What pencil grade do you like to use for logo sketches?

[Ravenant211]

Hey again!

Not sure if this is exactly the right spot for this post but here goes anyway. I'm wondering if anyone here has a preference of pencil grade they like to use when you sketch ideas for logos and why? The reason I'm asking is because I am getting generally dissattisfied with my old standby grade that I always use and want to try a different grade but thought it might be cool, provided people have such an opinion, to get opinions about what might be a good grade to move to next.

I'm using a 4B for most of my logo sketches, I use it I think because I have always liked it for general sketching, nice dark lines when you want them and nice smooth shading. I also have a couple 2H grade that I use for preliminary outlines when I'm unsure about a shape and also to sketch out baselines, x-height lines etc. when I'm hand drawing a typeface, things that I want to erase easily afterward. I haven't had much logo work for a good little while now but for some reason all the sudden I'm falling into a bunch... other than my own that I'm working on I have 4 other logo jobs at the moment.

I wanna try something that is a little more versatile than the 4B. It can be nice and dark but it also goes dull quickly and I'd like to be able to get a little more tonal range out of the one pencil without having to switch back and forth. I often find I catch the flavor I like of an idea on the first lines I sketch of a shape when the thoughts still raw and just happening, going back over those lines for clarity sometimes kills the character I liked in the initial shape and switching back and forth constantly or sharpening every 2nd or 3rd sketch kinda distracts me and brings me out of creative mode sometimes too. Anybody have any suggestions for a pencil grade that can be fairly dark as well as reasonably light but hold a point for awhile?

This probably seems a little OCD over a pencil but I'm, about out of the pack of 4B that I bought last and I would like to buy a pack of some other size(s) and didn't want to waste the money on something that wouldn't work for what I would like. I want to be able to get some nice sharp lines when I need them but also not have to sketch over the same area multiple times for it to be dark enough to see clearly. It's not life or death or anything of course! Just curious if someone has some input about this kind of thing. I used to sketch almost constantly but it's been a loong time since those days and I don't really remember much about the technical side of things like paper weights and pencil grades.

[Roth]

I use a pen. It removes the temptation to be frilly. Plus pens don't smudge.

[Buda]

I think you are overthinking this.

I use a mechanical pencil. HB. No need for sharpening. It doesn't matter how dark your pencil is. You just need to be able to see it for tracing over.

I don't shade with pencil for my sketches. My sketches are to get an idea out quickly before I scan and redraw something on the computer. You aren't using pencil sketches as final logo artwork are you?

[<b>]

I'm really fussy when it comes to pencils.

My go-to pencil is always a Staedtler 4H. The B series pencils are just too soft for me unless I'm working on a pencil sketch, and even then they're the last pencils I use to draw in the dark areas. There was a time when I was actually using 7H pencils — they rarely need sharpening, but then again, they barely leave enough graphic on the paper to be seen.

You might try using an HB or a F pencil. Both are good compromises between the B and H hardnesses.

[PrintDriver]

Good ol' Number Two.
But like Roth, I'd rather use a pen. One of those gel-ink rollerball things.

[maynardsayswhat]

I like it hard... 2H for light sketches, HB for general line work, 2B for shading (rare). India ink for final mechanicals.

[joe23st]

I use a Staedtler HB for quick sketches and thumbnailing. I have a pack of them, and like <b> said, it's a pretty good compromise. Like buda said, it just needs to be dark enough for you to be able to trace over it.

No need to get too fussy at this stage, it's supposed to be fairly rough.

Originally Posted by maynardsayswhat

I like it hard...

Let's not scare ravenant away just yet!

[infinity]

I use whats closest to me when i start drawing. Whether it be a pen or pencil. but to get specific you may like enjoy a F or 4H thats specifically what I tend to use.

[PrintDriver]

For sketching? Why pay the money for 'art' pencils?
For Drawing, that's a different matter.

[Bob]

Leo Burnett always advocated the use of the biggest, fattest, pencils you could find for concept work. It forces you to think in graphically simpler form without getting lost in the 'detail' trap.