Stumping

I’ve been using blending stumps since I first started dabbling in drawing. These stumps, also called tortillions,  are cylindrical shaped rolls of paper that are used to smudge or blend marks made by charcoal, crayon, or graphite, allowing artists to create gradations, even shading, or half tones. For tonight’s figure drawing sessions at The Plastic Club, I used the stumps to smudge the outlines of the model, blending them more into the shading of the background.

I’ve been documenting my ongoing struggle with these thick outlines. But, although they are still present in the drawing, the stumping definitely makes them less noticeable and a little more aesthetically pleasing.