Having different types of erasers in your drawing toolbox will be needed to produce realistic drawings.

Types of Erasers

There are different types of erasers available to an artist...

• the Pink Pearl©
• peel-off pencil type
• sharpenable pencil type
• gum type
• kneadable eraser
• Blu-Tac©

There are of course many variations of these erasers; but this list will give you a basic idea as to what kinds of erasers there are to choose from.

As with any tool used by you it is important to test drive them for awhile to get used to them...different erasers work in different ways.

The Pink Pearl©

Ahhh, the familiar smell of that old pink standby.

There are other pink erasers out there, and they will do what the Pink Pearl Eraser does, but... that smell!

I believe a pink eraser is best when used on a sturdy, smooth paper.

It is slightly abrasive and unsuitable for paper that has a lot of tooth (paper that feels rough to the touch). This kind of paper has a tendency to ''fuzz up'' when erased with an abrasive type of easer.

The Peel-Off Pencil Type Eraser

These are great when you need to erase something in a small area, or when making a thin wisp of highlight in the hair, because they can be sharpened to a point using any standard pencil sharpener.

I wipe the tip off between each use so that the graphite is not smeared back on to my drawing.

I use the Sanford Magic Rub Peel-Off Eraser Pencil.

sharpenable pencil type eraser

This eraser is encased in a wooden shell much like a pencil, and can be sharpened to a point.

I use it to create highlights in hair.

The eraser is a hard pink type of rubber. Be careful when using this eraser so as to not damage your paper with excessive erasing.

Gum type eraser

Design Artgum Erasers are very soft erasers that tend to be sort of crumbly when used.

The crumbs help to absorb the graphite (at least that's the information I've read).

Kneadable eraser

The kneaded eraser is the primary type of eraser that most graphite/charcoal artists use.

It picks up the graphite without smearing or damaging the paper.

It can be shaped into a point to lift out small highlights in the eyes and hair.

It's unique in that to clean it you simply stretch it out and fold (knead) it over on itself.

If I had to choose only one eraser, I'd probably pick this type

Design Kneaded Rubber Erasers is a brand I use.

Blu-Tac©

I have just recently discovered Blu Tac adhesive putty.

I found another artist who raved about how wonderful it was for lifting out pencil marks.

After looking everywhere here in Wichita for it, I got on the “net” and found out that Blu Tac was really hard to find here in the States. I finally had to order it on line.

It has the same properties as a kneaded eraser except it's a little stickier.

This is by no means all of the types of erasers that are available to you. You should try as many different kinds as you can.

I would especially love to find out how the Blu-Tac works for you.

There are are many kinds of erasers that I have not talked about here.

Try out different ones and let me know when you find an eraser you love, and how you use it.

Tell us the types of erasers you have used, and how you used them.

Erasers can be used for a lot more than just rubbing out boo-boos. They are considered a "drawing tool" by many artists. What creative ways have you used your erasers? You can even upload a photo your "eraser results".

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