The Derwent Academy Sketching Pencil leaves a lasting mark with its soft, extra wide graphite strip. From quick, freestyle sketches to more thoughtful, detail work, these sketching are versatile and especially suited for beginning artists. Sketching pencils provide the foundation for most artwork so having a large range to choose from is ideal. For fine, straight lines choose a hard pencil that will hold its point. For work that includes smudging, the dark, smooth and soft B pencil is your best choice. Available in 12 degrees: 6B, 5B, 4B, 3B, 2B, B, HB, H, 2H, 3H, 4H and 5H. Soft pencils (B-6B) are best suited to sketching and blending. Harder pencils (HB-5H) are ideal for straight line and detailed work.