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Ok, I bought a gazillion colors of prisma pencils & am learning how to color & blend with OMS. Thing is, I'm using tortillons/stumps (what IS the difference, anyway?) and I'm noticing that the end is getting, um, frayed. It's not giving me as fine of control as I'd like, but there's a LOT of the stump thingy left. So... I go looking. Huh, you're supposed to sand them down.
Errr... what? Did I miss the class where they explain that process?:rolleyes: I got out my sanding stuff & sanded the end, sorta into a point. I say 'sorta' because that is NEVER going to be a point again. Period. Now it's a fluffy, frayed end that will never give me control. Honestly, these things are really cheap so I don't mind buying more. BUT, I can't believe that I'm the only one that's ever had this problem!
So, help a girl out. What the heck did I do wrong??:confused:
__________________ All inked up... and somewhere to go. My gallery, small but mighty... or maybe just mighty small! Come see my almost new blog... M'ija Stamps!
It is probably the brand "stumps" that you purchased...I have heard some are better than others...sorry, I don't know the difference between stumps and tortillons, probably the same product with a different name. Having said that, I don't think you will find any that will "sharpen" to that original point. Maybe someone will correct me, because I would love to know too!
Sorry I can't help, just wanted to say that there is a difference. I think stumps are shorter and thicker and tortillons are longer and thinner - but even after several years in wholesale art supplies, I still had to get the catalogue out any time a customer ordered them.
I have a sandpaper thing - like this - that I bought at Michaels for keeping them sharp. Because of the paddle shape, it's easier to maneuver than a whole sheet of - also, it's a very fine sandpaper. I hold the stump in one hand, the sandpaper block in the other at an angle and file in an upward motion toward the point. It's worked pretty well on all the stumps I've tried it with.
The tortillons are paper wraps that are hollow in the middle and only have one sharp end, the stumps are solid roles of paper and they are sharp on both ends, at least that is what I was told by a sales associate. I have also heard here that the stumps that are made in Taiwan are better quality of stumps, and having used the stumps made in China I would like to give the Taiwan stumps a try, even though the stumps I have seem to work alright I am not really very happy with them and I have used the tortillons and I think that they were a waste of money. For sharpining my stumps I picked up a pack of emery boards at the dollar store and use them to sharpin the stump's.
I haven't had luck in sanding these to the nice points that they originally come... however, one tip is to make sure they are completely dry before sanding. That has helped!!
Hmm. I'll have to try it when they're dry for sure. I can't remember if the ones I tried were *completely* dry or not.
I was using a nail file - one of those long thick ones. I wonder if the grain wasn't fine enough.
I must be using tortillons (from the descriptions). Looks like I need to look a little more closely for stumps. I recently saw some tortillons (?) marked Made in Taiwan at HL but couldn't remember if they were the better kind or not. I should go back & take a closer look... or get my butt to an actual art supply store!
Oh, but the money I'll spend in a supply store...!
Thanks for your replies girls!
__________________ All inked up... and somewhere to go. My gallery, small but mighty... or maybe just mighty small! Come see my almost new blog... M'ija Stamps!
I buy good ones through SCS member Stamps&Cars. I sand mine to a point but you could try using a smaller size stump for getting into smaller places. Hope this helps.
I also use the sandpaper block. I don't like stumps, I only use tortillions, and only the ones that are made in Taiwan. The difference is amazing. I keep the sandpaper close by when I'm working, and just make sure to keep the excess color build-up cleaned off. It's a small amount of sanding, and I make sure that I have one blender for reds, one for greens, etc. Good luck all!
__________________ �And art made tongue-tied by authority�
... Sonnet 66, William Shakespeare
I use my stumps with oil pastels, ugh just don't do what I did once ,stuck it in my electric pencil sharpner,well then right into the trash ,HaHa dosent work!! I try to clean mine first on a scrao of paper on an angle .It removes almost eveything and stays sharper.
I took a class from Karen Lockhart (Lockhart Stamp Company) last week that took my coloring to a whole new level. Karen has some good tutorials on her site. Check it out and you might just be able to ditch those blending stumps and Gamsol! It is really much easier than you think and is all about layering a light color down first so the other colors have something to "glide" over.
__________________ Everyday should hold the possibility of an adventure!
I took a class from Karen Lockhart (Lockhart Stamp Company) last week that took my coloring to a whole new level. Karen has some good tutorials on her site. Check it out and you might just be able to ditch those blending stumps and Gamsol! It is really much easier than you think and is all about layering a light color down first so the other colors have something to "glide" over.
I just took a class from Karen this past weekend and I agree! I don't think I'll be using my gamsol and stumps again anytime soon. If you ever have a chance to take a class with her ladies, please do. You won't regret it!
Blending stumps/tortillons question
