Ok, as I shaded quite frequently I would get a sharp line that would stick out and look out of place. I thought about it and came to the determination that if my pencil lead had no sharp edges then I shouldn't get any lines. However it seemed an oxymoron to try to find a pencil sharpener that did not put sharp edges on my lead. Then I thought if, looking at my pencil from the end or with the point facing your eye, (don't try this at home) then it should look like this (see following drawing).

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Now how could I get this smooth non-edge edge. I came up with the following pencil sharpener.

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Now what this is, is a pen with the guts removed and cut long wise so I had a half tube. Then I cut out a piece of 600 grit sand paper and appoxied it into the groove with the sand paper up. So now I can rub my lead in the tube and it forms the roundness to do some nice shading. I clean the sharpener with a few quick presses of the old dependible soft strechy eraser, or in my case Blue Tac.

Thats amazing that you came up with that .. patten it ! lol it sounds like a great idea .

Inventive Calvin, I think I understand what you are trying to acheive here but I think it can be done more easily perhaps.

For smooth consistent shading your pencil edge should be chisel shaped. That gives a longer, flatter surface to apply to paper and you then have the sharper edge to use for tight detail. You can use a piece of sandpaper or a sandpaper block to get your point to the shape you want.

Your hand alone controls the pencil and if you find you get sharp lines in your shading, it would indicate that you are going too fast or not noticing the shape of your lead. You can of course always incorporate those lines into your shading by careful blending.

A rounded tip can be achieved by simply turning your pencil every so often so that it wears down evenly and doesn't wear into a chisel point. This is often done when applying coloured pencil as you want to keep a sharper point then.

Just a couple of suggestions that you may like to try as its along the same principle that you are trying here.

Calvin,
Is that your phone number on that pen in the picture?

Hang on, I'm callin' ya.
Eric

Hey all, grab a carpenters pencil, it has a rectangle lead in it, and has to be sharpened via a blade, you can shape it in whatever you want, even with a blunt end. However, I have to give KUDOS to Calvin to come up with that design.

Cheers.

Best thing I have seen for this issue is a plain 'ole .5mm mechanical pencil. If you hold the pencil the same way each time it is used (for example laying the "clip" part against where your thumb joint meets your hand) you will have a constant perfectly smooth edge (no lines) on one side of the point and a constant chisel tip (for good darks and detail, but NOT shading) on the opposite side of the tip.

I want one of these pencils! and I our local supply store doesn't carry them. Does anyone have an idea where to get them online without paying an arm and leg for shipping?

Do you mean a carpenter's pencil or a mechanical pencil Pammy?

You can find a carpenter's pencil at most home hardware stores.

Mechanical pencils can be found anywhere if you want a plain ordinary one with usually an HB lead in it. Drugstores, supermarkets, dollar stores, etc. All they are are lead holders really, but sometimes people want the flashy ones with the brand names on them Go to your local office supply store - Staples perhaps. They stock them too.

I have all kinds of them in all widths of leads from .03 to .09 and many different leads from HB to 4B, to be honest, they all work the same way. Some of the more expensive holders are more substantial and feel heavier in the hand than the cheaper plastic ones, but they do all work well.

FYI - They actually make sharpeners for carpenter pencils now, however I don't know how they would work for a regular pencil. If I think of it I will steal the hubbies and give it a try and let you know.