How to sharpen PASTEL PENCILS - The ONLY video you need to watch! Jason Morgan Art

[@laureendavis2369]

I was told by an artist a while back and I'm not sure if its accurate or not but they recommended running a graphite pencil through your pencil sharpener every now and then. They said it will help clean off any residue left behind by pastels and colored pencils and will extend the life of the blades. I've been doing it but I have no idea if it works or if I just have the most impressive collection of sharp graphite pencils in my county. 😂

[@wildlifeartjm]

I tell people to use a woodless graphite. It's the graphite that lubricated the blade.

[@berolinastrassmann]

This is a great tip! Thank you for that!

[@sonjadonovan2016]

​@@wildlifeartjm I use the cheapest woodless graphite pencils from amazon to run through the sharpener for a about 15-20 turns one my pastel pencils seem to "suffer". It seems to do the trick for now, but I don't know for how long.

[@bettertomorrow2625]

Yes, woodless graphite and use a harder one. It works better than the softer dark Bs. 2B or harder is generally recommended.

[@dlw4081]

Thank you! I always learn more from your videos than I do anywhere else. I just ordered my sharpener & a replacement blade

[@madmadmona]

Hi Jason. I've watched your videos for several years and shared the travails of sharpening pastel pencils. So, as a fellow traveler, this post is offered in good will and in no way intended to lessen the value of your years'-long efforts to help us all in that endeavor. You certainly have helped me in this regard--and others, of course. Nevertheless, I am very much a believer in sharing helpful information wherever it can benefit anyone. Also, this information seems to me to be in quite a different vein. Thus, I am offering this to you and your viewers and hoping that the sharing will expand. I have tried very hard to condense it all down and apologize if anyone finds it too long. So, here goes: A mini belt sander is the solution to the difficulty and frustration of achieving sharp pastel pencils without breakage. No further need for pencil sharpeners or craft knives. These sanders are very small, very easy to use, offer nice precision and clean, sharp points quickly and with no breakage, because the force that need be used on the pencils is quite negligible; far, far less force than pushing them into a sharpener or even using a craft knife to shave bits off. The sanders run $30-$70 (USD). Mine included variable speed and 20 belts in 4 different grits. (I prefer low speed and course grit.) They are widely available online, several brands and in various configurations. The footprint of mine is comparable to a Swordfish hand-crank sharpener though the sander is perhaps a couple of inches taller. Yes, it is a very, very small machine. And achieving a really sharp point is FAST, less than a minute. In addition, many of the models offered include grinding wheels and also can use Dremel and Dremel-type accessories with the sanders, though those features have no interest for me. CONS: Kicks out considerable dust. I use a small cardboard box to help enclose the dust and a face mask to prevent breathing it in. A while-you-work vacuum system would be a great help. Not useful for plein air unless battery-operated ones are available. I haven't looked into that possibility. I hope you and all our friends find this information as exciting as I do. Bon voyage! Thank you.

[@madmadmona]

You are most welcome.

[@Boruto1923]

Very very much thanks for your video

[@sneal9012]

Thank you, Jason, for sharing your knowledge with us. You are easy to follow with your clear and concise advice.

[@wildlifeartjm]

My pleasure!

[@roeleensteenkamp3014]

Thank you for this tip

[@didee1000]

Thank you so much Jason! Much appreciated!

[@mkb458]

I also noticed that if you don't shove the pencil in all the way..they don't break as much. Don't forget to take any stickers off the pencils too. Great vid!!

[@wildlifeartjm]

Good point!

[@cathheffernan8895]

You are a Pleasure to watch Sir. Thank You for all Your experience, time and effort.

[@wildlifeartjm]

So nice of you

[@janetwhitehead4113]

I have 2 swordfish ikon sharpeners! They are great!

[@lisab2010ful]

This sharpener saved my life ! So thank you for suggesting it in the past 🎉

[@wildlifeartjm]

You're so welcome!

[@ClamJaneH66]

Thanks Jason for such a good instructional video. Clear and precise details and very helpful.

[@wildlifeartjm]

my pleasure

[@karenhinson9582]

Thank you. It was extremely helpful.

[@RebeccaJohnson-q9l]

Excellent! Thank you for sharing. I have bought so many sharpeners trying to solve these problems.

[@amandapearce9039]

I'm waiting for this sharpener to arrive plus have purchased a spare blade. Thanks for the tips and tricks in advance.

[@anitaburbeck3284]

Very informative and helpful. I had no idea that the blades could be replaced.

[@kristinelindgren5047]

Thank you for this information. It’s very useful. I love your videos!

[@wildlifeartjm]

my pleasure

[@annem5855]

Yes had a very similar problem with the Swordfish - best sharpener out there

[@dianalee4312]

This was so helpful Jason. Thank you. Changing that blade, then almost recycling the old one is brilliant.

[@wildlifeartjm]

my pleasure

[@olgad8799]

Thanks a lot Jason. You are great.

[@wildlifeartjm]

Happy to help!

[@SG-qi7pv]

Thank you, Jason. Such a helpful video.

[@catherinemourounas7132]

Thanks so much for this video Jason! I have binned so many sharpeners its unreal (not to mention costly)- and finally, with your help I will find a solution to the problem!

[@susanharwood3821]

Thank you Jason for your tips on sharpening. You have answered the question every artist new to pastel pencils will have. The one thing you didnt share however was the graphite pencil you had on your desk. I was given this tip sometime ago. Sharpen a graphite pencil in between sharpening your pastels which will stop your blade dulling so quickly.

[@wildlifeartjm]

yes, I was th eone that started that years ago - I forgot to mention it in this video ;o)

[@Hevkk1]

Thank you so much. This is wonderful, especially as I have just bought my first swordfish sharper (and love it)

[@denisehopkins7338]

I have just purchased this sharpener. Oh my goodness it is amazing! Glad to see you change the blade so I know what to do when it won’t go in easily. 🤗

[@wildlifeartjm]

my pleasure

[@kriscant8946]

Your videos are wonderfully helpful! Thanks so much for taking the time to share this one, too.

[@gergananedyalkova8927]

Tank You❤ Very useful Video ❤

[@tammyeastman9689]

Thank you, this is so helpful for a beginner like me. I love your method of using two sharpeners! Seems like a great way to get the most use out of the blades.

[@wildlifeartjm]

I'm so glad!

[@ElizabethBix-y2u]

Brilliant Jason I love your videos you have a Tue skill with pastels but also teaching thank you

[@wildlifeartjm]

Thanks so much 😊

[@K9Artist1]

Very informative, Jason .. thank you very much!

[@wildlifeartjm]

my pleasure

[@billjeffery7970]

I use these for the initial sharpening of new pencils, but after that I maintain the point using a knife and sandpaper block, as this gives you the most control over the shape of the point and extends the life of the pencils more than using a crank sharpener. I appreciate that this technique isn’t ideal for everyone, however you can end up saving a lot of money on buying replacement pencils and sharpener blades. The trade off is it takes a lot longer to sharpen pencils this way vs just using crank sharpener. I’ll add that it isn’t always desirable to keep your pencils needle sharp at all times, depending on what you’re trying to render it can sometimes be beneficial to have a flat chisel tip or a rounded “bullet” tip, especially if you’re going for a more painterly look as opposed to something very tightly rendered.

[@lisamorrell7122]

That was extremely helpful! Thank you!

[@wildlifeartjm]

Glad it was helpful!

[@anthonycampbell5810]

Very helpful video. Thank you

[@wildlifeartjm]

You're welcome!

[@VanessaTong-b4n]

Thanks for this Jason. Very helpful and informative!

[@dojkarima]

Thank you Jason, very interesting and easy to understand. 😊

[@veggie1962]

Thank you , very helpful

[@wildlifeartjm]

my pleasure

[@mrsallen6146]

Excellent video which will help anyone who is new to pastels. It can be frustrating when things go wrong. I have just received my replacement blade as mine wasn’t sharpening properly. Thanks Jason

[@wildlifeartjm]

thank you

[@imelda4870]

Thank you Jason. I can now stop feeling frustrated about broken pencil and know what to do

[@dawsie]

I keep the shavings in a jar, on per colour. I sift out the colour dust from the wood shavings. I hate drawing on pure white paper. So I use the pencil dust sprinkled on the paper and with my fingers I gently rub the area that I want with the colour I poured onto the paper, I then shake the dust back into the jar before adding the next colour to the page. If I have 3-4 different shades of yellow I put them all in the one jar. I also keep the water colour pencil dust seperate from standard coloured pencils. They also come in handy if I’m making something with white or translucent polymer clay it gives the clay a very interesting marbled effect. The wood shavings I keep for my miniature doll house work. Surprising how useful the extra fine sawdust comes in handy. It takes that very stark Whiteness off the page and gives me a soft coloured background of where I will be adding more from that colour range. It also takes away that “oh no blank page fear syndrome away” I always got drawing blocks writers block from a blank crisp page. I use reference photos, multiple photos of the same subject area or if it’s an animal or plant it’s a few different subjects of the same type but never of the same one subject and all from different angles reason is because I want to creat my own picture with my own background. I buildup my subject in my minds eye of how I want it to look like the photos, the multiple photos are there to stop me from doing a total copy. It helps me to change how they are positioned on the page. Different angles helps me to change the way an animal is siting or laying down. Not easy to explain it’s just how I have been doing it since I was 4-5 years of age. I draw what I see in my minds eye.

[@smileyphotography1]

Very helpful, thanks Jason

[@HelenAdams-s9n]

Absolutely brilliant thanks so much for all your advice👍

[@diannehorvath9291]

So helpful as always!

[@barbarablasi1262]

Just what I was looking for today, you read my mind. Thank you 😊😊

[@lisam2537]

Thank you. This is something I have struggled with. It took a bit of time to realize I didn’t have to have a very sharp point all the time. But sometimes I do like a sharp point for whiskers and things. This was so very helpful and I’m going to order that sharpener. Btw I do purchase the small hand held sharpener by Stabilo it is quite nice. Doesn’t last all that long but does a decent job and very inexpensive. Thank you again for your help.

[@wildlifeartjm]

Glad it helped!

[@miateglia]

Thank you! I have also Swordwish and it is the best sharpener.

[@wildlifeartjm]

It really is!

[@JC-il4or]

Very helpful vid!! Thank you!

[@honeyc7771]

Thank you so much!!!

[@judithseeney3024]

Thanks for that useful information Jason especially the idea of using 2 sharpeners

[@catgoddess1190]

Great tips and good info about the difference in the pencil brands

[@pumalass]

Brilliant thank you

[@garrymarlton3656]

Thank you, very informative. I have over a dozen different types of sharpeners and all have there uses. I have the Swordfish but goes blunt to quick for my liking. Though I have to be carefully as it takes so much pencil I have found the electric sander to be the most effective.

[@cindybissantz3513]

Great info, Jason! 💖

[@wildlifeartjm]

my art lessons Patreon art channel - www.patreon.com/wildlifeart Art lesson website - www.jasonmorgan.co.uk/ Artists reference photo site - www.wildlifeart-online.com/ Facebook - facebook.com/jason.morgan.wildlife.art/ Instagram - instagram.com/wildlife_art_jason/

[@michaelam.4296]

Great Video. Now I know how to change my blade😊

[@wildlifeartjm]

Right on!

[@enricazunic2645]

Grazie, grazie per le spiegazioni così gentili e dettagliate.

[@alexsandrarokas7117]

Thank you. You’ve taught me a lot.

[@loati94]

Very useful video!

[@wildlifeartjm]

Glad to hear that!

[@ag9983]

thank you!

[@wildlifeartjm]

You're welcome!

[@petrastiglingh1217]

Thank you Jason

[@jennykonz1004]

Wonderful advice thank you Jason. Keep it coming... Suggestion for future video might be how to resurrect a broken pan pastel.

[@LScottArt]

Thank you! I have the Swordfish sharpener, still on my original blade. I’m confident I can now successfully change blades when it gets dull.

[@wildlifeartjm]

my pleasure

[@christadirriks454]

Thank you

[@wildlifeartjm]

You're welcome

[@margretanniegudbergsdottir1778]

Great video.

[@wildlifeartjm]

Thanks!

[@janjarvis9398]

Great full thanks

[@charlottepartridge9902]

Thanks so much, really helpful video. I feel like more of my pastel pencil goes into the sharpener than onto the paper so I’m hoping I can change that now!

[@wendyeggins-tw7ig]

Thank you, very informative. I would love to see the different paper you can use. And different methods for the different papers

[@wildlifeartjm]

I have many paper test videos here on youtube

[@mikepolo2887]

Thank you for the insights! I never sharpen my pastel pencils, I just remove the wood with a knife ans if I need a thin line, I rotate the pencil to find a sharp corner.

[@sheilasinghal2922]

Thank you! This was really helpful. I like my pencils (of all kinds) to be sharp, but I dislike using a craft knife to sharpen things. I have many many pencil sharpeners for different purposes, but a Swordfish is now on my list. 😊

[@kateintheartery8281]

Many thanks, I didn't know you could get replacement blades for the swordfish. I have a Jakar electric sharpener and replace blades on that but its quite a job to open the case.

[@Ms.Mel.Creates]

Thanks for this!

[@leerag]

Thank you for this video. Very informative just like every other beginner video I've seen by you. Sharp pencils are a nightmare for me, I bin more of my pencil than goes on the paper and I've only just started few weeks ago. Ive yried numerous sharpeners. Broken pencils or the blade dies as with doing fur i get 5 strokes then have to sharpen. Swordfish i was recomended but can find it anywhere in nz like derwent pencils and caran dache pastel pencils.

[@JennyD234]

Hi Jason. Having checked my box of sharpeners, I discover I have Swordfish Omni, Ikon, Point and a Curve, all bought as they stopped working, like you said, after a short time. Didn't realise you could get spare blades, so this video is great. Would you know if the one blade would fit them all???

[@wildlifeartjm]

sorry no idea about the fit

[@TessLeeM]

Have you ever had a blade with a nick it it? I loved it in the beginning abut it started chewing up my pastels...when I looked at the blade there was a sizable nick in one of the cutting edges...

[@greekveteran2715]

I use KUM and M=R regular style sharpener (like the brass one near the end of this video) with good results. I sharpen the blades on a Fallkniven CC4 when the go dull. It brings them back to new, if not sharper than that! I touch the bottom side for just one or 2 passes with almost no pressure. Then I use my finger ti hold the edge bevel flat on the stone and use back and forth motion.Because it's Ceramic (white side) it only takes a minute, from start to finish, to bring it back to razor sharp!

[@faribaj.4619]

Thank you Jason! It's a pleasure to watch your videos. It's not easy to find Ikon Swordfish sharpener in Hungary. What do you think about Derwent sharpener? Is there any replacement blade for it or just I cannot find it in the Internet!🤔

[@wildlifeartjm]

not really sure. The IKON is not incredible, they all go blunt by the very nature of pastel. I would either get a cheap one or research any that you can replace the blade on

[@JennyD234]

Apologies, I have just looked online to se you n=require different blades for different sharpeners. However, I haven't used any of my sharpeners for a long time and trying them out just now find they do not grip the pencil at all and the handle just goes round without any tension. Do I need to buy yet another?

[@wildlifeartjm]

you should just need the blade

[@SusanJack-m5n]

How about electric sharpeners? I've seen you test the Jakar-what about electric Swordfish or others?

[@wildlifeartjm]

In my experience they are too aggressive and if the nib snaps inside, which it will at some point, it can be very difficult to get it out.

[@SueNeary]

Can I turn pastel sticks into a powder to use similar to pan pastels as I fine them too expensive for my budget

[@wildlifeartjm]

Absolutely

[@SueNeary]

@@wildlifeartjm thank you, I'll give it a try

[@deborahmercer1897]

Question: I have only had my swordfish sharpener for about a month( for my Pitt Pastels) and it has just started chewing up my pencils. However, the front part that holds my pencils is no longer receding back towards the sharpener as it is meant to do. Do you think I just need a new blade or is it more likely my swordfish has become damaged somehow?

[@wildlifeartjm]

piece of pastel nib snapped off inside - remove blad as I show in this video and tap it out ;)

[@mandylou9264]

Thanks Jason, as always great video! I had no idea how to take my swordfish icon apart, now i know 😊 Are you able to advise where i can get the cheapest blade replacements? They are really expensive on Amazon 😮 Thank you in advance, love your channel.

[@wildlifeartjm]

Not that I know of

[@sonjadonovan2016]

I cannot seem to find the swordfish "ikon" or "icon" sharpener anywhere. Are they no longer being produced. Do you have another brand recommendation? I do have a Dahle 133, would that work for pastel pencils?

[@annmayer8251]

Hi Jason, Thanks so much for this fab instruction. I was wondering whether you had reviewed the Derwent helical table top sharpener - whether it compares nicely to the Swordfish? Thanks, Ann

[@wildlifeartjm]

I tested out a lot many years agpo - videos on YT and then stopped wasting my money on buying more - cant remember if I di dthat specific one

[@PursuingHeaven]

My derwent pencils do not fit my Swordfish, I have to use a knife and then gently finish with a M+R brass sharpener like you have and a piece of sand paper...

[@wildlifeartjm]

Derwent should always fit I have had many swordfish sharpeners and Derwent have always fit as they are one of the smaller diameter of all pastel pencils. Carn D Ache are the ones that dont fit.

[@PursuingHeaven]

@@wildlifeartjm Jason I think I figured it out. Blick put a scan code sticker at the front of the pencil near the tip and it was not going into the sharpener or was getting stuck and snapping. I took it completely off and replaced my blade and it finally worked without snapping. I ordered two extra blade sets and they just came today. I will probably get one more crank so that I can have two like you- I am getting ready to start some of your tutorials so I will need it. I asked my family for the full set of Derwent to go with my other sets (Pitt, Carbothello, Conte and Bruynzeel) because I only have a few and love the derwent colors for animals so I a REALLY glad this worked because I didn't want to knife sharpen 72 pastels! LOL

[@diseyful]

Thank you so much,would much rather use those than the knife any day!!

[@JaneToombes]

I’d love one of these but in Canada they are $65 for the sharpener and then $40 for replacement blades. Crazy pricing

[@wildlifeartjm]

same principle for them all - just see whats available where you are

[@quelizabeth2]

The crank on my sharpener came off, and can’t get it back on, can you please help me

[@KLG777]

I don't understand why these companies that make these pencils have the sharpener that matches them. Come on companies, your pencils are not cheap, get on the bandwagon!

[@gillinacook1477]

I always just use blades and sand paper

[@wildlifeartjm]

Yes if you have the time they work well.

[@MrsCurios]

With the Kum Masterpiece you can remove only the wood without touching the pencil with a knife.

[@carlahamilton385]

Very helpful. Thanks for sharing.

[@Deborah-zm7ot]

Really helpful video. Thanks

[@sussiemikkelsen1764]

Thank you 🙏 Very helpful information.

[@mollyhammond6438]

Thank you