Getting the Point
There’s a trick to sharpening colored pencils without breaking off the lead or shortening (literally) their life . . .
Saturday, January 31, 2009
Watercolor pencils are a mainstay in my art journaling and art school workshops. We use them and love them and invariably have to sharpen them.
That’s where the love affair can hit a snag.
Sharpening a colored pencil of any kind is challenging because the leads are much softer than a regular graphite pencil.
Handheld sharpeners are preferred by many, but they are time-consuming and often messy. Electric sharpeners are easier, but usually break the lead off and eat up way too much of the pencil before you get a reasonable point.
But electric sharpeners are my choice because I have discovered a way to make them get along nicely with my watercolor pencils. I have plug-in electric sharpeners in the studio, and carry a small handheld metal sharpener in my journal kit. But, I have also found a portable, battery powered electric sharpener that fits nicely in my traveling art bag and gives me the best of both worlds.
This is the Staedtler Mars Desk Battery Operated Pencil Sharpener which I found at Hobby Lobby for about $7, and which can also be found online at places like this:
It sharpens well and empties easily, but the best part of this sharpener is the grip. Steadiness is key to successfull colored pencil sharpening, and this grip allows you to hold the sharpener firmly. If a table or other surface is available, it is best to hold the bottom (foot) of the sharpener against it for even more stability.
So Here’s the Trick . . .
The trick is to sharpen in one second “spurts”. Remember how you learned to count seconds in grade school by saying “one-thousand-one, one-thousand-two”, and so on? We use that method here.
Grip the sharpener firmly and insert the pencil for one second - with the “thousand” being the time the blades are engaged.
Practice with a regular #2 pencil until you get the hang of it:
One - pencil going in
Thousand - pencil actually sharpening
One - pencil coming out
Repeat this 3-4 times until you have a perfect point.
A Tip on the Tip . . .
You don’t want a needle sharp point on a colored pencil because it will almost always break off and make an ugly mark on your artwork. The photo at the top of this blog entry shows the right type of points for these soft pencils - sharp enough to make a nice line or get into tight spaces, and still strong enough to take a little pressure.
Listen carefully . . .
We’ll be hearing the whirrrrrr of pencil sharpeners all around the world this week - but just for a second.
