Working with Caran D'Ache Grafwood Graphite pencils - Painting & Drawing Tips

Have you ever glanced into a Golf Pro's bag??  

It is full of clubs.

Prince of Darkness WIP -  Graphite - When completed $550 Matted 16 x 20

In fact they have rules as to how many clubs they can have in their bag.  Too the nongolfer that may seem mystifying.  After all, really, all you need to do is wack the ball till you are on the green and then putt.  (OK. I do apologize to all the golfers at this point.)  But really, a few good hits and your on the green and putting.  Why all those clubs?  

As any golfer knows, each club has its own special features that make the ball do wonderful things. (Again, I apologize to golfers, the ball is supposed to do wonderful things but for some reason often has a mind of its own. )  

Well just like each of those golf clubs, pencils have their own special features and help you do wonderful things.  (Well most of the time. I guess, they are more like golf clubs than you think. 😉 )  

A Set of Caran D'Ache Pencils - note the thickness of the lead as the pencils go from Top to Bottom. 

Our local art store decided last year to quit carrying Derwent Pencils, my favourite and carry Caran D'Ache Grafwood Graphite Pencils instead.  I wasn't sure I was ready for the change.  I bought some though and started working with them.  However, it is not until Covid Quarantine got underway that I really focused on them. 

Each pencil does its own job - you pick if you want texture with your mark

All pencils have a binding agent in them.  This means that the core is not pure graphite but a combination of a binding agent and graphite.  Graphite is a very fragile material and needs the binder to give the core strength.  The less graphite in the pencil the more binding agent in it and therefore the more sturdier the core.   This results in a light gray no matter how hard you press with the pencil.  Conversely, the more graphite in the pencil, the less binding agent in it and the softer the core.  The core has to be much thicker to give it strength.  The result is a much darker mark, even when you press lightly.  

Prince of Darkness WIP - I like the beautiful rich dark I can get with the 8B but still get lots of lighter values with the other pencils.  

Testing a pencil doesn't tell the whole story.  You really need to draw something.  Above is Prince of Darkness - WIP with areas mapped for pencils used.  One thing to note as you read my comments is I love the texture I can get with a pencil.  So I am actively working to get it.  The support I use -  2ply Rising Museum Board - has a good tooth and is strong enough to take pressure if  needed.  I use the softest pencils (8 & 9 B) to get my darks so I can use a light pressure and keep the tooth of my paper.  To get the different values I want I always work in layers.  This allows me to use less pressure and thus keep the tooth of my paper and have more texture.  

Click here to see Drawing in Progress

My thoughts on the Caran D'Ache pencils so far:

* the Darkest are really dark.  The soft 8 & 9B pencils are almost creamy to draw with.  A little harder to get this dark with my Derwent pencils. It would take alot more layers. 

*pencils are bit bigger than normal pencils, hexagon in shape, making them very comfortable to draw with

*it is easy to build up layers and keep the texture

*tricky for sharpening as they are larger than standard pencils so don't fit in my electric sharpeners

*more expensive than Derwent pencils

*soft, light values have a different tone to them and I haven't quite decided if I like it better or not as compared to the Derwent pencils.  

Have you tried the Caran D'Ache pencils?  What are your thoughts??

While I need to get back to my Prince, I am anxious to get back to him. 

Do you have big/small projects on the go?  
Looking for a sounding board, help, suggestions, techniques.  I am available for Online Coaching/Teaching  (3 sessions 30 minutes each $75). more info here.

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Wendy