Pencil sharpening tips

[Datameister]

Hey, all. I'm wondering if any of you have any suggestions on ways to keep (non-mechanical) pencils sharp without using them up too quickly. I particularly have this trouble with Prismacolors--the leads are beautifully soft, but this means they quickly become stubs. I do make a point (no pun intended) of rotating whatever pencil I'm using for shading; this preserves the point for a while, but not indefinitely. Any tips?

Should I just give up trying to keep the pencils long and allow them to wear down quickly, buying replacements (and an extender or two, as well) as I go?

[squidmonk3j]

i use single sider razor blades (and sand paper). never use an ordinary sharpener....u lose too much ammo that way:)

[Datameister]

You're not the first to suggest that to me. I really ought to start listening to people's advice! Any specific tips on how to achieve the most bang for your buck when using the razor?

[Justin.]

Well, I used a razor for the first time when using those Peel pencils (not the pure no-wood pencils), and it was pretty self-explanatory. Though I know |ntern put up a Tutorial for it once...

[squidmonk3j]

there's no real trick....just remove as much wood as you need (depending on how broad strokes u wanna make), then apply sandpaper (again depending on what type of strokes u want to use + if you want a sharper edge).

just experiment until u find the shape you're comfortable with:)

[Datameister]

Cool. Thanks, guys. I also bought an extender today and a few more Prismas, so I won't be too concerned.

[HunterKiller_]

I've just conducted a little experiment after reading this.
I look two ordinary pencils (H) of the same length, cut the lead down to the wood, then proceeded to sharpen both back to a fine point.
One with a regular steel sharpener, and one with Stanley knife.

After sharpening both, i compared and measured both pencils, and the results were...
The knife sharpened pencil was almost 3mm longer than it's sharperner sharpen counterpart!

I don't think the regular sharpener is completely at fault here. Technically, both methods should be shaving off the same amount of lead to achieve a fine point, but i think it's just very easy to over sharpen while using a sharpener.

*class dismissed*

[Datameister]

3mm?! I'll never sharpen another pencil with an electric sharpener again!

;)

No, but seriously, I get that it adds up over time. I'm plannning on trying sharpening manually. Thanks for the experiment!

[v0rbiss]

Never use regular sharpener for a pencil you'll use for drawing, it's tottaly inefficient method. Also, I personaly prefer to use very cheap pencils, so i never bother about some part of the graphite going to waste(talking bout KOH-I-NOOR regular pencils, around 0.20 usd each.) ;) Gives you more freedom to experiment with the tip's lenght/form too. :)
Btw i'm very surprised to hear some people actually sharpen pencils with sandpaper, those Prismacolor pencils must be really expensive.:$

[Datameister]

Meh, Prismas are about $1 (USD) each around here. I have a pack of 48 from a few years back and about four or five black ones I bought individually. Fun to work with--they put down a nice, rich black when you want them to. My time for drawing is so limited these days that I don't go throught them that fast...

[HunterKiller_]

Another thing i realized is that by using a blade to sharpen coloured pencils, you can just chip off the wood casing without touching the lead. When using coloured pencils/ It's not neccesary most of the time to have a fine point, obviously, so you save all those layers of lead that would have gone into the bin to achieve a fine point.

Regular pencils on the other hand are cheap, and are usually prefered to be sharp, so i think a regular sharpener is fine for these.

I never use electric sharpeners and strongly advise against because they do too good of a job. You can't see the pencil while it's in the machine, and the next thing you know, it's already devoured a good chunk.

[Datameister]

I do prefer to have colored pencils sharp as much of the time as possible. I use mainly black Prismas, and I use them similarly to how I'd use graphite. Keeping it sharp allows smoother application of the pigment and much more control when doing detail work.

[Elwell]

I never use electric sharpeners and strongly advise against because they do too good of a job. You can't see the pencil while it's in the machine, and the next thing you know, it's already devoured a good chunk.
Top of the line electric sharpeners have an "auto-stop" feature to prevent this. There's actually a switch at the bottom of the sharpener mechanism that gets tripped when the point is as long as it can get, shutting off the motor. Also, expensive sharpeners have much more powerful motors, so they cut more "cleanly" and are less likely to chew and chip up soft leads like prismas. For people who do a lot of colored pencil work a good electric sharpener is an incridible time and effort saver, but otherwise stick with a knife and block.

[Justin Caise]

There may be even more to it than that.
the shape of your tip is a large factor also.
I read in an older and not so glamorous book on beginners sketching which I found at the library that while a pointed tip is best for line drawing in certainly has its limitations regarding shading and differing line weights. this book, the name of which escapes me at the moment, suggested shaving and sanding the tip into an almost duckbilled shape rather like that of a calligraphy pen. You've seen calligraphy, how the lines gets thin, and then wide, and then thin again. I believe this also helps to create sharp or soft lines as well. I haven't practiced much with this shape though. It was immediately uncomfortable for me and i haven't yet pushed myself through that.

[Flatuloso]

My teacher this year made a good recommendation of trying out 'lead holders' eg. those mechanical pencils that hold the really wide sticks of graphite. His reasons being that they retain the same weight, allowing you to get really accustomed to them. He also had a sharpener that could sharpen them to rediculously fine point. So, maybe get a few of those if you'd like to give em a try!

[Il Capo]

The whole thing is a matter of personal preference. That said, heres what you should do:

Like Flatuloso said, go with the lead holder. After mastering the technique of razoring the wood off of my pencil. Then, sanding the lead to a needle point. I realized that I'm spending a lot of f**king time sharpening pencils! For an easy solution, buy a couple Staedtler leadholders and a sherpener. I recommend more than one so that you can select from different leads. I have an HB, and H, and a 2H.

You'd be amazed at what you can achieve by layering these leads! Keep them sharp and keep a kneaded gum eraser handy. With the sharpener, or "pointer" you merely extend the lead a bit, put it in the hole, and spin the thing. You son't even break concentration on what you're trying to draw. It is more expensive at first, but get a pack of lead and it will last you forever. Just dont lose the damn leadholder.

http://www.staedtler.com/Mars_technico_780_C_gb.Staedtler?ActiveID=2204
http://www.staedtler.com/Mars_lead_pointer_tub_gb.Staedtler?ActiveID=2229

[David Kassan]

Lead pointers are the best choice, I have 5 of em with different leads.

Here is a guy that is really into lead holders, a little too much....

http://www.leadholder.com/ LOL

[Valor]

You can also use Prismacolor Verithin pencils. The leads are harder so the tip lasts a little longer than the regular Prismas.

[HunterKiller_]

Here is a guy that is really into lead holders, a little too much....

http://www.leadholder.com/ LOL

Hahaha. Yes, someone is a little bit obsessed, i think.

[carlosranna]

Yeah! You have to sharpen it everytime... Now that we are ok with it, here is a cool stuff i found over the internet a time ago! I never let my pencils like that, but it´s always your call on how to use it. Hope you guys like it!

[HunterKiller_]

^ Whoa. What a time consuming way to sharpen a pencil.
Leaving such a long length of lead exposed is pretty bad too, a little too much pressure and you've just lost half your pencil.

[carlosranna]

^ Whoa. What a time consuming way to sharpen a pencil.
Leaving such a long length of lead exposed is pretty bad too, a little too much pressure and you've just lost half your pencil.

I agree... I guess the only real advantage would be the capability to make wide "strokes" (?) with the pencil...

[David Kassan]

I can't believe that someone took the time to make that, both the tutorial as well as the pencil carving. zzzzzzzzz

[Fl3wk]

I recommend the Faber-Castell TK9400, the leads vary in grades, and they are pretty strong too. I usually just sharpen the lead with a stanly knife, but I find that takes too long and one miss and you chopped off quite a bit of lead! I think I will look for some sandpaper :D

[Hyskoa]

You are ready to draw... or re-enact buffy the vampire slayer.
Either way is fine really.

[foggle]

and there I was using statedler HB pencils and sharpening them with a good old fashioned metal sharpener:rolleyes:

Seriously though, Seing as I use cheap pencils for little sketches most of the time, there no real need for me to be more careful. By the time I run out of pencil ive usually bought 2 more.

[tonny]

thanks for the info.

[incolorinred]

This is solid info. Those sand paper sheets work well.

[Dizon]

keep your pencil sharp as well as your focus!