Pencil. Pencil are writing or drawing implements with a solid pigment cores. They are widely used art material known for their versatility and ease of use. Artists employ various types of pencils, graphite, colored, and mechanical, each offering different qualities and effects. Graphite pencils are popular for sketching, shading, and detailed drawings due to their range of hardness grades. Colored pencils allow for vibrant color application and can be layered for depth and blending, making them suitable for both detailed illustrations and more expressive works. Artists often use techniques such as hatching, cross-hatching, and stippling to create texture and shading. Mechanical pencils provide precision, ideal for intricate work and fine lines. Pencils can also be combined with other mediums, such as watercolor or ink, to enhance their expressive potential. Overall, their accessibility, portability, and wide range of applications make pencils a fundamental tool in drawing and sketching. Pencil is often used as a starting point for watercolor paintings due to its ability to create detailed sketches and outlines that guide the application of paint. Artists typically begin by lightly sketching their composition with a graphite pencil, allowing for adjustments and corrections before adding color. Using a lighter hand helps ensure that the pencil lines remain subtle and won't show through the transparent layers of watercolor. Some artists prefer using watercolor pencils, which can be activated with water to create a painterly effect, blurring the lines between drawing and painting. Once the pencil sketch is in place, artists apply watercolor over it, enhancing the work's depth and vibrancy. This method provides a solid foundation while allowing the fluidity and unpredictability of watercolor to take center stage, resulting in a harmonious blend of line and color. Pencils create marks by physical abrasion, leaving a trail of solid core material that adheres to a sheet of paper or other surface. They are distinct from pens, which dispense liquid or gel ink onto the marked surface. Most pencil cores are made of graphite powder mixed with a clay binder. Graphite pencils produce grey or black marks that are easily erased, but otherwise resistant to moisture, most solvents, ultraviolet radiation and natural aging. Other types of pencil cores, such as those of charcoal, are mainly used for drawing and sketching. Coloured pencils are sometimes used by teachers or editors to correct submitted texts, but are typically regarded as art supplies, especially those with cores made from wax-based binders that tend to smear when erasers are applied to them. Grease pencils have a softer, oily core that can leave marks on smooth surfaces such as glass or porcelain. The most common pencil casing is thin wood, usually hexagonal in section, but sometimes cylindrical or triangular, permanently bonded to the core. Casings may be of other materials, such as plastic or paper. To use the pencil, the casing must be carved or peeled off to expose the working end of the core as a sharp point. Mechanical pencils have more elaborate casings which are not bonded to the core; instead, they support separate, mobile pigment cores that can be extended or retracted as needed. These casings can be reloaded with new cores as the previous ones are exhausted.