, we tested three in our picks: the Blackstone, the Bic, and the Prestige.

What to look for
You’ll want to test pencils that hold water. These will also affect how smoothly the pencil dries, and how quickly the pencil turns in the barrel. In general, you want to make sure the pencil barrel is free from any debris. 
The best pencils have hardened tips, to prevent air from escaping when you’re working with a heavier tip. They’ll also help prevent breakage when you’re moving the pencil from one part of your tool to another. If it dries out too quickly, it’s likely too hard for you to move the pencil again.
You might want to look for black pencils, which provide more heat resistance. These are less likely to break with contact with hot surfaces or metals. If you want a pencil that’s easy to grip, look for black color options with hardened tips.

What we tested
We tested five pencils: pencils in different lengths, as well as pencils in different colors. We used them to create a sketch for our magazine guide and we used them to draw a portrait of my dog. We used them to draw a drawing of my kids on a piece of dry erase board, and we used them to create a letter-shaped sketch.
All of the pencils we tested could be used for sketching or letter-design practice. However, we didn’t test any of these for coloring, since color is a personal preference, and pencils are designed to create both.
We looked for smoothness while drawing. We wanted to draw lines smoothly and smoothly across the pencil’s barrel. We didn’t look for a lot of “stretch” in the barrel, since the last thing most beginners need is to break a pencil while drawing.

Our pick: Blackstone
Photo: Kyle FitzgeraldOur pick

Blackstone
The Blackstone pencil’s pencil line is thick and consistent across its barrel, and it’s easy to grip.
Buying Options
$10* from Amazon
$10 from Walmart
*At the time of publishing, the price was $7.

The Blackstone pencil’s pencil line is thick and consistent across its barrel, and it’s easy to grip. It’s also thick enough to hold water without sticking, and it comes with a silicone grip so you don’t slip and hurt yourself when drawing on it. In our tests, we didn’t notice any resistance to the pencil’s tip when drawing on the Blackstone, and it didn’t break when our pick was pushed against a hot surface.
It’s thinner than other pencils we tested, but thicker than the pencils we tried from Blackstone’s lineup. The pencil’s barrel is thick and it has a wide tip, so you don’t need to move it around much while using it for line work or drawing. It also comes with a silicone sleeve for protection when it’s cold. The Blackstone’s barrel is plastic, so it’s less likely to break, but it’s still less sturdy than the metal barrel of its competitors.
The Blackstone pencil’s barrel is thick and it has a wide tip, so you don’t need to move it around much while using it for line work or drawing.

When in doubt,

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