Keeping Your Artwork Clean: Fixing Mistakes and Marks. Part 1

As I embark on a new artwork, it is always worth reminding myself of the need to keep it as clean and free from mistakes as possible.

Whether working in graphite or watercolour, your artwork should be protected, not only from accidental marks but also from contact with your hands, as suggested in the course materials.

Of course, we all try our best, but sometimes we get carried away and forget. We convince ourselves that everything will be fine because we are being careful. Then, on that one occasion when the artwork is left uncovered, the worst can happen. Smudges, dirty marks, or paint splatters can quickly ruin our work.

Even if we manage to avoid accidental marks, our hands naturally contain oils. Although regular hand washing helps, repeated contact with the paper can transfer these oils to the surface. This may not be noticeable at first, but the affected areas unfortunately become magnets for graphite dust and other particles.

This is the first of two blog posts about keeping work clean and fixing mistakes. In this post, we will focus on graphite.

As you can see, my hand does not touch the paper when it is protected with tracing paper. Instead, it rests on the tracing paper itself. I can enlarge the opening as I work across the page and use additional sheets of paper whenever extra protection is needed.

Many years ago, I took some artwork to a professional photographer. To me, it looked perfectly clean, but he pointed out that, when scrutinised through the camera lens, it was not. He carefully removed the small smudges, but once oils are transferred to the paper, the artwork will continue to attract particles. Even when we appear to have successfully removed a mark, it can sometimes reappear later. Marks are therefore best avoided rather than fixed.

Before going further, it is worth clarifying that this information applies mainly to final artworks rather than preparatory studies, where absolute cleanliness is far less important. However, for a finished piece intended for an assignment, exhibition, or competition, cleanliness is of the utmost importance.

Sadly, many paintings have been ruined by an accidental paint splatter or a dirty mark that simply cannot be removed. As an exhibition judge, I have also seen work accepted through online submission only to be rejected at hand-in because the original artwork was marked or damaged.

How to Keep the Paper Clean

Prior to beginning a final drawing or painting, the outline must either be drawn directly onto the paper or transferred from another drawing. You can refer to my previous blog post on transferring a drawing for more information.

If transferred properly, the outline should be clean and light enough to blend into the tonal work when using graphite, and pale enough to remain invisible beneath watercolour.

An outline should never be smudgy, nor should it indent the paper. At the same time, it should be as complete as possible, although you may occasionally need to wait for fruits or seeds to develop before finalising a composition. Even so, you should already know where these elements will sit on the page.

I find an H-grade Faber-Castell pencil particularly well suited to creating outlines. After transferring the drawing, the lines can be softened or lightened using a kneadable putty eraser, which can be gently rolled across the surface to remove excess graphite.

To protect the paper, I use a sheet of tracing paper that is the same size as, or slightly larger than, the artwork and fix it to the drawing board. I cut an opening in the area being worked on so that the tracing paper protects the rest of the surface while I draw or paint.

As I move around the artwork, I often cover the area already completed and expose only the next section. This is especially important when working in watercolour, where accidental marks can be more problematic. I can lift the tracing paper at any time to view the whole artwork and can still see the image through it while I work.

At the end of each working session, the artwork should be completely covered with a clean sheet of paper to protect it from dust.

Protecting the paper from my hand touching the surface by isolating the area being worked on, with watercolour work it is always wise to keep as much of the paper covered as possible

Fixing Mistakes and Marks with Graphite

Despite taking great care, marks can still occur.

I mainly use a kneadable putty eraser and a Winsor & Newton kneadable eraser, is excellent for removing smudges. I break the putty eraser into smaller pieces, choosing a size appropriate to the area I am cleaning. One of its greatest advantages is that it can be moulded into almost any shape.

I use it to remove marks or lighten linework before adding tone, gently rolling it across the surface rather than rubbing. This lifts graphite cleanly and is effective on both small marks and larger smudged areas while remaining gentle on the paper. However, putty erasers eventually become dirty and sticky and should be discarded and replaced when this happens.

The short video below shows the three erasers that I use.

https://youtu.be/ffcMGDOBEgI

A dust-free eraser, such as the white Faber-Castell Dust-Free Eraser shown in the video, is another useful tool. Unlike traditional rubber erasers, it gathers the graphite dust into larger particles rather than spreading it around the surface. These particles can then be brushed away easily with a large, clean brush.

Dust-free erasers can also be cut into smaller pieces, making them useful for working in confined areas. However, like all hard erasers, they must be used with great care. Excessive use can abrade the paper surface, making it difficult to add further layers of graphite. The damage may not become apparent until you attempt to build up additional tone.

Different types of eraser: left Tombow Mono eraser, upper right on the page, a white Faber Castell Dust Free eraser (also far right in green) and lower right a Winsor and Newton kneadable putty eraser.

The Tombow Mono Eraser is a refillable, pen-style synthetic polymer eraser that is slightly less rigid than a traditional plastic eraser. It is particularly useful for working in small spaces and, on occasion, I use it almost as a drawing tool to create texture.

Because the tip is small and concentrated, care must be taken not to apply too much pressure, as this can damage the paper surface.

In the video, I also mention the use of fixative. Fixative can be useful, and I recommend Winsor & Newton Professional Fixative. However, it is worth considering carefully whether it is actually needed. If the final drawing is going to be framed or otherwise protected, fixative is usually unnecessary.

For this reason, I tend to use it only in sketchbooks, where graphite transfer between pages can be a problem. If you do decide to use fixative, make absolutely sure that all marks have been removed first because, once applied, those marks will be fixed permanently and can no longer be cleaned away.

Part 2

Fixing Mistakes in Watercolour will follow next week.