Faber Castell Pitt Graphite Matt Pencils Review | Faber Castell Graphite Pencils
Faber Castell Pitt Graphite Matt Pencils Review | Faber Castell Graphite Pencils
In this review we take a look at a brand new product from Faber Castell, the Faber Castell Pitt Graphite Matt Pencils. Faber Castell produce some of the finest graphite pencils in the world, their graphite is smooth and provides consistent coverage. However there is one issue that plagues all graphite artists and in turn all graphite manufactures, with this product, Faber Castell feel they have eradicated such an issue.
Before we discuss the in’s and out’s of the such issues surrounding all graphite manufactures, for those of you that may be new to graphite art, let me just quickly show you how the graphite scale works. I feel by explaining this to you all, understanding why such a product as the Faber Castell Pitt Graphite Matt pencils is necessary.
I am sure most if not all of you used a traditional HB Graphite Pencil at school, there is a reason this was the type of pencil you used and it is because the HB grade sits right in the middle of the graphite scale, a bit like the Goldilocks fable, not too hard and not too soft, just right. I have provided an image of the Graphite scale but you can see that as you look at the scale, the B grades are to the right and the H scale to the left. The H in the HB represents the Hardness of the graphite and the B represents how Black the graphite is.
The higher the number beside the H, the harder the core is, the lighter the graphite will be on the paper and what this basically means is, there is less graphite and more clay in the core, hence the light tonal value from the high end H Grades. The higher the number beside the B grade, represents how black or dark the graphite will be, but this also means that the higher the number beside the B, the softer the core is and the core has more graphite and very little clay. There is an F pencil beside the HB pencils and the F represents “Fine Point”, nothing at all really to do with the graphite content in the core.
Now that we have established the graphite scale, lets talk about the issues graphite artists encounter and the reason the Faber Castell Pitt Graphite Matt Pencils will help to revolutionise how graphite artists work.
When working with graphite and in particular the B grades, especially the 8B, 9B, the really dark graphite grades, when certain light hits the really dark graphite, it can actually look almost like silver metallic. You are going to have to watch my Youtube video review to see this in demonstration. The reason the B grade in graphite exists is to provide dark values to the artists work, but because of this issue, were certain light reflects upon the darks, giving the illusion that they are silver, to view the art, it doesn’t make sense to see a shinny metallic surface where the mind knows the area in question is supposed to be black.
Faber Castell Pitt Graphite Matt Characteristics
Before taking a look at the alternatives on the market prior to the release of the Pitt Graphite Matt Pencils, lets take a look at the Pitt Graphite Matt Pencils themselves. When you see the core of the Pitt Graphite Matt pencils, you can see immediately that you are working with a matt core. The core is a gorgeous Matt 3.6mm housed within a striking black and gold with flecks of cream, 7.0mm hexagonal barrel.
Obviously with the barrel sporting a hexagonal shape, this helps to reduce the pencil rolling off the desk and falling onto the floor shattering the core. Along one side of the hexagonal barrel we are presented with “Pitt Graphite Matt” in gold leaf. After this we are presented with the world renown Faber Castell logo closely followed by “Faber Castell” again printed in gold leaf.
Finally toward the very end of the barrel we are presented with the core grade, this is printed in black encased in a gold oval, helping to highlight and make clear the grade. On the opposite side of the barrel there is more information printed in cream. First we have “Made in Germany” followed by a numerical code, bar code and finally another print of the pencil grade.
What Makes The Faber Castell Pitt Graphite Matt Pencils Matt?
Ordinarily, when graphite artists are looking to reach those intense darks, to avoid the shine and metallic like surface they would get from a high end B grade graphite pencil, they turn to mediums such as Charcoal or Carbon. Both Charcoal and Carbon are similar to Graphite with regards to their form, they can come in pencil, powder or blocks, however their consistency is very different and it is partly this difference that graphite artists seek out for their work.
Both Charcoal and Carbon offer the deep darks that graphite artists look for however, as previously mentioned, they are both different mediums and graphite artists would prefer to use the one medium to finish their work. Carbon and Charcoal come with their own issues which can put off artists, hence the reason Faber Castell have developed the Pitt Graphite Matt Pencils.
Many artists have speculated that the Faber Castell Pitt Graphite Matt Pencils are a mix of graphite and carbon or charcoal, however this is really difficult to pin Faber Castell down on. Of all the companies out there, Faber Castell is one of the few companies I don’t have a specific agent I can chat with, which is absolutely to be expected given how huge Faber Castell are as a company and the many other amazing reviewers out there on YouTube much more influential than I am, so trying to pin them down on a specific question is quite difficult.
I have read their literature about the Pitt Graphite Matt pencils and there is no mention whatsoever about the ingredients of the core being a mix or graphite hybrid, everything I read about the pencils only talks about them being a matt graphite.
Faber Castell have also claimed their Pitt Graphite Matt Pencils to be a worlds first, now there are pencils on the market which I demonstrate on the YouTube video review, that are carbon or charcoal mixes and so based on this, if the Faber Castell Pitt Graphite Matt pencils had carbon in them, they would not be able to make such a bold claim. This leads me to conclude that they are simply matt graphite which have some sort of compound within the core to provide the gorgeous Matt finish they provide.
I will talk more about the different sets on offer in the Pitt Graphite Matt range, however, the set that I have reviewed for you is the larger 11 piece set, inside which you get the following. There is eight pencils ranging graded the following, HB, 2B, 4B, 6B, 8B, 10B, 12B and of course a whopping 14B grade.
As well as the pencils you are given a paper blending stump, which for those of you new to graphite art, I demonstrate its purpose in the YouTube Video Review, you also get a metal hand held sharpener and a PVC Free eraser.
Faber Castell Pitt Graphite Matt Pencils Performance.
As I mentioned previously, my YouTube Video review of the pencils and the difference between graphite, carbon and charcoal, is perhaps the best place to actually visually see things. I have taken some still images and will do my best in this written review to show the reasons why Faber Castell have produced their Pitt Graphite Matt Pencils.
In the image above you can see a scale using the Faber Castell 9000 Graphite Range and the new Faber Castell Pitt Graphite Matt pencils. With the artwork that I completed I used both the 9000 graphite range along side the Pitt Graphite Matt, just to show that both of these mediums work hand in hand together.
As you can see from the image above the Faber Castell Pitt Graphite Matt are much darker than the Faber Castell 9000 graphite pencils. If you look at the 6B Pitt Graphite Matt in comparison to the 5B 9000 Graphite, it is a much darker value. Further on up the scale to the 14B Faber Castell Pitt Graphite Matt and we are almost into black.
But the values are not the only difference between the two mediums, it is the ability to create dark values without having a sheen or metallic like surface appear when light is reflected off it. In the image above you can clearly see the shine on the Graphite layer and so much less so on the Pitt Graphite Matt.
The image above is the paper I used to lay the graphite down on, purposely tilted to reflect the light, but if you look closely, on the top part of the 14B Pitt Graphite Matt, you will see a little bit of sheen, nowhere near as bad as the graphite, but it is still present none the less. The reason this has happened is because I pushed the top part of the coverage into the paper using a paper blending stump.
You will also see an image depicting a pencil from a different brand, the Staedtler Mars Lumograph Black, now I completed a full review of this pencil which you can see by following the link. however this is a Carbon based pencil mixed with graphite. I showed the layer next to the Faber Castell Pitt Graphite Matt just to show you the difference. The paper used for this demonstration was the Hahnemühle Harmony Watercolor Pad, this is a Hot Pressed paper with a smoother than usual surface, perfect for colored pencil and graphite pencil artwork.
I have also decided to show you all three pencil scales, the Faber Castell 9000 Graphite, Faber Castell Pitt Graphite Matt and then the Staedtler Mars Lumograph Black. They are not a fair like for like comparison simply due to the fact the Staedtler pencil is Carbon based and thus far Faber Castell are claiming the Pitt Graphite Matt to be only graphite. Nevertheless I wanted to show the vast difference between them both.
In the image above you can see that the 6B from the Staedtler Mars Lumograph Black is actually darker than the 14B Faber Castell Pitt Graphite Matt. But it is important whilst seeing this image, that they are two completely different mediums and it is not a faire like for like comparison, I have only shown them together for demonstration purposes only.
As I mentioned, there are other mediums and brands on the market that will give you the same effect as the Faber Castell Pitt Graphite Matt. I reviewed the Conté Sketch set a while back which you can see by clicking the link. From the Conte Sketch set I have shown in the image above the Fusain Charcoal Pencil, the Pierre Noire B Pencil and the Carbone pencil which is just French for Carbon. However you can see for yourself the different effect each medium provides and they all have their place to marvellous effect within the graphite art world.
As I mentioned I created some artwork using the Faber Castell Pitt Graphite Matt alongside the Faber Castell 9000 Graphite pencils. I used the same Hahnemühle Harmony Watercolor Pad for the artwork as I did the swatch of the scale, taking advantage of the gorgeous surface to blend and layer both the graphite and Pitt Matt Graphite pencils. I wanted to demonstrate that both mediums worked well together and that using the Pitt Graphite Matt will absolutely give you the darks that you desire and in the Graphite form you may already be using, no need to add charcoal or carbon, the Pitt Matt Graphite does the job.
I have created a speed drawing of the artwork as well as adding some still images to The Art Gear Guide so that you can click on the image and zoom in closer to inspect at your own leisure. You can clearly see in my YouTube video review that certain sections of the artwork under light gives off that undesirable sheen, whereas the dark black areas covered using the Pitt Matt Graphite don’t suffer the same issue.
Faber Castell Pitt Graphite Matt And How They Erase
I have to apologise, I completely forgot to add this section of the review from the beginning and then a wonderful subscriber of the channel mentioned it over on The Art Gear Guide Instagram page and so I got to work immediately today to include some eraser testing.
As you can see from the images provided I did not use all eight grades of the Faber Castell Pitt Graphite Matt pencils, rather I used the HB, 4B, 10B and 14B, I also demonstrated all four grades with a light application and a heavy application. The reason I did this was because I wanted to show you how the pencils erased using a putty eraser and battery eraser.
The four grades of Pitt Graphite Matt Pencils that were applied using a light hand, you can see that the putty eraser done a really good job lifting of the layers. This is why I always suggest when working on a piece, use light layers until you reach the stage that you are confident you have all your values in the right place and happy to start applying heavier layers. Adding the light layers first, allow you to move things around or change things up a bit if you are not happy with your placement, if you rush in and go straight to using a heavier hand, if you make a mistake you are going to struggle, regardless of the medium.
The four grades on the bottom row are of course applied using a heavy hand and this shows in both the putty and battery eraser tests. Obviously the battery eraser is going to always remove more medium but if you can try the putty eraser first. Using a battery eraser, especially with a heavy hand, can sometimes damage the tooth of the paper, which makes life difficult when re-applying layers, so my advice is to always reach for the putty eraser and only the battery eraser if you absolutely must.
Faber Castelll Pitt Graphite Matt Sets And Prices
Obviously, given the nature of the Faber Castell Pitt Graphite Matt Pencils and the reason for their existence, there is no need for pencils in the H scale, there is only a need for pencils in the B scale, this helps to drastically reduce the size of the sets.
Faber Castell has provided an 11 Piece Set which happens to be the set that I have reviewed here, in which you get 8 pencils, a paper blending stump, metal sharpener and a PVC Free Eraser, all the tools need to help maintain and maximise the sets contents. If the 11 Piece set is not for you there is a smaller 6 Piece set and this simply provides a selection of the Pitt Graphite Matt Pencils. In addition to all of this you can of course purchase the pencils in open stock, on an individual basis.
For artists in the UK looking to purchase either of the Faber Castell Pitt Graphite Matt Pencil sets, you can can purchase the 11 piece set for £16.60 and the 6 piece set for £10.39
For artists in the EU looking to purchase either of the Faber Castell Pitt Graphite Matt Pencil sets, you can can purchase the 11 Piece Set for €19.91 and the 6 Piece Set for €12.40
For artists in the US looking to purchase either of the Faber Castell Pitt Graphite Matt Pencil sets, you can can purchase the 11 Piece Set for $24.89 and the 6 Piece Set for $18.47
Faber Castell Pitt Graphite Matt Pencils Conclusion
Before I get into the conclusion, I would just like to make it clear that if anyone from Faber Castell wishes to contact me and discuss exactly what it is that gives these gorgeous pencils their matt appearance, I would absolutely love to hear from them and will of course amend this written review accordingly.
That being said, after reading all the literature on the Faber Castell Pitt Graphite Matt Pencils and contacting Faber Castell customer services, there is no talk whatsoever of a graphite mix with carbon or charcoal or some other compound mixed in to the graphite giving it this hugely sought after matt appearance.
Faber Castell claim in their literature that the Pitt Graphite Matt are a worlds first, leading me to conclude that they are in fact simply graphite with some dye or ingredient added into the mix to achieve the matt appearance. The reason I mention this is because as I have already demonstrated, Staedtler, Conté and other brands have achieved a similar outcome, but with carbon and charcoal, not graphite.
The Faber Castell Pitt Graphite Matt Pencils allow graphite artists to maintain a consistent graphite coverage of their work obtaining effects otherwise achieved by carbon or charcoal. Faber Castell are masters in the graphite arena, their 9000 range of graphite pencils are second to non and their many sketch, graphite and graphite aquarelle sets are of the highest quality.
Don’t forget, to help understand some of the points I have made in this written review you can check out my YouTube video review by simply following the link. I have also provided a quick speed drawing video of the artwork come to life but if you would really like to inspect the artwork close up, you can check out the still images of the artwork by following the link. All you have to do is select the image you would like to inspect, this will automatically enlarge it allowing you to zoom in and inspect in your own leisure.
