Using a Blending Stump
Blending is a critical part of successful drawing. It can be the difference between a bunch of lines and a well drawn portrait. There are different ways to blend such as using your fingers, but a blending stump can be a cleaner and more effective alternative.
What is a blending stump?
A blending stump is simply a very tightly rolled piece of paper formed to resemble a pencil. As rolled paper you can easily pull away bits of paper when the tip gets dirty to keep it clean and sharp. You can use a blending stump with pencil, charcoal, or cra pas.
How do you use a blending stump?
Hold a blending stump like you would a pencil or a piece of chalk, or any way that is comfortable for you. You can use any part of the stump to push around the medium on your paper.
If you want to smooth out a wide sky, use the length of your blending stump. If you need to blend a small area such as an eye, use the tip so that you don’t spread the area too far or make it cloudy. Use a blending stump to use lines without losing a shade or color.
Be careful when you are using a blending stump with colored pencil and especially cra pas. When switching from different colors you don’t want to mess up your picture. Keep a scrap piece of paper out to rub the stump on to remove all the color. Just keep rubbing it until nothing else shows on the paper.
Be careful not to go overboard with your blending stump or else your entire picture will be one tone!
