Portrait of Mme Guillaume Guillon Lethiere
by Jean August Dominique Ingres, 1808
In Greek art, draftsmen and painters used a lead stylus to draw on papyrus. During the era of Renaissance art, the stylus was used in conjunction with a variety of different metallic alloys to create exquisite Renaissance drawings in Italy and Germany. Apprentice artists actually used an empty stylus to practice drawing by making easily removable indentations on tablets. These fine stylus-type instruments may be considered the forerunners of today's graphite pencil.
The first mention of a writing implement with a graphite core inserted into a wooden holder was made by the Swiss-German scientist and naturalist Conrad Gesner in 1565, but the modern lead-pencil only emerged much later after an unusually pure lode of graphite was discovered at Borrowdale in the English Lake District. Despite success by both German and American pencil makers, it is the Frenchman Nicolas-Jacques Conde who is credited with inventing the modern pencil in the 18th century, when a method was found of combining graphite with clay.
- Pencil Clay is a non-elastic type of clay that is chlorite based. It occurs naturally in various shades of green and leaves a pale green to grey streak. It is related to talc and mica and is soft enough to scratch with a fingernail. It's available from Kramer Pigments for $7.80/100 grams.
Tragacanth Any compounding pharmacist will have tragacanth or you can get it on eBay for $7.99.
Black graphite is available from Kama Pigment for $5.95/0.25 oz.
Metallic Silver is also available from Kama Pigment for $11.15/0.25 oz. Copper and gold are available as well.
Carbon Black, aka Furnace Black or XSL Black is available from Kremer Pigments for $12.00/100 grams. Kama carries it, but they're usually out of stock.
Hardwood Charcoal is a fine powder that is pure black. $2.95/2 oz.
Coconut Charcoal is made from coconut hulls and disperses in water. Use this one for water soluble formulas. It has some silvery flecks in it. $4.95/2 oz.
Kremer Pigments has a very large selection of gray and black pigments including charcoal from different woods. Do not use Galena; it contains lead!
Catheter Tip Syringe for 4mm leads $0.95 ea.
Makins Clay Extruder $6.24 from walmart.com. You need the 4 or 6mm round die that comes with the kit.
Silicone Pencil Mold for making woodless pencils on eBay for $7.53.
A lot of five 2mm Mechanical Pencils are available from AliExpress for $1.79. Colors are sent at random.
Making sketch pencil leads in different degrees depends on the amount of clay used in the formula. The more clay in a formula, the harder the lead and lighter the mark will be. The more graphite added to the formula, the softer and deeper black the mark will be. The H stands for hardness and the B stands for softness or blackness. F is a special grade named after Franz Hardtmuth who was responsible for technological improvements in pencil manufacture.
The grade numbers indicate the ratio of clay to graphite or vise versa. F is 50:50+1 drop of graphite. It's just a shade darker than H and also has the designation of 2-1/2 on the Conte/Thoreau grading scale. HB is 50:50+2 drops of graphite. B is 50:50+3 drops of graphite. The B grading scale continues in this manner to 9B. H is 50:50. 2H is 2 parts clay to 1 part graphite. 9H is 9 parts clay to 1 part graphite.
Graphite is available in the following grades from hardest to softest: 9H, 8H, 7H, 6H, 5H, 4H, 3H, 2H, H, F, HB, B, 2B, 3B, 4B, 5B, 6B, 7B, 8B, 9B, 10B, 11B, 12B, 14B.
Water soluble graphite isn't graphite at all. It's actually charcoal made from coconut hulls. It's available in the following grades: 2B, 4B, 6B, 8B.
Charcoal is made of burnt wood or bone. It was the first drawing instrument. It can still be used in its original form, that of a burnt stick. Most artists today, however, prefer charcoal compressed into a pencil. The most popular source of charcoal is willow, but other woods will impart a different cast of color to the black. Grapevine is a traditional favorite that is a blue-black. Peach wood is matte black. Cherry wood is a brownish black. Beechwood is used for bistre black. Ivory black, a warm black, is made from burning animal bones.
Charcoal is available in the following grades: 2H, HB, 2B, 4B, 6B and white. They are often included in graphite pencil sets with extended B designations, which causes confusion. Graphite pencils and their charcoal equivalents are: 9B (2H charcoal), 10B (HB charcoal), 11B (2B charcoal), 12B (4B charcoal), 14B (6B charcoal).
Carbon is an element found naturally in the earth, but it can also be obtained from burning wax candles, coal or petroleum fuel. Carbon isn't graded by color, but it can be hardened by clay.
Slate is a natural mixture of kaolin and shale. Most of us are familiar with the grey variety used by school children in the past. It comes in green, brown and grey.
Base
1 Tad Pencil clay
1 Tad Graphite
1 Tad Tragacanth
4 Tads Water
Water Soluble Base
1 Tad Gum Arabic powder
4 Tads Water
2mm Lead, x 3-1/2"
6 Tads Base
4mm Lead, x 3-1/2"
8 Tads Base
6mm Pencil, x 4"
12 Tads Base
Slate Lead
Begin with the formula for the size of lead you want to make. The oral syringe and 4mm die will work for this one.
Plate glass
Palette knife (#62)
Glass beaker
Oral syringe
4mm die
6mm die
Clay extruder
Large Corrugated paper
Newspaper
Protect work surface with newspaper. Mix water with tragacanth. Add enough slate powder to make a thick dough. Transfer to plate glass when thick enough and work with a palette knife. Pack dough into syringe or clay extruder. Extrude into the grooves of corrugated paper and let cure.
Graphite Lead (H-10H & F-14B)
Begin with the formula for the size of lead you want to make. The base formula will make the H lead. For 2H, add 1 Drop of clay to the base and so on. For the F, HB, and B grades, begin with the base formula and add an additional Drop of graphite for each grade.
Plate glass
Palette knife (#62)
Glass beaker
Oral syringe
4mm die
6mm die
Clay extruder
Corrugated paper, either size
Newspaper
Protect work surface with newspaper. Mix water with tragacanth. Combine graphite with clay. Transfer powder to plate glass. Make a well in the center and pour in binder. Work with a palette knife. It should be a thick dough. Add graphite and work with a palette knife. Pack dough into syringe or clay extruder. Extrude into the grooves of corrugated paper and let cure. Remove from paper and bake for 30 minutes at 450 to harden.
Conte or Colored Graphite Lead (H)
Methylcellulose
1/4 oz Methylcellulose
1/2 Pint Distilled Water, boiling
1/2 Pint Distilled Water, cold
1/8 tsp. Ammonia
Boil 1/2 pint of water. Slowly add methylcellulose while stirring. Pour in cold water while stirring. Add ammonia and stir. Check the pH. Allow to rest for 20 minutes and stir again. Pour into a 1/2 pint Mason jar.
1 Tad Kaolin
1 Tad Pigment
4 Tads Methylcellulose liquid
Plate glass
Palette knife (#62)
Glass beaker
Oral syringe
8mm die
Clay extruder
Corrugated paper, either size
Newspaper
Protect work surface with newspaper. Pre wet pigment with surfactant. Mix pigment binder. Place clay onto plate glass. Make a well in the center and pour in binder. Work with a palette knife. It should be a thick dough. Add pigment and work with a palette knife. Pack dough into syringe or clay extruder. Extrude into the grooves of corrugated paper and let cure. Remove from paper and bake for 30 minutes at 450 to harden.
Water Soluble Graphite (2-8B)
Use the water soluble formula with the coconut hull charcoal. Only the 6mm die works with this formula because it is too soft for the smaller sizes.
Plate glass
Palette knife (#62)
Glass beaker
6mm die
Clay extruder
Large Corrugated paper
Newspaper
Protect work surface with newspaper. Mix water with gum arabic. Add enough graphite powder to make a thick dough. Transfer to plate glass when thick enough and work with a palette knife. Pack dough into clay extruder. Extrude into the grooves of corrugated paper and let cure.
Charcoal Lead (2H-6B)
Only the 4mm die works with this formula because it is too soft for the other sizes. The base formula makes the 2B lead.
Colored Charcoal Lead
Add one 5 drops of pigment to the initial formula.
White Charcoal
White charcoal is made of white ashes. In the absence of ashes, use calcium carbonate (chalk). The oral syringe and 4mm die will work for this one.
Plate glass
Palette knife (#62)
Glass beaker
Oral syringe
4mm die
Clay extruder
Large Corrugated paper
Newspaper
Protect work surface with newspaper. Mix water with clay. Add enough charcoal powder to make a thick dough. Transfer to plate glass when thick enough and work with a palette knife. Pack dough into syringe or clay extruder. Extrude into the grooves of corrugated paper and let cure.
Carbon Black Pencil Lead
Only the 6mm die works with this formula because it is too soft for the other sizes.
Colored Carbon (B)
Add 10 drops of pigment to the base formula.
Plate glass
Palette knife (#62)
Glass beaker
6mm die
Clay extruder
Large Corrugated paper
Newspaper
Protect work surface with newspaper. Mix water with clay. Add enough chalk to make a thick dough. Transfer to plate glass when thick enough and work with a palette knife. Add pigment and knead to tint. Pack dough into syringe or clay extruder. Extrude into the grooves of corrugated paper and let cure.
Earth Tone Mushroom Sticks
This is something completely different. The binder is the fresh Jelly Mushroom (Psuedohydnum gelatinosum).
Daldiania grandis = umber
Pisolithus tinctorius = light brown
Echinodontium tinctorium = sienna
Gymnopilus spectabilis = yellow ochre
Herb grinder
Plate glass
Palette knife (#62)
Glass beaker
8mm die
Clay extruder
Large Corrugated paper
Newspaper
Dry and powder the mushrooms. Protect work surface with newspaper. Combine pigment with slate or pencil clay. Transfer to plate glass. Add jelly binder and work with a palette knife into a thick dough. Pack dough into clay extruder. Extrude into the grooves of corrugated paper and let cure.
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