Drawing is the most fun a person can have with the right pencil.

   When you think of artists, you might think of the two most basic types of artists: Drawers and painters (or a musician). Obviously those are two very different types of styles of art that have variety of techniques within each self but drawing has the most easiest in my opinion. The supplies are limited and it really helps in your artistic skills by being able to erase your mistakes easily, experimenting different strokes of your pencil, and learning about how much detail your piece can actually have.
   It can even start with the pencil you choose. There is the traditional pencil in which a mixture of graphite and clay is enclosed by wood and an eraser is attached at the end. Then there is the mechanical pencil, which the lead consists of carbon and high polymer organic materials where you can buy with the actual pencil itself (most are made of plastic) that has a detachable eraser to add the lead pieces for it to work. Or a graphic stick which is exactly what it's named: a stick of graphite (sort of messy based on how much of it can get smeared on your warm fingers). Colored pencils can be an option as well (but keep in mind, you can't erase your work).
  The appearance of the pencil can actually be just for the comfort of your hand. A wooden pencil would make your hands clammy by the time you would be done (only if you go non-stop). A graphic stick would just smear all the lead on your hand. Depending on the appearance of the mechanical pencils, (some have padding where you place your finger to hold the pencil) the pencil can be lighter in weight and be more comfortable to your fingers.
   Some pencils can also differentiate on how they distribute the lead to the paper. For example, a traditional pencil could be able to produce nice, thin lines if sharpened to a sharp point. By the time you used the pencil for a long period of time, it would produce thick lines on the paper, causing for the lack of detail on your piece. A mechanical pencil, however, would always produce thin lines because the lead is thin to begin with.
   The choice of pencils can also be differentiated by the amount of graphite and clay. Although some people don't understand why this is something to consider for creating a piece, but it is actually very important. The balance between the two can have dramatic effects if one has more than the other. For example, The scale below shows the variation of graphite (also known as the Graphite Scale).

   Here you see some the possibilities of lead a pencil can have. The letters "H" and "B" on the scale show the hardness of the lead and the darkness of the lead as well. Keep in mind that the graphite in the lead gives the darkness and the clay gives its hardness. "H" explains how hard the pencil is (how much pressure you add on your paper). If a pencil is in the "H" category, there is an increase of clay rather than graphite, so the shade would be much lighter. "B" shows the blackness of the lead (how dark the shade is). If a pencil is in the "B" category, that means there is an increase of graphite than clay, making it much softer. "F" just explains how the pencil can be sharpened to a nice, fine point. So if a pencil would be "HH" then the lead would be really hard. If a pencil has "BB" then the lead would be really black.

   Today most of the combinations on a pencil are assigned to a number. 2B or 3H would be examples of a combination. The numbers are just placed to show the hardness of the lead. For example, a 7H would be much harder than a 2H and a 6B would be much softer than a 2B.

Your favorite traditional #2 pencil would be found in the middle of the scale. Keep in mind some lead can be different based off the brands but they are found similar in shade. It all comes down to trying different types of pencils and brands to see what is best fit for you.

   There are  variation of pencils out there for you to try. Don't stay stuck with one pencil without trying others. Who knows, maybe you'll find one better than the one you originally had. It's all about your comfort when creating a piece. You can't create something amazing without having the right tool for you :)