Pink Gold

Did you know that the simple pink eraser at the tip of your #2 pencil is worth it's weight in gold?? (Or maybe even more, since erasers don't weigh much!) Well, it is and here's why.... I don't use these erasers for erasing (I save that for my trusty "Magic Rub"), I use them for DRAWING. It's a little known secret that you can sketch on almost any kind of paper using the eraser end of your pencil to quickly work out your basic composition. That way, if you don't like what you see, you can just wipe it off and start over. Then, when you've got the general sizes, shapes and placement you want, simply trace over your eraser lines with your pencil and you're good to go. This can be a HUGE time saver, especially for students as they're learning how to draw elements to fit within a certain space. Of course, you can't draw any details with your eraser, but the idea is just to work out your basic composition and be able to make big changes quickly, if needed. Knowing that you won't have to spend a lot of time erasing if it doesn't work out, frees you to just "go for it" and even try out several possibilities if you want. This will also prevent many of those annoying "ghost lines" in your drawings.... when you press too hard with your pencil at the beginning and then can't completely erase the lines you don't want. Your students will love you for sharing this idea with them. Just be sure to remind them to trace over all of their eraser lines in pencil before they start refining their sketches, or they may accidentally rub off part of their composition without even realizing it!