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Cleaning
Up Your Act
Article 4
Erasers
are a necessity for any pencil artist. Not only can
they help fix mistakes but they can add highlights,
help you blend, and clean up your final drawing. Erasers
come in many different varieties, and can perform
different tasks. Below is a list of erasers that you
should never be without.
PEN ERASER - As the name
suggests, this is a pen shaped cartridge with an eraser
stick that can be advanced or retracted at the push
of a button. Pen Erasers come in different sizes,
with thicker or thinner eraser sticks. I prefer the
Tuff Stuff Eraser Stick. These have a vinyl based
eraser that removes lines cleanly. Also, the sticks
are smaller than average so you can easily erase small
areas and pick out highlights.
KNEADED
RUBBER ERASER - These erasers are soft and
pliable and can be molded into any shape. Never draw
without one of these, because they have many different
uses. They are excellent for highlighting and blending.
I like them especially for highlighting skin tones
because they pull graphite off the paper but do not
leave any harsh lines. Instead of using a rubbing
motion, you can simply dab them where you want to
remove graphite and create lightness. They can also
be formed into small points to erase very tiny areas.
Another benefit to these erasers is that they do not
leave behind shavings. In fact, they can be used to
pick up the shavings left behind by other erasers.
VINYL BLOCK ERASER -
Vinyl erasers are useful for cleaning up the large
areas of your drawing. They erase cleanly and will
not damage paper if used properly. The blocks can
easily be cut into different shapes with a razor blade
so you can use them for different tasks.
Here
are some basic erasing tips:
-
Never
use a colored eraser (especially those died pink
or red) since they usually leave discolored smudges
on paper.
-
To
clean up eraser shavings a good trick is to use
a new, clean, soft brush. A paint brush or large
cosmetic brush works well. Try to get out of the
habit of blowing shavings off your paper or brushing
with your hand. Blowing can get saliva on your drawing
and water of any kind damages graphite or paper.
If you use your hands, most likely you will just
smudge your work and the shavings will stay behind.
A clean brush however, will remove the shavings
and picks up a minimal amount of graphite, if any.
Occasionally you should wash your brush soap and
water as it may pick up enough graphite to start
leaving smudges. Of course, always be sure it is
completely dry before using it again.
-
When
erasing, beware of pressing too hard and damaging
the surface of your paper. It works much better
to erase lightly several times, then to try to remove
it all at once by applying a lot of pressure. Keep
in mind that some lines may just be too dark to
remove completely. If you see your paper starting
to become rough where you have been erasing, it
may be time to start the drawing over. Graphite
will never lay down smoothly once the surface of
the paper is damaged.
- Keep
your erasers clean. If they are coated with graphite,
they will lay down more than they pick up. I rub my
Pen Erasers and block erasers over my sanding board
to remove the outer layer of graphite and get back
to a clean surface. You could also use a razor blade
on your block erasers to cut off dirty corners. Rubber
erasers do not clean well, so if they reach the point
of being tinted with graphite, get a new one to erase
with, and use the old one only for shading and blending.
In
conclusion, keep a variety of erasers on hand for
your different tasks. Experiment with how they remove
graphite to create different highlighting effects.
Even after using Frisket, erasers will clean up white
areas and add highlights to your drawing.
| See
Many Varieties of Erasers at
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