Mike,
I appreciate you sharing your expertise. I love creating art in graphite.
One thing I still struggle with is getting crisp, white lines for things like hair and whiskers. I used the Tombow Mono Zero eraser on the attached picture but it's still too soft.
Any suggestions?
Thank you
Help - can't get dog whiskers white enough
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Help - can't get dog whiskers white enough
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Mike Sibley
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Re: Help - can't get dog whiskers white enough
Yes. It's too late for this one... What an utterly delightful scene!!!! 
You could try a white gel pen (if you're not a graphite purist like me 
), but INDENTING solves your problem.
I could go on and on about the technique, but watch this instead:
INDENTING BASICS
Then scroll down beneath that and watch the other two in that series.
Practice on scrap paper first. And you might need to make a tool for it. A SMALL burnishing tool is quite popular. Mine is a blunt sewing-up needle (Bodkin or Darning needle) in an old clutch pencil body.
Post here is you need more help with that.
I meant to add: A Mono Zero, or any eraser, will never do a satisfactory job. First, it drags graphite, so the edges are soft. And second, you've already applied graphite where you don't want it. It's almost impossible to erase back to pristine white... so INDENTING, which you do before anything else, preserves the pure white of the whiskers. And offers the opportunity to create parallel sides and lovely fine tapers.
You could try a white gel pen (if you're not a graphite purist like me ), but INDENTING solves your problem.I could go on and on about the technique, but watch this instead:
INDENTING BASICS
Then scroll down beneath that and watch the other two in that series.
Practice on scrap paper first. And you might need to make a tool for it. A SMALL burnishing tool is quite popular. Mine is a blunt sewing-up needle (Bodkin or Darning needle) in an old clutch pencil body.
Post here is you need more help with that.
I meant to add: A Mono Zero, or any eraser, will never do a satisfactory job. First, it drags graphite, so the edges are soft. And second, you've already applied graphite where you don't want it. It's almost impossible to erase back to pristine white... so INDENTING, which you do before anything else, preserves the pure white of the whiskers. And offers the opportunity to create parallel sides and lovely fine tapers.
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LindasPencils
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Re: Help - can't get dog whiskers white enough
A few of my students actually use an electronic eraser to lift out whisker and white lines cleanly. You can get them in art stores, they are like a pen with an eraser tip that spins. So you can just brrrrrrrrrrrr a line across where you want and the spin does all the work.
Word of caution though, practice with this first as you can easily dig a hole in the paper if not careful.
Also, remember that you will never get the paper purely white again, but the electronic spinning eraser may work well for you
Word of caution though, practice with this first as you can easily dig a hole in the paper if not careful.
Also, remember that you will never get the paper purely white again, but the electronic spinning eraser may work well for you
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Mike Sibley
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Re: Help - can't get dog whiskers white enough
I've never used one but know artists who do. And I suspect they still leave soft edges? But maybe I'm being too picky?LindasPencils wrote: Fri Oct 03, 2025 5:43 pm A few of my students actually use an electronic eraser to lift out whisker and white lines cleanly... Also, remember that you will never get the paper purely white again, but the electronic spinning eraser may work well for you
No eraser known to me can return paper to pristine white. That's why, over the years, I developed a way of drawing that protects white until you know for certain graphite belongs there. Given that our only white is the white of the paper. Couple that with indenting (for smooth parallel sides and fine tapers) and I ceased to erase years ago.