Course Highlights


Eraser & Other Techniques

Choosing the Appropriate Medium

Generally speaking, one should use a pencil for smaller drawings that depend on detailed precision, however depending on the scale of the overall piece, most mediums are capable of rendering detail. Charcoal, chalk and pastels tend to encourage a broader sweep however there are no rules that dictate when you can and cannot use different media. And remember, mixing media allows you to build up your drawing with layers of textures and washes, creating interesting and varied effects. The best thing you can do is experiment with different techniques, subjects and mediums to discover which combinations work best for your unique style of drawing.

The Eraser: A commonly underestimated tool

The eraser, as you will see later on, is as important to drawing as the pencil. It can be used to erase, smooth out a line, or draw in negative by erasing on previously color areas. In fact, in the same way that we can produce different tones using charcoal, pencil or other medium by varying the pressure we apply, the eraser uses the same technique with the inverted effect; the more pressure one applies, the whiter the erasure will be on the page. There are two commonly used erasers. Vinyl and kneaded. Vinyl erasers are ideal for drawing fine details and very light areas. One can cut a small piece off the end using a sharp blade to create finer details. A kneaded eraser is better suited for larger areas, allowing one to simply pat or gently rub the surface. To clean a kneaded eraser, simply stretch, massage and reshape it. I.e. knead it. At some point, a kneaded eraser will become too dirty to use, despite kneading, so be sure to have back-ups.


Additional Tools and Techniques

• Fixative spray preserves drawings by binding the particles of pigments to the surface of the paper. How to apply spray: hold the can of fixative about a foot from your drawing. Try to spray across your drawing rather than straight down upon it, and keep the can constantly moving. Make sure you do your spraying outdoors or in a well-ventilated room. Fumes are toxic and flammable.
• Lay Figures are jointed wooden models helpful for developing drawing skills in areas of proportion, perspective and the rendering of different human body poses. Lay hands are also available in art supply stores.
• Large clips are used to hold paper to drawing board instead of tape which can damage the paper.
• Simple hand-held sharpener with two holes, one for regular sized pencils and one for oversized.
• Sandpaper blocks are useful for sharpening the tip ever-so-slightly, reducing the need to over-use the sharpener and prematurely wearing down the wood.
• Portfolio case presents your drawings in an organized, professional manner and protects them from being damaged.
• Table-top easels, tripod-style sketching easels and box easels provide affordable, portable, compact and sturdy workspaces.

Other pages of interest

Sketch pad paper types
Chalk, charcoal and conte crayons
Eraser and other techniques
How to store artwork
The fundamentals of drawing

 

 



 

 

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