Graphic work № 1 , recommended for students of engineering graphics, is aimed at mastering the skills of drawing drawing lines, fonts and inscriptions, as well as familiarizing themselves with the basics of working with a compass.
In the process of performing the work, the student must complete the drawing frame, the main lines provided ESKD, drawing font letters and circles represented by various drawing lines.

Work is performed on drawing paper format A3 (420×297 mm).
To complete the work you will need pencils with hardness TM, T, 2T, a ruler with a length of at least 300 mm, a protractor, a compass, a square (to make auxiliary parallel lines), eraser, pencil sharpener.
The ruler and square should be wooden or plastic (metal ones strongly “cut” the pencil lead, leaving dirt on the drawing).

To perform high-quality graphic work, you must have a set of pencils, which must necessarily include a pencil of medium hardness (TM), hard (T) and very hard (2T). Wherein hard pencils used for drawing thin lines on a drawing and for preliminary sketch outline of the image, which is subsequently outlined with a medium-hard pencil.
The markings of pencils adopted in different countries are described below.

Designation of pencil hardness

IN different countries The hardness of pencils is marked various symbols.
In Russia, it is customary to mark pencils with the letters M (soft) and T (hard) or combinations of these letters with numbers and with each other. The numbers before the letter indicate the degree of hardness or softness of the pencil. At the same time, it is intuitively clear that 2M is a very soft pencil, M is a soft pencil, TM is a medium-hard pencil (hard-soft), T is hard and 2T is a very hard pencil.

There are often imported pencils on sale, for which European or American markings are used.
In the USA, pencils are marked with numbers from 1 to 9 (fractional numbers are also used, for example: 2.5), and the number is usually preceded by a # sign (hash): #1, #2, #2.5, #3, #4, etc. The larger the number (digit) in the marking, the harder the pencil.

European markings for pencils are based on the letters of the Latin alphabet:

• B (short for blackness)– corresponds to the Russian marking under the letter M (soft);
• H (from hardness - rigidity)– corresponds to the Russian hardness marking T (hard);
• F (from fine point - subtlety, tenderness)- a pencil of medium hardness, approximately equivalent to TM. However, the combination of the letters H and B - HB also means the average hardness of the pencil.

European marking provides a combination of letters B and H with numbers (from 2 to 9), while, as in Russian markings, the larger the number, the higher the pencil property corresponding to the letter (softness or hardness). Pencils of medium hardness according to the European marking have the designation H, F, HB or B .
If there is a letter on a pencil IN with numbers from 2 to 9 (for example: 4V, 9V etc.), then you are dealing with a soft or very soft pencil.
Letter N with a number from 2 to 9 on a pencil indicates its increased hardness (for example, 2H, 7H, etc.) .

Graphic work assignment №1 and a sample of the completed work are presented in the figure below.
A full-size sample of the work can be opened in a separate browser window by clicking on the picture. After this, it can be downloaded to a computer or printed on a printer for use as an assignment for students.
The task is presented in two versions:

The task is aimed at acquiring and improving the skills of drawing drawing lines and fonts, while their outline must meet the requirements stipulated by the standards ESKD And ESTD.

According to requirements ESKD The sizes of lines and fonts in the drawing must meet the following requirements:

• main solid thick line(for drawing a frame, title block, outline of a part or node - i.e., the main lines of graphic work) must have a thickness 0.6...0.8 mm; on large drawings this line can reach 1.5 mm in thickness.
• dashed line (drawing lines of an invisible contour)- performed in thickness 0.3...0.4 mm (i.e. twice as thin as the main thick line). The length of the strokes (4-6 mm) and the distance between adjacent strokes (1-1.5 mm) are standardized GOST 2.303-68;
• other lines (dash-dotted, wavy, solid thin- to designate axes, extension and dimension lines, section boundaries, etc.)- thickness 0.2 mm (i.e. three times thinner than the main thick solid line).
  Length of strokes in a dash-dotted line (axis designation) should be 15-20 mm, the distance between adjacent strokes is 3 mm.
• the height of the letters of the fonts must correspond to the ruler allowed by the standard, while the height of lowercase letters and the distance between letters in a line correspond to the size of uppercase (capital) letters.
  Most often in graphic works format A4 And A3 type B fonts with an angle of inclination are used 75 degrees, while the height of lowercase letters (which should be equal 7/10 height of capital letters, i.e. capital letters), is taken equal 3.5 or 5 mm (accordingly, the height of capital letters is 5 or 7 mm).
• Letter spacing in the line should be equal 1/5 the height of the capital (lowercase) letter, i.e. for the height capital letter 5 mm distance between letters in a line - 1 mm, for capital letter height 7 mm- the distance between letters is approximately 1.5 mm .
  When drawing letters, it is important to maintain the same height and slope in the line, as well as the distance between adjacent letters.

An example of a task for completing drawing lines and sheet design
can be downloaded (in Word format)

The list of tasks for the formation of a test portfolio in Engineering Graphics for students of groups M-21 and T-21 (in WORD format) can be downloaded (0.789 MB).

Simple pencils, differences. What is a pencil? This is a kind of instrument that looks like a rod made of writing material (charcoal, graphite, dry paint, etc.). This tool is widely used in writing, drawing and drawing. As a rule, the writing rod is inserted into a comfortable frame. pencils can be colored or “simple”. It’s these “simple” pencils that we’ll talk about today, or rather, what types of graphite pencils exist. The very first object vaguely resembling a pencil was invented in the 13th century. It was a thin silver wire soldered to the handle. This “silver pencil” was stored in a special case. To draw with such a pencil required remarkable skill and skill, because it was impossible to erase what was written. In addition to the “silver pencil”, there was also a “lead” one - it was used for sketches. Around the 14th century, the “Italian pencil” appeared: a rod made of clayey black slate. Later, the rod began to be made from burnt bone powder mixed with vegetable glue. This pencil gave a clear and richly colored line. By the way, writing instruments of this kind are still used by some artists to achieve a certain effect. Graphite pencils became known in the 16th century. Their appearance is very interesting: in the Cumberland area, English shepherds found a certain dark mass in the ground, with which they began to mark their sheep. Since the color of the mass was similar to lead, it was mistaken for metal deposits, but later they began to make thin sharp sticks from it, which were used for drawing. The sticks were soft and often broke, and they also got your hands dirty, so it was necessary to place them in some kind of case. They began to clamp the rod between wooden sticks or pieces of wood, wrap them in thick paper, and tie them with twine. As for the graphite pencil that we are used to seeing today, Nicola Jacques Conte is considered its inventor. Conte became the author of the recipe, when graphite was mixed with clay and subjected to high temperature treatment - as a result, the rod was strong and, in addition, this technology made it possible to regulate the hardness of graphite.

Lead hardness The hardness of the lead is indicated on the pencil in letters and numbers. Manufacturers from different countries (Europe, USA and Russia) mark the hardness of pencils differently. Designation of hardness In Russia, the hardness scale looks like this: M - soft; T - hard; TM - hard-soft; The European scale is somewhat wider (marking F does not have a Russian correspondence): B - soft, from blackness (blackness); H - hard, from hardness (hardness); F is the middle tone between HB and H (from the English fine point - subtlety) HB - hard-soft (Hardness Blackness - hardness-blackness); In the USA, a number scale is used to indicate the hardness of a pencil: - corresponds to B - soft; - corresponds to HB - hard-soft; ½ - corresponds to F - average between hard-soft and hard; - corresponds to H - hard; - corresponds to 2H - very hard. Pencil is different from pencil. Depending on the manufacturer, the tone of the line drawn with a pencil of the same marking may differ. In Russian and European pencil markings, the number before the letter indicates the degree of softness or hardness. For example, 2B is twice as soft as B, and 2H is twice as hard as H. On sale you can find pencils marked from 9H (hardest) to 9B (softest). Hard pencils start from H to 9H. H is a hard pencil, hence the thin, light, “dry” lines. Use a hard pencil to draw solid objects with a clear outline (stone, metal). With such a hard pencil, thin lines are drawn over the finished drawing, on top of the shaded or shaded fragments, for example, strands in the hair. The line drawn with a soft pencil has a slightly loose outline. A soft stylus will allow you to reliably draw representatives of the fauna - birds, hares, cats, dogs. If you need to choose between a hard or soft pencil, artists take a pencil with a soft lead. An image drawn with such a pencil can be easily shaded with a piece of thin paper, a finger or an eraser. If necessary, you can finely sharpen the graphite lead of a soft pencil and draw a thin line similar to the line from a hard pencil. Hatching and drawing Strokes on paper are drawn with a pencil inclined at an angle of about 45° to the plane of the sheet. To make the line thicker, you can rotate the pencil around its axis. Light areas are shaded with a hard pencil. Dark areas are correspondingly soft. It is inconvenient to shade with a very soft pencil, since the lead quickly becomes dull and the fineness of the line is lost. The solution is to either sharpen the point very often, or use a harder pencil. When drawing, gradually move from light areas to dark ones, since it is much easier to darken part of the drawing with a pencil than to make a dark place lighter. Please note that the pencil must be sharpened not with a simple sharpener, but with a knife. The lead should be 5-7mm long, which allows you to tilt the pencil and achieve the desired effect. Graphite pencil lead is a fragile material. Despite the protection of the wooden shell, the pencil requires careful handling. When dropped, the lead inside the pencil breaks into pieces and then crumbles when sharpened, making the pencil unusable. Nuances that you should know when working with pencils For shading, you should use a hard pencil at the very beginning. Those. the driest lines are obtained with a hard pencil. The finished drawing is drawn with a soft pencil to give it richness and expressiveness. A soft pencil leaves dark lines. The more you tilt the pencil, the wider its mark will be. However, with the advent of pencils with thick leads, this need disappears. If you don't know what the final drawing will look like, it is recommended to start with a hard pencil. Using a hard pencil, you can gradually dial in the desired tone. At the very beginning, I myself made the same mistake: I used a pencil that was too soft, which made the drawing turn out dark and incomprehensible. Pencil frames Of course, the classic option is a lead in a wooden frame. But now there are also plastic, lacquered and even paper frames. The lead of these pencils is thick. On the one hand, this is good, but on the other hand, such pencils are easy to break if you put them in your pocket or accidentally drop them. Although there are special pencil cases for carrying pencils (for example, I have a set of KOH-I-NOOR Progresso black graphite pencils - good, solid packaging, like a pencil case).

A simple pencil is something so familiar that in childhood we drew on wallpaper, at school we made notes in textbooks and drew triangles on geometry. Most people know that this is just a “gray” pencil, those who had drawing in school know a little more about it, artists and representatives of several other professions who use pencils in their work know its real beauty.

A little about simple pencils.
In the usual sense, a simple pencil is graphite in a wooden shell. But it's not that simple. After all, a “gray pencil” can have different shades, depending on the degree of softness of the lead. The lead consists of graphite with clay: the more graphite, the softer the tone, the more clay, the harder.
The pencils themselves are also different: in a typical wooden shell, collet and solid graphite.

Let's start with wooden ones.
I will describe pencils and other materials that I have and use regularly. Not all of them look like from a shop window, but understand that it is quite real =)
So, a set of pencils "Koh-i-Noor", 12 pcs. The company is familiar to everyone; these pencils are available in any office supply store and you can buy them either in boxes or individually. Their price is quite affordable and affordable.
The pencils are good, but individually you can buy fake ones with bad wood and lead.
This set seems to be for artists from 8B to 2H, but there is also the same one for drawing, it is dominated by hard pencils.

Set of pencils "DERWENT", 24 pcs. Tones from 9B to 9H, some with 2 pieces of the same type (I’ll write below why this is convenient). In fact, I practically don’t use pencils that are softer than 4B and harder than 4H, since “DERWENT” pencils are already much softer than the same “Koh-i-Noor”, so I don’t even know what to draw, for example, with a 7B pencil, if it so soft that it leaves behind graphite crumbs.
The pencils are of high quality, sharpen well, and do not break, however, at first you need to get used to their, hmm, smell. However, after two weeks it disappears.

Set of pencils "DALER ROWNEY", 12 pcs. Very soft pencils from 2H to 9B (see below for comparison of markings) in a compact pencil case.

The pencils lie in two rows, so when drawing you need to remove the top row

And, of course, Faber Castell. There are no complaints about these pencils, but the increased softness is not inferior to "DERWENT".
We do not have boxed versions for sale, we only have two series of individual ones.
Cheaper series

And recently a slightly more expensive, but very stylish series appeared. The “pimples” are quite voluminous and thanks to them and the triangular shape of the pencil, it is very pleasant to hold and draw with them.

The softness of a pencil can be seen not only by the markings, but also by the color of the head, which matches the tone of the lead.

In addition to these manufacturers, there are many others (such as "Marco", "Constructor", others), which for some reason do not suit me personally, but this is not a reason to ignore them, so you can try everything.
In addition to the sets, I buy the most used pencils from the same brand and the same markings as in the box.
I always have two pencils 2B, B, HB, F, H and 2H. This is necessary because when drawing you don’t always need a sharpened pencil, so one pencil, for example, 2H, is sharp, and the second has a blunt, rounded tip. A “blunt tip” is needed when you need to dial in tone without leaving a clear trace of the stroke. This was not taught in art, but, as practice shows, it is very convenient and many artists, masters of a simple pencil, do this.

Collet pencils. They have already been written about a little earlier. I repeat again that they are good in all field conditions or on the road, but in the workplace it is better to draw with wooden ones.
An undeniable advantage of collet pencils is the thickness of the rod, or rather the variety of this thickness.
Crayons come in sizes from 0.5 mm (07, 1.5, etc.)

And up to a very impressive thickness of soft technique rods

Solid graphite pencils. They consist entirely of graphite in a thin shell, so as not to get your hands dirty.
Here I have “Koh-i-Noor” pencils, I don’t see any others on sale. In principle, I use them even less often than collet ones, because they are not very convenient to sharpen and in few places there is a need to draw with the entire thickness of the rod. Another significant disadvantage is that they fight...

A little about labeling.
Let's start with the fact that each company has its own. That is, the marking seems to be standard from 9B to 9H, but, as can be seen in the figure below, the “DALER ROWNEY” NV and the “Koh-i-Noor” NV are two different NVs. That is why, if you need pencils of varying degrees of softness, they should all be taken from the same company, preferably in a set.
"Faber Castell No. 1" is the series that is cheaper.
“Faber Castell No. 2” - with “pimples” (in fact, I don’t have “F” ones, it would just be somewhere like that).

Actually, about the softness and hardness of pencils.
Hard pencils are N-9N. The higher the number, the harder/lighter the pencil.
Soft pencils - B-9B. The higher the number, the softer/darker the pencil.
Hard-soft pencils - HB and F. With HB everything is clear - it’s the average between H and B, but F is a very mysterious marking, it’s the middle tone between HB and N. Either because of its unusualness, or because of the tone, but I use this pencil most often (only “DERWENT” or “FC”, with “Koh-i-Noor” it is very light).
There are also Russian markings “T” - hard, “M” - soft, but I don’t have such pencils.
Well, just to compare

Bottom line - DALER ROWNEY, darkest pencils.
The penultimate line is Loki's "DERWENT-sketch" set, it's a little different from mine (top DW).
Third from the bottom are some Marco pencils. They have the most alternative markings because 6B is darker than 8B and 7B is lighter than HB. That's why I don't have them.

As an example of use - my drawing "Curious Fox"

The lightest tone is snow, it is drawn with an 8H pencil (DW)
Light fur - 4Н (Koh-i-Noor) and 2Н (FC№1)
Mid tones - F (DW and FC#1), H (DW and FC#1), HB (DW), B (FC#1 and FC#2)
Dark (paws, nose, contours of eyes and ears) - 2B (FC#1 and FC#2), 3B (FC#1), 4B (Koh-i-Noor)

Review of erasers - "Eraser, knead and others"
Drawing pads

Pencil hardness index and markings

Pencil hardness index- marking graphite pencils for artists, draftsmen and hobbyists. Pencils differ in the hardness of the lead, which is indicated on the pencil and is usually selected according to the paper. The thicker and harder the paper, the harder the graphite lead of the pencil should be. A tip that is too hard will deform the surface of the paper. This is easy to notice when erasing the line with an eraser. The line from a too soft rod will smudge when you run a finger or an eraser along it.

Labeling Standards

In Russia, graphite drawing pencils are produced in several degrees of hardness, which is indicated by letters, as well as numbers in front of the letters.

In the USA, pencils are marked with numbers, and in Europe and Russia mnemonic a combination of letters or just one letter.

To navigate these international issues, it is convenient to use the scale hardness correspondence table given below.

Marking the hardness of pencils

Pencil hardness scale

On a Russian-made pencil there are the letters T (hard), TM (hard-soft) and M (soft).

If the pencil is foreign, then the letters are H ( hardness- hardness), B ( blackness- degree of blackness, i.e. softness), HB (hard-soft).

HB, or TM, is a standard pencil for writing and drawing, the most common and in demand.

A number is indicated before the letters, which is an indicator of the degree of hardness of the pencil.

Pencil hardness scale

Let's see how pencils of different degrees of hardness are drawn:

Marking the hardness of pencils

Pencil markings adopted in different countries.

Faber-Castell in a series of pencils Grip 2001 uses its own markings: 1 = 2B, 2 = B, 2½ = HB, 3 = H, 4 = 2H.

Types of pencils by body shape

Pencils differ in their bodies (their shape):

• Triangular - triangular shape
• Hexagonal - hexagonal shape, one of the most common
• Round - round body, there is also a variety of it - oval shape
• Bendable (flexible plastic) - flexible pencil(whether they are more convenient than regular ones is a big question, but they are at least original), they are produced by different manufacturers, including Miraculous

Hard graphite pencils

Amazing pencils

• A pencil with hardness HB and a standard length of 17.5 cm can:
  • draw a line about 56 km long
  • write about 45,000 words;
  • be sharpened 17 times.
• More than 14 billion pencils are produced in the world every year - from this amount you can lay out a chain that will circle the Earth 62 times!

Review of simple pencils

Photo review of several different options for black lead pencils of different hardnesses. Koh-i-Noor, Hatber, and other manufacturers. Individually and in sets.

The Koh-i-Noor package contains a hodgepodge of pencils, ordered individually, of different hardness and from different manufacturers. The Art format box contains a set of 12 pencils, varying in hardness.

Pencils are individual, all of a high degree of softness, for drawing.

Regular simple pencil, whose uniqueness lies in geometric formulas, applied to the body. High quality, from Koh-i-Noor. There is the same one with

Each hardness/softness has its own stylus size and body color.

The set is convenient and always relevant for graphic artists, architects, designers, illustrators, artists and comic book creators. For everyone who draws. And for children too.

Pencil profile: triangular. Each pencil has its own body color depending on the degree of hardness.

12B is a very soft and black pencil, like coal. He even writes on his hand.

The higher the softness, the blacker the color of the pencil body, this is very convenient when drawing, you don’t have to look for what is written on the body.

A simple pencil is something so familiar that in childhood we drew on wallpaper, at school we made notes in textbooks and drew triangles on geometry. Most people know that this is just a “gray” pencil, those who had drawing in school know a little more about it, artists and representatives of several other professions who use pencils in their work know its real beauty.

A little about simple pencils.
In the usual sense, a simple pencil is graphite in a wooden shell. But it's not that simple. After all, a “gray pencil” can have different shades, depending on the degree of softness of the lead. The lead consists of graphite with clay: the more graphite, the softer the tone, the more clay, the harder.
The pencils themselves are also different: in a typical wooden shell, collet and solid graphite.

Let's start with wooden ones.
I will describe pencils and other materials that I have and use regularly. Not all of them look like from a shop window, but understand that it is quite real =)
So, a set of pencils "Koh-i-Noor", 12 pcs. The company is familiar to everyone; these pencils are available in any office supply store and you can buy them either in boxes or individually. Their price is quite affordable and affordable.
The pencils are good, but individually you can buy fake ones with bad wood and lead.
This set seems to be for artists from 8B to 2H, but there is also the same one for drawing, it is dominated by hard pencils.

Set of pencils "DERWENT", 24 pcs. Tones from 9B to 9H, some with 2 pieces of the same type (I’ll write below why this is convenient). In fact, I practically don’t use pencils that are softer than 4B and harder than 4H, since “DERWENT” pencils are already much softer than the same “Koh-i-Noor”, so I don’t even know what to draw, for example, with a 7B pencil, if it so soft that it leaves behind graphite crumbs.
The pencils are of high quality, sharpen well, and do not break, however, at first you need to get used to their, hmm, smell. However, after two weeks it disappears.

Set of pencils "DALER ROWNEY", 12 pcs. Very soft pencils from 2H to 9B (see below for comparison of markings) in a compact pencil case.

The pencils lie in two rows, so when drawing you need to remove the top row

And, of course, Faber Castell. There are no complaints about these pencils, but the increased softness is not inferior to "DERWENT".
We do not have boxed versions for sale, we only have two series of individual ones.
Cheaper series

And recently a slightly more expensive, but very stylish series appeared. The “pimples” are quite voluminous and thanks to them and the triangular shape of the pencil, it is very pleasant to hold and draw with them.

The softness of a pencil can be seen not only by the markings, but also by the color of the head, which matches the tone of the lead.

In addition to these manufacturers, there are many others (such as "Marco", "Constructor", others), which for some reason do not suit me personally, but this is not a reason to ignore them, so you can try everything.
In addition to the sets, I buy the most used pencils from the same brand and the same markings as in the box.
I always have two pencils 2B, B, HB, F, H and 2H. This is necessary because when drawing you don’t always need a sharpened pencil, so one pencil, for example, 2H, is sharp, and the second has a blunt, rounded tip. A “blunt tip” is needed when you need to dial in tone without leaving a clear trace of the stroke. This was not taught in art, but, as practice shows, it is very convenient and many artists, masters of a simple pencil, do this.

Collet pencils. They have already been written about a little earlier. I repeat again that they are good in all field conditions or on the road, but in the workplace it is better to draw with wooden ones.
An undeniable advantage of collet pencils is the thickness of the rod, or rather the variety of this thickness.
Crayons come in sizes from 0.5 mm (07, 1.5, etc.)

And up to a very impressive thickness of soft technique rods

Solid graphite pencils. They consist entirely of graphite in a thin shell, so as not to get your hands dirty.
Here I have “Koh-i-Noor” pencils, I don’t see any others on sale. In principle, I use them even less often than collet ones, because they are not very convenient to sharpen and in few places there is a need to draw with the entire thickness of the rod. Another significant disadvantage is that they fight...

A little about labeling.
Let's start with the fact that each company has its own. That is, the marking seems to be standard from 9B to 9H, but, as can be seen in the figure below, the “DALER ROWNEY” NV and the “Koh-i-Noor” NV are two different NVs. That is why, if you need pencils of varying degrees of softness, they should all be taken from the same company, preferably in a set.
"Faber Castell No. 1" is the series that is cheaper.
“Faber Castell No. 2” - with “pimples” (in fact, I don’t have “F” ones, it would just be somewhere like that).

Actually, about the softness and hardness of pencils.
Hard pencils are N-9N. The higher the number, the harder/lighter the pencil.
Soft pencils - B-9B. The higher the number, the softer/darker the pencil.
Hard-soft pencils - HB and F. With HB everything is clear - it’s the average between H and B, but F is a very mysterious marking, it’s the middle tone between HB and N. Either because of its unusualness, or because of the tone, but I use this pencil most often (only “DERWENT” or “FC”, with “Koh-i-Noor” it is very light).
There are also Russian markings “T” - hard, “M” - soft, but I don’t have such pencils.
Well, just to compare

Bottom line - DALER ROWNEY, darkest pencils.
The penultimate line is Loki's "DERWENT-sketch" set, it's a little different from mine (top DW).
Third from the bottom are some Marco pencils. They have the most alternative markings because 6B is darker than 8B and 7B is lighter than HB. That's why I don't have them.

As an example of use - my drawing "Curious Fox"

The lightest tone is snow, it is drawn with an 8H pencil (DW)
Light fur - 4Н (Koh-i-Noor) and 2Н (FC№1)
Mid tones - F (DW and FC#1), H (DW and FC#1), HB (DW), B (FC#1 and FC#2)
Dark (paws, nose, contours of eyes and ears) - 2B (FC#1 and FC#2), 3B (FC#1), 4B (Koh-i-Noor)

Review of erasers -

In everyday life and work, each of us, to one degree or another, needs pencils. For people of such professions as artists, designers and draftsmen, the hardness of a pencil is important.

The history of pencils

In the 13th century, the first prototypes of pencils appeared, made of silver or lead. It was impossible to erase what they had written or drawn. In the 14th century, they began to use a rod made of black shale, which was called the “Italian pencil”.

In the 16th century, in the English town of Cumberland, shepherds accidentally stumbled upon a deposit of a material that looked very similar to lead. They couldn’t get bullets or shells out of it, but they were great at drawing and marking sheep. They began to make thin rods from graphite, sharpened at the end, which were not suitable for writing and became very dirty.

Somewhat later, one of the artists noticed that drawing with graphite sticks fixed in wood is much more convenient. This is how the body of simple slate pencils appeared. Of course, at that time no one had thought about the hardness of a pencil.

Modern pencils

The form in which pencils are known to us today was invented in late XVIII century French scientist Nicolas Jacques Conte. IN late XIX and the beginning of the 20th century. Several important changes were made to the design of pencils.

Thus, Count Lothar von Fabercastle changed the shape of the pencil body from round to hexagonal. This made it possible to reduce the rolling of pencils from various inclined surfaces used for writing.

And the American inventor Alonso Townsend Cross, thinking about reducing the amount of material consumed, made a pencil with a metal body and a graphite rod that could be extended to the required length.

Why is hardness so important?

Any person who has drawn or sketched something at least a couple of times will say that pencils can leave strokes and lines that differ in color saturation and thickness. Such characteristics are important for engineering specialties, because first any drawing is made with hard pencils, for example T2, and at the final stage with softer ones, marked M-2M, in order to increase the clarity of the lines.

Pencil hardness is no less important for both professional and amateur artists. Pencils with soft leads are used to create sketches and outlines, and harder ones are used to finalize the work.

What types of pencils are there?

All pencils can be divided into two large groups: simple and colorful.

A simple pencil has this name because it is structurally very simple, and it writes with the most ordinary graphite lead, without any additives. All other types of pencils have a more complex structure and the mandatory introduction of various dyes into the composition.

There are quite a few types, the most common are:

• ordinary colored ones, which can be either single-sided or double-sided;
• wax;
• coal;
• watercolor;
• pastel.

Classification of simple graphite pencils

As already mentioned, simple pencils have a graphite lead. An indicator such as the hardness of a pencil lead is the basis for their classification.

Different countries have adopted different markings indicating the hardness of pencils, of which the most widely used are European, Russian and American.

Russian and European markings of black lead pencils, as simple pencils are also called, differ from American ones in the presence of both letter and digital designations.

To indicate the hardness of a pencil in Russian system markings it is accepted that: T - hard, M - soft, TM - medium. To clarify the degree of softness or hardness, numerical values ​​are introduced next to the letter ones.

IN European countries The hardness of simple pencils is also indicated by letters taken from words characterizing hardness. So, for soft pencils the letter “B” is used from the word blackness (blackness), and for hard pencils the letter “H” is used from the English word hardness (hardness). In addition, there is also a marking F, coming from the English fine point (subtlety) and indicating the average type of pencil. It is the European system of marking hardness with letters that is considered the world standard and is the most widespread.

And in the American system, which determines the hardness of pencils, the designation is carried out only in numbers. Where 1 is soft, 2 is medium, and 3 is hard.
If there is no marking on the pencil, then by default it is of the hard-soft (TM, HB) type.

What does hardness depend on?

Today, graphite is also used to make graphite pencil lead. From the proportions of these substances mixed at initial stages production, the hardness of the pencil depends. The more white kaolin clay is added, the harder the pencil turns out. If the amount of graphite is increased, the lead will be softer.
After mixing all the necessary components, the resulting mixture is fed into the extruder. It is in it that rods of a given size are formed. Then graphite rods fired in a special furnace, the temperature in which reaches 10,000 0 C. After firing, the rods are immersed in a special oil solution, which creates a surface protective film.

Pencils They differ mainly in the type and nature of the writing rod (which determine the writing properties of the pencil and its purpose), as well as in size, cross-sectional shape, color and type of coating of the wooden shell.

In the USSR, since the fifties, pencils were produced according to GOST 6602-51. The quality was good. The current situation is quite sad. Let's talk about what happened before.

Pencils

Depending on the writing rod and its properties, the following main groups of pencils are distinguished: a) graphite - the writing rod is made of graphite and clay and impregnated with fats and waxes; when writing, they leave a line of gray-black color of varying intensity, depending mainly on the degree of hardness of the rod; b) colored - the writing rod is made of pigments and dyes, fillers, binders and sometimes fats; c) copying - the writing rod is made of a mixture of water-soluble dyes and a binder with graphite or mineral fillers; When writing, they leave a gray or colored line, which is difficult to erase with an eraser.

Stages of production of pencils from glued boards

Pencil production consists of the following main processes: a) production of the writing rod, b) production of the wood casing and c) finishing of the finished pencil (coloring, marking, sorting and packaging). The composition of graphite rods includes: graphite, clay and adhesives. Graphite is very easily soiled and leaves a gray or gray-black streak on the paper. Clay is mixed into graphite to bind its particles, and adhesives are added to the mixture of graphite and clay to impart plasticity. Screened graphite is crushed in vibration mills to tiny particles. The clay is soaked in water. Then these components are thoroughly mixed in special mixers, pressed and dried. The dried mass is mixed with adhesives and pressed many times, turning into a homogeneous plastic mass suitable for molding writing rods. This mass is placed in a powerful press, which squeezes out thin elastic threads from the round holes of the matrix. Upon exiting the matrix, the threads are automatically cut into pieces of the required length, which are writing rods. The pieces are then placed into rotating drums, where they are rolled out, straightened and dried. Upon completion of drying, they are loaded into crucibles and fired in electric furnaces. As a result of drying and firing, the rods acquire hardness and strength. The cooled rods are sorted by straightness and sent for impregnation. This operation aims to give the rods, which have increased rigidity after firing, softness and elasticity, i.e., the properties necessary for writing. To impregnate graphite rods, lard, stearin, paraffin and different types wax. For the production of color and copying rods, other types of raw materials are used, the technological process is partially changed.

For colored rods, water-insoluble dyes and pigments are used as dyes, talc is used as fillers, and pectin glue and starch are used as binders. The mass, consisting of dyes, fillers and binders, is mixed in mixers, and the firing operation is eliminated. The strength of the colored rod is imparted by the pressing mode and regulation of the amount of binders introduced into the mass, and this, in turn, depends on the nature and quantity of pigments and dyes. For copying rods, water-soluble aniline dyes are used as coloring agents, mainly methyl violet, which gives a streak when moistened. purple, methylene blue, which gives a streak of greenish-blue color, brilliant green - a bright green color, etc.

The strength of copy rods is regulated by the recipe, the amount of binder and the pressing mode. The finished rods are placed in a wood shell; The wood must be soft, have low cutting resistance along and across the grain, have a smooth, shiny cut surface and an even, uniform tone and color. The best material The shell is made from Siberian cedar and linden wood. Wooden planks are treated with ammonia vapor (to remove resinous substances), impregnated with paraffin and painted. Then, on a special machine, “paths” are made on the boards, into which the rods are placed, the boards are glued and divided into individual pencils, at the same time giving them a hexagonal or round shape. After this, the pencils are sanded, primed and painted. Painting is done with quick-drying nitrocellulose paints and varnishes that have a pure tone and bright color. After repeatedly coating the shell with these varnishes, a durable varnish film is formed on it, giving the finished pencil a glossy, shiny surface and a beautiful appearance.

Classification of pencils

Depending on the original materials of the writing rod and the purpose differ the following groups and types of pencils.

1. Graphite: School, Stationery, Drawing, Drawing;

2. Colored: School, Stationery, Drawing, Drawing;

3. Copiers: Stationery

In addition, pencils differ in overall dimensions, in the hardness of the core, and in the finish of the shell. Dimensional indicators include: cross-sectional shape, length and thickness of the pencil. According to the cross-sectional shape, pencils are round, faceted and oval. Some groups or types of pencils are assigned only one cross-sectional shape; for others, different ones are allowed. Thus, drawing pencils are produced only faceted - hexagonal, copying pencils - only round; stationery can have any of the above shapes, as well as a three-, four-, octagonal or oval cross-sectional shape. The pencils are available in lengths of 178, 160, 140 and 113 mm (with a tolerance of ±2 mm for these dimensions). The main and most frequently used of these sizes is 178 mm, it is required for graphite pencils - school, drawing and drawing; for color - drawing and drawing; For stationery colored pencils, a length of 220 mm is also allowed. The thickness of a pencil is determined by its diameter, and for faceted ones, the diameter is measured along the inscribed circle; it ranges from 4.1 to 11 mm, the most common thickness being 7.9 and 7.1 mm.

By degree of hardness writing rod, pencils are divided into 15 groups, designated by letters and numerical indices in sequential order: 6M, 5M, 4M, ZM, 2M, M, TM, ST, T, 2T, ZT, 4T, 5T, 6T, 7T. The letter “M” indicates the softness of the writing rod, the letter “T” indicates its hardness; The larger the digital index, the stronger this property is for a given writing rod. At school graphite pencils The degree of hardness is indicated by numbers No. 1 (soft), No. 2 (medium) and No. 3 (hard). On copying pencils - in words: soft, medium hard, hard.

Abroad, the degree of hardness is indicated by the Latin letters “B” (soft) and “H” (hard).

Graphite school pencils were produced with medium degrees of hardness, drawing pencils were produced in all existing degrees of hardness, and colored pencils of all types were usually soft.

Graphite drawing pencils "Constructor"

The color of the wood cladding coating also varies depending on different pencils; the shell of colored pencils, as a rule, was painted according to the color of the writing rod; for the shells of other pencils, each name was usually assigned one or more permanent colors. There were several types of shell coloring: single-color or marbled, decorative, with ribs or with edges painted in contrasting colors or covered with metal foil, etc. Some types of pencils were produced with a decorative head, which was painted in colors different from the color of the shell. , with a plastic or metal head, etc. Pencils with plastic or metal tips, with an eraser (graphite only), with a sharpened rod, etc. were also produced.

Depending on these indicators (the properties of the writing rod, cross-sectional shape, overall dimensions, type of finish and design), each type of pencil and set was assigned different names.

Graphite drawing pencils "Polytechnic"

Assortment of pencils

Pencils are divided into three main groups: graphite, colored, copying; In addition, there is a special group of special pencils.

Graphite pencils are divided into: school, stationery, drawing And drawing.

School pencils- for school writing and drawing classes; were issued three degrees hardness - soft, medium and hard - designated respectively by numbers: No. 1, No. 2, No. 3.

Pencil No. 1 - soft - gave a thick black line and was used for school drawing.

Pencil No. 2 - medium hard - gave a clear black line; used for writing and drawing.

Pencil No. 3 - hard - gave a pale line of grayish-black color: it was intended for drawing and initial work in drawing at school.

School pencils included a metal nipple in which a rubber band was attached for erasing notes made with a pencil.

Stationery pencils - for writing; Mostly soft and medium hard were produced.

Drawing pencils- for graphic works; were produced according to the degree of hardness of the writing rod from 6M to 7T. Hardness determined the intended purpose of pencils. So, 6M, 5M and 4M are very soft; ZM and 2M - soft; M, TM, ST, T - medium hardness; 3T and 4T - very hard; 5T, 6T and 7T - very hard, for special graphic work.

Drawing pencils - for drawing, shading sketches and other graphic works: only soft ones are produced, of various degrees of hardness.

Assortment of graphite pencils

Colored pencils according to purpose they are divided into school, stationery, drawing, drawing.

School pencils - for beginners children's drawing and drawing works of schoolchildren junior classes ; were produced in a round shape, in sets of 6-12 colors.

Stationery pencils - for signing, proofreading, etc., were produced in 5 colors, sometimes two-color - for example, red and blue, mostly hexagonal, except for the Svetlana pencils, which had a round shape.

Drawing pencils - for drawing and topographical work; were produced mainly in sets of 6 or 10 colors; hexagonal shape; coating color - according to the color of the rod.

Drawing pencils - for graphic work; were produced in several types, differing from school ones in the length and number of colors in the sets, from 12 to 48, mostly round in shape, except for drawing ones No. 1 and No. 2, which had a hexagonal shape. All sets had 6 primary colors, additional shades of these colors and usually pencils white.

All pencils produced in sets were packaged in artistically designed cardboard boxes with multi-color labels.

Assortment of colored pencils

Copying pencils They were produced in two types: graphite, i.e., containing graphite as a filler, and colored, the writing rod of which contained talc instead of graphite. Copying pencils were made in three degrees of hardness: soft, medium hard and hard. Copying pencils were produced, as a rule, in a round shape.

Assortment of copying pencils

Special pencils - pencils with special properties of a writing rod or special purpose; graphite and non-ferrous ones were produced. The group of special graphite pencils included “Joiner”, “Retouch” and briefcase pencils (for notebooks).

Pencil "Carpenter" intended for marks on wood when performing carpentry and joinery work. It had an oval shell and sometimes a rectangular cross-section of the writing rod.

Pencil "Retouch"— for retouching photographs, shading, applying shadows. The writing rod contained finely ground birch charcoal, as a result of which it produced a thick line of deep black color.

They were produced in four numbers, differing in hardness: No. 1 - very soft, No. 2 - soft, No. 3 - medium hard, No. 4 - hard.

Special colored pencils included "Glassographer" And "Traffic light".

Pencil "Glassographer" had a soft shaft, giving a fat and thick line; used for marks on glass, metal, porcelain, celluloid, for laboratory classes etc. Produced in 6 colors: red, blue, green, yellow, brown and black.

Pencil "Traffic Light" was a type of colored pencils, had a longitudinally composite rod, consisting of two or three colors, which made it possible to write with one pencil in several colors. Pencils were designated by numbers corresponding to the number of colors with which the rod was written.

Names and main indicators of special pencils

Pencil quality

The quality of pencils was determined by the compliance of the searching core, casing, finishing and packaging with the requirements established by the standard. The most important indicators of the quality of pencils were: for graphite pencils - breaking strength, hardness, line intensity and glide; for color - the same indicators and (color compliance with approved standards; for copying - the same is the copying ability of the rod. All these indicators were tested with special instruments and in laboratory conditions. In practice, to determine the quality of pencils, one should be guided by the following requirements. The writing rod should be glued into a wooden shell firmly and as accurately as possible in its center; the eccentricity of the rod was determined by the smallest, i.e., thinnest part of the shell, the dimensions of which were established by the standard for pencils of the 1st and 2nd grades; the writing rod should not come out freely from the shell when sharpening a pencil or when pressing on it from the end; must be intact and uniform along its entire length, must not contain foreign impurities and inclusions that scratch the paper when writing, must not have any obvious or hidden cracks, not should have crumbled during sharpening and writing.When sharpening a pencil, with vertical pressure on the sharpened tip of the rod, the latter should not have chipped, i.e., arbitrarily breaking off or chipping off particles of the rod. The cross-sectional area of ​​the rod at the ends of the pencil had to be even, smooth, without damage or chips. For colored rods, writing strokes of the same color and intensity were required along the entire length of the rod.

The shell of the pencils was made of good quality wood, without knots, cracks or other defects; it should have low cutting resistance, i.e., it should be easy and soft to repair with a sharpened knife, not break when sharpened, and have a smooth cut surface. The ends of the pencils had to be cut evenly, smoothly and strictly perpendicular to the axis of the pencil. The pencil should be straight and even along its entire length, without deformation. The surface had to be smooth, shiny, without scratches, dents, cracks or varnish sagging. The varnish coating should not crack, crumble or stick when wet.

By defects appearance pencils were divided into two grades: 1st and 2nd; Moreover, the writing properties for both types of pencils had to be the same. The 2nd grade included pencils in which the arrow of deflection along the length is no more than 0.8 mm, the chip of wood or varnish film from the end of the pencil is no more than 1.5 mm, the chip of the rod at the ends is no more than half the cross-sectional area of ​​the rod - to the depth no more than 1.0 mm, eccentricity of the rod no more than 0.33 D—d (D is the diameter of the pencil shell along the inscribed circle, d is the diameter of the rod in mm), as well as scratches, dents, roughness and sagging (width and depth no more than 0.4 mm) no more than 3 over the entire surface of the pencil, with a total length of up to 6 mm and a width of up to 2 mm.

The pencils were marked with bronze or aluminum foil on one or more edges. The marking had to contain the name of the manufacturer, the name of the pencils, the degree of hardness (usually letter designations) and year of issue (usually the last two digits of the corresponding year (for example, “55” means release 1955). On copying pencils, the marking contained the abbreviated word “Copier.” On grade 2 pencils, in addition, there should have been the designation “2 s "The marking had to be firmly attached to the surface of the pencil, be clear, clear, and easy to read; all lines and marks had to be solid and not merge.

Pencils: Ruslan, Rogdai, Ratmir (Krasin factory)

Pencils were packed in cardboard boxes, mainly 50 and 100 pieces of the same name and type. Colored school and drawing pencils were packed in sets different colors 6, 12, 18, 24, 36 and 48 colors in one set. Graphite drawing pencils, colored drawing pencils and some other types of pencils were also produced in sets of different contents. Boxes of pencils of 50 and 100 pieces and sets of all types were decorated with a multi-color artistic label. Boxes with sets and pencils of 10 and 25 pieces were placed in cardboard cases or packed in packs of thick wrapping paper and tied with twine or braid. Boxes with pencils of 50 and 100 pieces were tied with twine or braid or covered with a paper parcel. Boxes with sets of colored pencils were covered with multicolor labels, usually with art reproductions.

Pencils "Cosmetics" (Slavic State Pencil Factory MMP Ukrainian SSR)

Graphite pencils "Painting", "Youth", "Color"

Set of colored pencils "Youth" - art. 139 out of 6 pencils. Price 77 kopecks.

Set of colored pencils "Colored" - art. 127 and 128 from 6 and 12 pencils. The price of one pencil is 8 kopecks and 17 kopecks, respectively.

Set of colored pencils "Painting" - art. 135 of 18 pencils. Price 80 kopecks.

Graphite colored pencils "Painting", "Art"

Set of colored pencils "Painting" - art. 133 of 6 pencils. Price 23 kopecks.

Set of colored pencils "Art" - art. 113 out of 18 pencils. Price 69 kopecks.

Set of colored pencils "Art" - art. 116 out of 24 pencils. Price 1 ruble 20 kopecks.

Practical assignments in engineering graphics

Drawing lines and fonts

Graphic work No. 1

Graphic work № 1 , recommended for students of engineering graphics, is aimed at mastering the skills of drawing drawing lines, fonts and inscriptions, as well as familiarizing themselves with the basics of working with a compass.
In the process of performing the work, the student must complete the drawing frame, the main lines provided ESKD, drawing font letters and circles represented by various drawing lines.

The work is performed on drawing paper of the format A3 (420×297 mm).
To complete the work you will need hard pencils TM ,T , 2T , ruler at least 300 mm long, protractor, compass, square (to make auxiliary parallel lines), eraser, pencil sharpener.
The ruler and square should be wooden or plastic (metal ones strongly “cut” the pencil lead, leaving dirt on the drawing).

To perform high-quality graphic work, you must have a set of pencils, which must include a medium-hard pencil ( TM ), solid ( T ) and very hard ( 2T ). In this case, hard pencils are used to draw thin lines on the drawing and to preliminary sketch the outline of the image, which is subsequently outlined with a medium-hard pencil.
The markings of pencils adopted in different countries are described below.

Designation of pencil hardness

In different countries, the hardness of pencils is marked with different symbols.
In Russia, pencils are marked with lettersM (soft) andT (solid) or combinations of these letters with numbers and with each other. The numbers before the letter indicate the degree of hardness or softness of the pencil. At the same time, it is intuitively clear that2M – very soft,M - soft pencil,TM – a pencil of medium hardness (hard-soft),T - hard and2T - a very hard pencil.

There are often imported pencils on sale, for which European or American markings are used.
In the USA, pencils are marked with numbers from 1 to 9 (fractional numbers are also used, for example: 2.5), and the number is usually preceded by a # sign (hash):#1 , #2 , #2,5 , #3 , #4 etc. The larger the number (digit) in the marking, the harder the pencil.

European markings for pencils are based on the letters of the Latin alphabet:

· B (short for blackness - blackness) - corresponds to the Russian marking under the letterM (soft);

· H (from hardness - rigidity) - corresponds to the Russian hardness markingT (solid);

· F (from fine point - subtlety, tenderness) - a pencil of medium hardness, approximately corresponds toTM . However, the combination of lettersN AndIN – NV also mean the average hardness of the pencil.

European markings provide a combination of lettersIN AndN with numbers (from 2 to 9), while, as in Russian markings, the larger the number, the higher the pencil property corresponding to the letter (softness or hardness). Pencils of medium hardness according to the European marking have the designationN , F , NV orIN .
If there is a letter on a pencilIN with numbers from 2 to 9 (for example:4B , 9V etc.), then you are dealing with a soft or very soft pencil.
LetterN with a number from 2 to 9 on a pencil indicates its increased hardness (for example,2H , 7N and so on.).

Graphic work assignment №1 and a sample of the completed work are presented in the figure below.
A full-size sample of the work can be opened in a separate browser window by clicking on the picture. After this, it can be downloaded to a computer or printed on a printer for use as an assignment for students.
The task is presented in two versions:

· Option #1

· Option No. 2

The task is aimed at acquiring and improving the skills of drawing drawing lines and fonts, while their outline must meet the requirements stipulated by the standards ESKD And ESTD.

According to requirements ESKD The sizes of lines and fonts in the drawing must meet the following requirements:

· main solid thick line (for drawing a frame, title block, outline of a part or node - i.e., the main lines of graphic work) must have a thickness 0.6...0.8 mm; on the drawings large sizes this line can reach 1.5 mm in thickness.

· dashed line (drawing lines of an invisible contour)- performed in thickness 0.3...0.4 mm (i.e., twice as thin as the main thick line). Stroke length (4-6 mm) and the distance between adjacent strokes (1-1.5 mm) are standardized GOST 2.303-68;

· other lines (dash-dotted, wavy, solid thin - to designate axes, extension and dimension lines, section boundaries, etc.)- thickness 0.2 mm (i.e. three times thinner than the main thick solid line).
Length of strokes in a dash-dotted line (axis designation) should be 15-20 mm, the distance between adjacent strokes is 3 mm.

· letter height fonts must correspond to the line allowed by the standard, while the height of lowercase letters and the distance between letters in a line correspond to the size of uppercase letters (capital) letters
Most often in graphic works of the format A4 And A3 type fonts are used IN with inclination angle 75 degrees, while the height of lowercase letters (which should be equal to 7/10 of the height of capital letters), is taken equal 3.5 or 5 mm (respectively, the height of capital letters is 5 or 7 mm).

· Letter spacing in the line should be equal 1/5 capital height (capital) letters, i.e. for capital letter height 5 mm distance between letters in a line - 1 mm, for capital letter height 7 mm- the distance between letters is approximately 1.5 mm .
When drawing letters, it is important to maintain the same height and slope in the line, as well as the distance between adjacent letters.