An Artist’s BFF: Erasers
One of my favorite children’s books is called Eraser by Anna Kang. In it, Eraser is a character along with pencils, markers, crayons and other creativity tools. The eraser feels jealous. She doesn’t create anything. She just fixes mistakes.
(Spoiler alert) In the end, she realizes that by fixing mistakes, she creates something incredibly important: second chances.
How brilliant is that?
As someone who is in the early phase of graphite and colored pencil art, I can attest that erasers are a life saver for mess-ups. But I’ve learned there are many types of erasers and techniques to use them as a tool not to eliminate mistakes, but to add to the work. Pigment removal is how artists create highlights and texture for the three-dimensional look of realism. In fact, these tools were a big part of creating The Rooster I recently added to my art shop.
Here are some of my favorite pro eraser tools:
Battery operated eraser: Great way to remove dark layers of pigment. Use it like a pencil to create fur texture. Here’s the inexpensive one I rely on.
Tombo Mono Zero: Use this tiny eraser pen like a white pencil for highlights
Eraser shields: Put a piece of magic tape on one of these and draw on the tape to precisely remove graphite for highlights.
Slice Pen Cutter tool: My absolute favorite tool to remove pigment when drawing on drafting film. It’s so fun to use to create fur and wispy feathers! (Credit to Bonny Snowden for sharing this magic tool. I learned to use it in her academy).
Drop me a note and let me know if you try any of these tools or if you need input on how to use them.
Happy drawing!
The Rooster - Colored Pencil on Drafting film, 2024
Reference photo credit: Wen Photos
