Graphite Pencils- 4B, HB, 2B, what?!?

Question

I bought these graphite pencils from Faber-Castell (it's part of a kit) and I don't know how dark each one is.

So can someone order these pencils from light to dark please?

HB

H

2B

4B

B

2B

4H

6B

2H

6B

4B

This should be an easy ten points for those who know this. :] Thanks!

Answer 1

Is there an artist in the house?!?

Answer 2

Zero has the right information. The H stands for hard lead or light, the HB is a semi-hard and medium soft lead. From there it is a question of what kind of affect you want with the pencils. Soft grade lead gives shading and soft edges, hard lead is for drawing sharp images or outlines. Hope this helps all you have to do now is practice.

Spartawo...

Answer 3

The answer is quite simple, my artistic friend. As the number goes higher, so does the intensity of the pencil with H being the lighter, harder lead and B being softer and darker. So...it would go:

6H

4H

2H

H

HB

B

2B

4B

6B

Well....H, HB, and B being the "mid-points" of all the pencils. HB would be the median, combining both aspects of the "H" and "B" sides.

Answer 4

zer0 is right. the higher the B is, the blacker it will be

just remember

B= black

H= hazy?

its really easy to see though. the H pencils are really gray and you have to push hard, and the B ones are almost like charcoal once you reach 6B

start off with the low H's and work your way up. 6B should really only be used for fine details such as shadows and engravings ect...