# Mapmaking Discussion & Philosophy (WIP/Critique) > General and Miscellaneous Mapping >  Pencils

## Endyr

Hello again all, wanted to thank you for the warm welcome. I'm glad to be here. I've been perusing the site for a while now but am having a hard time finding some small, specific info. So I thought I'd ask here and I hope it's the appropriate section. 
So as I mentioned in my introduction post, I am very interested in drawing maps by hand. I was just curious about tools. I guess, mainly, pencils. I have acquired some excellent inking pens along the way, good sketch pads and a wide array of high quality mech pencils. Have some wood pro drawing pencils as well. Question is this - what hardness of lead is ideal for mapping work? We generally write with HB - the good ol' no 2 from school. That's my main light sketching lead right now. But the lines aren't right I think. I've heard 2B should be my standard sketching lead, with something like a 4B or so for shading. How does this sound to all you hand drawing experts out there? Any advice you can give would be appreciated. 

Thanks so much all!

Endyr

----------


## Lingon

Welcome to the forum (since I missed your introduction!)  :Smile: 

For sketching, it's not really important what hardness you use. I grab whatever is closest to me. But yeah, sticking to the B side is probably a good idea for all kinds of drawing. When you start the final version of the map, you'll need something a little harder, to be able to draw the fine details, but even then, I tend to use B or HB. Just keep the point sharp and you should be able to get good results with anything  :Smile: 

I'm looking forward to seeing your work! And don't spend too much time thinking about the "right" tools – the important bit is to get started  :Smile:

----------


## Endyr

thanks very much for the tips! keeping sharp is not a big deal considering I use mechanicals.  Ever use a kuru toga? Japanese. you should check it out. Anyway, thanks a lot! Dont worry, I am sketching like crazy, just felt something was kind of off and I wanted to get some advice. I feel comfortable with a 2B so I will stick with that. Will post something when I have a more semi-finished first sketch.

----------


## Tracker

Hello:
I was trained to draft in high school.  I really liked it.  Was given a Alvin Draft/Matic mechanical pencil by one of my teachers.  I still have it.  They come in several different hardness values.  I use a  a 0.7 mm for normal work and a 0.5mm for drafting mountains.  I have used these pencils for years a love them.  You can find them in art supply stores.  I have around 9 of them now and the last one I purchased was four months ago for a gift.  They run around $9.00 to $15.00 U.S.  I do like them.

Tracker

----------

