Faber Castell Pitt Graphite Matt Pencils | Test and Review
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 7 ก.ค. 2024
- 00:00:00:I will test, review and compare Faber Castell Pitt Graphite Matt Pencils to see if they live up to the claims of being less reflective than regular graphite. Later in the video I use them to reproduce a picture I've already done with regular graphite pencils as a direct comparison to truly see what the differences are.
00:00:00 Introduction
00:00:26 A look at the 11 Part Set
00:02:07 Tonal Range and Comparison
00:03:58 Testing the Shine/Reflection
00:04:25 Blending
00:06:26 Erasing
00:07:56 How the Faber Castell Pitt Matt Graphite work in a drawing
00:11:05 Conclusion
Faber Castell Pitt Graphite Matt Pencils:
www.jacksonsart.com/search/?q...
www.amazon.co.uk/Faber-Castel...
kit.co/JamieBoots/drawing-kit
The music used in this video is 'Victorious by Simon Wester' and can be found at Artlist artlist.io/Jamie-1139536
Disclaimer: The above are affiliate links where I'll earn a small commission if you make a purchase. Shopping through these is a great way to support the channel so I can keep making videos for you. Thank you!
Below is the transcription of an e-mail conversation I had with Faber Castell Marketing in the UK regarding these pencils.
Firstly, 'Will you also be introducing any blocks of this material as I produce some work with black backgrounds and it is not feasible to just use a pencil when doing this?'
Unfortunately, we have no plans to produce blocks, but never say never.
Secondly, 'Do these also work in conjunction with the 9000 range of pencils for the lighter grades?'
Yes, they work well together, but obviously the Castell 9000 will produce more reflections
Lastly, and I appreciate that you may not want to answer this 'Has carbon been introduced to the graphite to reduce the shine and if so does this affect the feel of the pencil?'
As you predict, we can’t say too much about the specific formulation. The differences between the new Pitt Graphite Matt leads and classic Castell 9000 leads are mainly the result of small changes with a big effect. Both the materials used, such as graphite, wax, etc., and the parameters in the individual manufacturing steps were reviewed. In each case, the influence on the gloss of the colour laydown was checked and optimized. Of course, there is particular emphasis on the graphite. Different graphite can differ mainly in fineness, shape and carbon content. The feedback we’ve had from users so far is that they don’t feel particularly different to a standard pencil
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My artwork can be found at www.jamieboots.com
Hello! Thanks for the detailed review! I don't know why everyone is outraged by this metallic sheen on the pencil. It's always been there. A few days ago I finished a drawing, and since it's in a sketchbook and I wanted to keep my strokes fresh, I picked up Winsor and Newton's fixative. I was pleasantly surprised after fixing with this spray! The drawing became matte without glare and, as it were, a little darker and contrasty.
Thank you so much for watching and I also don't have a problem with the shine as it is much less noticeable after framing
Best review yet… clear and concise. Covered all the areas I was interested in.
Thank you so much for watching and taking the time to comment. It is so nice to know the video was helpful.
Best video talking about these new pencils! Thanks
Thank you so much that's great to hear
I love your channel ❤ you speak so informative and calmly, it's calming to watch ❤ Keep going! ❤
Thank you so much that's so nice to hear.🙂
Excellent review. I was on the fence, trying to decide if I should get a set. I really do like my Caran D'Ache and will stick to them as I am used to them now (unless I am gifted the FC Pitt pencils). That Rhino is beautiful. Looking forward to your next video. Cheers
Thank you I am so glad you found the video helpful and that you like the Rhino picture. The CARAN d'Ache just feels a nicer pencil to use and being tonally painted its much easier to see the grade of pencil without needing to look for the number. Thank you so much for watching and tacking the time to comment.
Thank you for the review. I have a set coming already. I have Caran D'ache Grafwood, but have found some hard, scratchy bits in them so my preferred pencil is the Faber Castell 9000. I do appreciate you review and thank you for taking the time to make it.
Thank-you so much and glad you found the video helpful.
The review is just perfect and I loved your rhino. Congrats!
Hi Matheus, Thank you so much and I'm so glad you liked the Rhino.
Rhinotastic! And very enlightening about the endarkening. Thank you x
Thank you so much.
Absolutely love your videos and art!
Thank you so much
amazing video quality, definitely worth a subscription and a like
Thank you that's great to hear
Genuinely great review.
Thank you so much that's great to hear.
Very helpful - thank you!
Thank you so much that's great to hear.
You're an amazing artist.
Thank you for the review.
I hope both companies send you lots of goodies.
Thank you so much. Unfortunately the channel is not big enough, so have to buy every thing I review at the moment.
@@JamieBoots tho your channel is not that big rn but the quality of your content is top
@@nisa.heartist That's so nice to hear Thank you, I really appreciate it.
After a few years of break from drawing, I decided to come back. I just went through my box of pencils to see what thicknesses I have and what thicknesses I need to buy. Most of my pencils are Faber Castell, but the normal ones - the green ones. However, I also saw these black ones from the "Pitt Graphite" series in the store, which I didn't know about. ...and that's how I came across your video. I was looking for information on what they are and whether I want to buy them too. I think I'll take one or two to try, but for now - I'll stick to the "green ones" that I used to use. Thanks, Jamie, for this review - you have a new subscriber. Regards
Thank you so much and I am so glad that the video was helpful.
Thank you very much for the review, been waiting to see it. I am like you, don't mind the shine in graphite. I think it is a part of graphite pencils, and like you said, when it's framed behind the glass, you don't see the shine. Again thank you for a great review. 😊
Thank you so much. The video took me a bit longer to make than I thought but I wanted to be thorough. It is interesting to see how different makes of pencils are from one another. I am sure a lot of people will be happy with these but they are not for me. 😊
Bought an 11 set yesterday absolutely perfect for portraits but I did expect the softer shades to be a lot darker...I'm still in love with them
Could be the paper I find the St Cuthberts Saunders Waterford takes dark tone very well so does Arches Aquarelle. Hope this helps
@@JamieBoots thank you for the tip
I have some Staedtler Mars Lumograph Black pencils but rarely use them as I don't Like that dragging feeling on the paper. I was lucky enough to get some Japanese Hi Uni graphite pencils and have found those by far the smoothest pencils. Thank you for the video
So glad you found the video interesting. I haven't tried the Japanese Hi Uni graphite pencils yet but will have to give them a try. Thank-you for taking the time to watch and comment.
The Hi Uni are amazing graphite pencils. I have the entire range as well as the full range in 2mm leads. Quality is simply unmatched
I have the lumograph set and feel the same way. I can’t smooth out anything!
The removal of the pencil is interesting, I also found that the the FB Matt were more difficult to remove as opposed to the FB 9000, but another TH-camr stated the opposite to my findings. I know you were using the Caran d'ache, but it's still very helpful to find similar results to my own. Also, yes, a kneadable eraser would have gone a long way with this set.
Thank you so much for the comment and it's nice to know you found similar results.
Thankyou for the good review..you've earned a subscriber
Thank you so much and I am glad the review was helpful.
Can't believe I have missed these! I hate that graphite shine, will be trying them out for sure.
Then they are a good choice and remember you can use them in conjunction with the H range of regular graphite as it's generally the B grades that produce the shine. Thanks for taking the time to watch and comment.
I just got a pair today and drew the best eye I have ever done!!! HIGHLY RECCOMENDED
Glad the video was helpful
How did they help you draw a better eye? An eye is something I can draw with any brand of pencil. I only run into trouble with eyes when I'm using colored pencils.
Thank you for you honest review. I've been on the fence about buying the Fabel Castell matt pencils. Maybe I can get someone to gift them for me for christmas so I can give them a try 😉
Thank you so much for taking the time to watch and comment and I am so glad the video was helpful
Thank you very much for this review, Jamie. I just found you and love your artwork. I just received this set of pencils and I am rather excited about trying them. I have worked in several mediums, but not done a lot of pencil work. I look forward to exploring this medium further and appreciate all your other tutorials as well. In just skimming through them, I have learned several new things already. My favorite subject is big cats and yours are wonderful, as are all your drawings. The rhino in this video is stunning. Thanks again. I just want you to know you are appreciated for generously sharing your techniques. (Ps - I have Fabriano Artistico paper. Do you think that would work ok with these. It is difficult to get the paper you are using here in Nova Scotia where I live.)
Hi Sheila,
Thank you so much for taking the time to watch and comment. It means a lot to me to know that the videos are being watched and appreciated.
When I first started Fabriano Artistico was recommended to me and I used the 300g Hot Press paper for many years and it worked just as well as the St Cuthbert's and Arches in many ways as papers need to be tough to handle the indenting technique as well as giving rich, dark tones. The reason why I changed was purely because the company was bought out a few years ago and the manufacturing process as I understand it changed to bring it in line with other products they were making. This reculted in the paper moving from a fine grain texture to a more patterned finish. This isn't much of a problem, it just means that it requires a bit more work with the blender to stop the pattern from showing through.
Thanks again for watching and if you do have any questions at all please feel free to ask as I am always glad to be of help.
I want to try them, and for me, this review is the most complete review I had seen. Thank you for your expert opinion about this pencils. I want to try the Staedtler Mars lumograph Black too. I think they're better than the Pitt Matt I guess....
It's great to hear this as I did want to do a lot of research when I made the video. I haven't tried the Lumograph Black but will do a review at some time. Thank you so much for watching and taking the time to comment.
Nice review,
One thing to note,as this has been tested and shown by many others,
If you use a blending stick over the pitt graphite matt, you will increase the graphite to reflect more, especially the more or harder you blend,
Thank you so much for tacking the time to watch and comment.
I have this set, they are superb.
Thank you for taking the time to watch and comment
Thanks alot for the review.I like to draw with pencil but I can not stand the shine, but now after wathcing your video I think I'm going to draw using pencil and overlook the refliction and shine. I didn't try FC before I use Steadtler pencils but I may give them a try soon.
I'm so glad the video was helpful. If the shine is something that really does bother you then these may be a solution, but you definitely don't need the full range and as I said in the video I didn't really notice any difference in darkness after the 8B. They can also be used in conjunction with the H range of regular graphite pencils as these don't tend to have a noticeable shine to them. One other consideration is the choice of paper as this also can affect the amount of shine but mainly the depth of tone that is produced. Thank you so much for watching and if you do have any questions, please feel free to ask.
I love these pencils! I always hated the shine of graphite. The hard Prismacolor pencils are nice too.
Thank you for taking the time to watch and comment.
First time seeing one of your videos, Jamie, I thought Steve Vai had taken up a new hobby 😂 Just ordered a set of these hence finding your channel so look forward to leaving feedback soon
I have had a drastic haircut since this video was made and I definitely can't play the guitar!😁 There are a lot of different opinions on these pencils so will be interested to know what you think when you get them. Thank-you so much for watching the video and taking the time to comment.
Superb review. I know nothing about visual art let alone the tools required to make them. But I know a proper review video when I see one. Incredible work on nailing the flow of the video. Not too technical but also not too shallow. You should do more of these if you'd like to. I'm looking forward to your upcoming videos. Subscribed.
It is so nice to get a comment like this and it makes the time spent to make the video well worth while . I will definitely be reviewing more products in the future. Thank-you for subscribing and for taking the time to watch and comment, it is greatly appreciated.
I personally have always hated the shine on high-contrast pencil drawings, so I have been trying these out, along with the Staedtler Mars Lumograph Black. I have settled on a 4B and 7B Mars Lumograph Black and a Pitt Graphite Matt 12B for laying down large areas of black. The Staedtler pencils have less shine down to around 9B and the Pitt have less shine from 10B to 12B, so those are what I am using. I hardly use the 12B though.
I much prefer to buy a box of 10 or 12 pencils of the same grade, and both the Staedtler and Faber Castell products are available online in boxes of 12. The sets are great for initial familiarisation with a product but I find I always use just two or three grades, so for long term supplies they would be a waste of money. I do wish I could walk into an art shop and buy these pencils there, it's a much quicker process than ordering online.
Thanks for watching and for sharing your experience. I Will have to try the Lumograph Black at some point.
the right comparison could be between Faber Castell Pitt matte graphite pencils and Mars lumograph black . i like much caran d'ache grafwood , but they are not Matt pencils maden against Shine of graphite . a good comparison could be between caran d'ache technalo watersoluble graphite pencils and Faber Castell graphite aquarelle (even other brands produce watersoluble graphites)
i tried a set very cheap of 6 pencils maden by Faber Castell called black Matt 1111 . soft and ideal for sketching ( 2b, 3b, 4b, 5b, 6b, 7b, 8b)
Thank-you for taking the time to watch and comment. It is always interesting to hear other people's opinions about other products on the market. There are so many different products out there and they all work differently from one to another. I know plenty of other graphite artists and we all prefer different products to use for our art work, it is just a question of finding what works for you. I also personally prefer the Caran d'ACHE and have used them for many years.
thank you for the review i have these and i didn’t like them so much they feel like colored pencils
Thank you for watching and for me I found them a little coarse and prefer a smoother pencil
Thank you very much for the video, it helped me a lot not to make an impulse purchase
Great to know the video was helpful and it's always good to take time before making any decision particularly as all pencils feel slightly different from one manufacturer to another. It's just a case of finding what works for you. The only other thing to take into consideration is paper choice as ths again will make a difference in terms of depth of tone. Thank you for watching and if I can be of futher help please let me know.
El brillo del grafito no me desagrada, pero me he decidido a adquirir estos porque proporcionan un negro intenso, similar al del lápiz compuesto pero con más precisión y sin necesidad de usar fijador.
Paper is another consideration as I have found this can affect tone. The papers I use are St Cuthberts Saunders Waterford and Arches Aqerelle as both accept a very dark tone hope this is also of help
I'm really glad I found your channel! Please kind sir, what's the electrical eraser you're using here? It seems that it's the best I've ever seen, Silent and flowless performance! Please, which model is it? Thanks in advance
Hi, The electric eraser I am using is an Artecho USB rechargeable eraser. It is very smooth. It also comes with 2 sizes of eraser tip with one being for very fine work. I have been using it for about a year now and it has been excellent. I did do a bit of research on this eraser and it is available under a number of different names but I did find that the manufacturer is a company called Tenwin. In the UK I paid about £16 for it from Amazon so it is relatively inexpensive for what it is. I do have a video where I review a few different electric erasers when I was looking for a new one to replace the one that I was using at the time and this can be found on the channel under playlists, materials. Thank you ever so much for taking the time to watch and comment, Jamie
@@JamieBoots My pleasure sir, you deserve it! You're right, I searched again and I just found that eraser, under the name "Medea" ! It's in black colour, but every single detail looks 100% the same. Here costs 22£ it still worth the money for the job it does! Thanks for the feedback, I really appriciate it!! You do a great job on both your videos and drawing! Keep it up! Take care
I moved over to the Faber Castel Matt largely due to Derwent not being easily available as open stock. These are an excellent pencil giving great results. They have a harder led than the Caran d Ache Graftwood, which might be more suiyable for shading due to being softer. Faber Castel and Caran d Ache make a perfect partnership, as far as the Polychromos and Luminence are concerned and that might be the same here.. If you don't mind me stating, I noticed two things while you were doing the swatching. One was you were using the tip rather than the side, and the other was you were holding the pencil more towards the front. Shading from the side and held further back gives far greater control, therefore the differences between the pencils can be better measured. I hope that is of help.
Thanks for watching What I was looking for was how dark each pencil would go so not a swatch as such in terms of producing a gradient. The CARAN d'ACHE and Faber Castell do blend together very well. I stopped using Derwent about fifteen years ago and they are just as bad today as back then. Thanks again for watching and for the comment.
@@JamieBoots thanks for replying. I can't say it is something I have thought about as I know shading with the point is a bad practice. On further reflection, I would expect the pencils to give a more equal black with each additional layer. What is really different with each pencil is the hardness. So a particular dark shade would be more readily achieved with say a B9 than a B4, for example. The B4 would need more layers than the B9, in order to match the shade. A B8 would need even less layers to match the B9. If that makes sence. I did have both Derwent Artist and Sudio pencils but have now given them all away as no longer needed, now that I'm using the best. Incidentally I also use that same electric eraser, along with a Derwent which has a thinner eraser set in it.
@@stevejones1682 To create a dark tone in a picture, I will usually start by lightly applying layers of 2B pencil and smooth the tone with a blending stump; this brushes the tone into the grain of the paper creating a smoother appearance. As the tone builds, I will then do the same with a 4B. The last stage is to apply one layer of 9B, this doesn’t make a large difference but just adds that last bit of darkness. This may seam a long winded prosses, but I find it gives a good depth of tone and doesn’t damage the surface of the paper and protects any texture that has been intentionally indented into the surface. All makes of pencils work differently depending on quality of graphite and composition of binder. The CARAN d’ACHE Grafwoods that I use become harder to blend as you go to the darker grades. For example, I find that the 2B blends very easily, the 4B not quite so much but the 9B is very difficult to blend, but I found that the 2B can be used to blend the 9B as it will spread the darker tone. In terms of sharpness every pencil from H to 9B that I use is blunt with the very hard pencils used sharp as they can be used to manipulate the darker tones. This isn’t for everyone, but I find it works well for me and to give you an idea every pencil I am currently using is over two years old, but I am going to have to replace the 2,4 and 9B very shortly. I hope this gives a bit more of an explanation into the way that I work.
@@JamieBoots I have to say you do manage to obtain a great result, and I agree with much of what you have stated in the video, though not all of it. I think it odd that while most companies use the B and H lettering system, it isn't a standard. You picked up on that. A B7 can be another company's B9. Previous to the Faber Castel (FC) Matt I still used the Derwent, and found the FC B14 to be darker that the Derwent B9, while the FC B9 was found to be lighter than the Derwent B9. I estimated that if Derwent did a B14 equivalent it would be labeled something like B12. I found the B14 to be slightly darker than the Caran d Ache B9. That is according to the layers used. I reckon the Caran d Ache and the Faber Castel make a great team working together. Do I recommend the B14? Absolutely!. At some stage I intend doing a drawing using just the white greys and blacks of the Polychromos and Luminence. The result might be interesting. Is shine really an issue though as a matt fixative can be sprayed to protect the picture?
@@stevejones1682 I think I may have mentioned in another video about how manufacturers all use the same grading system, but it isn’t a standard and yes, a 2B in one make can be totally different to the same grade in another, this is also one of the reasons why when I run a workshop, I supply all the materials. I do have to say with Derwent that it was very noticeable when I was using them twenty years ago that you could get two pencils the same grade, yet they would produce a completely different tone, this was so bad that sometimes I would have to relabel them. The interesting thing was that when I tried a new set recently, they still had the same issues of inconsistency plus they are still full of grit. I think the reason why the CARAN d’ACHE and Faber Castell work well together could be down to the composition of the binder as well as similarity in tone. Paper does make a huge difference when it comes to depth of tone, and this may explain the difference that you have found alternatively it could purely be down to how the pencil is applied but I certainly didn’t notice any difference in darkness after the 8B Faber Castel. Every artist I know work with different makes and grades of pencils and paper, its not that any way is better than the other it is what works for you, and this is why its always good to get other opinions. As for fixative that is a controversial subject that artists argue about but my opinion is that its down to personal choice, I personally don’t use it but again this is down to personal choice. In terms of graphite shine this is purely because graphite is a crystal and as such reflects light, the graphite used in the Graphite Matt pencils has a different crystal shape and that is why it has less reflection. This is what Faber Castell told me when I was researching the video but obviously, they are reluctant to divulge to much detail. One interesting thing is that originally the Graphite Matt pencils were marketed as world’s first, but this was very quickly changed to reduced reflection. Be interesting to know how you get on with the Polychromos and Luminance sounds an interesting project let me know how you get on.
I live for Caran D'ache, but I just can't get on with the pencils. For me, Mitsubishi's are hard to beat.
Thank you for taking the time to watch and comment. It is surprising how different all makes of graphite pencils are. I have never tried the Mitsubishi pencils so will have to try them sometime, thanks for the recommendation.
Found them a bit scratchy. Prefer Staedtler mars lumograph black. They are much smoother, seem darker and about the same reflection. Thanks
Thanks for watching and will have to try the Lumograph black sometime.
I think staedtler black lumograhp pencil is good..but Faber castlle pitt matt grapite pencil are not provided shading 😕
Thank you for taking the time to watch and comment
I‘d like to know what paper you‘ve used here. I received my 6 Faber Castell Matt Pencils yesterday. Be interested in what FC. wrote you. Thanks.
The paper is St Cuthbert's Saunders Waterford 300gram Hot Press and this takes dark tone very well as well as the indenting technique that I use on my more detailed works. Paper does make a huge difference when it comes to getting dark tones. The other paper I use is Arches Aquarelle; this is a very nice paper but it is a bit harder to indent but takes dark tone just as well. The transcript from Faber Castell is in the lower part of the description for the video. Hope this is helpful and thank you for watching.
@@JamieBoots Yes it helped! Thanks.
What paper are you using for this? Thank you
Hi Barb. For this picture I used St Cuthberts Saunders Waterford 300gsm Hot Press. It's nice to use with grahite and takes dark tone very well. Thanks for the question and for taking the time to watch.
Thank you Jamie. I’m thinking about taking your Udemy class. Do you think I could use my Faber Castell 9000 graphite set?
@@barbdouglas3242 Yes, they will be absolutely fine. If you have any questions at all please feel free to ask. With many thanks, Jamie
Which Caran d'Ache pencil is that?
First time I've used a different pencil in years but still prefer my CARAN d'cache one's. Still got another few makes to review that's if I ever get the current video I'm working on finished but hopefully this will be done at the weekend. Thanks for taking the time to watch and comment.
Interesting. I use a fixativ and any shine is gone.
Thank you for the comment. Yes some fixatives do work but personally I avoid them as they can change the tone and look of a picture and as I said when a picture is framed and lit correctly I don't find it an issue. Thanks again for watching and tacking the time to comment.
@@JamieBoots Yes, the produce more contrast and blacks getting darker, because there is any reflection left. but I never get any color shift. This prevents me from mixing charcoal and graphite :-) But main reason is, protection for my commissioned work.
@@stefanj.593 Yes, that does happen but if I have the contrast and darkness I want then I don't want it to change and also I don't have a problem getting a very dark black tone. If you have a tone that is close to your darkest one it can merge but at the end of the day this will depend on how you work and the materials you are using i.e. pencils, paper. Another thing I have found in terms of makes of pencil is that some adhere to the paper better than others for example when I started the pencils that I used I couldn't use much past a 'B' pencil as dust would fall away from the paper and this is where a fixative would work but with the pencils I now use I never have an issue with this. In terms of charcoal I can't comment because I don't use it but with graphite the best thing to protect the picture is to have it framed and once it's behind glass its protected. I know lots of other artists and everybody works slightly differently but the main thing is it's the end result that counts so the best advice is if you have a way that works then go with that.
Which fixative gives the best results when it comes to getting rid of the graphite shine?
Please tell me sketch book paper name 🙂
The paper used on this picture is St Cuthberts Saunders Waterford 300 gram Hot Press White which is actually an off white tone. Thank you for watching.
I've tried them and just wasn't impressed. To reduce shine, I've tried colored pencils, carbon pencils, and even a pastel pencil, which can work very well, though a pastel pencil is very, very tricky to use. When I get it right, though, the result is very interesting, but they're good only for very small areas. After trying the Faber-Castel, I went back to my favorite brand. I'm just not convinced these work as well as the carbon pencils and colored pencils I normally use.
All that said, shine really doesn't bother me at all on most drawings. It is mostly a matter of proper framing and proper hanging, so unless there's just a tremendous amount of shine I don't worry about it.
Anyway, no, these are certainly not going to make me change brands.
As I think I said in the video graphite is a crystal and as such it will always shine to some degree, the darker the pencil the higher the graphite content and this will produce more shine. As you said framing and lighting are key and it is always worth taking the time to do this correctly when showing your work. If shine is really a problem to someone then charcoal or carbon maybe better options but personally I prefer using my normal graphite pencils. Thanks for taking the time to watch the video.
Für mich sind es (schwarze) Bunt-Stifte .
Thank you for the comment and for watching
save the money on the 11 pack, buy the 6 pack (20€ vs 10€ in germany). 6pack has no 14B which shines alot - missplaced in a matte set? buy characoal pencils instead, soft/medium/hard for the black areas and a fine rubber pencil. the extra 14B pencil, sharpener and rubber ain't worth double the price anyway.
Agree, I would say you only need 3 of the pencils and definitely not the 10,12 and 14 as they are just not needed. The blender is good but would of preferred a kneadable eraser instead of the one that comes in the set. Thanks for tacking the time to watch and comment.
They're bastards to erase though
😀
@@JamieBoots my friend I've been looking at some of your work.....absolutely beautiful. Phenomenal.
@@MrMickthemonster Thank you so much
@@JamieBoots thank you good sir.