The BEST WAY to Sharpen my Fancy Drawing Pencils? (and drawing)

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Today Peter tries out a few different ways of sharpening some new pencils, and thankfully, finally settle on a pretty good method. Obviously these aren't the best pencils ever, but they seem really good, and I try not to advocate the need of the best types of art supplies anyways. That's a secondary thing most of the time. Just create with what you've got, and upgrade when you've got the chance!
Here are the pencils I used in today's video: www.jetpens.co...
Here's the sharpener I ended up using: www.amazon.com...
My new book Dayfever: amzn.to/2WWIFuK
The rest of my books: www.amazon.com...
Instagram........... / peterdraws
Twitter................. / peterdraws1
Patreon............... / peterdraws
Twitch................. / peterdraws
My Website......... www.peterdraws...
Email................... [e-mail]
Video sponsored by SquareSpace

[@luisloboff4839]

Peter sharpens

[@prachetasnayse9709]

Yes

[@aidanlarson5394]

Nice pfp

[@icouldntthinkofaname4227]

Peter sharpencils

[@user-dh9oz9um2w]

shorpenincels

[@BoozyReviewsies]

Dial it back por favor

[@karaszewskim]

B stands for "blackness" and H stands for "hardness". B pencils are soft therefore lay a darker line but reveal more of the paper grain. Depending on brand they can be more oily or dusty, The H pencils are harder, the line is lighter but the sharper. Those are harder to blend/smear and to erase because they "dig" into the paper much more. As the numbers increase those qualities do too for example a 8B pencil is extremely dark and grainy while a 8H is light and hard. From what i read "F" stands for finepoint and is there for writing although im not sure that is the proper store behind the F pencil. And if you want to layer different pencils on top of each other it helps to start with soft and go to hard. Hope that answers a few questions from the end.

[@theAussie01]

Thanks for this background info🙂

[@zerothehero7307]

Thanks for the interesting info 👍😁👍

[@charliebaker1427]

No if you want to layer you go for hard first as it gets into the tooth of the paper then layer soft over top,always build from lightest to darkest with graphite. The hard first makes layers more solid and full in tone and building up from light to dark can help you work up to your final shade and value in an area of shading

[@karaszewskim]

But you cant really achive the full blackness that way. I always went for soft first so i can get it to be as dark as i want and then put the hard pencil on top so it moves the looser, soft graphite and fills the grain. I guess both methods are useful depending on the desired effect.

[@lucky4leafedclover442]

Any pencils that are under 2B I always use a regular handheld pencil sharpener, and then pencils that are over 3B are the ones that I carve with a hobby knife. I was actually taught to do the hobby knife method by my high school art teachers because a regular handheld sharpener often breaks the graphite in B pencils.

[@alexbarnard1372]

I feel like I don’t know you anymore Peter. You’ve switched to pencil. Pencil Peter .

[@That-Guy-Ben]

We have the Peter Pen. Now for the Peter Pencil.

[@AlexsaurusRex]

Disappointing to say the least. I'll be unsubscribing after I speak to the manager

[@UnderfundedScientist]

The narrator, the voice , the myth , the legend.

[@connorhart6407]

Best line

[@noname-codm4590]

And the victim

[@madeincda]

@@noname-codm4590 Don't forget villain.

[@tendojoe]

The Spirited Sharpener

[@chalabread]

Lol

[@nave7118]

To answer your question near the end of the video, when you shade in an area with pencil, you use the grit of the paper to rub off the lead. If you've already drawn over an area the bumps and divots in the paper can be smoothed out and so it's harder to get a dark line on top.

[@nunopadilhaarte]

Yes, I agree with you. The harder pencils have more clay and they destroy the tooth of the paper, then the softer ones don't have mutch to grab on.

[@charliebaker1427]

@@nunopadilhaarte no generally you use hard pencils first and layer on top with soft because the hard cant do the opposite aswell and it creates richer and fuller tonal values

[@___9136]

How much of an issue this is depends on how much pressure you're exerting. IME the least pressure possible produces the smoothest, cleanest lines. Working like that, I find it doesn't really matter much which grades I use first.

[@insertgenericusernamehere2402]

Either I've lost my mind in lockdown or the first 5 minutes are the most hilarious 5 minutes on KZbin.

[@TonyBarger]

You are not mistaken. It was hilarious.

[@axellis8333]

Peters humor is unparalleled to date

[@camerontabor9976]

You're still in lockdown?

[@insertgenericusernamehere2402]

@@camerontabor9976 pretty much

[@UnderfundedScientist]

I'm just saying the narrator and Peter have never been in the same room at the same time

[@copsy87]

They have but knives were drawn

[@vanishthecat]

@@copsy87 that’s why you ALWAYS bring a pencil to a knife fight

[@0dc]

@@vanishthecat keanu style

[@warm_beer]

My art teacher used to joke that 'H' stood for 'Hard' and 'B' stood for 'Boft'.

[@quadpictures]

🅱️oft

[@effaegigiotti45]

what about HB

[@Dodo-tw9mv]

@@effaegigiotti45 hardly boft

[@popenieafantome9527]

What about HB? Is it “Hard n Bold?”

[@maxshantz7347]

Mine said that “b” was for “buttery”

[@alkylomon]

Been watching your videos for years. They make me feel less lonely and have me feeling like I'm talking to a close friend. Thank you for making these. Love you, Peter.

[@jordanfelts7482]

Dude please more pencil drawings all jokes aside. There are so many different shades and ways to add depth.

[@theycallmeleanfornoreason2746]

Frl

[@CoenBijpost]

The little square spaces have got to be the most fitting sponsor segment on the whole of KZbin! Plus they’re super enjoyable and they make you forget you’re even watching an ad.

[@elixdab]

Guess I can finally cross "Watch a short film about pencil sharpeners" off my bucket list.

[@madeincda]

"Something Swedish, and exotic." Had me in stitches!

[@STICKYArt]

Alt title: Destroying pencils… in a VERY Satisfying way

[@joeblankenship377]

I use a Swordfish sharpener when I use my fancy colored pencils. It's one of those that clamps on the pencil and has a spring loaded feed mechanism. I bet you could seriously trigger some colored pencil artists if you used that power drill sharpener to eat up a Caran Dache Luminance in a matter of seconds.

[@melissaaldosari8024]

Omg! Nooooooo!!!! 😱😱😱

[@HeidiSue60]

Yeah that would be bad

[@58Kym]

I am not an artist but own a couple of sets of Caran D’ache and that triggered me so bad.

[@paigetomkinson1137]

It was bad enough for me, who loves graphite pencils!

[@trizzpat98]

You can use tracing paper between the pages to keep your graphite/charcoal from rubbing against the other page. It also looks kind of cool when you're showing a drawing to someone else, when you lift the tracing paper like a stage curtain.

[@linesofexpression2566]

A solution for smudges from graphite drawings is to add a watercolor wash over it. That seals it. After which you can still erase and adjust the drawing. So happy to see your skills expressed in a new medium! You ROCK!!

[@rachelm7525]

Well, you could prevent smudges by laying a piece of paper under your hand......but your way sounds more fun! 🙂

[@shilo5187]

my mum used to use the same mitsubishi uni pencils back when she did graphic design work in japan and always swore by the HB being the only one she needed haha. cool seeing them appear here

[@alow4012]

I first found this guy several years ago when I was still a kid when he uploaded a sketchbook tour. His voice was very soothing and helped me calm down. I’m 20 now - wonder if I should try coming back here again when I’m feeling anxious.

[@hereticlife2546]

I have one of those 1989 classroom wall-mounted sharpeners mounted to my desk and it’s by far the best thing to sharpen a pencil with.

[@hobblekitty]

Graphite has always been my strongest medium personally, so I'm super excited to see you working in pencil! Looking forward to hopefully seeing more.

[@adamwest8711]

The F in the pencils is to honour their shaved brethren.

[@johnhernandez3134]

I use the rotary school pencil sharpener. I've always loved the tip I got on those.

[@chrismaggio7879]

I use a cotton photo handling glove when I draw with pencil. I cut the fingers off except for the pinky, and it keeps my skin oils from imbibing the paper as well as not smudging the graphite. If you want to completely avoid the issue just use the Prismacolor Verithin pencils! I have my students use these exclusively when I teach. They are precise, hold a good point, adjust well to pressure (fine and light to dark and heavy) and they are very smooth to the touch on the paper. Just my 2 cents.

[@callsign._onyx]

Its 3am, i got 4 exams, didn’t study, and it seems like the KZbin algorithm has blessed me with this man sharpening his pencil.

[@bryan756]

the first 5 minutes felt like a whole movie and the rest was a interesting yet mundane documentary that helped put me to sleep almost

[@stefanhermansen8975]

This went pretty much exactly the way I thought it would.

[@ka-powUSA]

Oh my. I use a little 2" Stanley wood plane to sharpen pencils occasionally it feels quite ostentatious. But even I never thought of a specialized mini electric belt sander. Wow.

[@thedirector2878]

A man who shows artist can be very expirmental in other fields of work, are artist human? Or are we the aliens to take over in decades to come.

[@heidibangbang]

There's no way Peter's from this galaxy

[@thedirector2878]

@@heidibangbang m a y b e he was a l l a l o n g

[@connorhart6407]

Where is he from if he isn't from this galaxy

[@heidibangbang]

@@connorhart6407 like the 8th dimension or something...here but far far away.

[@thedirector2878]

@@connorhart6407 he's probably from Mars, but without the S 😂😂

[@lucky4leafedclover442]

Hey Peter, regular user of drawing with graphite pencils here. Depending on the type of art your looking to make with those pencils I recommend getting a blending stump and kneaded eraser. If your wanting to be more careful about mistakes, use your H pencils to sketch incredibly lightly. What I’ve always done while working, in order to stop my hand from smudging my drawings is 1. Go in the opposite direction of whichever direction is your dominant hand. And 2. Put something down on top of wherever you tend to rest your hand (extra scrap of paper, paper towel, etc). As for sharpening, do not use your basic handheld sharpener, or even the electric sharpener on those B pencils. Because of how soft the graphite is, the friction caused in those forms of sharpening will often break the lead. Stick to using the carving knife on B pencils, it’s what I’ve found to be the best way to sharpen those type of pencils.

[@Glub2]

peter, you are such a calming presence to me, which many have said before, but I feel the need to reiterate. Thank you for somehow convincing my brain to sloooow down. Very appreciative of you

[@leslie4814]

I’ve never felt so soothed. Tell me more about how to sharpen pencils and loose leaf paper, Peter piper picked a sharpened pencil. 😍

[@romeogronvld3743]

I love the fact that he's almost at 1M now

[@matthewosborne9775]

Krylon dry media fixative works amazing! I literally TRY to smudge my drawings and can't. Plus u can draw in layers on top of it and it dries fast. PLUS PLUS it's cheap. Highly recommend it to u.

[@zarahmcintosh-TWITCH]

Love KUM sharpeners.. also love the Swordfish hand crank one too.

[@paigetomkinson1137]

Those crank sharpeners from elementary school are awesome! I have no good surface to attach one in my apartment, alas and alack.

[@magpieMOB]

Thanks for another fun video, Peter! I used to draw with pencils a lot more than I do now, I think it was the smudging that frustrated me most - I've seen some people use pieces of paper to rest their hand on while doing large pencil pieces, moving them around as they go, but that always felt like too much of a hassle. Best of luck experimenting!

[@abyssalzone2232]

I literally love that frikin red sharpener, it’s one of my favorites!

[@trahapace150]

Yeah I buy them 2 or 3 at a time from blick, they are really good.

[@axellis8333]

I think that was the first time in my years of drawing I’ve ever seen Peter draw some facsimile of a normal human face… it wasn’t a normal human face, but it was the closest I’ve seen at least

[@iamgutless.]

I hope 1 million subscribers is as sweet as you assume it to be. You’re wonderful, Peter.

[@petepetersen3674]

Thanks for mixing it up with the pencils! Awesome to see your style across different media.

[@abathtub1411]

1:25 for those actually curious about best ways to sharpen pencils, I have a new version of one of these hand cranks and it actually sharpens pretty well without having to use much force. Cons are the suction thing on the bottom of mine almost never works so I usually have to hold it like he does, and while it produces a nice long & sharp point, my pencils past a certain point of softness (like some of my watercolor pencils) break off at the tip (like the whole tip, depending on the pencil) if you try to get that perfect sharp point. Also it's very nice for containing mess, but make sure to open it to empty over a trashcan. edit: granted, this doesn't mean I think my sharpeners better. I've been looking for a good handheld one because I feel like they have the potential to be better, so after this video I might just buy the sharpener he ends up using lol.

[@justabasicguy5632]

This was very oddly relaxing

[@CornCrakerOats]

This almost made me go to sleep, his voice is so calm and refined and gentle

[@israelcoats8205]

I really resonate with this video, i don't think I've ever been as relaxed as i was watching it

[@Catsandcamera]

I really enjoyed all the pencil facts

[@circelianes4023]

PETER THE WAY U SPEAK SPEAKS TO ME! very good, first experience 10/10

[@fish_stick4007]

That was as the most smooth “let me slide this in real quick👀” ad I’ve seen

[@ianjackson5834]

the H pencils have in the past been used for technical draft illustration and rendering lines in the illustrations where as the B pencils have mostly been used for art illustration

[@trainwhistlesatnight]

When you do more abstract art, like the first drawing or most of your other drawings, right? I try to draw in a similar manner, but my own way, but it never feels like I'm 'doing it right' even though I know there's no Right Way to do it. Is this a matter of me needing to lower my expectations? To stop comparing? To attempt to draw without thinking about it in general, to just make? Perhaps, nonetheless I've really enjoyed your art for a good long while now, it feels good to watch! Sorry this is a long comment I just got long thoughts. Hope you have a nice day.

[@LedSledJoe]

Is this a self-help, ASMR, product review hybrid video? You're a pioneer.

[@hightunnel2723]

I’ve been watching you for 3+ years. But I haven’t watched any in awhile and it’s so nice to come back and see you doing so well 🥰

[@lunakat5763]

I have these pencils and I love them especially the softer ones.

[@drawingwithyusuf]

good pencil for real shading results, thanks for always being connected 👍🙏

[@EricaJoyArts]

Hello Peter!😁

[@MyNameIsCrow]

Everyday I check to see if you’ve made a new video! And every video I’m not disappointed. I have been watching for a few years and I love everything about you and the things you make. Your so weird and it’s nice knowing your not the only oddball on the planet! That’s all dude. Enjoy your day~

[@colineggert3897]

Really nice carving knife! Morakniv for anyone wondering, they're really nicely made, very very sharp, and fantastically affordable

[@gaelhillyardcreative]

I loved my Kum sharpener which I had for years. And then it stopped working and just chewed everything up. So I bought a new one and that was nowhere near as good. Now I use a cylindar sharpener that is shaped like a Rolei camera and I love it :) my father in law gave me his one remaining lead pencil from when he was a designer decades ago. It really was completely lead and was so heavy that it must have been tiring to use for long.

[@scorpio19771111]

The 1st sharpener is German-made - Kum. Legendary. They sharpen the lead for clutch pencils too. Just get 2 and you are set for a long time.

[@kerwinwade1884]

It's my favorite sharpener, the red version in this video only sharpens pencils, the blue version sharpens pencils and clutch pencil leads.

[@SICresinwrks]

That mini belt sander would come in handy for a few projects i have goimg on lol i need one!

[@julieb3996]

It was satisfying both to watch the pencils get sharpened as well as watching you draw! edit: one thing I've seen painter use is a bar, like a piece of wood to rest your arm on so you don't lean on the canvas. I forget what it's called.

[@paigetomkinson1137]

Yes! I've wanted one of those bar things for like forever, but they're hard to find when you don't know what they're called. Although, when I draw in graphite, I just clean any smudges with a kneaded eraser, one of my fav supplies, btw.

[@josephhounshell9471]

i can’t be the only one that almost fell asleep because of his voice and how satisfying it is

[@eternallyspoopy2238]

I cant imagine how well it worked

[@aicirtkciub9167]

Great video so funny. Soothing Peter voice that can lull me to sleep talking about sharpeners. You're the best.

[@olewetdog6254]

That drill attachment was hilarious! Gotta get me one of them.

[@jonathanfox3285]

WOW, JUST WOW. the last one is something i see in my sleep a lot.

[@hollietrexel8604]

Get some workable fixative and a final fixative. It will set your graphite, in either a fixative state (meaning it will keep the tooth of the paper) so you can add on top. Or final which fills in the tooth of the paper so it won't smear a finished work.

[@briarmoney6588]

The belt sander is the way to go. I discovered this magic in middle school woodshop class where I did it frequently and the teacher always got super pissed at me for it. I didn't know they make them that small, I really want one now!

[@shaunrumleski3342]

that drill one reminds me of grade 10, where i told my friend he can put a pencil in the chuck of a cordless drill and feed a pencil into classic pencil sharpener in a vice. it was good fun lol

[@spookyypunk]

this gotta be one of my favorite videos of yours now. very calming honestly. I haven't felt this kind of peace in a while thank you peter.

[@TheForbiddenFridge]

This is the best KZbin video I have ever seen, I don’t draw or anything but pencil sharpening is the most entertaining topic

[@toria7489]

you could spray the pages with acrylic fixative to avoid smudging- but i’m sure that would get tedious after awhile

[@sonyacullen1]

I have this Kum parer... I notice you get a longer point if after you've used the first and second hole, go back to the first and then the second hole... constantly. And eventually you might just fit it in the smaller third and fourth holes if you have the patience

[@brrrnaner]

I like B pencils, infact I have a 6B pencil that's almost down to the nub because I used or broke it so much. They are more brittle and smudge like crazy, but that's kinda why I like it. I use the fine point for my line, if it breaks I use the new edges for diverse textures, and if I want to I'll intentionally smear my finger or palm on it or blow the loose grains around to create more weird effects. It's fun! I once had a graphite smear from my pinkie to my elbow lol.

[@balobreached]

Hi Peter 😎

[@sharktooth347]

You sound like you could be binging with babish Artistic twin 😭🔥

[@bustergundo516]

*Meet my artistic twin* lol

[@MPHshoots]

If you use the belt sander / pencil combo the same way that you sharpen tungsten for welding, I’m sure it would work!

[@jessica_beck]

i really enjoy the intro

[@giovaniconte1860]

The B on top of the H issue is due to the first one that goes into the paper filling the paper surface with grafite and the harder it is the thinner the particle, so it makes a new surface of grafite that prevents the new particles to "grasp" the papers surface creating this Whater on Oil effect. Using Soft before Hard is a way to prevent this issue but i cant see many uses for doing so^^

[@Mr.Muncheese]

Its to late for such a smooth voice, has me falling asleep lol. Did bookmark and will definitely continue 🍻

[@-grey]

The mitsubishi pencils can be found in the dollar store in Tokyo. I find them to be shifter than they are guaged at. My 2H draws a lot like a regular HB, which is annoying, because I bought a bunch of them.

[@flamingorock]

If you use a fixative and then use ink on top sometimes you get interesting textures since the ink just sort of sits on it and doesn't get absorbed by the paper. It's pretty cool. If you try this know that I've only tried it with a wide nib parallel pen. I think it would work with a brush too but I don't think it will work with pointy nib pens like fountain pens, ballpoint, etc.

[@mjpete27]

Hello Peter, I do so enjoy watching your videos! If you want an easy inexpensive fix for your graphite smudging problem, just use watercolor paint, transparent is best so your lines show through. A simple light wash will “fix” the graphite on the page of your sketchbook, No spray needed! I like how you came back to the manual sharpener I have several sharpeners as well and I use my KUM often! Please take care, be safe and enjoy the rest of your day.

[@Broockle]

How does one apply water colors to pencil drawings...? I dun get it ;D

[@aicirtkciub9167]

My favourite sharpener right now is a new staedtler pod looking sharpener. I like the control of a hand sharpener for my pencil crayons.

[@aicirtkciub9167]

It comes with an eraser pod. I like the shape of both. Very satisfying.

[@philippriestman8516]

Kum automatic log point sharpener sharpener with a 2mm and 4 mm pointer for lead holders is the BOSS!

[@Artbooksandboro]

I have that KUM pencil sharpner(the red 1st one)it is absolutely fantastic

[@Micamicamico]

If you use the contact wheels of the sander to sand the pencils, they will get a concave bevel which will allow them to be sharper

[@FlockofSmeagles]

The belt sander would actually very useful as you could grind the led into interesting shapes and textures.

[@pauljs75]

Seems most stores only stock up to 6 or 8 on the scale either way. Never seen a 10 (or those other odd grades supposedly beyond), but now I know. But I'm somewhat cheap so I'm mostly familiar with General's or Sanford. They're also fairly easy to get. Also if using more than one lead hardness, you can pull the graphite from a softer pencil already on the drawing with a harder one. Sometime that helps if doing anything with fine lines. Other than that having different lead hardness helps if you don't feel like mashing a pencil or having to be careful about having the lightest feather touch. Of course sometimes for fine linework it's also ok to mix in mechanical pencils to the process. Harder to find different leads for those, but they do exist in different hardnesses as well. I pretty much stick to Pentel or Zebra on those (they're the most consistent at providing quality for a cheap price), but I've heard Stadtler or Rotring are ok too. I avoid the no-name plastic ones that don't have the metal ferrule, as those have a tendency to get sloppy. However it's hard to beat the typical wood pencils when doing shading with the side of the lead at an angle, so the mechanical ones have a more specific role. I also like the sharpener part of the Kum sharpener, since the two-step process does seem to provide the best point in the most simple manner. The plastic enclosure for it is a bit of a disappointment though as it's never big enough to hold much shavings and the flex hinge will always need to be taped over as it's guaranteed to break if you use it for more than a year. Or just leave that hatch broken off and only sharpen with it over a bin, wouldn't be surprised if that's how most people end up using it anyways.

[@akhilvikraman6036]

My new sleep time story.your voice is so soothing.You should tell a sleep story😀

[@maimersiful]

I really like using the spray fixative, it works nice on pencil, chalk, and pastels :) Definitely recommend! It’s super easy to just spritz on the paper and you can see which parts get good coverage and it dries nicely in my opinion 😃

[@unknownperson3929]

Does it work for charcoals? I'm curious because Ive been looking into using charcoals, but I'm worried about the mess.

[@gunsmokeandghouls]

This is the most coherent video you've ever done.

[@Saynotoquack]

It’s been a long time since I’ve visited this channel, and I have to say, it made me very happy to see almost a million subs.

[@migyverman]

The KUM sharpener is very nice. The old Boston double helical blade hand cranked sharpener is the best type, but the cover/receptacle has to be on for proper alignment. Also, you were turning the crank in the wrong direction. I wish that I could draw like you. Best wishes.

[@rq4793]

You are literally making me sleep with that soothing voice 🤣🤣 its 3:27 am at work

[@onetakewonder1999]

I could listen to this guy for hours

[@dannymarie]

I think there's a workable fixitive you can buy that helps with smudging specifically. Like a finishing fixitive but it allows you to erase and draw over it still

[@siddubois4753]

Your art is truly magnificent ✨

[@christiandavelucaban357]

"Square space" lol that was smooth😂

[@akinaroony9059]

I actually bought this sharpener 💀 works like a charm👌

[@steezydan8543]

The fact you have to go through a 50 cent bit of sandpaper every time you want to sharpen 10 cents worth of pencil should tell you all you need to know about this sharpener.