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Culture: Art: Visual
Graphite Smudge Reduction Gloves   (+4)  [vote for, against]
No More Silver Hands And Smudgey Drawings!

I was unable to find any link to something of this nature, which is surprising because it's the absolutely bane of existence for many artists, so I suppose I'm free to give it my shot. So for anyone here who works in pencils, you're undoubtedly accquainted with the silver hand syndrome. All the dusty graphite particles from your pencil lines adhere to the outside edge of the palm, creating silver skin and, when in contact with the drawing, unwanted smudges. So, how about a glove made of kneadable eraser type material that prevents this from happening? The only problem would be working out how to prevent the glove from erasing the drawing itself if you're laying your hand over an already completed portion. But let us not be confused by details - History is being made! If anyone can think of a better material to use for the glove in question, do let me know.
-- Yarr, Jan 02 2006

(?) Artist's Bridge http://www.dickblic...groups-h/handrests/
As cited by [bristolz] [jurist, Jan 02 2006]

Fixative http://www.currys.c...ubcatID=728&catID=9
Keeps drawings smudge free. [Zuzu, Jan 02 2006]

It's a long time since I last tried my hand at drawing with a 6B pencil, but I used to lay a spare piece of paper over the part of the drawing I had already worked on, sparing myself both smudges and a blackened hand.
-- DrCurry, Jan 02 2006


Wouldn't a snug plain cotton glove work for both "finger as blending stomp" and keeping your hands clean? I've used similar for pastel/charcoal in the past. Kneaded eraser would just sluff off the glove.

<edit>Oh yeah, and use workable fixative on the finished parts!
-- Zuzu, Jan 02 2006


Hmm. The idea, generally, is not to touch the drawing at all. There are bridges avalable that allow you to rest your hand above the work but I've found them difficult to use except for inking or markers. I usually use the time honored paper cover as DrCurry describes.

Maybe gloves whose heel area features a lot of small spikes but I still think they'd disturb the work.

Pastel artists often use white cotton gloves to keep their hands and the work clean as well as for blending.
-- bristolz, Jan 02 2006


How about a teflon coating just for the part of your hand that might rest on the drawing? The rest is fine, leave it uncoated and you don't ever have to reach for the eraser.
-- lurch, Jan 02 2006


+ from a mucky, not very talented artist.
-- po, Jan 02 2006


Ball bearings are the solution to most of life's little problems. A glove with one or two large-ish free turning ball bearings on the side of the palm is the remedy. There may still, after some time, be faint lines where the bearing has run over and over the picture - but only faint ones.
-- fridge duck, Jan 02 2006


[Ball bearings are the solution to most of life's little problems.]

Damn. If only somebody had shared that with me decades ago, things could be so different.
-- normzone, Jan 03 2006



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