A rubber eraser etiquette nobody told me about

Why I took a little art implement for granted

Next to coloring pencils, I believe erasers were among the very first drawing materials I encountered as a child. I started with rubber erasers and, as a teenager, discovered the amazingness of kneadable erasers.

But even though erasers can be like magic, I never gave them much care or attention. The little art tools were always around my desk—sometimes in plain sight, but more often well hidden under papers, books, clothes, or tucked away in the most illogical places. This, of course, always seemed to happen when I desperately needed them.

I never really liked rubber erasers:

I must admit, I never really enjoyed using rubber erasers, even as a child. The erasers we had available at school were particularly horrible. Most of the time, they were crumbly, dried-out little things that either created a smudge in your drawing (that was impossible to remove) or caused tears and folds in your paper while using them. The result was that I tried avoiding making mistakes altogether —an impossible mission, of course, but one I would attempt nonetheless.
New erasers were okay for a while, of course, but we didn’t get new ones very often.

Then I started drawing with more intent, aspriring to become an illustrator. I needed to up my game. Over the years, I've tried a couple of different brands and types, ranging from inexpensive to more costly options, but I always ended up feeling a little disappointed. Ultimately, I began to see them as unreliable little brats on a mission to ruin my drawings because:

1. Their life expectancy was short. As in; they were only good to use right out of the wrapper but only for a week or 2. And after that, they would start drying out fast.

2. They could unexpectedly smudge my paper with unforgiving stains 😭

3. They could damage the texture of the paper, especially once they started to harden.

4. They often wrinkled my paper due to their resistance to the surface! (ACK!)

5. They left annoying bits of rubber crumbs all over my paper.

   *Note that these points are partly biased because I didn't know how to handle my rubber erasers properly.

But I really LOVED kneadable erasers:

The moment I learned about their existence, they quickly and permanently replaced the rubber erasers from my pencil case because:

1. kneadable erasers don't dry out very easily, especially if you use them often. (You can have them lay around for ages and they will still be good to use).

2. kneadable erasers are self-cleaning when you knead them before use.

3. kneadable erasers don't leave any eraser crumbs 👍👍👍

4. you can knead them into pointy shapes, or even tear them into small bits to work on smaller and more delicate details.

5. Bonus points for entertaining me during boring school hours, as they were fantastic to play with and knead into figures.**

   ** Just a warning: kneading them into little pieces of art is fun but not advisable, as your fingers will make them quite greasy at some point. This will shorten their lifespan and cause oily smudges on your paper that are hard to erase. Let’s just say I learned that the hard way. 😅

Let’s get to the point of my musings, shall we?

So, in the end, I hardly ever used rubber erasers anymore because I thought they were useless and a waste of money. The only exception was when I needed to erase something with a bit more pressure, which you can’t always accomplish with a kneadable eraser.
But then a friend gifted me a good-quality rubber eraser that I liked using, only to discover that it quickly started to dry out as well, even though I had only just gotten it.
It finally made me wonder if maybe ‘I’ was the reason why these erasers never lasted very long.

In my defense, nobody ever told me how to take care of them before, so I never gave it any thought. Still, I finally got curious enough to do some research, and to my shame, I learned that there is just one simple thing that I should’ve done to preserve the quality of my erasers, and it’s SO simple, it’s almost painful.

So to all of you out there who, like me, were clueless

Store that darn thing in a dark, airtight container after use!

There you go. That’s all… I felt a bit silly when I found out myself. 
I mean… DUH! 😂
So I guess I’ve been very sloppy with all of my erasers during my career.
I let them hang around my desk, having them sit in direct sunlight, and never ever put them away properly. They just lay there exposed to the elements while getting dirty, dusty, dry, or moist. And none of these circumstances are great for their durability. No wonder I was always throwing them away as they became useless, often doing more harm than good to my drawings.

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I realize this article is starting to get a bit long, but as we’re on the subject anyway, I just wanted to share some more tidbits and a small summary.

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What eraser should you buy?

There is a wide variety of erasers. I mentioned the rubber eraser and the kneadable eraser, but there are all kinds of varieties, and all of them with their own use and qualities.

I'm not going to re-invent the wheel because there is already a really good article written by Jackson's Art Supplies. They describe a range of brands and have tested them using different art methods. It's a very insightful article with pictures (yay), and it can help you orientating which eraser works best for you.

CHECK IT OUT HERE

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And last but not least: Some VERY basic tips (that may make you say ‘duh’ again).

For non-kneadable erasers:

1. Store your eraser in a container that’s dark and air tight. This way you’ll always know where it is when you need it (provided you put it back into its place after using it). You will be able to use it for a longer period of time as it stays in good condition.

2. Before using the rubber eraser on your precious drawing, check if it's clean and not dried out to prevent damage and stains. (PS: it’s a great tip, but I never follow it myself, haha!)

3. Check if the eraser isn't too dried out to use. Press your fingernail into the surface to test its hardness. If it firmly resists the pressure, it may be time to toss it out.

4. If it's not too firm, you can try and scrub off the eraser's outer surface against a rough piece of sanding paper (for example, 180 grit or an emery board). You may find out that the inner part of the eraser may still be good to use.

5. The sanding process will additionally clean the muck and graphite away. But you can also do this by rubbing it on a clean piece of paper or a solid polymer surface.

For kneadable erasers

1. Store the eraser in a plastic bag or container to prevent it from getting dirty. Kneadable erasers are prone to attract dust and grime. Work on a clean surface because you really don’t want the eraser to land in dust, breadcrumbs, or even a bunch of hair from your molding pet.

2. Similar situation: If you like to keep the eraser in your pencil case, make sure you keep it inside a little plastic bag or container. The eraser will leave residue and stain your pencils and pens, making them grey and sticky. And the eraser itself will collect bits of graphite and dust from the bottom of the pencil case.

3. To preserve the durability of a kneadable eraser, only knead it when necessary. Every time you knead it, the eraser will become a bit more greasy from your hands.

4. But, before using it, do knead well to be sure you’re not leaving any stains on your artwork instead of removing them.

That’s it.
I hope you enjoyed my little art musings.