Review on 🖍️ Derwent Graphic Drawing Pencils: Medium Point, Metal Tin, Set of 12 (34214) by Sasha Hsiao

I'm trying to brush up on my style and find the perfect pencil. I mostly paint portraits, sometimes with landscape in the background, sometimes without. I decided to try these pens because of the many positive reviews, but they didn't really convince me. I also have a Prismacolor and a Staedtler Mars Lumograph that I use regularly. My biggest complaint is that the graphite appears to contain some type of contamination. Especially in the H-2B line, which I use the most, there is something that scratches my paper. You can hear it too, it's faint like nails on a board. Sometimes it even leaves traces on graphite. I keep trying to set my pen to not draw from this side, but it shouldn't be there. Another issue I noticed is that the B gradation is much smoother and darker than the 2B gradation. If I didn't know better, I would think B is either 3 or 4B. Also, softer pens don't hold a sharp point, so if you need to make thin, dark lines like eyelashes, good luck. At the moment I like Staedtler pencils best, but I will try other brands. until I found the ones that best suit my style.