How do you clean a blended pencil?

You clean a blended pencil (also known as a blending stump or tortillon) by rubbing it on sandpaper to remove the accumulated pigment.

Here's a breakdown of the cleaning process:

Cleaning a Blending Stump

1. Prepare your sandpaper: Place a piece of fine-grit sandpaper on a flat, stable surface. A sanding block can be helpful.

2. Rub the blending stump: Gently rub the tip of the blending stump across the sandpaper in a circular or back-and-forth motion. Apply light pressure. The sandpaper will remove layers of pigment from the stump.

3. Rotate the stump: Rotate the stump as you rub it on the sandpaper to ensure even cleaning around the tip.

4. Check your progress: Periodically check the tip of the blending stump to see how much pigment has been removed. Continue rubbing until the stump is clean enough for your needs. You likely won't get it perfectly white again.

5. Repeat as needed: If the blending stump becomes heavily soiled, you may need to repeat the cleaning process several times.

Tips:

• Use a fine-grit sandpaper to avoid damaging the blending stump.
• Do this over a trash can or easy-to-clean surface to catch the pigment dust.
• Blending stumps are relatively inexpensive, so heavily soiled ones can simply be replaced if cleaning is no longer effective.