#materialexploration

Material exploration: Erasers

One of the drawing tools you have at your disposal is your eraser. It can be used to make a mark in reverse by removing lines or areas, a mark that can be as important as more obvious marks made with pencils or other tools.

There are a variety of erasers available to artists. We we will be using 3 types of erasers in this class.

The Gum Eraser is made of soft, coarse rubber and is excellent for erasing larger areas because it will not damage the paper. However, with gum erasers, they crumble while erasing and their residue has to be removed.

The Kneaded Eraser is great to remove graphite from a surface by absorbing it. It does not leave behind eraser residue like a gum eraser, and because of that, it lasts longer.  Kneaded erasers can be shaped like clay with your fingers to create a fine point for erasing small details, it can be shaped into a larger surface and work as a stamp, and it can work as a blotter to lighten a darker area covered with graphite. However, they don’t work as well for removing large areas because they deform while rubbing.

The white Plastic Eraser is perfect for precision erasing because they do a great clean erase and can smear large areas. They are used on technical drawings where they clean better than standard erasers do.

Take some time today to test out your erasers. An eraser is perhaps not the most obvious drawing tool, but it can be used very effectively to remove graphite, colored pencil, charcoal and even soft pastel to create light areas and highlights.

Using a single sheet of paper, make a variety of marks with pencil and any other materials you might have on hand that can be erased (charcoal, colored pencils, soft pastels...). Use the idea of a reverse drawing to better understand the particular qualities of each of your erasers. Try to think of the eraser as another way to make a mark through the removal of material. 

Post an image of your eraser research aka Drawing Exercise #2 onto your blog.

Images from top:

a photo of different types of erasers

Exploring form, material, and the relationship between object and body through contemporary jewelry design.

During the workshop, we experimented with structure, texture, and composition – transforming simple materials into small-scale wearable forms.

Working between control and intuition, participants developed their own visual language, combining conceptual thinking with hands-on making. Jewelry became not only an object, but a space for expression, process, and experimentation.

week 4-5

Week 4 and Week 5 felt very connected to me. In Week 4, my group tried to categorise objects using the spectrum Function and Identity, and Organic and Artificial. At first it seemed simple, but once we started discussing, I realised that most objects do not fully belong to only one side.

Some objects that look purely functional actually reflect identity and personal taste. For example, something as simple as a cap or a bag can communicate lifestyle and individuality, not just use. The same goes for materials. Something that looks artificial can still feel organic because of its texture, imperfections, or the way it was produced. This made me understand that categorising is not about being correct, but about how we interpret meaning and relationships between objects.

During Week 5, I applied this way of thinking during the field trip. I paid closer attention to medium, process, and craftsmanship. Two installations stood out to me. The first was the hanging textile piece. You could clearly see the knitting and weaving process, which made the work feel very handmade and time consuming. The texture, colour variation, and visible stitching showed the presence of the maker. It looked like an everyday object but enlarged and suspended in space, which changed its original function completely. Instead of being something wearable or practical, it became something spatial and sculptural. For me, this connects to the idea of transformation, where textile shifts from functional material into expressive installation.

The second was the woven light installation. The material felt natural and organic, almost like a cocoon, but it was placed within an industrial metal structure. The contrast between the soft woven form and the rigid artificial frame made the work more powerful. When the light turned on, the woven surface became warmer and more transparent, creating a different atmosphere in the space. It was not only about the object itself, but also about how it interacted with the surrounding structure and environment. . Through these two weeks, I started to slow down and think more deeply about why certain materials are chosen, how process affects meaning, and how context changes the way we experience design

WORD COUNT : 419

Letter I.

Exploring typography through denim: stitched edges, frayed seams, visible fabric texture.

Material exploration: Erasers

One of the drawing tools you have at your disposal is your eraser. It can be used to make a mark in reverse by removing lines or areas, a mark that can be as important as more obvious marks made with pencils or other tools.

There are a variety of erasers available to artists. We we will be using 3 types of erasers in this class.

The Gum Eraser is made of soft, coarse rubber and is excellent for erasing larger areas because it will not damage the paper. However, with gum erasers, they crumble while erasing and their residue has to be removed.

The Kneaded Eraser is great to remove graphite from a surface by absorbing it. It does not leave behind eraser residue like a gum eraser, and because of that, it lasts longer.  Kneaded erasers can be shaped like clay with your fingers to create a fine point for erasing small details, it can be shaped into a larger surface and work as a stamp, and it can work as a blotter to lighten a darker area covered with graphite. However, they don’t work as well for removing large areas because they deform while rubbing.

The white Plastic Eraser is perfect for precision erasing because they do a great clean erase and can smear large areas. They are used on technical drawings where they clean better than standard erasers do.

Take some time to test out your erasers. An eraser is perhaps not the most obvious drawing tool, but it can be used very effectively to remove graphite, colored pencil, charcoal and even soft pastel to create light areas and highlights.

Fun Exercise to try in your sketchbooks: Using a single sheet of paper, make a variety of marks with pencil and any other materials you might have on hand that can be erased (charcoal, colored pencils, soft pastels…). Use the idea of a reverse drawing to better understand the particular qualities of each of your erasers. Try to think of the eraser as another way to make a mark through the removal of material.

Images from top:

a photo of different types of erasers