Eraser drawing
An eraser isn't just for erasing! It also allows you to draw in the negative. How it works You are going to open white areas in a grayed-over surface, that is, you are going to erase certain areas down to the white paper, creating areas of light.
What you need to know
A kneaded eraser is used with unstable media such as charcoal, chalk, and sanguine. The classical rubber eraser is better for graphite leads.
- Kneaded erasers but for dabbing the area to be lightened, rather than for rubbing.
- Knead it before using it to give it the right shape.
- It's easy to clean: knead it until it completely absorbs all the pigment.
1. Drawing in the negative with an eraser
You can work in charcoal or graphite.
- Gray over the entire surface of your sheet of paper using the side of a charcoal stick or a graphite stick. make sure to apply consistent pressure on your tool, to obtain an even background.
- Make your drawing with the tip of the charcoal or a corner of the graphite stick.
- Remove the dark material from the light areas with your eraser
Depending on how much pressure you apply to the eraser, you will obtain lighter or darker areas.
Tip: shape your eraser into a point to work on your details precisely.
2. Highlighting a shaded area with an eraser
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Gray in the area you want to shade.
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Go around it gently with your eraser.
Result: you will bring out the contours much more gently than outlining them with a pencil line.
3. What kind of eraser should you use?
You should definitely test various kinds of erasers: kneaded erasers, classical plastic erasers, rubber erasers and ink erasers. You will obtain a wide range of effects. For example, you can use:
- the edge of a kneaded eraser sharpened to a point to lighten borders.
- the end (the red part) of an ink eraser to bring out more important surfaces.
Result: you will bring out the contours much more gently than outlining them with a pencil line.
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See also
