Pencils are the most versatile of drawing media because of the variety of marks that can be made. Marks can be subtle and delicate or bold and vigorous. A few bold strokes can capture movement whilst tonal shading can define form. A great characteristic of pencil is that line and tone can be combined in one drawing. Here’s some nerd info for you… The H stands for hard and the B for black. The harder pencil leaves less graphite on the surface resulting in lighter mark-making. But you knew that already, right?!