There are some drawing tools that I definitely couldn't live without and the Tombow MONO Zero Eraser is one of them! In the last 14 years, using this handy little eraser has enabled me to capture certain effects with greater ease, particularly when it comes to drawing hair....and I draw a lot of hair!
Many of my drawing commissions are for dogs, where I'm keen to give a sense of the softness and flow of the hair when someone looks at the drawing. In my early days of drawing, I would painstakingly try to draw around the lighter strands of hair, attempting to capture the intricate detail of the light and dark sections of the strands. Not surprisingly, this would take a long time and wouldn't really give the effect I was looking for.
As I've worked on developing and refining my drawing technique, I've moved more towards capturing the general movement of sections of hair through observing how the light falls on these sections. And this eraser has been key in helping me to do this as it removes graphite from the paper in thin, straight lines, allowing me to highlight particular areas of the drawing - perfect for hair! The eraser is also refillable, so I can lengthen and sharpen it as needed to keep the tip fine.
Drawing a dog
Here is a drawing of a black labrador that I finished a few weeks ago. In the photograph I was using to do this drawing, the softness of the hair was really striking and so it felt really important to be able to express that with my pencils.
The drawing process
I tend to build up value (graphite) on the paper in stages, using pencils with varying hardness at this stage - generally anything from 4H (harder so lighter tones) to 2B (softer so darker tones). You'll be able to see how I've begun to shade sections of the hair in the drawing opposite, focusing on building up value in sections based on the general light/dark tones in that section.
Using the MONO Zero Eraser when drawing dog hair
Once I have the right amount of value on the paper, I will highlight where the light falls on the hair by using my eraser to take graphite off the page in quick, sharp strokes in the direction of the hair. The video below shows me using the eraser to remove graphite on this dog's chest hair.
Drawing Animals
This eraser was also really useful when I was drawing this Herdwick Sheep and enabled me to take the graphite off the paper in a motion that gave the effect of sheep's wool, which I then enhanced by adding more definition using a darker pencil.
Drawing People
The eraser also helped me capture the softness and lustre of this girl's hair, taking graphite off the paper in the direction of the hair strands. This drawing was another commission where it was really important to capture the likeness and the beauty of this little girl's hair as a key part of the overall drawing.
So the MONO Zero Eraser is definitely a tool I couldn't do without and I'd highly recommend it to anyone keen to develop another drawing technique for drawing hair.
If you'd like to buy a MONO Zero Eraser please use the link below.
(Amazon)
For information, any purchase made through this link will generate a small sum to me.
(But I will only recommend drawing tools that I absolutely love!)
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