better right now. Thanks everyone