Creating a Grayscale with HB Pencils
Why is it important to learn the Grayscale?
Learning the Grayscale is the perfect starting point for any beginning drawer. Using the full Grayscale will bring greater depth and life to your drawings. It will also aid in the transition to color and an understanding of hue, tint, tone, and shade, which will be discussed in a later post.
Why draw with HB pencils?
There are many drawing tools available such as charcoal, vine charcoal, conte crayon, and graphite sticks that will produce light to dark marks. It can be difficult to get a full, consistent Grayscale with these because they require you to vary the pressure applied. I am not implying these drawing tools shouldn’t be used, I have used them all to great effect but, when teaching someone about Grayscale, I prefer to use a set of HB graphite pencils.
When working in Graphite Pencil, it is important to choose pencils that cover the full range of the scale, from the lightest lights to the darkest darks. A good set of HB pencils will create this gradation for you through different hard and soft leads. With a hard lead (H), less lead comes off on the paper thus producing a lighter mark. With a soft lead (B), more lead comes off on the paper producing a bolder, or darker, mark.
It is recommended to create a Grayscale if you are mixing pencils from different manufacturers, or if you have purchased a new set and want to make sure the scale is accurate. I have purchased sets where 2 to 3 pencils have little to no gradation difference. This can be very frustrating and difficult to correct mid drawing. Simply add a small scale to your drawing down in the corner. Eventually, you will put together your preferred set of pencils and you won’t need to create a scale on every drawing.
How to create the Grayscale?
In the below image, there are ten ½ inch square boxes to illustrate the scale. Ten provides a good gradation for demonstration purposes, but the scale can always be created with more or less based on personal preference. The first box is the lightest shade of the Grayscale. In this image, it is the paper color. The next four boxes are for hard leads. Notice in the hard leads, the higher the number the lighter the shade. In box six is the HB pencil, the workhorse pencil to use for sketching or laying out drawings and paintings. The next three boxes are for soft leads. Notice in these leads the higher the number the darker the shade. The last box has been filled with an Ebony pencil, or you could use an 8B pencil. The Ebony is thicker and will cover more ground quicker.
Can the scale have a box for true white or black?
This scale is specifically designed for shades of gray. If your drawing needs a true white, then you could replace the first square with a white conte crayon or a white pencil. If the drawing calls for a deep black, then add a square for a black charcoal. Just remember that chalk, charcoal, and conte are different consistencies than pencil lead and will create a different effect in your drawing.
Beginning Drawing Tip 1: Creating a Grayscale .pdf is available in our Digital Downloads
https://www.studioragsart.com/digital-downloads/p/beginning-drawing-tip-1-creating-a-grayscale
Learning to use HB pencils will really make your drawings pop. So grab your pencils and paper, find a comfy spot, and let’s get drawing!