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What great questions. Pressed belong stumps and rolled essentially work the same. In the end it comes down to preference. My personal preference is the pressed blending stump for most applications. The reason for this is I find the rolled lines some leave the line marks if you use it on its side. I believe work smarter not harder and trying to clean up those lines is just not worth the hassle. I do find I like them for very small areas where I am using the tip and work in small areas such as eyes. Since you can insert the back of a paint brush or skewer in the end and push it out a bit to recreate the fine point it makes it ideal for those applications. So lotion/aloe infused will definitely affect blending quality. Just as you wouldn’t want to put lotion on your hands just before drawing the same is true for your blending tools. It creates smudging and may be difficult to layer with the lotion on those areas. Also, if you’re concerned about archival qualities, those tissues may negatively affect those qualities and may even fine oil spots where you used those lotion infused tissues. I am so glad your teach found this video a helpful tool to teach their students about blending and hope you found it useful. Please give your teacher my regards. Thanks for watching and feel free to reach out if you have any further questions or need more clarification

@ thanks!

@DicedTea your very welcome

I’m glad you enjoyed it.

Great question. Not sure if it is where your trying to blend or something else but here’s a few suggestions: Could be the texture of your paper. Paper choice is very important as each have their own unique texture. If your paper has more texture (even if it feels smooth to the touch) then those raised areas will catch the graphite and leave the valleys open giving you a more dotted or pixelized appearance. Try blending In layers to help build up the graphite. Sometimes once application isn’t enough. You could also help this by applying a bit more pressure to flatten those peaks to get a smoother/more blended appearance. The down side is that you won’t be able to layer as much. As mentioned above layering is very important. To achieve a smooth blend it doesn’t always happen with one application. Sometimes you have to apply your medium blend and repeat until you reach the desired look. Be careful the pressure you use with application and blending as flattening the tooth of the paper will limit your ability to easily manipulate your medium. So take care when blending. Another thing to consider is the medium that you are using. Not all pencils are created equal and the additives used in the graphite can also affect the final outcome. So maybe try different pencils and see which ones work best for your techniques. Finally, the blending device you use will also affect the final appearance. So try different ones and see which creates the look you are going for and works best for your technique you use. If you work in multiple Mediums try not to use the same blending device for multiple mediums. Ie blending stump as it could affect the final appears as if there are ingredients say in charcoal or pastels that negatively affect graphite, it can also affect the final appearance. I know this was a lot but there are tons of things to consider when things aren’t working out as you would like. experiment with different papers and pencils and find which one gives you the best results for your technique. As they aren’t all created equal and what works for one person may not work well for another. I hope this helps and please feel free to ask any additional questions you may have or if you need further clarification on any of the above. Thanks for watching and I hope that a few of these tips will help you achieve the appearance you are trying to achieve.

One last thought…if you are looking at it close up you may see some of that “dotting” for the blending due to the paper texture but when looked at from 5 to 7 feet it should appear smooth

@@Artista365 thank you !! 🙏❤️❤️❤️

@squeisedit your very welcome

Absolutely happy I could help. Glad you enjoyed it

What a great question. I have not actually studied it, I have heard of it and find it to be a similar manner to my value build, but I also feel that the 4B doesn’t get dark enough for my preference. Maybe there is a 4B out there I haven’t come across that gets darker? Either way I think it’s definitely worth me checking out further and seeing any new techniques I may be able to pick up. I always love learning and trying new ways of doing things. Thanks so much for reminding me of this and putting it back in my radar.

You’re very welcome. I have not tried kitchen sponges. That’s a great idea to try. I do worry about the texture affecting the final result but it’s a great idea to try. I love to experiment and find new ways to do things. Thanks so much for the idea.

Thank you so much 🤗💕

Thank you for your feedback. I will definitely consider this in suture tutorials

Yes that would be cool for sure. Have you seen How to Draw Animals in simple steps by Polly Pinder, Susie Hodge,Eva Dutton and Jonathan Newey? It takes a similar approach but gives you a few more steps and there is a very good variety of animals in different poses. Might be worth checking out

Agreed. I love the way it’s all broken down. I don’t think there’s any plans for another one, but I have seen some others that use the same approach.

Thank you so much. Happy new year to you as well. Would love to hear how it goes for you. Always fun to experiment with your supplies and see what works and develop new techniques. So glad you enjoyed it. Thank you for watching and commenting.

Thank you

Thank you so much 😊

Thanks for watching

Thanks so much glad you enjoyed the format. I agree I don’t mind a quick intro but much over that it needs to just get on with it. Lol.

Thank you for your feed back. I do have a list of the colors and their numbers in the video description and I call off the color names as I use them. Not sure if I may have missed one occasionally. I also mention the amount of pressure used as well. Please let me know if there is something specific you would have liked to seen.

Thank you 😊

Thanks

Thanks so much. Charcoal is a great way to push your darks even darker as graphite alone is very difficult to achieve especially if you don’t want the shine. There is a new set of pencils that recently got released that supposedly will not create the shine and supposedly gets darker. I haven’t tried them yet but once I do I will for sure put a video out on that. I also used charcoal and find the blending very smooth. I too scribble some on a paper and lift it with the brush or even the belting stump to get the control in values especially for portraits. I do have video on that. Not sure I talked about the lifting part. The one that is a portrait that is of a fighter I did that a lot. In fact I used the dark area on the pice since there was so much of it to pick up and create the skin tones. Just reapplied if it got too light. I think it’s an excellent technique and so glad you found something that works well for you. It’s all about that journey and seeing different ways artists work and see which techniques work best for you. Love art because there are so many ways to get a final result and there is really no wrong or right in technique as long as the final result is what you wanted to achieve. Thanks so much for sharing.

@@Artista365 i think you talk about pitt mat faber graphite pencils ,mayby i'll truy them.The problem that i have with graphite (portrait -skin) is that i cant lift with the brush to shade and it doesnt look realistic (mayby i dont know how to do,or its not so easy.. you can tell me that. ),thats why i use charcoal that is easiest to lift

Yes I think those are them. I totally get the lifting part but takes a bit of practice. I find myself using a brush more with charcoal and blending stump for graphite as you are correct the brush doesn’t left the graphite as easily. Sometimes if feel I spend more time with the blending stump than the pencils themselves lol 😂. The portrait of the child was done with graphite. Much like the lifting with brush from the darker area for charcoal I do the same but with a blending stump on the graphite. I also like to mix the two graphite and charcoal but the charcoal needs to go down first since it won’t stick to the graphite. And if you can get the blend between the two it is amazing 🤩

@@Artista365 i agree everything you wrote! I also use blending stamp with graphite at small points (eye,nose..) and brush with charcoal..Keep up the good work!!

Thanks so much! You too! Have an awesome and Arty February and 2023 😃

That’s awesome so glad it was helpful.

Thank you so much. Really appreciate your feedback. 🤗

Your very welcome

Thanks so much

What a great question. That is certainly another option. It would be similar to using a tissue. A couple of things to keep in mind when using paper is how much control you may or may not have. Also depending upon the delicacy of your drawing surface and the hardness of the balled up paper it is possible it could dent the paper or leave unwanted marks. So just keep that in mind and try it on a practice piece to ensure you will get the result you are looking for without unwanted consequences. Let me know how it goes I would love to see the results of using this technique. Thanks so much for the question.

Thanks so much for the feed back. I really appreciate your candor. I know I have been very fast in some of my videos and recently have had to go through speech therapy after Covid and have had to relearn things and try to fix some bad habits I have developed. It’s a process but I am hoping all the work I have been doing will eventually show in the presentation of my videos. Glad you enjoyed the tips and I hope they help you.

So glad you found this helpful. Hope it helps you once you get yours done. Thanks for watching. Let me know how it goes. Would love to see your finished swatches.

That’s great. So glad you found these tips useful. If you have any additional questions let me know. Also, let me know how you went with it. Always love to hear your personal experience using tips in my videos.

Thanks so much. As with most things are it’s personal preference as to which one is best for you and your techniques. My personal favorite is the blending stump for most things.

Tq mam , I'm a BFA student 2nd yr I'm full off confusion for bleding shading

It can be confusing. The best way to develop your skills for it is to try different methods to see what works best for you. There is no right or wrong. Everyone develops their ow techniques by combining what they learned in different places and keep what works and discard what doesn’t. It takes time, practice and patience. Everyone learns at a different pace. If there are specific questions feel free to ask and I’ll try to help out as much as I can.

Thanks for watching 😊

Absolutely. Glad you enjoyed it

That is so awesome. Combining techniques really gives you more options. There is no right or wrong just what works for you. So awesome to hear you have found a couple that make your workflow faster and easier. For a brush sometimes a slightly stiffer one works better than the super soft. Just depends upon what you find works for the look you are going for. Experimenting is the best way to find that. Not every techniques works for everyone that’s why experimenting is so important. Keep up the good work and experiments and you’ll be surprised at what you find…even when you do art for a long time. Always something new to learn.

Thank you so much. It was my pleasure. Hoping it helps.

Thank you so much. Really appreciate that.

Oh yes. That is also my go to for the same reasons. They are definitely a game changer. I do use other methods for certain things but 9 times out of 10 I reach for that tortillion … their versatility is just unmatched by any other method in my opinion.

So glad the video was helpful. I do like the mi tientes paper for somethings but definitely not my go to. It is a nice paper overall but my preference is paper with more tooth and not a lot of texture for colored pencils. I haven’t tried oil pastels on them but will add to my list of things to try on that paper. Thanks so much for watching.

Thank you so much. Always happy to help and so glad you have joined the Artista365 family.

@@Artista365 yeeyyyy thankyou so muchhhhh so appreciated😍🙏

Thank you so much. Glad you enjoyed it.

your very welcome...thanks so much for watching

Thank you so much Shane. Really appreciate your comment and support. So glad you enjoy the videos. ❤️😃

Thanks so much for watching. What a great question. While it really comes down to personal preference I prefer the blending stump. I feel it is very versatile and you can blend larger areas by using it at an angle but also get into those very small areas with the tip so no need to change blending tools. Almost like an all in one tool. I do use many of the others depending upon my needs but most of the time reach for that blending stump.

@@Artista365 thank you very much did is my first time blending with a pencil and another question is burnish more easier than layering?

This is another great question. There are a few things to keep in mind when deciding to burnish. The first is are you going to want to make adjustments later in your piece. There’s always the chance that it will be necessary to so if you decide to burnish then it should be one of the last steps in your process. The reason for this is burnishing flattens the tooth of the paper so your pencil will have very little of anything to grab ahold of making the adjustment process a bit more challenging. Next, when using burnishing with graphite it tends to get shiny as you end up “polishing” with the softer grades. All of that being said I typically use burnishing more for colored pencil than graphite. And even then i still layer prior to burnishing. This helps get an even layer of pencils and in the nooks and crannies of the paper helping to avoid the little white specks without flattening or using a lot of pressure. Layering can get you to the full coverage without using a lot of pressure. And with colored pencils it creates a depth of color and color mixing not possible when you start out with burnishing. Yes it maybe take a bit longer but I find it creates more depth in the piece especially when layering colors. Also, if your constantly burnishing your hand ends up getting fatigued much faster and in my case flares up my arthritis so using less pressure in my case is important. I hope these considerations have been helpful for deciding when to use the burnishing technique. Let me know if you have any other questions or would like further explanation on burnishing vs. layering.

Thank you so much. So many techniques to do the same thing. Love that about art

Thank you 🙏🏻 ☺️

Thank you. Love the feed back and it’s a great idea. Will definitely put it on the books to redo

Thanks so much. Yes toned paper is so much fun to work with. Hope to see what you create soon

That is so awesome and welcome! Yeah blending stump is definitely one of my favorite to use. Finer details are certainly one of the most difficult to find tools for. So glad you were able to find the micro brush for yours. All about experimenting and see what works best for each individual technique and section. Again, welcome and so glad to meet you.

Awwwe thank you 😊

Haha. Yes that’s why it’s step by step real time. You can always fast forward through it to get the parts you need.