Hi there my Artsy friends...so glad you stopped by.
I'm sitting in my favourite chair with my quilt covering my legs in the early morning hours of a Saturday. The house is so very quiet and still...the time of day I love the most...it's when I do my best thinking (then and in the middle of the night...sigh).
As I said last week we'll be talking about erasers, stubs, brushes (yes brushes) and what ever else we may need to help us with our drawing endeavor.
As with pencils there are many types of erasers which have attributes geared towards different uses. I'll tell you the type of erasers I use and why.
The main type I use is the white drafting eraser in a flat rectangle and a pen type. Both of these are excellent for smooth white paper to lift most graphite completely off (unless you have been adding layers of 8B to achieve a deep shadow) the flat for large areas, the pen type for tighter areas. Electric or battery erasers use the white as well...these are very handy again for tight areas.
The next is a knead-able...definitely a must. You know those grey ones that are like Play-doh. You can shape this to fit in any form and lift out unwanted graphite or lighten an area to add texture or pattern. There are many more but these are the erasers I use.
Stubs are a must for blending and softening edges (I use to use my finger) and you can get these in different sizes...I prefer the small ones again they lend themselves well for detail.
I know I mentioned brushes and yes I use a goat hair brush...Why you ask? They are fabulous for brushing away those little bits or eraser, pencil dust etc. Any brush will do but the goat hair is so soft and gentle...never a problem for you drawing. I have one for graphite and a couple for coloured pencil. You can wash them up when they get too soiled to start a new drawing.
Another useful item is the pencil extender. When your pencils get a little short and hard to handle you don't have to throw them away you pop them into an extender and you 'extend' (ha ha) the life of said pencil. . . I like that.
Another useful item is the pencil extender. When your pencils get a little short and hard to handle you don't have to throw them away you pop them into an extender and you 'extend' (ha ha) the life of said pencil. . . I like that.
Now I don't think I left anything out but I will mention things as our drawing goes along.
If you have any 'equipment' you use leave me a comment and I will pass it along.
Happy gathering...Sheila