How To Use A Tortillon

Download Commodity

Download Article

Blending stumps are an invaluable tool for most artists. These elementary stumps of tightly rolled paper will allow you to blend charcoal or graphite. You lot can blend different values, smudge the material, shade calorie-free values, or deepen the dark values in your drawings. These cheap tools are like shooting fish in a barrel to maintain since y'all just demand to scrape them against sandpaper to clean or acuminate them.

1
Rub the side or tip of the stump to blend and smooth out your drawing. Using a blending stump is a great fashion to make a sketch or drawing look more polished. Have a crude charcoal or graphite sketch and spend a few minutes rubbing the blending stick beyond it. Start past blending areas of light value with the side or tip of the stump before working into darker values. Blending the material volition brand your sketching lines disappear so the drawing looks softer.^[one]
- For example, try drawing a ball and sketch it as though the low-cal is hit it from one side so the opposite side is darker. Then use the stump to blend the values so the ball looks smooth and even.
2
Dab the tip of the blending stump to brand detailed smudges. If you simply want to soften a portion of your drawing, push the tip of the blending stump into the charcoal or graphite to gently smudge the material.^[2] ^[3]
- For example, if you're drawing an eye, smudge the iris so information technology doesn't appear abrupt or lined.
Variation: Create streaks or patterns past dragging the blending stump from the charcoal or graphite away from information technology. This volition make the charcoal or graphite smear in whatever direction y'all like.

Advertisement
3
Layer the graphite or charcoal with a stump to shade your prototype. Sketch an image on your paper and use a little more graphite or charcoal than you usually would. And so take the blending stump and rub information technology over the cloth then the stump picks it up. Rub the stump along your drawing where yous'd like to create depth. Rub the stump in more than of your textile and use information technology to your paradigm.^[four]
- For example, if you're drawing someone smile with their mouth open, you might use the blending stump to create an even layer of darkness inside the mouth. And so use the stump to add darker layers virtually the corners of the mouth.
4
Draw with a dirty blending stump instead of a pencil or charcoal. Instead of smudging or blending charcoal or graphite that's already on your paper, work with a dingy blending stump on clean paper. The dirty stump is already loaded with charcoal or graphite, and then it will transfer the textile to clean paper.^[5]
- For instance, if you'd similar to draw a wispy cloud or a shadow, apply the blending stump equally though it were your charcoal or pencil. Rub as firmly as you like to get a slightly darker image.
5
Rub the stump over charcoal to make a completely dark space. If you're using charcoal or graphite to draw something that appears black, yous'll notice tiny points of the white paper are however visible. Have the blending stump and gently rub over the charcoal or graphite. The stump will motility the material so it fills in the very tiny gaps in the paper.^[6]
- If you still see bits of white, you might need to add more charcoal or graphite before spreading information technology over again with the blending stump.

1
Wipe the blending stump on scrap paper to remove backlog graphite. Yous'll probably discover that your blending stump volition turn dark and outset holding the graphite or charcoal from your drawing. To prevent it from dropping onto your paper, rub the blending stump on a spare sheet of paper occasionally.^[7]
- The excess graphite or charcoal will transfer to the bit newspaper instead of your cartoon.
2
Rub the blending stump against sandpaper to make clean it. Once you've been using a blending stump for a while, it will become very nighttime equally it's loaded with charcoal or graphite. Remove the dirty outer layer of the blending stump by scraping it against a coarse piece or block of sandpaper. Keep scraping and turning it until a new layer of paper is revealed.^[8]
- The coarse sandpaper will cause the blending stump to fray as you make clean it. For less fraying, apply finer sandpaper. Keep in listen that you won't be able to clean the blending stump as hands with the smoother sandpaper.
Tip: Try using a nail file if you lot demand to lightly clean your blending stump. A nail file can be easier to handle than a sheet of sandpaper.
3
Clip fraying ends with a boom clipper. The ends and side of the blending stump may fray the more you use information technology and sharpen it. To remove the fraying ends, take a pair of boom clippers and trim the paper close to the blending stump.^[ix]
- If you adopt, use a craft blade to slice off the fraying ends. Always utilize caution when using a arts and crafts blade and hold the blending stump steady so you lot don't cutting yourself.
4
Use unlike blending stumps according to your project. If you rely on just 1 blending stump, it will get muddied faster and vesture out quickly. Instead, alternating between 2 or 3 blending stumps that you designate for different uses.
- For example, use one blending stump for dark values. Since you won't exist concerned most smudging lighter areas with it, you also don't take to worry about keeping it clean. Then use a dissimilar stump for your light values.
v
Acuminate the tip of the stump with a craft knife. Over time, the tip of the blending stump volition become dull and might even flatten out. To restore the tip, become out a cutting mat and point the tip of the stump downwardly onto the mat. Carefully cut merely the end of the tip as though you lot were trying to sharpen a pencil.^[ten]
- Always cut away from yous so you don't accidentally cut yourself.

Add New Question

Question

Practise you really need blending stumps?

Rebecca Schweiger is a Professional Artist, Published Author, and the Founder of The Art Studio NY, New York City'south #one-rated fine art school and global online fine art studio. Historic by Television networks, press, and celebrities including NBC, ABC, Due east!, Time Out New York, The Kardashians, and Big Bang Theory'due south Jim Parsons, Rebecca specializes in creating abstract artwork and teaching studio art classes. Her art studios provide 100+ weekly, beginner-friendly drawing and painting art classes to people around the globe. With more than than 22 years of art experience, she is the author of Release Your Creativity: Discover Your Inner Creative person with fifteen Simple Painting Projects, and her artwork has been exhibited in more l museums and galleries around the earth. Rebecca holds a BFA in Painting from Boston University's School for the Arts and has participated in acclaimed artist residencies worldwide.

Professional Creative person & Fine art School Founder

Expert Respond

Although you lot don't need them, a blending stump is a terrific tool for cartoon for beginners and artists at whatever level!
Question

Can you use a blending stump with colored pencils?

Rebecca Schweiger is a Professional person Artist, Published Author, and the Founder of The Art Studio NY, New York Metropolis's #1-rated art school and global online art studio. Celebrated by TV networks, press, and celebrities including NBC, ABC, E!, Time Out New York, The Kardashians, and Big Blindside Theory's Jim Parsons, Rebecca specializes in creating abstruse artwork and teaching studio art classes. Her art studios provide 100+ weekly, beginner-friendly drawing and painting art classes to people effectually the earth. With more than 22 years of art experience, she is the author of Release Your Creativity: Detect Your Inner Creative person with 15 Elementary Painting Projects, and her artwork has been exhibited in more than 50 museums and galleries effectually the world. Rebecca holds a BFA in Painting from Boston University's School for the Arts and has participated in acclaimed artist residencies worldwide.

Professional person Creative person & Art Schoolhouse Founder

Expert Answer

For certain! Simply gently printing your blending stump onto your paper and it will smooth out and blend the colored pencil as needed as you would with a drawing pencil..
Question

Is size #8 the largest? I would love a 1 inch size blending stump!

You can make your own, by rolling up newspaper tightly and fifty-fifty shape information technology using sandpaper. You don't use glue, just tape up one end to secure it.

See more answers

Ask a Question

200 characters left

Include your email address to go a message when this question is answered.

Submit

Unfortunately, you tin't use blending stumps with colored pencils. Consider using colorless pencil blenders instead.
For blending finer details, apply a tortillon instead of a blending stump. This narrow tool volition give y'all more command over blending.
If yous want to create a soft border, button downward on the tip of the blending stump to dull it. Then use the tip of the stump to make the edge.

Advertising