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Let's Get Your Creative Juices Flowing!!!
I've been using my Vanish eraser faithfully for a decade, and think it's by far the best drawing eraser out there. I can always find them at my local Jerry's Artarama for $2 each, but I know they're not always easy to find, and can't get over how Amazon charges around $7 a pop for them!
Today I'm on the hunt for a vanish eraser alternative that produces awesome results, is more readily available worldwide, and CHEAPER. Let's get to it!!
To get us started, I've laid some shading down on drawing paper in graphite, charcoal, black colored pencil, India ink and pastel. Lots of the erasers I've picked up for today's test claim to ERASE India ink! Who knew that was a thing?! Let's see how they do...
As you'll see in the video, I tested my Vanish eraser first. It leaves behind larger chunks of eraser shavings and no dust once used, which I find super easy to clean up.
It did a beautiful job lifting graphite (as always), and even removed a bit of the India ink and pastel - which I never would've guessed was possible!
The Prismacolor Magic Rub did fairly well, but tended to smear on all mediums tested. It also left behind a LOT of eraser shavings that either made a mess or tried to kinda work their way into the texture of the paper wherever it was used. The price point on Amazon for the Magic Rub was just right at $1-2 each, but overall, I wasn't impressed with its results.
The pentel Hi-Polymer eraser tended to smear like the Magic Rub and also left behind too many eraser bits for me. I found it on Amazon for only about $1/eraser, but felt it was only slightly better than the Prismacolor in performance.
The first one to slightly impress me was by Faber-Castell. It didn't perform drastically different from the others, but didn't smear or leave behind a huge mess, and cost less than $1 on Amazon - so at this point is a contender.
The Factis two-toned eraser by Generals was the first eraser in today's test to give me a noticeable difference from the rest. It left behind large "crumbles" after each use (which I prefer), and seemed to leave the page slightly whiter than my Vanish when erasing graphite!
The downside of this one is price point. I had a hard time finding it for less than $9 each on Amazon. It performed beautifully though, so if you see one at your local craft store for less, I highly recommend grabbing it!
The Tombow Mono sanded eraser "for ink" (below) has a sanded edge to it, which is kinda unique. I didn't know erasing india ink was a thing before today!
Out of all the erasers tested, the Mono definitely worked best at lifting India ink shading, but it was a little rough on the paper. I felt like if I'd been working on watercolor paper it would've shredded it, so handle with care if you pick one of these up.
The Staedtler Mars plastic eraser did a fantastic job. It was the best at lifting pastel, and did pretty well at lifting India ink. It's got a really nice shape and feels comfortable to hold, is widely available, and only about $1-2 all over Amazon. So far, this might be my fave!!
Make sure you click over to watch the video to see the remaining erasers I tested, and to get my FINAL recommendation if I had to choose an alternative to my beloved Vanish eraser!
Wanna Learn How to Draw a Face?
Feel like you've been putting your erasers to the test trying to draw a face?! I get it!!
If you're not sure how to draw a face, or have just started drawing faces, THIS IS MY JAM!! I'd love to make face drawing easier for you with my FREE whimsical face drawing guidelines. They're super easy to follow and will help you draw proportional facial features every time. Simply click the button below to request your free guidelines cheatsheet, and I'll email it right over!
Once you print your guidelines out, check out this playlist and I'll teach ya how to use them while we draw and shade an easy face in pencil together, step-by-step.
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Karen CampbellFounder of Awesome Art School. Mixed Media Artist. Author of 19 Instructional Art Books! Whose work has appeared in...Archives
September 2024
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"Karen is flipping hilarious and she's very real...I like the way she teaches in a way that really gives you confidence, whether you're a beginner or advanced there's always something new to learn!"
- Elizabeth W. |
What Fans Are SayingKaren, you are absolutely fabulous! You make me feel like I can draw anything. I have recently retired and finally have the time to do some of the art that I have loved since I was in school. I am really at the beginning of my art journey and I hope to learn as much as I can. Thank you for all you do. |
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