How to Use a Pencil

Step-by-Step Guide

1. 1

   Step 1: Pick the right kind of pencil for your needs.

   Pencils come in many shapes and sizes: there are full-sized wooden pencils, mechanical pencils, small golf pencils, graphite pencils, charcoal pencils, carbon pencils, colored pencils, grease pencils, and watercolor pencils.
   
   Depending on whether you want to write, draw, sketch or colour, you may need to pick your instrument carefully., In Europe, pencils are classified on a continuum from "H" for hardness to "B" for blackness.
   
   Most people choose an HB pencil (in the middle of the spectrum) for regular writing, but go harder for light-marking needs or blacker for heavier marking needs (darker, stronger lines).Mechanical pencils also offer a range of possibilities for lead thickness, usually ranging between
   0.13 mm and
   2.00 mm..
   
   For most regular writing and school purposes, people tend to use lead of size
   0.5 mm or
   0.7 mm.If you're not sure what you need, just go with something in that range, and make sure that any extra lead you buy fits in the mechanical pencil you have. , If you're using a standard, non-mechanical pencil, you'll need to sharpen it.
   
   You can use a handheld sharpener, a manual (school-style) sharpener, an electric sharpener, or
   - if you're brave, a craft knife or razor blade.
   
   Some sharpeners come with containers to catch the shavings, too.
   
   If you sharpen your pencil into too fine a point, you may end up making it more likely to break.
   
   If your pencil is very sharp, avoid pushing down hard on the paper, particularly at an angle. , Once you're ready to go, use it! Write, draw, sketch, or color in whatever way you were planning to.
   
   If you're having trouble holding the pencil, use some tips from the section below on teaching about pencil grip.
   
   Re-sharpen the pencil when needed (or push the button to release more lead, if you're using a mechanical pencil). , The biggest downside of a pencil is that it can smudge if you move your hand across the paper after writing.
   
   This happens especially to left-handed people, who often find that the heel of their writing hands drag along the paper and smudge what they've just written.
   
   If this happens to you, try adjusting your hand placement so that it doesn't smear so much.
   
   Using good quality pencils and paper will help avoid smudging.
   
   Harder pencils are also less likely to smudge, compared to softer/blacker pencils.
   
   Try putting another piece of paper under your hand.
   
   If you find your work is smearing a lot, place a small piece of scratch paper right under your writing hand (and sliding it along with you as you move your hand), to stop the sweat and oil from your hand from smudging the pencil. , The upside of pencil over pens or other writing utensils is that most of them can be erased.
   
   If you buy a high quality eraser and have a regular writing pencil, you should be able to erase your markings as needed to fix mistakes, reword writing, or adjust your sketching. , If you're getting into drawing and writing with pencils, you might try drawing or writing with colored pencils, watercolor pencils. or charcoal pencils. , Some people find it uncomfortable to write with pencils for extended periods of time.
   
   In this case, a pencil gripper can help provide comfort and improve pencil grasp.
   
   You can buy foam or rubber pencil grips to put on your pencils, or you can even make your own with Rainbow Loom bands or clay.
2. 2

   Step 2: Decide on a hardness and thickness.

3. 3

   Step 3: Keep your pencil sharp

4. 4

   Step 4: but not too sharp.

5. 5

   Step 5: Use your pencil.

6. 6

   Step 6: Avoid smudges.

7. 7

   Step 7: Erase as needed.

8. 8

   Step 8: Take your pencil game up a notch!

9. 9

   Step 9: Use a pencil grip if needed.

Detailed Guide

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