The Graphite Pencil ranges from 9B (the softest) to 9H (the hardest). The former’s softness assists in shading and drawing dark lines whereas the latter is ideal to craft ultra-fine lines and details. The F or HB pencils fall between these two poles. Hence, graphite pencils are seldom considered the best pencils for drawing and shading.
If you wish to create bold abstracts to express your innermost self, then charcoal pencils are the best pencils for drawing. Made of compressed charcoal, they leave an intense black mark. Soft charcoal pencils are perfect for shading and broad strokes. The harder pencils are more suitable for creating detailed lines.
Coloured pencils come in any shades that you can imagine. They come in both hard and soft scales to achieve light shading or bold strokes. These are usually the best drawing pencils for professional artists who wish to enliven their detailed sketches with vibrant colours.
The best thing about mechanical pencils is that you would never need a sharpener or eraser again. They are known for their consistent precision and humongous range, often used for both technical drawings and detailed portraits.
Watercolour pencils is a mix between the two mediums that may be used as traditional coloured pencils or as watercolours. Watercolour pencils are often considered the best colour pencils for realistic drawings as they leave you with a multi-layered watercolour drawing erupting with colours.