Hi Alexis, Excellent review! I tested 387 pencils six years ago and published the results in book form. The Faber-Castell Castell 9000 series stood out in several ways you may find interesting and worthy of investigation. FIRST, you invited viewers to recommend darker graphite pencils. I can recommend the Mitsubishi Hi-Uni series, which has darkness values up to D21, compared to Castell 9000, which maxes out at D16 (for the 8B pencil). The Kimberly 9xxB you prefer is also D21, but shows as almost pure black, versus any graphite pencil (even Mitsubishi), which will show as a very dark gray at best. I created the darkness scale based on raw darkness values obtained from a densitometer which were then massaged to give a maximum darkness of around 20 for graphite. This is because most graphite sets begin at 9H and end at 9B, which is 20 grades (including the F and HB pencils). So all parameters including softness (S), smoothness (L), darkness (D), and pressure insensitivity (P) are on an approximate 20-point scale. The CASTELL 9000 pencils are most interesting for a couple of reasons: 1. Softness to darkness ratio. As you indicated, Castell 9000 pencils are harder than many other pencils at the same darkness value. Indeed. Faber-Castell manipulates darkness and softness differently than other pencil manufacturers. I don't know how they do this, but I can tell from my testing that this is so. You might wonder WHY they are doing this. Possibly it is to minimize breakage. But for me, the important factor, and I think the justification for their darkness/softness "special sauce", is the fact that 2. Pressure insensitivity is at precisely the middle point for most of their pencils. This is crucial, I believe. If a pencil is too sensitive to changes in pressure, you'll end up with dark lines when you wish light lines. If the pencil is not sensitive enough, you'll have a light line no matter what you do, even if you press hard. Faber-Castell hit the sweet spot. I use a set of five pencils, my "five-dimensional" pencils, which until now were Castell 9000 F (D4, P9), Castell 9000 B (D8, P6), Castell 9000 3B (D12, P9), Castell 9000 8B (D16, P9), and Mitsubishi Hi-Uni 6B (D20, P13). Notice all the Castell pencils have P value P9 except the B-grade pencil, which has P6. The Hi-Uni 6B has P13, but it's virtually impossible to find a dark pencil at D19-D24 with pressure insensitivity less than P12 or P13. So the Castell series was almost perfect, with the B pencil the only one not having P9. Well, that was 2015. I gave my raw data to the Director of R&D at Faber-Castell in return for manufacturing information. I retested the entire Castell line using pencils I purchased this year. SURPRISE! I don't know if the R&D director used my data, but I can tell you this fascinating fact: The Castell B pencil now has D8 and P9 - meaning that the entire series, spanning D4 to D16, has exactly the same intermediate (and I would say, perfect) pressure insensitivity of P9. Other dark pencils for your consideration: General's Kimberly (up to D21), Art Alternative Woodless pencils (up to D24, the darkest graphite I've ever found), Tombow Mono (up to D21), Caran d'Ache Grafwood (up to D21), Palomino (D21), Cretacolor Monolith (D20), Conte a Paris (D19), Koh-I-Noor Progresso (D18). I am in the midst of testing 1100+ pencils and will be publishing a massive tome containing dozens of data points on each pencil. I hope to publish The Graphite Pencil (working title) in early 2022. Cheers!

@AlexisCassandraArt

3 жыл бұрын

Wow, this comment blew my mind! It sounds like you have more information about graphite pencils than anyone and it's amazing you had enough data to write a book! And even another book! Faber Castell definitely seems to have a special formulation, that part I picked up on! Thank you for all the info and recommendations- it turns out, I have some Koh-I-Noor and Conte a Paris pencils I just haven't tried yet! Will include them in a future video! Thank you again for your comment!

@sal7574

2 жыл бұрын

Woaah Amazing

@reginaldforthright805

2 жыл бұрын

Hi Pearson I’m looking forward to your book! Can you tell me what pencil would be smooth and low pressure in the h grades? In other words a light pencil that feels and writes like a dark pencil? I used to have some stabilo micro 8000 pencils like that but they are no longer made. All the pencils I try are very hard and scratchy in the lighter grades.

@AncientNovelist

2 жыл бұрын

@@reginaldforthright805 There is no easy way for me to answer. You need to understand that grade does not correspond to darkness or softness. For example, since you're interested in H-grade pencils, the Caran d'Ache Grafwood 2H has an actual darkness value of D2, while the Pentalic 2H (same grade!) has an actual darkness of D12, which is above the average darkness for a B (1B) pencil. Each manufacturer has its own darkness values at each grade. They are not only different from each other, but you can find wild inconsistencies within a single line from a single manufacturer. You will be able to make sense of all of this if you read my book. I can't distill 277 pages of knowledge into a single KZread comment. Now, if we choose an average H (1H) having darkness D5 to D8, the Kita-Boshi Art Set grade H has a darkness value of D5 and an extremely high lissance (smoothness) of L10, though its pressure sensitivity is P14 (insensitivity 5), so a bit on the high side but still somewhat in the middle. This may not be what you're looking for, but again, because you don't know which questions to ask. I measured 26 properties for each pencil. There are properties you may consider important, and properties you consider to be associated with something that "feels and writes like a dark pencil." I know of 26 such properties, but I don't know which ones are important to you. I recommend reading my book so that you have a firmer understanding of the range of properties you can expect from graphite pencils. You're sure to have your socks blown off, because there are some quite striking pencils to choose from. I've found many more since then, even some that violate trends I saw in 2015, which means my 2023 book should become all the more appealing. My next graphite book is now scheduled for 2023, not 2022, since my next novel and a formal Biblical commentary have been placed on the front burner by my publisher, so I am churning these out first, then graphite in 2023. Cheers!

@reginaldforthright805

2 жыл бұрын

@@AncientNovelist thank you, I’ve signed up for alerts on Amazon so I know when your updated pencil book comes out. The kitaboshi sounds interesting. Just to clarify I do indeed want something with about d5 and which also responds with heavy coverage with only light pressure, if I understand you correctly that would be a high s and p value. Another property I’m interested in is paint finish - I much prefer matte paint because I feel it gives a better grip although it seems like few brands use it, notably cretacolor cleos (I have some old matte finish derwents but think they may have changed as I have some newer ones which are glossy). Does your book cover that?

Talking about my favorite graphite pencils and why I use this set exclusively now!😱 additional information in the description ^^^

@artofbim_

3 жыл бұрын

hello! new subscriber here❤️ can i ask u whats the perfect paper for graphite pencils? is it good with vellum board? Thank u in advance😁😁😁

@AlexisCassandraArt

3 жыл бұрын

Arthophilia hi! Thanks so much for subscribing it means a lot:) paper is a tricky one- I’m planning on making a video soon covering the subject and comparing papers. For this demonstration I used a strathmore mixed media sketch book. Since it’s sketch paper though it’s a bit thin for my liking. I often use regular strathmore mixed media paper(haven’t tried vellum board). A paper comparison video will be out in the next couple weeks for sure though:)

@artofbim_

3 жыл бұрын

@@AlexisCassandraArt thank you so much! 😊

@LazyStory

3 жыл бұрын

Love that I can see some of the have been used. - I have no respect for reviews with brand new products. But, holy crap 2.5 minuts intro...

Thank you so much for the review. You got really quick into the point and you explained everything so good and calmly like I didn't have to skip even one sec ( I usually do that a lot lol) the video is really awesome keep going. ❤

@AlexisCassandraArt

3 жыл бұрын

Thanks so much for watching!💜 I’m so happy this was actually helpful. It was my first review so I wanted to make sure I was concise.

Thank you so much for giving your time in this channel, always in awe when someone is able to present so well. I have subbed immediately seeing you active and it really is a great help to a beginner like me who has found art in his early 40s. Thank you so much.. just ordered the set since my poor basic pencils I used up to now are almost all but eaten away 😅.

@AlexisCassandraArt

3 ай бұрын

I am so glad you are enjoying my channel and my videos are useful to you! It is always satisfying when you use enough of an art supply that you need to replace them! thanks for watching:)

Loving the new background ✨! Ayeeee eep the iconic Bob 👏🏻! A good ‘ole art tin 🙌🏻😍!! Ooooo nice grades! The darks are really nice! Awww such a cute pic of your cat! Eyes are my favorite to start with too! That good the pencils are easy to erase when you did the highlights! The details OMG 😍😍!! It’s always to relaxing to watch! I need to get me these pencils!! 🤩👏🏻💖

@AlexisCassandraArt

4 жыл бұрын

Kari Beth thank you !!💙 bob finds a way to show up in all of my videos somehow😂😂 I love these pencils!!! I definitely recommend them:) The gradient and especially drawing my cat was so so fun!! Glad it was relaxing😊

Love the drawing, looks great!

@AlexisCassandraArt

4 жыл бұрын

thank you:))

Great drawing😊😱.I love your thumbnail.And yes I have tried them out before, their amazing😊😁.

@AlexisCassandraArt

4 жыл бұрын

thank you! I use canva to arrange my thumbnails:) the pencils are great!

I use Faber-Castell pencils specifically for light grade drawing specifically light detail and underdrawing. Your cat is spectacular thanks for the pencil review.

ill be your 676th sub. keep doing what you are doing, and i hope you reach millions of subs and followers!

@AlexisCassandraArt

3 жыл бұрын

Aw thank you so much! You are too kind! I am so glad you enjoyed the video as well💙😊

Good to see you and your drawing 😊

@AlexisCassandraArt

2 жыл бұрын

thank you so much!

great fluffy looking fur :) I really like those pencils, also have the jumbo version which are great for very loose drawings :)

@AlexisCassandraArt

4 жыл бұрын

Thank you:) I have heard of the jumbo version.. I’m curious to try those sometime haha

Woah you're so pretty♥️ and talented🥺

@AlexisCassandraArt

3 жыл бұрын

Thank you so much for the sweet comment!!:)

Awesome !

New subscriber here ♥️ because you have talent, you have potential♥️ keep up 💯

@AlexisCassandraArt

3 жыл бұрын

Thank you so much for your support and kind words💙💜 it means a lot to me!:)

Loveeee it such a lit drawing

@AlexisCassandraArt

4 жыл бұрын

thank you:)

I'm not really familiar with graphites. I only use HB when I sketch and mostly line my artworks with pen and ink. Awesome review thank you for sharing.

You are a great artist! You really should do a self portrait one day, your eyes are beautiful. Thank you for the review

@AlexisCassandraArt

7 ай бұрын

thank you so much for your comment:) I will consider a self portrait

I wish i could draw like that btw great review!

@AlexisCassandraArt

2 жыл бұрын

Thank you for watching and I'm glad the review helped:)

The cat is so cute😍😍, And the Faber Castell 9000 is Amazing! But I have one competitive for Faber Castell 9000 which is Staedtler Mars lunorgraph pencils these comes in many variants. I have heard good things about them So I think If you make a comparison video between both of the products. It get lot easier to choose. One more thing that they come in about the same price. So it's more harder to choose one!

@AlexisCassandraArt

4 жыл бұрын

Thanks for the recommendation, I think that would be a good comparison video to do since a lot of people talk about the mars lumograph pencils! and yes I loved drawing her💙

I love your videos, this one was great as well! Just getting back into doing art again. What eraser stick and white high lighter did you use on this beautiful cat sketch? Thank you.

@AlexisCassandraArt

Жыл бұрын

Thank you:) I use the tombow mono zero round eraser stick, and the signo uniball white gel pen! I recommend both of these products!

Great review vary helpful and would it be possible to do a Caran D'ache Grafwood set review

@AlexisCassandraArt

3 жыл бұрын

In the future I'd like to do more graphite reviews! I've gotten requests for some other brands too such as Derwent, I may write them all down and plan some vids around them eventually :)

Thank you Cassandra for this review i wanted to know difference between the FC 9000 and Staedtler Mast Lumograph and i found out here in your review that FC are all graphite compared to Mars Lumo softer grades who are carbon and doesn't blend so well.Thank you for the review i will most definitely buy Faber Castell 9000 and Jumbo also.

@AlexisCassandraArt

3 жыл бұрын

Thank you! Funny enough, I am going to purchase some staedler pencils during the holidays because so many people talk about them and compare them to faber castell😂 The faber castell 9000 and jumbo are graphite, but can be used in combo with carbon or charcoal if you need to get those dark areas still!(just play around with them on scratch paper first to see how they interact)

@predragdjokic3761

3 жыл бұрын

@@AlexisCassandraArt I will most definitely buy Faber Castell 9000 because i enjoy to work with graphite more then other mediums.Graphite has 0 toxicity and blends well ,only problem is graphite shine that can be removed by Fixative spray in 2 or more layers.What i also found out is that some artist use Aquarell 6b grade graphite pencils for darker shades. Charcoal is somewhat in dust form toxic for lungs and carbon doesn't blend well but has no shine and it's darker then graphite but i will try my best with graphite. I paint with watercolors and i want to learn to do realistic portraits in graphite to improve portrait drawings for watercolors and also to have black and white art. Thank you for reply and for your videos they are very helpful keep up the awesome job

@AlexisCassandraArt

3 жыл бұрын

@@predragdjokic3761 I’m sure you’ll love FC 9000, they are really smooth and blend nicely! That’s true, the shine is the main downside but can be removed. I’ll have to look into the aquarell you mentioned. I was going to try out staedlers graphite series as I heard they have up to 12B, and I’m curious how they blend and how dark they get! Its really fun learning graphite portraits, because you can get fine detail but also a smooth blend! I’m sure you’ll have fun with the FC 9000! And thank you for watching☺️❤️

@predragdjokic3761

3 жыл бұрын

@@AlexisCassandraArt Ah that is great Casandra that's what i really needed to know for sure i will buy FC 9000 and when you do a review during holidays on Steadtler then i will know for sure if i should try out Mars Lumograph because my only consern is how darker softer grades blend because of combination of graphite and carbon but maybe they did that for 5b+ grades to reduce graphite shine and give more depth maybe. Silve Mahdal channel she is using the aquarell graphite pencil 6b for darker shades for eyes,hair etc. In my country only koh-i-noor have 2b 4b and 6b pencils aquarell i couldn't find any other brand. Yes you are completely right the level of detail it can be achieved with graphite pencils is amazing and i really wanted to learn and improve more my drawing ability.Thank you again very much can't wait for the review on Lumograph pencils and your toughts how do they perfom compared to FC 9000 that you already use.

Hi Im a new subscriber :) I just bought an Fiber Castle HB 2B 5B and 8B.. this helps alot xD ..But I need more practice.. Hope you make more tutorial videos :)

@AlexisCassandraArt

4 жыл бұрын

hi, thank you so much for watching & subbing:) I'm glad this vid is helpful to you. Those grades of pencils are actually perfect for shading. i will be coming out with a graphite eye tutorial next week!!💙

@sblemschannel5203

4 жыл бұрын

Thats great!! I'll be waiting for it :D

Amazing drawing 👌🏻👌🏻

@AlexisCassandraArt

4 жыл бұрын

thank you:) i love her

Gosto de mas desses lápis meu joinha minha querida amiga sucesso

nice. I hope I'll be good at drawing too

@AlexisCassandraArt

3 жыл бұрын

never stop practicing:) you'll make a lot of progress!

I have heard that Japanese sets often are a bit darker and sets like hi uni by Mitsubishi Pencil go all the way from 10H to 10B having 22 pencils

@AlexisCassandraArt

3 жыл бұрын

Interesting, I'd have to check that out! I wonder if they are graphite only or a mix of graphite/carbon or charcoal!

I like the prismacolor premier turquoise 12 set

@AlexisCassandraArt

3 жыл бұрын

Good to know! I have not tried those out before yet, but I’ll keep them in mind!

I am using Staedtler Mars Lumograph 100 and I think they are good for drawing as well but the softer grades like 4B 6B 8B fails to hold the point edge for long unlike Faber castell 9000's and thus not great for detailed art works.. The 8B and 6B are a bit darker in comparison to F C 9000 pencils.

@AlexisCassandraArt

3 жыл бұрын

Yes, Staedtler is a softer but darker pencil for sure! The two sets work great together in my opinion!

Beautiful

@AlexisCassandraArt

2 жыл бұрын

Thank you!

Well hello there ! You all make such a beautiful 😊

@AlexisCassandraArt

2 жыл бұрын

thank you for watching☺

Ma'm what's the difference between the darker and soft 6B and 8B used in sketching? I can't decide what will I used for practiced light sketching, to develop my muscle memory.But when I apply shading and hatching, the tone values are confident and smooth to my eyes. FC Castell 9000 is safe to use and blend from any different pencils that's why I like these graphite set. 😁 👍 ☕ 🍩

@AlexisCassandraArt

3 жыл бұрын

Mark Angelo Flores hello thanks for you comment! The 8B is a darker value than 6B in the faber castell 9000 set. For light sketching, you may want to use more like a 2B pencil. Its easier to erase if you make any mistakes and you can add detail still! For shading, the 6B and 8B pencil are great.

@markangeloflores9180

3 жыл бұрын

@@AlexisCassandraArt Ma'm I forgot to mention about the pencil HB and F grades,used mainly for light sketching, what's the difference of the two? 😉 👍 ☕ 🍩

@AlexisCassandraArt

3 жыл бұрын

Mark Angelo Flores I don’t use the F pencil as much as HB! However F is supposed to keep a finer point for longer than an HB pencil! It’s kind of strange and doesn’t come with all sets. It’s still a hard pencil similar to H!

love it. anyways enjoyed watching here, looking forward to see more.+1👍🔔🤝💚🙏

@AlexisCassandraArt

4 жыл бұрын

thank you i appreciate it a lot:)

Is faber castell better than staedler mars lumograph? Staedler mars lumograph is dark which I like but I can't blend it. Would it be better if I try Faber castell? Are they dark and easy to blend?

@AlexisCassandraArt

3 жыл бұрын

I also find that the darker pencils like 9B-12B of the mars lumograph set are harder to blend. I have a few videos out about the Staedtler set if you haven't come across them yet. I find that the other grades like B-8B blend pretty well, anything darker I just use for very dark shadows. Faber Castell however only goes up to 8B, not quite as dark as staedtler but they all blend very nicely. If you would like a really dark pencil, try using a black faber castell polychromos along with your graphite. You can also try a charcoal pencil but those can be messy so it depends how you feel about that medium haha

Hii, Can i receive hello ? HEHE btw your one of the most i admired artist hehe thank you for your video : )

@AlexisCassandraArt

2 жыл бұрын

Thank you so much for watching, that means a lot!:)

Beautiful drawing. What did you use to get the highlights? Thx

@AlexisCassandraArt

2 жыл бұрын

The Tombow Mono Zero Round Eraser!

@vguido0757

2 жыл бұрын

@@AlexisCassandraArt thank you.

What is the name of the pencil through which you make white details?

@AlexisCassandraArt

2 жыл бұрын

The Tombow Mono Zero Eraser!

I have faber castell 9000 set but it is water based varnish written on it, so how should I use it. Do i need water to work with it. Please guide me.

@AlexisCassandraArt

3 жыл бұрын

Hi! Are you talking about the Graphite Aquarelle? Those are water soluble but you don't need to use water if you don't want to! The regular 9000 set isn't water soluble, so you don't need water!

O my gosh your drawings are so good where do you get this?

@AlexisCassandraArt

3 жыл бұрын

Thank you so much!💜 I love drawing :)

Very Good

@AlexisCassandraArt

4 жыл бұрын

thank you so much!

Love it

@AlexisCassandraArt

3 жыл бұрын

Thank you, I hope it helped:)

@thetransformstudio

3 жыл бұрын

@@AlexisCassandraArt Dear I am a 3d animator, Video editor and VFX artist and I am trying starting sketching again. If u need any help about 3d animation, Video editing and VFX its my pleasure.

@AlexisCassandraArt

3 жыл бұрын

@@thetransformstudio that is awesome! I respect that, animation does not seem easy at all

@thetransformstudio

3 жыл бұрын

@@AlexisCassandraArt Thanks If u don't mind I want to request some thing. Actually I have a two YT channels 1- vfx101 2- mirza camera on can u promote or share some where Humbly request. If this is not possible no worry I still available if u need any help about animation. Thanks

This is the first time I saw you!! You're gorgeous...😳😬

@AlexisCassandraArt

3 жыл бұрын

aw thanks so much!😊

I have ordered faber castell 9000 series pencils. Waiting for its delivery. One question. Is 8B dark enough? or should I go with charcoals. As I use faber castell black matt 1111 series drawing pencils and I saw that 8B is not that dark.

@AlexisCassandraArt

4 жыл бұрын

Artist Suraj I personally don’t think the 8b is dark enough, for me I’ve never found a dark enough 8b graphite. I recommend the charcoal to get very black, or the General’s Kimberly 9xxB I actually mentioned in this vid ! I e never tried the Faber Castell Black Matt series, maybe I’d try that out some time

@AncientNovelist

3 жыл бұрын

Suraj, If you'd prefer to stay with pure graphite, I recommend the Mitsubishi Hi-Uni 6B, which has a darkness of D20, compared to Castell 9000 8B, which is at D16. Alexis recommends General's Kimberly 9xxB (darkness D21), which is an excellent pencil, but it is a hybrid graphite/carbon, and it has properties quite different from pure graphite or pure charcoal. Still, I use the Kimberly 9xxB in most of my drawings, if only for the pupil (black center of the iris of the eye) or other extremely dark areas. A good way to expand into hybrid graphite/carbon along an entire darkness range is the Staedtler Mars Lumograph Black, which spans the range from D10 to D22. The full Castell 9000 series spans the range from D1 to D16, so if you wish to try the ML Black pencils, you can use Castell 9000 pencils in the 2H to B range to cover the lighter darkness values. To get really dark, I use Wolff's Carbon, which reaches values up to D36 - essentially pure black. The only way to get darker is to go to pure charcoal, and for that I recommend General's Charcoal, which will bring you to D40. I've never found anything darker. The darkest graphite I've ever found is Art Alternative Woodless 6B, which has D24. That is as dark as the pure powdered graphite I've tested, and I doubt you can get any darker than that in graphite.

Nice drawing

@AlexisCassandraArt

4 жыл бұрын

Thank you:)

Staedtler Vs Faber Castell, which one should your recommend?🤔

@AlexisCassandraArt

2 жыл бұрын

My personal favorite is faber castell

What is that silver eraser you are using ???

@AlexisCassandraArt

2 жыл бұрын

Tombow Mono Zero Eraser! It is great for details and refillable

@kevinrea7820

2 жыл бұрын

Thank you !!

This may not have been true when you made this video but FC 9000 now do go yo 5H.

How long did the drawing take?

@AlexisCassandraArt

2 жыл бұрын

I think it took me a few hours

@krishnahi6757

2 жыл бұрын

@@AlexisCassandraArt It's beautiful.

What is the eraser brand?

@AlexisCassandraArt

2 жыл бұрын

The detail eraser is the Tombow Mono Zero Eraser!

@krishnahi6757

2 жыл бұрын

@@AlexisCassandraArt Thank you. I really appreciate your videos. I'm barely getting into drawing again and find your videos very useful.

Olá boa tarde

So are these good for detailed sketches?

@AlexisCassandraArt

2 жыл бұрын

Yes!

Kitty 😍

@AlexisCassandraArt

4 жыл бұрын

i knowwww!

Honestly you are cute!

@AlexisCassandraArt

3 жыл бұрын

thank you:)

I don't know about the pencils but You are very cute ❤️ and beautiful 🤭

@AlexisCassandraArt

3 жыл бұрын

aw thank you so much!

@shoubhiksahoo

3 жыл бұрын

@@AlexisCassandraArt can I have your fb id?

@AlexisCassandraArt

3 жыл бұрын

@@shoubhiksahoo I’m not on Facebook! You can find my art Instagram @alexiscassandraart

I think you should say actually.

Hm?

@AlexisCassandraArt

3 жыл бұрын

?

@cassandraquiambao5921

3 жыл бұрын

@@AlexisCassandraArt How much did you buy the graphite pencil?

@AlexisCassandraArt

3 жыл бұрын

@@cassandraquiambao5921 about $15 in the US on Amazon:) I have a link in the description if you want to see the sets!

I wish more people drew their cats as demos. Cats rule.

@AlexisCassandraArt

3 жыл бұрын

I completely agree😂

juste amazon destroy local jobs :)

@AlexisCassandraArt

2 жыл бұрын

They’re at Blick and Jackson’s too! Sometimes it’s hard to find supplies depending on what country you’re in though

@neobio9174

2 жыл бұрын

Amazon possède 1000 milliards d'euro et pratique la vente à perte pour dévorer touts les autres concurrents.. C'est un prédateur sans éthique. Il suffit d'acheter sur le site du fabricant si aucun magasin local n'existe. C'est un combat éthique de bannir amazon. Merci.