Conte Drawing and Sketching Pencils

Pierre Noire

The Conté "Pierre Noire" pencil is a soft lead with a black that is dense, deep, indelible and matt. It is much appreciated for its use on all types of supports : sketch pad, kraft paper, linen canvas...
- Recommanded for : nudes, landscapes, laying rapid sketches.
- Use : with a sharpened lead, the drawing is lively and accurate. With a half-worn lead, the work is more spontaneous and free.
- Graduations : H, HB, B, 2B, 3B
- Lenght 176.5 mm / Diameter 8.5 mm / Lead diameter 5 mm

Graphite

The Conté "Graphite" pencil is particularly smooth. It does'nt "scratch" the paper but slides over the support.
- Recommanded for : detailed and accurate work whether this involves building up a sophisticated perspective, a comic-strip character, or a perfectly constructed nude.
- Use : whether beginners or confirmed artists, users have a wide range of grades ar their disposal : the drawing is constructed using "H" or "2H" pencils, then the most contrasted values are highlighted with "B" ou "5B".
- Graduations : 3H, 2H, H, HB, B, 2B, 3B, 4B, 5B, 6B
- Length 175 mm / Diameter 6.9 mm / Lead diameter 3 mm

Carbon

The Conté "Carbon" pencil is derived from traditional charcoal but is stronger, and its lead does not crumble or dirty the hands. Its delicated and detailes finish enables all types of perspectives to be drawn accurately.
- Recommanded for : small sketches drawn on the spot. Travel diaries.
- Use : this light and compact crayon is the perfect tool for sketch artists on the move.
- Graduations : 2H, H, HB, B, 2B, 3B
- Lenght 176.5 mm / Diameter 8.5 mm / Lead diameter 4 mm

Charcoal

The Conté "Charcoal" pencil gives a clean, dense finish of an intense black. Its specialy charcateristic is that it does not break, making it easy to transport. Its advantage is that it blends perfectly with the iron red and sepia penscils.
- Recommanded for : sketching long or rapid poses.
- Use : In pencil form, charcoal produces more accurate and carrefully drawn lines than traditional charcoal and it does not dirty the hands.
- Graduations : H, HB, B, 2B
- Lenght 176.5 mm / Diameter 8.5 mm / Lead diameter 4 mm

Graphite Lead

This is a solid graphite lead in the form of a pencil.
- Exist In 4 graduations : HB, 2B, 4B, 6B
- Lenght 170 mm / Diameter 7.8 mm / Lead diameter 7.8 mm

Sepia

The colour of the Conté "Sepia" pencil is reminiscent of burnt umber. This pencil shades easily. With a sharpened lead, you achieve an accurate and delicate finish. With a half-worn lead, the finish becomes more opaque as the pressure exerted on the pencil increases.
Recommanded for :
- Rough sketches
- Nudes : enables the most contrasted parts of the body to be shaded
- Portraits : emphasises and highlights the value of a face
- Landscapes : intantly gives the colour of a tree trunk or the facade of a house.
Use : it can be used sparingly on its own but it can be blended with the Sanguine, White, Charcoal or Pierre Noire pencils for a more complex finish.
- Exist in only 1 medium graduation
- Lenght 176.5 mm / Diameter 8.5 mm / Lead diameter 5 mm

Sanguine

The colour of the Conté "Sanguine" pencil is a deep "rust" and its lines are easily blended.
With a sharpened lead : the drawing is accurate, the colour is transparent and if the work is lightly drawn the Sanguine pencil lets the texture of the paper appear.
With a half-worn lead, the opacity increases with the pressure exerted on the pencil.
- Recommanded for : nudes, its colour recalls that of the skin when highlighted using white. Blending the colour creates the shading.
- Use : Sanguine is frequently used in skteching to draw the body. For more complex work, it's advisable to use Pierre Noire to emphasise the contrast and white pencil to highlight the areas of light on the body.
- Exist in only 1 medium graduation
- Lenght 176.5 mm / Diameter 8.5 mm / Lead diameter 5 mm

The Conté "White" pencil is mainly used with the lead sharpened, the line is clear and the colour transparent.
- Recommanded for : Contrasting, softening, lightening values for all types of subjects.
- Use : It is the essential complement for all the other pencils, and its main function is to hint on a volume etc... However, it can be used alone on coloured paper, especially black paper.
- Exist in only 1 medium graduation
- Lenght 176.5 mm / Diameter 8.5 mm / Lead diameter 4 mm

Due to inherent differences in computer monitors, colours displayed below may not accurately represent the actual colour.