Wikipedia:Reference desk/Archives/Humanities/2015 April 15

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April 15

Who uses the high hardness pencils?

People drawing and sketching seem to limit their work to the use more or less between 4H to 6B, if at all. Preference seems to be the 2B. People writing with pencils strongly prefer the HB. So, for what kind of work would you need the 5H-9H pencils? --Llaanngg (talk) 15:30, 15 April 2015 (UTC)

The traditional answer is the kind of work where accuracy and control are important, such as that done by "engineers, industrial designers, graphic designers and architects" (The Complete Book of Drawing Techniques: A Complete Guide for the Artist, Peter Stanyer, Arcturus Publishing, 2010) ---Sluzzelin talk 15:46, 15 April 2015 (UTC)

Also see See here for an explanation of the grades, with a nice picture and a review of various brands. --Jayron32 15:49, 15 April 2015 (UTC)

Moreover, on Wikipedia, Pencil#Grading_and_classification writes "Engineers prefer harder pencils which allow for a greater control in the shape of the lead" (and there's a bit more there too). ---Sluzzelin talk 15:46, 15 April 2015 (UTC)

Yes, I have seen that bit. I was only wondering at what moment would they use the 9H pencil, which hardly leaves any trace. What for would a sharp 5H not be enough? Furthermore, do anyone still draw on paper with a pencil? Isn't all plans draw with a CAD program using a computer?--Llaanngg (talk) 17:01, 15 April 2015 (UTC)

I agree that far fewer people are likely to use them for engineering work these days, although there are still cases where there isn't a computer handy, like when making notes in the field (bright sunlight can even make laptops unusable). Also, artists often make a pencil drawing first, then go over it with paint. In that case, having a light trace that won't show through something like water-based paint may be a plus. StuRat (talk) 18:33, 15 April 2015 (UTC)

I have seen 5H recommended for dimensioning in engineering drawing and for mark up in graphic design comp work. It keeps a sharp point for a long time. I use 4H or 5H to lightly draw outlines in pencil drawings. --Mark viking (talk) 16:16, 15 April 2015 (UTC)

See also Technical drawing which was a subject taught at my secondary school back in the day, but only to those who were bad at English. If you were good at English, you had to study French. Alansplodge (talk) 17:18, 15 April 2015 (UTC)

And what if you were bad at English and at French too?--Llaanngg (talk) 17:37, 15 April 2015 (UTC)

Well (following the curious logic of my educators), if you were bad at English, you didn't get the chance to study French, you HAD to study technical drawing. Conversely, if you were good at English, there was no way to study technical drawing. Apologies for the digression. Alansplodge (talk) 17:45, 15 April 2015 (UTC)

Whereas those of us who were good at English, Franch, and German, had to study drafting, as it was the only six-month "art" course that would fit our schedule and fulfill our "applied arts" requirement for graduation. The teacher was a cretin, he picked on me and another lesbian in our class mercilessly. Today he'd've been fired on the spot. μηδείς (talk) 05:20, 17 April 2015 (UTC)

I would imagine some artists making complicated sketches with pencils may also use 5H or probably even higher. The maximum used would surely depend on artist preference and what they're trying to do. Or to put it a different way, I'm not sure there's any reason to think of a hard limit (pun not intended), and most doesn't equal all. While they may be more likely to use lower H and also higher than 2B, for some of them, there would likely be some times they want light markings and may find it easier to use a light pencil rather then try to do so with blacker/darkers pencils. Definitely such pencils seem to be sold in graphic supply stores, and by brands targetting artists although, the others mentioned may also be a target for such stores and brands. But see e.g. [1] who says they use 3H-5H. Nil Einne (talk) 21:47, 15 April 2015 (UTC)