Different Lead Hardness for Creating Illustrations…some of you have asked me, “Why do you use a lead holder instead of a number 2 pencil?” The main reason is to keep my illustration as clean as possible. When I start sketching my idea for the first time, I use extremely light lines. If I make a mistake or change my mind, I can easily erase without having a total mess on my board. What tools do I use? A 2H hardness lead.
The harder leads are great for keeping the lines light. The softer leads are good to use for finishing touches and dark shadow areas. But with my style, I really have no need for the softer leads. I use inks for the darker areas.
Tip: Pencil hardness ranges from: 9H-9B with the H end of the spectrum being the harder and the B the softer.
If you are interested in purchasing lead and/or lead holders visit: Lead and Lead Holders.
Tip: If you are going to use Copic pins, you will want to use as little graphite on your board as possible. The Copic pins tend to dry out much faster when used over graphite so the lighter the graphite, the long your pins will last!
Start out with light lines and build, build and build to the darkness of your liking. Have fun!
If you are interested in have your own custom illustration, please contact me today.
Really informative article. Much thanks again. Fantastic. Cindra Augustine Florian