If you love sketching with pencils or drawing with charcoal, then erasers are an essential tool for you. Not all erasers are suitable for charcoal or pencil drawings; you’ll need specific ones to give your artwork the clean edges it needs.
So, what are the best white vinyl erasers? The best white vinyl erasers work will be compatible with your preferred medium, erase easily without tearing the page, and don’t spread the lead or graphite pigment around the paper.
If you don’t know the magic of white vinyl erasers, then you’re definitely missing out. In this article, we will tell you more about choosing the best white vinyl erasers and introduce you to a few of our favorite ones.
White Vinyl Erasers – Buyer’s Guide
Media Compatibility
Graphite pencils and colored pencils, although similar in terms of techniques, can require different types of erasers when you want to use them effectively.
Graphite pencils are made with a carbon core and are commonly used for drawing, sketching, and writing. If you want to remove graphite marks from a page, you usually will need a gum or a vinyl eraser.
Colored pencils are made with a soft core that combines pigment, wax, and other resins that allow you to transfer the pigment (color) to the page. If you want to erase colored pencils, you will need to use silica erasers because other types of erasers will not work with this type of pigment.
Some pastels can also be removed with a putty rubber. We don’t recommend using abrasive erasers with pastels since the rubbing motion of abrasive erasers may rip the page as you remove the pastel.
Types Of Erasers
To understand how vinyl erasers are different from other types of erasers, you will first have to understand how each type of eraser functions.
Every eraser has different characteristics, but they mainly work by sticking to the media and picking up the colors. Some erasers may leave behind residue, which comes from the materials used to make them, like rubber, vinyl, and oil.
While there are many types of erasers, they can be divided into two main types.
- Putty Rubbers
Putty rubbers work not by chipping away the colors but by picking up the colors from the page using the rubber’s stickiness. This is why the rubber itself does not wear away.
Since putty rubbers work by picking up the colors, they don’t require a rubbing motion to work, and therefore are best used for removing highlights in charcoal and pastel.
Putty rubbers are also called kneaded rubbers because you can knead them into whatever size or shape you want to fit whatever small areas that you want. Once you have successfully picked up the charcoal from the page, you can fold the rubber in on itself to reveal a clean edge, which can be used to pick up more colors.
However, this type of eraser also has a lot of disadvantages. Since the erasers can only pick up the pigment, it’s very hard to clear edges or completely erase charcoal from a large area. This is one thing that rubber and vinyl erasers do much better, so let’s take a look at them below.
- Abrasive Erasers
This type of eraser works by using abrasive forces to chip away the color, as well as a bit of the eraser itself, using a rubbing motion. They are made from various materials such as rubber, plastic, and gum.
Rubber erasers used to be made from natural rubber, but now, the rubber you can find in stationery stores is more likely to be made from synthetic rubber. These can be quite abrasive and are usually used to remove biro ink.
You have likely encountered rubber erasers at some point in your school career since these are usually the type of erasers on school pencils.
Art gum erasers are designed to break easily as they collect graphite. They can be very soft, and because they chip away so easily, they are quite messy and do not last very long. Knowing the types of erasers mentioned above, you can probably imagine why vinyl erasers are superior.
Vinyl erasers, often called plastic erasers, are very firm erasers that can effectively remove graphite without damaging the surface you are working with.
These are made from white vinyl and are ideal for keeping your paper in good shape while effectively removing the graphite from the paper. They are quite firm because of how they are made but still soft enough to effectively remove charcoal from the page.
Whether you are using rubber, gum, or vinyl erasers, because of how they use abrasive force to remove the color, you should still use them with caution to avoid ripping your page.
Abrasive erasers also put you at risk of smudging your artwork due to the motion that you need to use to remove the charcoal. Instead of wiping the eraser crumbs off with your hands, try lifting the paper and shaking it to remove the crumbs. This will help you avoid smudging your lines on the page.
Phthalate-Free
Many erasers say that they are phthalate-free. What does that mean?
Phthalates are chemicals that make plastic soft and pliable. They used to be added to erasers to make them effective in removing charcoal, and they are plasticizers that are in many plastics that we use every day.
However, recently, they have been found to affect the hormonal system of humans. Because of the harmful effects, many popular brands have stopped using phthalates in their production.
If this is an important matter to you, make sure that when you purchase your vinyl erasers, you check if it is phthalate-free.
Best White Vinyl Erasers
If you are on the market for a good vinyl eraser for your charcoal artwork, then check out our recommendations for some highly reliable options below.
| Rank | Product | Key Features |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | Mars Plastic, Premium Vinyl Eraser | Triangular shape, sliding sleeve, premium |
| 2. | Pen Pencil Erasers | Latex-free, gentle, residue-free |
| 3. | Faber-Castel Dust-Free Vinyl Erasers | Dust-free, high quality, reliable performance |
| 4. | Faber-Castell Wave Eraser | Swivel handle, clean lines, wedge design |
| 5. | Cube Erasers With Grip | 4 shapes for precision, crisp lines, latex-free |
| 6. | Helix Professional Vinyl Latex-Free Eraser | Latex-free, PVC-free, premium quality |
| 7. | Tombow MONO Eraser | Minimal dust, clean use, long-lasting |
| 8. | Lovely White Latex-Free Eraser | Laxtex-free, smudge-proof, crumble-resistant |
| 9. | Hi-Polymer Large Plastic Erasers | Premium quality, clean results, dust-free |
1. Mars Plastic, Premium Vinyl Eraser
The Mars Plastic’s premium quality plastic vinyl eraser features a convenient design that includes a contoured, triangular shape for quick erasing in hard-to-reach places.
The firm but malleable texture is perfect for cleaning up small areas of wear or damage with little risk of damaging adjacent surfaces. There is a sliding sleeve that allows you to easily hold the erasers while guiding them to where you need to erase the pencil marks.
This eraser is Phthalate and latex-free, perfectly safe for use in the classroom with young children.
Since this is a premium-quality eraser, you can expect very little crumbling while you erase, which will help to reduce the smudges on your artwork. The eraser won’t cause discoloration on the page, and you can always get dependable performance.
2. Pen Pencil Erasers
These premium latex-free vinyl erasers, with a sliding sleeve for comfortable handling, allow you to erase pencil marks cleanly and effortlessly.
Because of the latex-free composition, these erasers require very little abrasive force to remove pencil marks and leave no residue on the page, helping to avoid damaging or tearing paper.
You can expect great, clean results from these erasers so that your artwork will always turn out the way that you want.
3. Faber-Castel Dust-Free Vinyl Erasers
What makes these Faber-Castel erasers stand apart from others is the dust-free erasing effect.
While other types of erasers strip away charcoal by shredding the erasers, leaving residue and dust on the page, these erasers don’t leave a trace behind!
This is because while these vinyl erasers do shed, they have been specially made to create very tiny dust particles that aren’t visible to the eye. The result – your charcoal will be safely erased, and you don’t have to clean up the dusty mess.
Compared to other high-quality vinyl erasers, you can expect the same performance from these Faber-Castel erasers, helping you achieve clean effects and neat lines on your artworks.
4. Faber-Castell Wave Eraser
The highly recommended Faber-Castell vinyl eraser also comes in this unique construction!
This wave eraser comes with a swivel mechanism using a plastic handle that allows you to conceal the vinyl eraser when it’s not in use and reveal the vinyl eraser when you need to use it.
For those who struggle with using erasers because of how small they are, this extra plastic handle can be a life-saver! It gives you more control over the eraser and allows the rubbing motion to become less tiring.
Since the eraser is uniquely shaped to fit the swivel container, it is also designed to help you create very clean lines and really get into the small corners of your page.
This is a truly unique design that can be quite useful when you need to clean up small areas or erase a whole page at a time!
5. Cube Erasers With Grip
Speaking of uniquely shaped erasers, these cube erasers are absolutely fun to have in your toolbox.
While some artists need to carve their erasers to get into the small corners and precise areas, you don’t have to! These erasers can do the job for you!
The erasers come in 4 fun shapes: triangle, oval, rhombus, and pebble shape, each with a convenient thumb grip in the middle of the eraser for better control.
These four shapes allow you the edges and flat surfaces to help you achieve really crisp, clean effects with the lines and angles that you are hoping to reach.
Made of quality latex-free polymer, these erasers are sure to do the job. They are highly durable and dependable in their performance, creating dust-free and smudge-free results that make your work better, not to mention they can be really fun to work with!
6. Helix Professional Vinyl Latex-Free Eraser
Helix erasers are the benchmark for excellence in erasing. This is a premium eraser that leaves behind minimal eraser dust.
A special manufacturing process makes the Helix unique, which results in an eraser that removes at least three times more material than traditional rubber products.
The high polymer content ensures that the eraser will not crumble, which will result in long-lasting use and satisfying results each time. These erasers are also latex and PVC-free.
7. Tombow MONO Eraser
Soft yet highly effective, these erasers allow you to easily remove pencil marks cleanly with little pressure, which will really reduce any paper damage.
These erasers are quite beloved among the artist community because they are the perfect size to get into the smaller spaces and cleanly remove charcoal marks without much effort.
These erasers are also designed to produce minimal dust, which means you don’t have to worry about smudging or cleaning up after erasing.
A small piece of eraser like this one can last you quite a while, so they are definitely a great addition to your toolkit!
8. Lovely White Latex-Free Eraser
The Lovely white latex-free block plastic eraser is a must-have addition to your art and drawing supplies.
The design of this eraser makes erasing effortless without smudges, paper tears, or residue. With such an effortless process, you will be able to let your creativity flow.
The eraser will not crack or harden with age and remains soft and ready to use with very little pressure for any kind of lead pencils and erasable colored pencils.
Thanks to the quality material, this eraser can resist crumbling and holds its shape over time, allowing it to contribute to your artwork for a long time.
This eraser is also Phthalate and latex-free.
9. Hi-Polymer Large Plastic Erasers
These premium latex-free erasers feature a unique formula that produces a clean and swift result.
These erasers easily remove pencil and charcoal marks without much friction, providing a more comfortable experience for students and artists.
Similar to other premium products, you can expect a dust-free experience while using these erasers, making the experience highly pleasant and cleaning up quite breezy.
Ways To Use Your Erasers
An eraser removes dry media from a surface, commonly paper. While all of us know how to use an eraser, there are actually many ways to use erasers to create different effects for your work.
The most common way to use erasers is to remove mistakes and clean up the edges of your drawing. In some instances, if you sketch with a paper first before applying watercolors, you can use erasers to remove the sketch before moving forward.
Erasers can also be used to create highlights in some areas, as well as removing colors so that you can add different effects to the layer.
Aside from being used for erasing mistakes, erasers can also be used for creating art. One of the most popular ways to do this is by covering a piece of paper with a graphite pencil and then using the erasers to create your design.
This technique creates a really artful, unique effect that shows your skills as an artist. Of course, for this to work effectively, you will need quite a quality eraser to pull it off.
To work with this technique, you will also need to shape your eraser occasionally to create crisp lines since the erasers can dull really quickly due to the abrasive effects of the rubbing motion.
An eraser is more durable and is less likely to tear if it’s a bit warm. It can also help to hold it in your hand for a few minutes before using it to make your eraser more effective.
You can also create a printing stamp with firm erasers by carving a design onto the eraser and use it as you would use a stamp. This is a fun way to play around with the stamping effect without having to invest in a proper stamp kit since an eraser is more accessible and affordable.
While erasers are useful in a whole host of applications, there are some caveats while working with different types of pencils.
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