8B 10B 12B

Sophie admires Beatrix’s drawing…

...

Sophie: What did you use to draw that?

Beatrix: An 8B.

Sophie: No! Really? An 8B? I thought they only went up to 6B. What’s it write like? Draw like?

Beatrix: Too soft for writing. Good for dark parts. Very soft so my arm gets black. I start with a 2B for the outline, and move up to 4B, then 6B for the darker areas. 8B is like using crayon, or chalk.

Sophie: For shadows?

Beatrix: 8B. But they go way higher. 10B, 12B even I’ve heard of.

Sophie: How black do you need?

Beatrix: And then there’s an E grade. Really, really black.

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