Erasers for Graphite Pencil Drawing

Instead of adding a lighter value to create a highlight as done with some mediums, graphite pencil artists must either preserve the white of the paper or erase to create highlights. Erasers are almost as important as pencils to drawing artists.

Design Kneaded Rubber Eraser

These are the traditional, classic erasers for drawing and they are extremely useful. You can lighten an area with gentle tapping or rolling, you can pinch the point into various shapes and use it to create details and textures, and it's great for cleaning up the edges of a drawing. They're cheap and tend to get lost, so pick up a few while you're shopping.

Find them at Dick Blick.

Tuff Stuff Eraser Stick

The "stuff" that this eraser is made out of is fairly stiff so it can be cut into points, wedges, or any shape that you need to erase a highlight or create detail. The pen's shape makes it handy for "drawing" into graphite to create textures like fur or weeds.

Add a small knife with a retractable blade to your drawing tool box so you can take full advantage of this eraser.

Find it at Dick Blick.

Sakura Cordless Electric Eraser

A cordless electric or battery powered eraser can be used to clean up the edges of the drawing, to help erase large areas that need to be re-worked, and you to create special effects and textures that would be hard to make without it.

The eraser tip rotates and you can sharpen it on sandpaper to a very fine point. I've used it to create delicate cat's whiskers, backlighting for stems and plants, leaf textures, grass patterns, and highlights in metal and glass to name just a few.

This Sakura is lightweight and fits the hand very nicely. It runs on 2-AAA batteries. The batteries will power the eraser for a few days of constant drawing / erasing, and for a few weeks of occasional use.

Find it at Dick Blick.

Helix Automatic Cordless Eraser

Find it at Dick Blick.

More Drawing Supply Reviews

The images were provided by Dick Blick.