Paper Tortillions and Stumps Assorted Pack of 5

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Finger: Using your finger to blend a portrait is a big no no because the natural oils from your skin can cling onto the graphite, making the area impossible to erase. If you absolutely need to use your finger to blend, make sure to clean it very well using an oil/grease absorbing cloth/tissue. What is a tortillon? They’re also made of rolled paper, however, due to the pointier tip, they are able to blend even tighter spaces where a high level of precision is required. The other thing to remember is that both are inexpensive, so there’s no reason to choose between them. You should have a sufficient supply of each on hand before you start drawing since it won’t cost you much and will ensure you have the tools you need to execute a drawing on your terms.

Light Values: Always use a clean blending stump when blending light values. You may need to sand it a few times throughout the blending process to keep it clean. I generally use tissue paper for the lightest areas of a portrait. If you’re wondering whether or not blending stumps are suitable for blending, the answer is simple, it’s yes. That’s why they’re called blending stumps! Blending stumps have a soft, smooth texture that allows artists a great deal of fine control when blending from one value to the next. Chamois: Chamois are made of soft leather and are most ideal for blending charcoal and pastel. Not for detailing work. I haven’t tried one, but have heard amazing things about them. Fold the tissue in half and then in half again. Fold it into a triangle one or two times until you can get a pointy corner that’s relatively stiff. Great for tight spaces! Once you begin rolling, keep the paper at an angle so that the point will stay small. If the angle is not extreme enough, the end will not come to a point.Sanding the tips of your blending stump is also a great way to sharpen them. We all know how dull they can get after helping us with so much shading. If you’ve tried cleaning your blending stump with a kneaded eraser, sanded it down, and even shaved it away with an x-acto knife, but it’s still too dirty to use, it’s time to get a new blending stump. As an artist, you should always look for ways to grow and expand your skills. One of the simplest ways to do this is to invest in inexpensive art supplies that will be enormously helpful to you. It could also be that you’d rather buy a new blending stump instead of spending all that time trying to clean it. That’s ok too. Decide whether you want to have a couple blending stumps on hand so that you don’t have to interrupt an art session to run to the store, or be ready to take a few extra minutes to clean it.

Do blending stumps and tortillons look similar? Yes. Are they used for similar purposes? Yes. Are they two names for the same thing? No. While similar in look and function, they are each a different artist tool. Is one better than another? Tortillons are made from sheets of paper that are tightly wound to create a point that can be used for blending. Blending stumps are more expensive than tortillons, and they are softer and offer the ability to create more subtle blending areas. Tortillons can be used instead of blending stumps, but artists often use them as a supplement for their blending stumps. What Do Tightly Rolled Tortillons Do? NOTE: I sometimes use a piece of fine sandpaper or an eraser to keep the tip of my tortillon clean as I use it. It just depends on how much blending of colors you want. But, if you took that piece of paper and wound it tightly, you would discover that it was much harder and more durable. Tightly winding the paper in a tortillon creates a harder object that can handle the abuse you will subject it to. How Do You Use Blending Stumps and Tortillons?If cost is a big factor, it's possible to make your own tortillons. Just do a web search for DIY tortillons or similar. I've made them and been fairly satisfied with the results. You can still use it in dark areas of a drawing, but that’s pretty limiting, so most artists just throw them out. What do you do when a blending stump gets dirty? You can use a kneaded eraser to clean the surface, returning it to a usable condition. Many artists will use blending stumps as a finishing tool and tortillons during the initial stages of a drawing. While blending stumps can be cleaned with a kneaded eraser and sharpened with sandpaper, there’s no need to invest this time when working on a drawing.

When using tortillons, there will be times when you’ll have to apply a good amount of pressure. If you applied that kind of pressure on a piece of paper, it would crumble or tear. The side of a tortillon will not blend very smoothly, but it does create very interesting textures that resemble grass and brushed metal for example. Are they useful? Absolutely, but that hardly makes them a necessity. Blending stumps are an excellent tool for any artist that blends their drawings. What if you draw with ink? Or you don’t want to blend your drawings? To clean a blending stump, start by rubbing a clean area of a kneaded eraser around the tip. This will help remove a lot, if not all of the graphite. If your blending stump is still dirty, use a piece of sandpaper to slowly sand away the paper at the tip.

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Silicon colour shapers and blenders are available in different softnesses, shapes and sizes. From chisel tip to round point, and they’re capable of a wide range of effects. A question most artists out there have asked, what is the best way to blend differing tones of graphite pencils together? I remember from a young age, trying to blend with my thumb and rubbers all creating a bold smudge effect, quite often ruining my drawing.

Despite their ability to achieve smoother transitions, blending stumps are usually much firmer. This gives an artist more control since the tip of the stump won’t usually bend, unlike tortillons. It all depends on what you’re trying to accomplish. Are you trying to do a little light blending? Then use a light amount of pressure. Are you trying to really get into the paper and blend darker values?Is pastel a drawing or painting medium? The answer is both! They’re unique in their qualities and fall between the two. The high pigment concentration in the finest pastels rivals what you’d find in the most vibrant oil or acrylic paints. Their versatility allows you to draw chalky lines and also apply flat areas of colour than can be blended and layered over one another. Tissue: Tissues work great for light or mid-tones. But they don’t work as well for darks because much of your graphite will transfer to the tissue, making those darker values almost impossible to achieve. Here are a few ways you can use tissue paper to blend: The paper on the left has been marked according to my template, and is ready to be cut. After two cuts, it’s ready to be rolled. What is the difference between a blending stump and tortillon? It all comes down to how they are made. Blending stumps are made from paper pulp and formed into a solid stump. Most of the time, you can clean your blending stump, tortillon, or kneaded eraser to the point of fresh, like new beauty. That said, there are times when they are past the point of no return. Let’s talk about the best strategies for cleaning these precious art tools, and how to know if it’s a lost cause.