Putting the right materials and tools in children's hands helps them to be successful in art. We want children to use real art materials, rather than typical school supplies, however they are only capable of taking full advantage of some types of materials as they progress in knowledge of art techniques. Lets look at some common drawing materials and what types of results might be obtained at different ages.
DRAWING PENCILS: A pencil can be the first drawing tool you put into a child's hands. It is sturdy and delivers a mark that is easy to see. Pencil grades go from soft (9B-2B) to hard (2H-9H). A regular #2 pencil is only slightly softer than the middle of this wide range, called the (HB) pencil. The Ebony pencil is the softest grade and is similar to a 9B pencil. Children from grades K-5 will enjoy the softer pencil because it makes a mark that is easier to see on the paper.  Their marks will stand out! At about 4th grade children are ready for new techniques and the Ebony pencil is used to create light areas as well as dark areas as they learn to shade and make various textural marks. I noticed that when we give students within that age range a pencil set featuring the full scale of soft to hard pencils, they most often choose their favorite one and stick with it only. The variety is not used to its full advantage until they are in Junior High. At this age students are ready to use a wider variety and understand the advantages of using a harder pencil with a lighter mark in the beginning of a drawing and finishing the drawing with a softer pencil, creating a darker mark. When used in this way, students experience less smearing in the early stages of their drawings.
 CHARCOAL: Charcoal is a soft, dark, and bulky material that is fun to handle. A young child can certainly draw with charcoal just as easily as with a pencil, but will experience more smearing, which he may find discouraging. Once a student learns some of the more advanced techniques involved in shading, this soft material is welcomed. A layer of charcoal can be rubbed over the entire paper to create a middle gray tone and then areas can be lifted to create the lightest marks, while dark marks can be laid on top of the gray tone. This use of a full-value scale is best accomplished by students that are within the junior high to high school ages since care has to be taken to get the marks precise while not smudging the background. This is a precision and control that is typically not found in the middle school ages. The younger set will be happy making line drawings with charcoal.

PEN AND INK: While I would happily put a piece of charcoal in the hands of a young child to see what they could do, the same cannot be said for a pen in which ink is used. The tip of the pen, it's nib, is fragile and too much pressure will permanently damage the tool. There is a good chance the young child will tip over a bottle of ink while dipping the pen into it. This type of control is best left for the junior high ages and up. Students in Junior High usually are still very focused on details and that is what the ink pen does very well. All of the techniques commonly used with the nib-type pen can be understood and used by the older student, while younger ones will find the tool frustrating and slow. Older students will also enjoy the finished look that is the result of a fully-completed ink drawing.

MARKERS: Markers can be used at any age, however with too much pressure the tips can be damaged permanently. The child also must be aware of the lid, and putting it back on the marker immediately after use so that the marker does not dry out. I like giving the very young child Mr. Sketch markers. The thick tips hold up to pressure and abuse while the added scent is fun for little ones. Expensive graphic arts markers should be saved for the older group, junior high or above.

At Artistic Pursuits Inc. we have designed books that take these considerations into account as we suggest specific types of drawing tools at each of the different grade levels. Certain materials can be introduced before the time that it is used in our books and we hope this information helps you make good decisions when considering that option.

Details on techniques for using these materials can be found within the pages of our books as follows:

Preschool: Markers
K-3 and 4-6 grade: Ebony pencil and markers
Junior High: Pencil grades HB and 4B, ink with brush and pen
Senior High: Pencil grades 2H, HB, and 4B, compressed and vine charcoal