I’ve been drawing now for decades, and the tool I reach for every day is the humble pencil. Here in Toronto, all of the large art stores are well stocked with pencils from Germany (Faber-Castell & Staedtler), Britain (Derwent), and America (General’s). Fortunately, we’re also lucky to have independent art and stationary shops which carry hard to find items like these high quality pencils that I recently purchased.
I’m always in need of sketching pencils, so I made these tests in order to see which ones might find a permanent spot in my pencil tin.
Tombow Mono Professional
Tombow is a Japanese company that’s been making pencils since 1913. The entire Mono range of pencils is highly regarded for their ultra-fine graphite cores; these smooth pencils glide effortlessly across the page.
The Mono Professional is sold widely in the US market but not here in Canada.
This is a stellar pencil. It definitely lives up to its claim for being smooth to draw. Blending with a paper stump was easily achieved, as was lifting out with a putty eraser. The graphite is a little soft and dark for an HB pencil. There is absolutely nothing to complain about here. It’s available in grades from 6H to 6B.
The Mono Professional is made at Tombow’s factory in Vietnam. Originally, all Tombow pencils were made domestically in Japan, but some of the production was moved outside of the country to keep the pricing competitive. I paid $1.95 for this pencil at a local shop called ARTiculations. I believe this is the only place in Toronto which carries the full range of Mono Professional pencils.
Caran d’Ache Grafwood
The price of the Grafwood is steep; a single one of these Swiss-made beauties costs $5.00! For comparison, a high quality German made pencil sells for between $1.60 to $2.00.
Price aside, this is a superb pencil that delivers excellent results.
Caran d’Ache was founded in 1915 and the Grafwood is considered the pinnacle of their pencil line-up. The pencil range extends from 4H to 9B. A unique feature is how the pencils are colour coded; they’re painted light to dark gray according to their grade. This gray finish makes it easy to distinguish between pencils when they’re scattered on a table.
The graphite in the Grafwood is firmer and lighter than the Tombow. The pencil is also more substantial in the hand because it’s thicker than a standard pencil. This is not a problem when you’re drawing, but it does mean that the pencil won’t fit a regular pencil extender either.
Point retention is excellent, so there wasn’t a lot sharpening required. I do a lot of hatching and appreciate a pencil that doesn’t wear down too quickly. The graphite also blends well and lifts off cleanly with a good eraser.
Take Note and ARTiculations are two shops in Toronto’s Junction neighbourhood which sell the Graftwood pencils individually or as a full set.
Mitsubishi Hi-Uni
The Hi-Uni is considered by many to be one of the finest pencils you buy anywhere. I’ve heard it described as the crown jewel of the Mitsubishi pencil lineup. The company was founded in 1887 and the Hi-Uni was introduced in 1966. It’s available in a whopping twenty-two grades from 10H to 10B.
This pencil is a delight to use. The graphite is not dry or scratchy, nor is it too slick; the feeling of the pencil as you draw across the page is just perfect. Like the other premium pencils on test, the Hi-Uni sharpens well, blends easily and lifts off cleanly. And similar to the Tombow Mono, the graphite is slightly darker and softer than a similar grade of European pencil.
One big let down is that these pencils are not widely available in Canada. I purchased this one from a store in Toronto’s Little Italy neighbourhood called Wonder Pens. It cost me $3.00. This shop has the Hi-Uni pencils in grades HB, B and 2B. Those grades are perfect for sketching, but if you require a harder or softer pencil, you’ll have to look elsewhere. ARTiculations also sell the Hi-Uni pencils, but only in a twenty-two piece tin set.
Tombow Mono - R
According to what I’ve read online, this pencil is supposed to sit a notch below the professional Mono pencils. The R stands for “regular.” Regardless of its designation, I think you can make extraordinary drawings using the R pencils. They’re available in limited range of eight grades from 4H to 4B.
Like the other three pencils here, the Mono erases cleanly and blends evenly. The point holds up well for a soft B grade pencil, so you don’t have to stop often to sharpen. If you like to draw, this pencil will impress you its superfine graphite. It certainly impressed when I was sketching this leaf!
I paid $2.00 for this pencil from Take Note. When I was at the store, they only had this pencil in B grade.
Final Thoughts
Any one of these pencils will help you create amazing images. It doesn’t get much better than this, so choosing which one to use comes down to availability, price and how they feel in use. I’m personally leaning towards the Tombow pencils.
The paper you choose is also very important. I sketched these dried oak leaves in a Leuchtturm 1917 sketchbook. The paper in this sketchbook has a very fine tooth and brings out the best from these pencils. On other paper stocks, the pencils will look and behave differently so it’s wise to experiment and see what works for you.
Happy Sketching.
- Alan
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