[subego]

Originally Posted by brassplayersrock² 

writing. looks at time of post.....stupid history paper!

Get as wide as you can get (.7mm if we're talking easily available). Resist the temptation to click the lead out more than the diameter (we'll say 1mm max).

Most pencils come with a lead that's in the middle of the hardness scale (HB, or #2 in a wooden pencil). "H" leads are harder, "B" leads are softer.

Since the middle of the road is not working for you, I'd try a softer lead, like a 2B, this will have more "give" than an HB, but is going to be more smeary (I hope you aren't left handed).

If you can get into the habit, spin the thing a quarter turn after every sentence, which will help the lead from getting too thin in any one direction.

If you can write more than a paragraph without clicking more lead you are extending it too much.

HTH.

P.S. If you are left-handed, I'd go the other way, get a 3F or 4F. This won't really smear, and will hopefully be hard enough to train you to write with a lighter touch, because if you don't it starts shredding the paper.

[AngelaBaby]

Pen. It shows that you're serious.

[Judge_Fire]

Pen, because I like to keep my 'errors'.

Most of what I do is sketching lay-outs, interaction scenarios, flowcharts, lists of stuff with random visual elements thrown in. It's nice to keep the evolution of ideas there for later review. Messy as hell, but suits me just fine

[SSharon]

I always use mechanical pencils when taking notes and pen when turning something in (which is only once a semester now).

[loki74]

Originally Posted by Railroader 

I like the variations I get from pencil. Shading and line thickness are manageable with pencils.

For writing I prefer a .3mm and for sketching I prefer .7mm leads. HB or F density.

Agreed. those things rule... I've had little luck finding a 0.3, though. I've been trying to get thinner and cleaner lines for my character designs (or for that matter, anything I may end up "CGing"), so 0.3 would be reeeal nice.

For pens, I like the Sakura Micron fine point inking pens. Pretty much the best pens I've ever used, although not so much for writing text with. Then again, if I'm only writing text I generally don't care about the writing implement....

[DeathToWindows]

fountain pen. usually a sheaffer, although I do own a couple of lamys and a pelikan