Pencil made by a core in a wooden or metallic setting is used for writing, painting and drawing. Leaded and silver sprigs in a metallic setting have been used in the XII-XVI centuries. Being produced in the XIV century an Italian pencil was prepared from slate and powder of burned bone and gum. Generally known are graphite pencils (produced from the XVI century) and pencils made from black lead powder and clay (also were colored pencils) in a wooden setting (produced from the XVII century).

   We can find the first description of a graphite pencil in a wooden setting in the treatise about minerals written by Konrad Gessner (1565). At the same time in Cumberland Borovdal graphite fields was found. Solid bars of graphite had been sawn on platens, planished, then sawn into sticks and put in a wooden or reed setting.

   Nowadays pencil is widely used in portrait painting. It's characterized by a distinguished ability to convey deep mat and velvet black color. It easily shades on the paper and thanks to this fact it imparts a special charm and romantic style to a portrait.