Gesture Drawing: Let's Talk [More, Again] About Kneaded Erasers & Prismacolor plus More

My absolute favorite eraser is hands down the kneaded eraser. You can stretch it to clean it up and honestly, I use it as much as I use my pencil. Some might say I draw with the eraser as much as with my pencil – I'm not sure if that's good or bad, but I've learned to embrace it!

The Power of Stretch

I can make fine points or broad flat marks depending on what I need. The great thing is you control the pressure and how much material you lift. On Strathmore 300 series paper, you'll notice it doesn't erase as much when it gets dirty, which comes in handy for subtle areas where I don't want to take off too much.

Stretching the kneaded eraser out lets me create different effects. For instance, working on hair details requires a specific touch, and this eraser gives me that precision, like creating a point with the eraser for a specific mark. It really allows me to work with light to dark tones.

My Top Pick & Care Tips

If you've seen our previous videos, you know my favorite kneaded eraser is Prismacolor. Now, some people complain they harden over time but storing them in a daily pill box keeps them soft and clean! For me, the other brands are too 'gooey' and you can achieve the same with the Prismacolor by keeping it in a box, plus it also protects it when you're not using it.

Beyond Kneaded: Exploring Other Erasers

Just a note, while I talk about the kneaded eraser a lot, there are other types of erasers out there too. My wife loves the Prismacolor Magic Rub Eraser for those times when white is necessary. Also, for specific or precise erasing, I find the Mono Zero works great – a bit stronger than the kneaded variety.

The Bottom Line: The Prismacolor Kneaded erasers are truly powerful tools that deserve a spot in every artist's toolkit. Embrace them and experiment with them.