How to erase colored pencil

Here are a few ways to erase colored pencil:

Kneaded Eraser

I'm a big fan of kneaded erasers (also called kneaded rubbers). They can be molded to any size and shape you need, so you can erase big chunks as well as small details.

Two things you need to be careful of when erasing colored pencil with a kneaded eraser:

1. As the color lifts off the paper and onto your eraser, you'll need to mush the kneaded eraser around so that the pigment that is now on your eraser doesn't accidentally leave colored marks on your drawing. Sometimes you can just mush the color into the eraser and it will become dispersed, but other times you'll need to rub the eraser against a scrap piece of paper to get the color out.
2. Also be very careful not to crease the paper from rubbing too vigorously. Sometimes it can be easy to get caught up in rubbing out mistakes without realizing how hard you are pressing down, and before you know it, your paper can buckle and crease, so be careful to use a steady, careful touch.

Electric Eraser

An electric eraser is an excellent option for erasing colored pencil. I use a Sakura Cordless Electric Eraser and find that it can erase dark marks that would have been nearly impossible to erase by hand. You can also use it to lighten areas and create interesting effects by lifting off color.

If you create a lot of colored pencil drawings, then it's definitely worth considering purchasing an electric eraser like this one!

I simply touch the eraser gently onto the area that I want to erase, and that works well for me. I've heard a tip from other artists, that if you're not able to lift off as much color as you want, another technique is to apply a small amount of solvent to the area you want to fix, which will loosen the colored pencil marks, and then use the electric eraser over the area.

If you use an electric eraser, be sure to practice with it first on some test pieces before using it on one of your colored pencil drawings. That way you can get used to the feel of handling the electric eraser and figure out how much pressure you need to use. It's also a good idea to observe how the paper reacts to the eraser, because some papers can handle erasing better than others.

See my guide to the Best Paper for Colored Pencils to learn about which papers can hold up well to rough techniques like erasing.

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Eraser Pencil

An eraser pencil is a neat concept - a pink eraser wrapped in a wood case, like a pencil… and it can be sharpened with a normal pencil sharpener! The eraser pencil is an option for eraser finer, smaller mistakes.

One of my favorite ways to erase colored pencils is to use this Tombow Mono Eraser which is kind of like a mechanical pencils) except instead of graphite, it contains an eraser. When the eraser starts to wear out, you just click the end and more comes out! The Tombow Mono eraser is easy to hold and is really great for erasing smaller areas and creating details, like bringing out highlights. Plus, it's refillable!

Artist Tape

You can use artist tape to lift out the color by cutting a piece of tape to the right size, pressing it against the area to be fixed, and then rubbing the tape where the mistake is. The colored pencil marks underneath will stick to the tape and lift off.

This technique can be a bit tricky because you need to be careful that the tape doesn't also lift off pieces of the actual paper. It can take some practice to find just the right touch. Still, it's worth mentioning this technique in case you don't have any other erasing tools around.

If you use the artist tape removal technique, be sure to use an acid-free tape!

Erasable Colored Pencils

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Prismacolor makes a brand of erasable colored pencils called Prismacolor Col-Erase that you can buy individually or in a set of 12 or 24. They are designed to be erasable, although if you press really heavily with the darker colors, you might not be able to erase down to the pure white (or whatever color) of your paper. Even so, they are far more erasable than most colored pencils. This makes them a great option for students and beginners who are just learning how to use colored pencils, because you can practice freely without worrying about making any irreversible mistakes!

As you get more comfortable with colored pencils, you should switch to a professional brand of colored pencils though, like Prismacolors or Polychromos. The Col-Erase pencils aren't lightfast so they will start fading within a matter of years, whereas the Prismas or Polychromos will last for decades (at least up to 100 years) with the right care. Even so, the Col-Erase Colored Pencils are still incredibly handy for sketching and planning out ideas.

Level-up Your Colored Pencil Skills!

Make the most of your new colored pencils with these easy-to-follow video lessons from Skillshare! Get instant access with a 14-day free trial or use our code, ARTISFUN30, to get 30% off annual membership! As a Skillshare affiliate I get a small commission that helps support this site.