Graphite
Introduced| English |
|---|
| graphite/ˈɡræfaɪt/ |
| grades/ɡreɪdz/ |
| overhand grip/ˌəʊvəˈhænd ɡrɪp/ |
The everyday medium
- Graphite 石墨 is precise, erasable, and capable of a full (if silvery) value range.
- Pencil grades 硬度等级 run hard to soft: 9H (palest) through HB to 9B (darkest).
- Hard grades suit construction and detail; soft grades build rich darks fast.
Which grade is the darkest and softest?
The B scale runs to 9B (darkest, softest).
Grip changes the mark
- The writing grip gives control for detail; the overhand grip 横握 shades broadly from the arm.
- Graphite gets shiny when layered heavily — for the deepest black, switch to charcoal.
- Woodless sticks and powder cover big areas; erasers carve the lights back out.
Which grade for the job?
Match each task to the graphite grade that suits it.
Heavily layered graphite can turn shiny.
For the deepest matte black, switch to charcoal.
Shading broadly from the arm uses the ____ grip.
The overhand grip covers large areas evenly.
The control test
- A full-value graphite still life is the classic control test.
- Match each mark's darkness to the value you see, not to a habit.
- One polished graphite study belongs in almost any portfolio.
Select all true statements about graphite.
Charcoal reaches a deeper matte black than graphite.
Match the grade to its job.
Harder = lighter; softer = darker.
Reaching for the softest 9B to make everything dark leaves a shiny, greasy surface that photographs badly. Build darks in layers from a mid grade first; save 9B for the final accents.
Draw a metal spoon: 4H for the pale reflected sky in the bowl, HB for the mid greys, 6B pressed hard for the black slot of deepest shadow, then a kneaded eraser to snap back the highlight. Four grades, one convincing spoon.
Graphite spans 9H to 9B: hard for construction and detail, soft for darks. Vary the grip, build darks in layers, and prove control with a full-value study.