Benefit from the best: Everyone from beginners to a professional will appreciate the quality, smoothness and shading capabilities of these sketching pencils Class act: This graphite pencil belongs in the classroom as well as part of any artist's sketching pencil tool kit 9B is one of our very soft leads. These are ideal shading pencils for drawing - create bold dark sections and strong thick lines. Blends particularly well, too The perfect sketch pencil for smooth, opaque shadowing, bold strokes and impressionistic soft outlining Premium break resistance means longer-lasting leads! Only Staedtler's Lumograph art pencils for drawing and shading feature a lead bonded to the shaft so they don't break off while sharpening