Sharpening & Pencil Point Techniques

Your Pencil Point Is Part of the Technique

A colored pencil doesn't have just one useful shape. A needle-sharp point, a gently rounded point, and the broad side of the pencil can produce completely different results—and knowing when to use each can make coloring both easier and cleaner.

A sharp point reaches into the tiny valleys in the paper and is excellent for fine details, crisp edges, hair, fur, veins, lettering, and the final layers of a drawing. A slightly duller point covers larger areas more smoothly and can help prevent those little white specks of paper from showing through. The side of the pencil is useful for laying down very light, broad areas of color.

You don't need to keep every pencil razor sharp. Match the point to the job.

Try the Three-Point Test

Take one colored pencil and a piece of scrap paper. Make three boxes.

In the first, sharpen your pencil to a fine point and fill the box using small, controlled strokes.

For the second, color until the point becomes slightly rounded, then fill the box again.

For the third, tilt the pencil and use more of the side of the lead.

Now compare them.

Look at the amount of paper showing through, the strength of the color, the texture of the strokes, and how easily you covered the area. You've just made three different tools out of one pencil.

What About Constantly Breaking Leads?

If a pencil repeatedly breaks while you're sharpening it, stop sharpening it. Continuing usually produces the extremely satisfying experience of watching an expensive pencil disappear into the sharpener.

Colored-pencil cores can fracture inside their wooden casing after being dropped or knocked around. A dull blade can also grab and stress the core rather than cutting it cleanly.

Try a different sharpener first. Turn the pencil gently rather than aggressively, and don't force it against the blade. If the point keeps snapping, sharpen only enough to expose a usable tip rather than chasing the perfect needle point.

And replace dull sharpener blades when possible. A good pencil deserves better than being attacked by a tiny butter knife.

When Sharp Is Better—and When It Isn't

Use a sharp point for eyelashes, hair strands, animal fur, wood grain, tiny patterns, leaf veins, narrow spaces and final details.

Use a rounded point for blending, layering larger areas, skin, skies, petals and other places where you want softer coverage.

Use the side of the pencil for very light first layers, broad backgrounds, soft atmospheric color and large areas where visible individual strokes aren't desirable.

As you gain experience, you'll start changing the angle of the pencil almost without thinking.

Mini Challenge: One Pencil, Four Textures

Using only one brown pencil, try creating four small samples:

wood grain · short animal fur · smooth pottery · rough tree bark

Don't change colors. Don't add another tool.

Change only your point, pencil angle, stroke direction and pressure.

It's a surprisingly good demonstration of how much of coloring comes from how you use a pencil rather than which pencil you own.

Edenglow Studio Tip

Sharp enough is better than perfectly sharp.

Save those extremely fine points for the places that actually need them. You'll waste less pencil, break fewer cores, and still have all the precision you need.