Picked up a tip from an old drafter at a trade show in Cleveland last weekend

He showed me how he uses a 0.5mm mechanical pencil for all his technical drawings instead of the usual 0.7mm, and the line consistency is way better for tight details. Has anyone else found a weird pencil or tool that just clicked for their workflow?

2 comments

2 Comments

luna_sanchez4d ago

Starting with a softer touch helps, you kinda have to retrain your hand a bit. @angelacooper I actually keep a few 0.7mm pencils around for shading and just switch between them, keeps the 0.5mm from snapping. That Cleveland guy knew his stuff though.

angelacooper4d ago

The 0.5mm switch makes sense for detail work but you lose a lot of lead strength for normal line shading. Did the old drafter mention whether he changes his grip or pressure when he goes from 0.5mm to something thicker for filling in larger areas? I've heard some guys snap those thin leads like crazy if theyre used to bearing down with a 0.7mm.