Best erasers according to redditors
We found 185 Reddit comments discussing the best erasers. We ranked the 90 resulting products by number of redditors who mentioned them. Here are the top 20.
We found 185 Reddit comments discussing the best erasers. We ranked the 90 resulting products by number of redditors who mentioned them. Here are the top 20.
That's very well done for a 6 year old. I've worked with kids that age for years and they're usually pretty sloppy when it comes to motor skills of this sort. Well done!
Edit: They do freaking come pre-printed! Kids these days get golden tickets like this handed to them
Interesting looking gizmo.
Also, seems like a pretty reasonable customer. Admitted it was a rare item, asked for alternatives but didn't find anything suitable, got a bit frustrated, and left.
In my preference, the best I’ve found is Uni Kuru Toga Roulette and Staedtler Erasers
The Kuru Toga pencil automatically rotates the led so you always have a sharp tip, and Staedtler erasers are able to erase damn near anything.
I’ve tried more expensive mechanical pencils like GraphGear or Rotring and the Kuru Toga beats them out no problem. You have no idea what you are missing if you haven’t tried it, I’ve convinced 5 other peers to use the Kuru Toga by letting them use it for a couple days.
Just buy a hi-polymer eraser for 2 dollars. http://www.amazon.com/Pentel-Hi-Polymer-Eraser-Nonabrasive-PENZEH10/dp/B0006HXSBU
Here is my December EDC/pocket dump. Look out for a reoccurring theme/brand. Enjoy! (Re-upload after spelling mistake found).
Edit:spinner link
I have to say that this is the best eraser I've ever used. The Staedtler eraser tends to rub off a lot of itself while erasing, if that makes sense. The Mono ones are even worse, if you rub too hard big chunks will fall out of it.
At this point, I've used each pencil on at least one full section of Logic Games. Here's the exhaustive list:
Palomino Blackwing
Palomino Blackwing 602
Palomino Blackwing Pearl
Palomino Golden Bear Blue
Palomino Golden Bear Orange Jumbo #2
Palomino Forest Choice #2
Staedtler Norica
Staedtler Wopex
Mitsubishi 9850 HB
Mitsubishi Hi Uni HB
Dixon Ticonderoga
Dixon Ticonderoga Black
Dixon Tri-Conderoga
My First Ticonderoga
Caran d'Ache Grafwood H
Faber Castell 9000 B
General's Cedar Pointe #333 - 2HB
Musgrave Pencil Co. Test Scoring 100
I went ahead and put stars next to the models that performed best. Each had strengths and weaknesses, though the Mitsubishi Hi Uni HB and Mitsubishi 9850 HB stood out as first and second place finishers respectively.
No matter how well a pencil performed, I found the need to sharpen multiple times per section. All of the pencils chipped or broke at some point: some in ways that unremarkably altered performance, others hindering progress to the extent of chunks of lead flying out. I recommend avoiding this variance altogether by having at least six sharpened pencils prepared for each Logic Games section. Drawing some light squiggles before using the pencils in action can drastically lower the chances of breakage.
As mentioned earlier, I'm happy to give comprehensive reviews of each model or certain individuals if there is any significant interest. I'd like to review a few more models down the road (particularly Towbow pencils) so let me know if you have any particular requests.
I've tested a bunch of erasers as well! Far and away, the best erasers I tested were the Sakura Foam Arch, and the Uni Boxy. These imported models erase quickly and cleanly, even on LSAT-style "tissue paper."
I recommend bringing one of these to the test even if you're pursuing a no-erasing strategy; there's always a chance you mess up a LG diagram and want to start fresh. These erasers will make starting blank a breeze. I also tried cutting my erasers into rectangles that fit into the Blackwing ferrules so I can use them without putting down my pencil.
https://www.amazon.com/Sakura-Evolutional-Erasers-5-Pack-White/dp/B0174KSUVY/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1499443427&sr=8-2&keywords=sakura+foam
Here's a link to the Sakura Foam Arch erasers. This pack that Amazon carries contains rather small erasers, so consider getting the larger varieties from JetPens if you intend to use these on the exam.
Blowing on the games doesn't really do anything. Best way I have found to clean them is to open them up and rub the contacts with a MARS plastic eraser to clean off corrosion. You can also get a replacement pin set for your NES to replace the default pin set. If you replace the pin set and clean off the contacts of all of your games, everything will work like brand new.
From left to right
Kurutoga Roulette, Kurutoga Advance, Kurutoga pipe slide, Tombow Mono Graph Shaker, Zebra DelGuard, TUL 0.5mm, rOtring 500 0.5mm, rOtring 500 0.3mm
Lead and erasers
Tombow MONO-WX 3B, Pencil Neox 4B, Sakura Color Foam Eraser, Pentel Hi-polymer Block Eraser
Yikes!! You've probably tried different ways of cleaning that up... one suggestion I have, as a last resort and strictly in an experimental sense, is that you get one of those premium, hi-polymer white erasers (see links below) and gently rub the darkened areas with it... in a sense, trying to erase that material off, especially if it turns out to be a residue from your black microfiber cloth.
Those white erasers have been remarkably successful at removing toning, milk spots, and other stains from metallic surfaces (silver, copper, gold) when other cleaners and chemical solutions have failed... so it may work out on Alcantara too, but I don't know. Try at your own risk!
https://www.amazon.com/Staedtler-Mars-Plastic-Erasers-52650BK4/dp/B00006IFAN/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1501042975&sr=8-3&keywords=white+eraser
https://www.amazon.com/Pentel-Hi-polymer-Block-Eraser-ZEH10BP3-K6/dp/B001Q4HQVU/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1501042975&sr=8-1&keywords=white+eraser
STAEDTLER premium quality vinyl eraser, Mars plastic, white, phthalate & latex free, age-resistant, minimal crumbling, blistercard of 4 erasers, 526 50 BK4 https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00006IFAN/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_pDMZAbCCEC8YD
If you're looking at learning drawing, I recommend starting with learning perspective. Start with 1-point perspective and you can advance from there up to 3-point or whatever you think is necessary, but they are all basically the same.
This is a fundamental that you will use with almost all your drawing. There are numerous free tutorials online for you to learn from but it is pretty basic so once you understand the concepts the most important thing is practice.
Once you understand perspective you can draw things like buildings, building interiors, landscapes, cities, etc.
When you want to learn to draw people, one of the best things you can do is get books by masters. Andrew Loomis, Burne Hogarth (Dynamic Figure Drawing, Dynamic Anatomy), George Bridgman (complete guide to drawing from life), each of these guys have several books that are very popular and for good reason, I've listed a few but check out all their books if you get the chance. Use these books to understand proportion of the human body, and learn basic anatomy. Draw the pictures in the book as studies and this will help you understand.
Now for materials what I recommend is a sketch book with decent paper (I'll talk a little more about this in a second) like this one here.
Get a pencil set with different hardnesses like this one (hardness range from 8+h on the hard side to HB which is mid hardness to 9+B on the soft side. The softer the graphite, the darker of a mark it's going to leave. You can generally stick to HB and softer, especially for now. It's best to just use traditional pencils opposed to mechanical pencils unless you're just doing line work.
Get a soft kneaded eraser like this or any other one will work fine
Pencil sharpener any one will do.
Now when you've got your supplies and want to do shading, you want to start with your hard graphite (H) first. You want to work with the "tooth" of the paper, so you want to make sure not to apply too much pressure to the paper with the pencils and the eraser. Be gentle because if you press too hard or are too rough you will crush the tooth of the paper and your graphite will become shiny. If you crush the tooth it will also make erasing very difficult. When you want to make the shadows darker you then use the same pressure but with a softer pencil, working your way up the softness scale until you are happy with your value.
The other thing about paper tooth is that it will let you draw different textures. For example if you start with a hard graphite (H), the texture you draw will be very smooth, like a skin texture or other smooth surface like a window or a counter top. If you start with a very soft graphite (B), the texture you draw will be rough looking like the surface of a rock. I hope this makes sense.
There are lots of free tutorials online. For technique a good one I found that talks about a lot of the things I mentioned is the "5 pencil method" youtube channel. If you watch some of those videos you will understand much better. If you start with these materials and all the resources I've mentioned you will be busy for quite a while.
Try to practice every day even if it's only for 10 minutes. Setting aside the time and putting in the effort to practice is often more difficult and important for your progress than the practice itself.
This is the best advice I can give to you so I hope it helps.
>Yeah I'm treating it as a project, so I will just mess around with it.
Sounds like a plan!
I've done the same (Found a dead copy of a game I'd already re-bought :P )
There's already some great advice here.
Here's some extra stuff I'd suggest:
(Feel free to skip this, Sometimes I prefer tinkering on my own too!)
I've heard using an artist's eraser, will work great, as they don't leave a film, or tiny crumbles behind.
Give it a try after those steps, if you can get the 'nintendo' logo to show property, then the contacts are good, and it can at least try to read the cart.
If after this, it still can't read the cart at all, there are more drastic options, I've heard people suggest sand paper, but I'd really say brass polish may be better.
-If after all that you still can't get it to show the logo, It's likley the game is dead. as it can't read the rom at all. As the logo is used for verification.
Issue: | Try:
---|---
Instant White Screen Crash| Reflow the mm1134 chip (maybe the rom too)
Graphical Glitches|Reflow the rom chip
Corrupted Undeleteable save (even with the battery removed)| Reflow the sram chip
Missing sprites entirely (Black boxes)| Reflow sram (Some say it could also be an MBC issue, may depend on the game.)
[GB/GBC chips diagram] (https://www.insidegadgets.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/03/IMG_1992.jpg)
---
^Please ^Note: ^I ^am ^by ^no ^means ^a ^professional, ^and ^I ^don't ^mean ^that ^in ^the ^fake-humble ^way. ^I've ^only ^been ^working ^on ^gameboy ^games ^and ^systems ^for ^a ^little ^over ^a ^year ^now, ^these ^are ^just ^suggestions, ^it's ^not ^meant ^to ^be ^a ^guide. ^Just ^some ^things ^that ^have ^worked ^for ^me ^in ^the ^past. ^and ^it's ^not ^a ^perfect ^setup, ^For ^example, ^a ^messed ^up ^'nintendo' ^logo ^could ^also ^be ^a ^problem ^with ^the ^rom ^chip, ^I've ^just ^seen ^it ^more ^often ^as ^dirty ^contacts.
^If ^one ^of ^the ^mods, ^or ^modders ^here ^post ^later, ^and ^make ^a ^suggestion, ^it ^may ^be ^better ^to ^try ^what ^they ^suggest ^instead.
Or This
It looks like it might be a UV EPROM eraser like this if the light inside is a UV light.
Nice collection! I have a few more items for you to consider adding, should you be so inclined:
Amazon has little brain erasers. $10.99 for 36...
http://www.amazon.com/Brain-Shaped-Pencil-Top-Erasers/dp/B004EV59HA/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1342031278&sr=8-1&keywords=brain+erasers
https://www.amazon.com/Staedtler-Mars-Plastic-Erasers-52650BK4/dp/B00006IFAN
Cheap and good: Staedtler 925: 3-pack of 0.3mm, 0.5mm, and 0.7mm for $20. Individually sold at art/stationary stores for $5-$10 each.
The metal version by Pentel: GraphGear 500: 4-pack of 0.3mm, 0.5mm, 0.7mm and 0.9mm for $20. Individually sold at stores for $10-$20 each. They're okay, and people like the metal look, but I prefer the Staedtler.
The good stuff: rOtring. rOtring 600: $23. rOtring 800: $50.
I haven't tried the rOtring pencils myself; I've heard they're good, but I've been pretty happy with the Staedtlers. Although they're the cheapest I mentioned, they're also very comfortable and reliable. I've never had one fail (I have had Pentel pencils fail, including but not limited to the ones I linked), and I've been using them for years.
Make sure you get a decent mechanical eraser to go with them. A Tombow MONO zero in an amazing eraser for the details, and a Sanford Paper Mate Tuff Stuff is good for everything else. Buy an extra pack of the refills and you're good for a while. Note: Do not buy the Sanford eraser for more than $5. The price on Amazon right now is ridiculous. The Tombow is a little more pricy; $5-$10 is fair for it.
PRISMACOLOR Design Eraser, 1224 Kneaded Rubber Eraser, Grey (70531) (3 Pack) https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01FUUY4A6/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_pxImDbP8K3FNA
my bad, it's called a kneaded eraser. the prismacolor ones are excellent, you should be able to find these in a lot of brick and mortar stores if you can't wait for shipping.
I don't think that's blue tack. It's probably a kneaded eraser based on the way its shaped and left out of the package.
You're going after the wrong problem.
The problem isn't the pencil so much as it is the erasing.
What you want is the Stadler eraser. Do not substitute or cheap out. They're as cheap as can be and you only need one. I barely used one for three years of grad school.
https://www.amazon.com/STAEDTLER-Plastic-Latex-free-Age-resistant-Crumbling/dp/B00006IFAN/ref=mp_s_a_1_15?keywords=eraser&qid=1555958207&s=gateway&sr=8-15
Buy the four pack and give some out to nerdy paper friends and keep one or two as back up.
Also try to work on easing up on the death grip. It's not a contest to break pencils and you're going to be writing for the next 50 years or so. It's a marathon not a Sprint.
The Palomino Blackwing 602 gets my nod. Pair it with a nice Staedler eraser and a Blackwing sharpener.
I actually have a two page typewritten document on correction methods (not helpful right now as it isn't scanned), but about half a page doesn't apply to your machine (applies to Correcting Selectrics and electronics). You can quite literally erase typewriter ink with a typewriter eraser which can be found here: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000OZF13W. The issues with erasing are that it can tear the paper (you remove paper along with the ink while erasing), if you don't do erasures properly they can look poor (it takes a bit to fully erase the letter). Also make sure to move the carriage fully to the appropriate side to prevent crumbs getting into your typewriter.
You can use correction tape http://www.amazon.com/BIC-America-Wite-Correction-Tape/dp/B00CKF063E and works fine for drafts and anything where the correction can be visible, but need to actually cover the error to aid in working with future drafts. This is a lot cleaner than correction fluid.
For quick on the fly corrections that are hard to see, but are easier and faster than erasing, you can use ko-rec-type strips. These are now sold by the strip (you have to separate yourself): http://www.aroundtheoffice.com/Ko-Rec-Type-cover-up-sheets-32-tabs-1-x-2-3_4/productinfo/COVER-UP-SHEETS/. These are very easy to use. The process goes like this backspace to error, insert sheet shiny side to ribbon matte side to paper, type the ERROR again, backspace again, remove the strip, type the correction and continue.
Lastly for really rough drafts or just typing out ideas you can just back up and x over the mistakes, my electric typewriter makes this easy (except for the fact that it doesn't have a power backspacer) as pushing the X key down to the limit puts it on repeat.
Something that can be used at work is often a good idea for work secret santa.
Unicorn tape dispenser
Floral mug
Sites like Boots and M&S have secret santa sections on their website you could look at for ideas.
I always think it's a good idea for secret santas to include the receipt, especially if you don't know the person well. They already know roughly how much it cost and it makes exchanges easier.
I like 0.7 mm lead and I find that these feel the most comfortable in my hand. The most important thing for me, though, is a clean erase. I tend to have at least one of these on hand all the time.
My SO likes these. They're okay.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B003U6VVJA?ie=UTF8&at=&force-full-site=1&ref_=aw_bottom_links
I use Sakura Arch Foam Erasers for my 2B mech and it works perfectly fine.
I use some kind of eraser pen (Fractis BM2), maybe the refills match in diameter?
It is this one I think, there are refills available
https://www.amazon.de/Unbekannt-Factis-Mechanical-Eraser-Refills/dp/B01H0GK146 (no affiliate, just trying to show)
These probably aren't things every DM "should" have but they are cheap and useful:
Pentel Hi-Polymer Eraser
You have to deal with a lot of shavings, but it'll change your life if you take a lot of math classes.
I like these the best and find them the best for making the long eraser strands vs dust.
these are also nearly the same in performance and have a cool retracting holder.
Either will be a million times better than rubber.
I second the prismacolors, I swear by them as an artist and an art teacher. I also suggest a battery-operated electric eraser, they are a game changer in prismacolor drawing. Here's a cheap one:
Depending on your mom's taste and sense of humor, here are 3 of my favorite off-beat coloring books (way better than just mandalas and stuff):
This crass one is my favorite
Unicorns are Jerks - funny but not offensive
[Thrill Murray, the Bill MUrray coloring book (weird but fun, lots of Wes Anderson film stuff) ] (https://www.amazon.com/Thrill-Murray-coloring-book-Coley/dp/0957490909/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1482086999&sr=1-1)
You could also consider making her your very own coloring book. One of my art students made me one that was all pictures of dinosaurs and cats riding on bicycles (my 3 favorite things). If you can't draw, it's super easy to turn photographs into drawing pages with Adobe Illustrator or similar.
You could also get her some frames so she can display her favorite completed pages.
I'm a composer and have decided to stop using my computer program to compose and arrange. I want to handwrite anything that printed parts aren't required for.
The clarity of my scores have improved a lot from a few simple things:
-Using a ruler
-Using 4b pencil and sharpening it frequently
-Slower, more deliberate hand movements (I'm still impatient though!)
Some challenges I'm having are:
-Hand is too tight and gets tired after just 45 minutes or so
-Erasing accurately without smudging (using this )
-Consistent sizes with note heads, accidentals, and stem lengths
I have no idea if this is an appropriate post, but I love r/penmanship. I thought some of you guys might also be musicians and could offer some help. I don't consider my handwriting or notation aesthetically pleasing, but I hope that will come with time and practice. Thank you!
Kneadable Eraser
After I am done using it for art I usually make something sill out of it like a goat, dice, face and leave it till next time. Thank you for the contest. :3
You'd be surprised. I'm a full time college student with depression. I'm still managing to pull off art on the side.
Initial costs are a box of pencils, erasers and a notebook.
Canson Artist Series Universal Sketch Pad, 9"X12" Side Wire https://www.amazon.com/dp/B004IXJ7CM/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_mtWJzbS3BS01W
Palomino 2B Pencils Orange Set Of 12 https://www.amazon.com/dp/B007P50UTE/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_KuWJzb7MTP1WQ
Staedtler Mars Plastic Erasers,Pack of 4 (52650BK4) https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00006IFAN/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_ZvWJzb48BV8JQ
There's more affordable options but these are my favorites so far.
It's probably best to stop by a superstore and pick up whatever they have on the cheap.
Edit: Tacklebox has been drawing for four years. Think about it. You can do this. You can get the skills you want if you practice.
https://www.amazon.com/Sakura-Color-Foam-Eraser-RFW100-5P/dp/B004VKIUOS
Faber-Castell is an excellent brand, no worries there. So they like pencils? Moleskine and Paperblanks sell nice sketchbooks. Fixative is a good idea. And erasers, like kneading erasers and pen erasers are useful.
Yes, 2b is a really appreciated and standard darkness for leads, but the thing is if you go darker the lead will wear out faster as it leaves more graphite on the paper eveytime you use it.
https://www.amazon.com/Sakura-Color-Foam-Eraser-RFW100-5P/dp/B004VKIUOS/ref=mp_s_a_1_3?keywords=sakura+foam+erasers&qid=1575155981&sprefix=sakura+foam&sr=8-3
That is the link for the erasers Im talking about!
And yeah Ahaha there is so much to consider, but it’s always a matter of personnal choice at the end of the day. The grip can be a problem for some if they have sensitive skin, if you have « moist hands » it can be a plus to have more agressive grip, etc. And the color in itself really is a personnal esthetic choice, but from experience and owning a few rotring in both black and silver, the black ones looks better I think but scratch a bit more easily.
If you want to know anything else, let me know ! And also, there is much more pencils brand than rotring, and some REALLY great models out there !
I used one of these for 3 years of my undergraduate physics degree, and then for all the classes in my phd time. Still have it, love it. If I need to write something in graphite, this is my go to tool.
Also, if you need to do precision erasing, pair it with one of these:(https://www.amazon.com/Tombow-Pen-Style-Eraser-Refill-Refills/dp/B00ZZ4PJRA/ref=sr_1_7?keywords=mechanical+eraser&qid=1571968831&sr=8-7).
The mechanical eraser isn't as high of quality as the mechanical pencil, but for precise erasing like I sometimes needed to do in equations, its the best I've ever seen. Obviously use a regular eraser for bulk erasing (or just toss the paper lol).
Well, here's a list of items you'll find useful if you decide it's something you might like to pursue.
Round pegbar - get one and tape it to your desk, get another and tape it to your scanner and you'll have a very easy time keeping sheets of paper aligned. Shipping on these is expensive but I couldn't find any other place that sells them. You might be able to 3d print a couple if you have 3d printer access.
Three hole punch - anything that punches holes of the right diameter (1/4 inch) reliably with the same spacing of the pegbar is fine. You probably already have one of these.
Scanner - any scanner that fits letter paper is fine. You probably already have one of these, and if you don't you might be able to use one at a library.
Paper - cheap paper is ideal. This is the cheapest that I know of at $2 for 500 sheets but copy paper isn't hard to find for a reasonable price. Get 2 reams or a big old box. You'll go through it faster than you'd think if you want to make an animation of any meaningful length.
Pencils - It'll be easiest if you have two kinds, but the most important kind is a regular old 2B or 4B pencil. Staedtler Mars Lumographs are the best but really you can use whatever pencil you find around the house, lying on the street, and so on for practice. If you really get into it and you need a lot of pencils, you should get these. The other kind you'll want is a light blue or light green colored pencil. You can use the colored pencil to lay down really rough, quick sketches for each frame and do a refined, accurate drawing for each frame with the regular old pencil. Then, when you scan the frames in color, you can remove the colored pencil marks using a technique similar to this. I'd probably use Blender for this because it's easier to remove the blue lineswith the whole image sequence. If you need help figuring out how to do this efficiently you can PM me and I'll give you a comprehensive tutorial. After the non-photo blue is removed you can take it into OpenToonz or Krita to colorize the animation if you wish.
Erasers - it's very important to have a high-quality eraser! I recommend these. They usually erase very cleanly unless you dug really hard into the paper when drawing.
Book - For animation, start with The Animator's Survival Kit. It's got lots of good information in it. Absolutely essential book. If you can't afford it, you can find illegal copies online.
For drawing instruction, visit /r/artfundamentals and do all of the exercises. It's fine to use pencils for the exercises as long as you use them like you'd use a pigment liner, that is, pressing just hard enough to get a reasonably dark line and correcting mistakes by incorporating them into your drawing, rather than with an eraser. For this reason I recommend getting and using up one pigment liner just so you can get used to how it feels to use them. Then you can do the rest of them with pencils if you want, since you know how to use a pencil like a pigment liner, or you can get an inexpensive fountain pen that will let you refill from fountain pen ink in a bottle, which can be extremely cost-effective as long as you don't get into the habit of buying lots of expensive pens and every ink color under the sun.
All in all, including the book and excluding the items that you probably already have (scanner, 3 hole punch) you're probably looking at around
I feel like I should warn you at this point before you spend any money that you'll need to either have or acquire a pathological tolerance for tedium if you want to be successful at animating and drawing. You'll definitely be going through at least a ream of drawings before you're any good. As long as you're OK with that, go for it.
For two pegbars, two reams of paper, a dozen good pencils, 4 good erasers you're looking at around $60. If you have some of this stuff around the house you might only need the pegbars, which is about $24. In any case I'd encourage you to buy the book I recommended if you can afford it. It's really helpful.
Usually the eraser is an afterthought- a tiny little thing under a cap.
I prefer using separate erasers anyway (e.g. one of these), so I just use the little tiny eraser when I forget my usual eraser.
If she's into drawing, I highly suggest a kneaded eraser or two (they actually last a really long time unless you lose them or use charcoal), but check your local art store because they're usually less than 2 dollars. A set of tortillons for blending, and maybe some oil pastels or colored pencils. They also make watercolor pencils, which are colored pencils that are water soluble. I found them kind of difficult to work with though, not my favorite medium.
If she does embroidery, you could also get a set of embroidery floss. I'd go to the store though, they're cheaper there.
If she's a knitter or crocheter, a row counter would be perfect. Stitch markers are essential for knitters and they constantly get lost. Honestly if she's a knitter, I would definitely give her some stitch counters, but the best thing is, all they are is an enclosed circle. You could make your own very easiliy, out of any number of materials.
For me though if I win, I'd like 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea. It was my favorite book in elementary school, and I think my kids would get a kick out of it too.
I dont do too many field-fixes anymore... Im now in startup land where everything is shiny & new, and we get what we need.
 
My things that were stupid-useful that mostly haven't been listed so far:
Klein Tools electrician scissors - Most useful cutters ever. Take-a-finger-off sharp, cuts though thick cables, the top is great for straining phone / ethernet cable. A cable puller had a set, and he sold me on them in 30 seconds when he raked the wobbly cat5 strands across them, and they were perfectly straight. Would have been worth the $$ at twice the cost.
I replaced my mismatched tools in my bag w/ a iFixit toolkit when I needed to start buying new bits for iPads and the tri-lobes for macs. Ended up being about the same cost as those bits alone, and it had them, and a bunch of other stuff that was better then my cobbled together tools. The screwdriver is far-better made then the little plastic ones I had before. They have a new-toolkit, but I haven't used it.
A roll of Velcro ties Far more useful then zips. Use the scissors above to trim as needed.
Mars-eraser. Great for cleaning toner from printers, and cleaning up corroded connectors (first pass).
Melamine Sponge (aka Magic Eraser) - They clean up things nothing else does like the weird tint that macs wrist guards get from skin oil. Also great for getting toner off of the outside of printers. Also good for cleaning up cherry-coke from a $25k piece of sound gear.
Deoxit - You can use the cheap stuff that was like $5 a can at any automotive parts store, and that will work for most things. This is for more sensitive stuff. I used this repairing contacts in audio-control-surfaces, rebuilding DSLRs, etc. Its for when more then a mars-eraser is needed.
You're saying the blemishes are the ceramic coat that got on the trim? Ooof. Typically the only thing you can do to remove a ceramic coat is abrasion/polishing. About the only safe thing I would suggest is this: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B002VCV4OQ/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1
They work perfect for getting dried wax off of trim, so I can vouch that it will be safe (and is "abrasive"), but won't scratch your trim. I've used this on the CX5's wheel arches before without issue.
If that doesn't work, I'd ask for some advice from r/AutoDetailing before doing *anything* drastic, they'll set you straight.
It looks like you are painting in watercolor? If so then I can give you some advice.
1: remember to have your drawing complete before you start painting, I made alot of mistakes thinking that could fix something later and when I started painting I had completely forgotten about the problem and would end up painting wonky anatomy and perspective, it seems like a basic thing to know but it's actually really hard to remember.
2: make sure you have the proper paper for painting, this is really important especially with watercolor I know people say materials don't make the artist but if you don't have the proper materials the paint won't work right moleskin watercolor is my go to sketch book you can even use things like oil and acrylic
Moleskine Art Plus Watercolor Album, A4, Black, Hard Cover (12 x 8.5) (Professional ... https://www.amazon.com/dp/8862931948/ref=cm_sw_r_sms_c_api_EbxLxb6SCGGCC
Here's another one that I use strictly for watercolor And inks
Bee Paper Super Deluxe Sketch Pad, 11-Inch by 14-Inch https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0027A7AKE/ref=cm_sw_r_sms_c_api_TqxLxbXHJPFSQ
3: Draw lightly and with a moldeble eraser
Prismacolor Premier Kneaded Rubber Eraser, Large, 1 Pack https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00006IFAJ/ref=cm_sw_r_sms_c_api_etxLxbGMBG12H
4: Remember to ALWAYS paint from light to dark, this is something I forget when I've been working in other mediums.
5: learn at least a little bit about the color wheel you'd be surprised at how far a little knowledge could take you, James Gurney has a blog with some great information for traditional media he works in watercolor, oil, and gouache.
http://gurneyjourney.blogspot.com/?m=1
7: you shouldn't be worried about what brushes you have yet however a brush I would highly recommend picking up a round number 8-10
http://www.dickblick.com/products/blick-studio-sable-brushes/
Many of my favorites have been discontinued or changed.
The Koh-i-Noor Rapidomatic was my primary pencil for my first 4 college years. I even bought a red and blue colored versions to put red and blue lead in, which was nice for graphs or occasional emphasis. Lovely pencils made in Japan. However, looking at the Amazon reviews they no longer make these, but instead something with the same name and general look, but using all new parts and process in China. You can taste the sadness in the reviews. It looks like people are happy with the Alvin Draftmatic which looks exactly like the Rapidomatic.
The Pilot Vanishing Point has been discontinued. Sad. My favorite pencil, made in Japan. See reviews on Amazon. I introduced a number of people to this, and many of them started using it as their primary pencil. My manager even questioned why I had spent $200 on pencils, when I explained I was ordering a couple of these for myself, asked around, and 10 others in the office said they wanted one or two as well (after trying mine). No drafting grip, and shorter, but really good weight, good feel, quality, and I could write well with them.
The Uni Kuru Toga is nice, but too lightweight and plastic for my taste. The price is hard to argue with. I wonder if the Roulette model would be better as it sounds like it might weigh more.
Dave's review site recommends the Staedtler 925-25. I've tried the 925-05 which is ok (my 11yo uses it) but not the 925-25.
If you have more money, the Rotring 600 and 800+ come highly recommended (lots of metal, high quality, made in Japan). I have never tried one, but I'll buy a 600 sometime soon.
For erasers, I use Staedtler Mars Plastic. They last forever -- I still have one from 1985 with more than half remaining and it works fine. I only bought more so the family can each have one of their own. My tips are (1) don't get oil on them or the paper, and get it off if you do. This means don't run your finger along the eraser part. It causes smearing. (2) erase flat if you can, to save sharp edges for fine work. If you always use the edges, then you won't have a sharp edge to change φ' to φ in the middle of an equation.
The EPROMs I generally get from ebay or aliexpress. Their prices have gone up since the china tariffs hit, but can usually still be found for less than $1 a chip, especially if you buy in bulk. I do not have a particular seller that I buy from, just whatever is cheapest.
The 27c322 SNES Adapter boards can be purchased from mrTentacle on tindie. This guy is absolutely top notch, everything he sells is great. His products ship from Sweden, usually takes about 2 weeks to get to me in the US. He sells the 74HC257 chips as an add-on for the boards as well, but they can usually be found for cheaper if you're willing to look. A word of warning, the adapter boards have a steep learning curve. they have to be very thin in order to clear an official SNES cartridge, so they are fragile, and they require removing the plastic from the header pins to fit. I junked two of them before I was able to get one to work, but now I have the knack for it and haven't had further issues.
The GQ-4X is still considered the gold standard for repros, but I actually do not have one. I have a TL866PLUS, with this adapter. It is not fantastic but it gets the job done. One thing you will want to invest in if you give this another shot is a UV EPROM Eraser. A lot of the time the cheap junk from china still has data on the chip, causing it to appear faulty. A pass in the UV oven or two will remove that, and you'll be able to reflash the chip. This is also invaluable when you mess up, which I do frequently. That's why the chips have the quartz window in the front.
Hope this gives you a good launching point about where to start. Feel free to reach out if you ever have any questions. Having a big stash of donors means you can make a lot of mistakes and learn lots!
Colored safety glasses as party favors!
I loved the "touchable" test tube bubbles when I was a kid, perfect for your theme!
Plastic magnifying glasses
Atomic Super Balls!
Eyeball rings
Microscope center piece.
Brain pencil toppers
If you have time to make cookies!
If you have time to make jello
You can use these bio-hazard bags as goodie-bags! :)
I tried to look for everything in packs of 12 or more, so hopefully these help you! :)
item
I have a powered drafting eraser I use for just this purpose. Though mine is a 120v corded monster which takes 6" long erasers, not this modern fancy battery powered one. ;)
And, yeah, Pentel hi poly is my compound of choice for this sort of thing too. Very smooth compound, "grabs" the paint more than "abrades" it.
There's a lot of art pencil sets like this that you can find online or at art specialty stores like Michael's or Hobby Lobby that are good for beginning. Don't worry about the big pencil sets that have every grade available--you really don't need all that right away, and probably wouldn't use most of them anyway.
For pencils, I'd start with just a 2H, an HB or F, a 2B, and maybe a 4B. This gets you a decent range of light to dark. You can add in a layout or black colored pencil for when you want to go really dark.
Find yourself a white eraser or a kneaded eraser, a good sketchbook with 60 or 70lb paper (or copy paper like a printer uses is a super cheap alternative). I'd personally recommend drawing without an eraser at the ready for a while in order to train yourself to learn from any mistakes and to be more economical and thoughtful with your lines among other things.
When you get more confident using those tools, you can add in other pencil grades, blending tools (like a tortillon, stump, or chamois), or even graduate to charcoals.
I hope that helps with getting you going! Sometimes it's easy to get caught up in what we think we need in order to draw that we forget that the most important thing is to grab whatever you have at the ready along with a piece of paper and start drawing.
(Side note: I'm not selling anything and am unaffiliated with the products linked to-- they're just examples.)
I got mine from a japanese stationery store, but you can get it online too. Here it is on amazon with refills. It comes in handy a lot for fine detail erasing.
About $5: Alvin Stainless Steel Erasing Shield (3298) https://www.amazon.com/dp/B000HF6VK6/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_Tep-ybK4R6ZX3
You could also consider an eraser pencil, which you can sharpen to a point for more precision: Faber Castell Faber-Castell Perfection Eraser Pencil with Brush https://www.amazon.com/dp/B000OZF13W/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_kgp-ybM1HV7ZP
You're such a good friend! The best way to get a quality pack of colored pencils is through a coupon at Michaels. Michaels ALWAYS has a 40% off coupon on one regular priced item (I've never seen their colored pencils on sale, they're one of those companies where like half the store is always "40% off"). But anyway, go to the coupon section on their website, I believe you'll have to type in your zip code, find that coupon, and you'll be able to hold it up on your phone at checkout. Worst case scenario, ask them about this coupon at check out, or if they have any others you don't know about (I did this one time and got an additional 20% of my total purchase, sale items or not. You may also have to sign up to be a member for these additional ones, but the 40% of a regular priced item one is always there for anyone I believe)
And then you can get them a really nice set of Prismacolor pencils! If you want to get her a little basket of goodies that I think any artists would enjoy I'd suggest kneeded erasers , and then a quality pencil sharpener. If she works in colored pencils I bet she'd love a high quality sharpener, I believe Prismacolor sells some too. Or if you see a a heftier, steel looking one in that section, even if it's hand held it's nice to have.
When it comes to art materials artists can be so choosey, particularly about canvases and brushes. And I bet she'd also just love a giftcard. I love Michaels and Amazon for low to medium quality products I need, but I'm sure you have a locally owned art store that has the higher quality, more specific materials. I would die of happiness if someone gave me a giftcard to mine.
If you have any more questions dm me! Hope it goes well!
BRAINS!!
Our gaming group bought these, they are a little big and bulky for a small filler games, but makes it so much more fun when we play.
I like something fairly similar.
For all those oopsies!
This!
Write on!
Post card would be awesome! We have a lot of them, here.
OCD activating:
You're going to make them feel bad, they're trying!
Edit: why don't all pencils have these erasers?
These days the wrong kind of light might cause your system to crash but in MY day you could erase the whole damn thing
Pencil: Pentel Graph Gear 1000 0.5mm
Eraser: Staedtler Mars Plastic Eraser
Calculator: Casio fx-115 MS
I hate that! I've found that by rubbing it on some fabric first it removes that surface layer and will create a fairly non-smudgy surface.
Best by far is the "Magic Rub" That thing is frickin' magic. I've used them since college (for decades). The Magic Rub will remove pencil completely, cleanly, leaving only the impression in the paper.
This as well if you want a pen style eraser
Sakura 50254 Refillable, Retractable Pen Style Eraser https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01NCXAZN7/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_d9RZAbZGV06WM
Sakura Color Foam Eraser W 5P RFW100-5P https://www.amazon.com/dp/B004VKIUOS/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_b6yJBbYE1QR95
Amazing eraser that blows the Pentel ones out of the water. More expensive though, when I bought them they were $6 but it looks like the price went up a little bit.
https://www.amazon.com/Sakura-Evolutional-Erasers-5-Pack-White/dp/B0174KSUVY/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?keywords=arch+erasers&qid=1563747041&s=gateway&sr=8-1
Personally I have found that the Staedtler Mars plastic eraser is best. You want to do it evenly across the length of the book as to not create a "clean" area. Additionally it does not require scrubbing with it, just use it like you would with a pencil mark on paper... there are also youtube videos on this:
https://youtu.be/d399AFqTzVY
STAEDTLER Mars Plastic, Premium Quality Vinyl Eraser, White, Latex-free, Age-resistant, Minimal Crumbling (526 50 BK) https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00006IFAN/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_oaXACbRK5R447
They have a grit in them that acts as an abrasive, which makes them great if you're using really heavy drawing paper with a thick tooth & good graphite that you're not jamming into the paper, then you use it very lightly. But I agree, they still smudge and are overly aggressive.
I prefer these, they don't have any abrasives and smudge way less
http://www.amazon.com/Staedtler-Latex-Free-Eraser-White-STD52650/dp/B0006IK4BG
But a lot of people like these as well
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kneaded_eraser
These are my preferred mechanical pencils with mars plastic erasers
http://www.amazon.com/Pentel-GraphGear-Automatic-Drafting-PG525A/dp/B0006HXQXA/ref=sr_1_4?s=office-products&ie=UTF8&qid=1413523441&sr=1-4&keywords=mechanical+pencil
and use good paper
http://www.amazon.com/Canson-400014970-Arches-Sketch-10X14/dp/B008NA891G/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1413523545&sr=8-3&keywords=arches+drawing+paper
Welcome to the club! Great idea to work on your hand drawing. Sooo many people get good at computer graphics, but good hand graphics set you apart from the crowd and is something employers really look for.
You can go really over board with supplies, but i dont use a ton when i draw. Basic mechanical pencil, engineering scale, circle template, large and small triangles, t-square, fine liners (i use these), eraser (i like the gummy ones) and thats about it that i use regularly. You can buy a ton more if you plan on drafting everything by hand, but while its a great skill to have, general drafting is much easier in CAD. The marker standard where i live is chartpak AD markers. Might want to consider getting a set for a christmas present as they can be pricey.
I am learning a lot from doing the /r/ArtFundamentals lessons. Wish those existed a decade ago. Looking forward to hearing what supplies others recommend.
So, first I would like to say that I can see you are using the classics for reference - this is great! I highly recommend looking at Michelangelo. One thing to keep in mind when studying the masters (and when doing it yourself) is shading - think about how the shadows are causing the object to look 3-dimensional. So before we talk about anatomy, think about light source. If you look at your shading on this piece, I can't tell where the light is coming from. Getting your anatomy to appear 3D, even if its off, will greatly improve the overall feeling. So the areas here that appear flat to me especially are the knee, and the left arm (the figures right arm technically). A couple more practical tips- working with colored pencil is great - but its harder to erase, and you don't want to damage the paper. So, try to work light to dark in layers, and use a kneaded eraser . When erasing, do it as gently as you can (try blotting in instead of rubbing across the paper). Anyway, hope that helps. Good effort and keep going!
EDIT: Added some clarification on the kneaded eraser.
I keep one of these in the shop:
http://www.amazon.com/Magic-Rub-1954-Block-Eraser/dp/B002VCV4OQ
It erases most pencil marks on wood and paper nearly completely. Better than both pink erasers and the Mars plastic. I use all three for sketching. The Magic Rub is the nuclear option.
EDIT: don't buy it from that amazon link. I think I last bought a 3-pack for $3 at an office supply store. Not hard to find.
I, like you, enjoy unicorns so here you go! :D
Unicorn tape dispenser
Drunk Unicorn wine holder
Unicorn hoodie
Unicorn Pusheen
[This] (http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00006IFAJ/ref=wl_it_dp_o_pd_nS_ttl?_encoding=UTF8&colid=2HTHRVKNRES31&coliid=I42W0U4X7T6T5) is something that I've been wanting since I am getting back into drawing.
I had been assuming "Gummy Eraser" meant kneaded eraser and I didn't understand why it didn't quite seem to be as awesome as everyone claimed. Then I came across a "Gum Eraser". Perhaps this is the magical eraser everyone is talking about?
These soft erasers have been doing wonders for me.
I had the same issue, but with these putty-like erasers you can reach all those hard to reach spots.
https://www.amazon.com/Prismacolor-Premier-Kneaded-Rubber-Eraser/dp/B00006IFAJ
$2.49
$4.47
$4.67
$4.35
$5.00
$5.82
Codename Duchess
Read the title and came here to recommend getting a mechanical pencil, and it looks like you were already thinking about it!
My rOtring 600 should be here tomorrow. Pretty psyched about it.
A good eraser is also a life changer.
That is why I carried one of these back in my engineering/physics days.
Now that I am in computer science, I don't bother.
Will this do, and how many should I get him? Have no idea how long they last or anything
This: http://www.amazon.com/Sanford-SAN70531-Design-Kneaded-Eraser/dp/B00006IFAJ/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1420674849&sr=8-1&keywords=kneaded+erasers
$0.70 eraser!
https://www.amazon.com/STAEDTLER-Plastic-Latex-free-Age-resistant-Crumbling/dp/B00006IFAN
This is what you need bro, way way better erasing than any tiny pencil eraser can do and one eraser will last you more than a year easy
THIS pencil is actually an eraser, and I would love to try implementing it with my drawings.