Drawing class? Live in the B range.

For drawing classes, you want a 2B or 4B, not an HB — but honestly, just bring a small set and you’re covered.

HB is the everyday pencil. It’s what you write with. It’s hard, light, and keeps a sharp point. That’s fine for sketching outlines, but the moment you try to actually shade with it, you’ll be pressing down hard and getting a shiny gray mess. Not wrong, just not the right tool.

2B is where drawing starts. It’s soft enough to lay down dark tone without much pressure, but still firm enough for decent lines. If you only pick one pencil for a class, make it 2B.

4B is much softer and darker. It smears beautifully for shadows and fills in large areas fast. The tradeoff is it dulls quickly and breaks easier. You’ll be sharpening it a lot, and yes, it will smudge all over your hand. That’s normal.

So for your first class, a 2B and a 4B will get you through almost everything. Add