Just starting on my first photo realistic portrait and read about Blu-Tack and looked into it deeper on Mike Sibley's website http://www.sibleyfineart.com/tutorial--era...il-blu-tack.htm
WOW! I wish they sold this in the states instead of all the other brands that don't work as an eraser..
THIS STUFF IS UNREAL! I have not picked up my kneaded eraser since getting a pack of this stuff! If you have never tried it you really should, you will wonder how you lived without it! Thank you very much for all the info Mike, it really is a god sent!
Full Version: Oh hail to the might Blu-Tack Oh thank you Mike!
lol, i know, i ordered some too, it is great stuff, got it from mike too
QUOTE (oliverandjazz @ Jul 22 2009, 03:43 PM) 
lol, i know, i ordered some too, it is great stuff, got it from mike too
I didn't realize Mike resold it until after I ordered from some guy on ebay for $10 but you know what.. it will last me years! You know.. I even use it for it main purpose.. to stick my reference photo up so I can see it!
I got some when I was at Mike's workshop in North Yorkshire in May. It really is magic. The main thing to remember is to dab it on the graphite, not rub.
I am going to have to look for that stuff at our Ace store down the road.
You can likely only buy it in the UK Kim.
However, you can buy regular poster putty that will do a similar job. Blu-tack is slightly sticker which is why it works better.
However, you can buy regular poster putty that will do a similar job. Blu-tack is slightly sticker which is why it works better.
Ok I just got back from a place called Ace hardware its a local shop about a block away for tools and such .. they have a stuff called Paper Tak its blue and I thought no way but the guy said he had never heard of blu tack so I thought I would give it a try ...I balled some up until it became warm then took my pencil ad drew dark to light ...I told my mom it would not work most likely but to my amazment it worked great ...just pressing on the paper it removed all the graphite ...even in the dark colored areas and for only 2 dollars for five sicks that will last me a very long time . I tried the same thing with a eraser but it did not get rid of all the graphite .. I cleaned the markinbgs completly off with the paper tak .
so cool I can use it as well ...and those in the USA can use it .....Paper tak .
so cool I can use it as well ...and those in the USA can use it .....Paper tak .
Hey I just tried it with my colored pencils and it works lol I have no eraser that will do that . I use prisma colors so I do not know if that matters but it removed all the color . totaly impressed
QUOTE (kim1963 @ Jul 23 2009, 02:12 PM)
Ok I just got back from a place called Ace hardware its a local shop about a block away for tools and such .. they have a stuff called Paper Tak its blue and I thought no way but the guy said he had never heard of blu tack so I thought I would give it a try ...I balled some up until it became warm then took my pencil ad drew dark to light ...I told my mom it would not work most likely but to my amazment it worked great ...just pressing on the paper it removed all the graphite ...even in the dark colored areas and for only 2 dollars for five sicks that will last me a very long time . I tried the same thing with a eraser but it did not get rid of all the graphite .. I cleaned the markinbgs completly off with the paper tak .
so cool I can use it as well ...and those in the USA can use it .....Paper tak .
so cool I can use it as well ...and those in the USA can use it .....Paper tak .
Mike sells it.. you may want to order the real deal and see if it works the same... I tired Elmer's poster putty and it didn't not work anything like the real stuff...
http://www.sibleyfineart.com/shop.htm
There are any number of brands of poster putty, but Blu-Tack seems to be the favoured one.
If you go back to my coloured pencil tutorial, poster putty was talked about there for removing coloured pencil. It does work well for cp work.
If you go back to my coloured pencil tutorial, poster putty was talked about there for removing coloured pencil. It does work well for cp work.
You can purchase the original Blu-Tack online here in the states. go to www.Glubie.com they have it for $3.49 12 in a pack, they even have the testimonal by Mike Sibley. The company is located in Indiana
QUOTE (Nancy B @ Jul 23 2009, 09:13 PM)
You can purchase the original Blu-Tack online here in the states. go to www.Glubie.com they have it for $3.49 12 in a pack, they even have the testimonal by Mike Sibley. The company is located in Indiana
but the shipping will kill you..
I can't believe you guys have to pay so much for regular old Blu-Tack! Its been here in Oz forever - I used to use it 30 years ago!
As Bostik - the parent Company - was started in Massachusetts (I believe) perhaps you could find out why Bostik doesn't sell it in the States. We just get it for a few dollars from the supermarket over here. It is so well known that any of those type products are just generically called Blu-Tack here. Perhaps I should start a Blu-Tack export business
!!!
As Bostik - the parent Company - was started in Massachusetts (I believe) perhaps you could find out why Bostik doesn't sell it in the States. We just get it for a few dollars from the supermarket over here. It is so well known that any of those type products are just generically called Blu-Tack here. Perhaps I should start a Blu-Tack export business
!!!
QUOTE (bigs @ Jul 24 2009, 04:21 AM)
I can't believe you guys have to pay so much for regular old Blu-Tack! Its been here in Oz forever - I used to use it 30 years ago!
As Bostik - the parent Company - was started in Massachusetts (I believe) perhaps you could find out why Bostik doesn't sell it in the States. We just get it for a few dollars from the supermarket over here. It is so well known that any of those type products are just generically called Blu-Tack here. Perhaps I should start a Blu-Tack export business !!!
As Bostik - the parent Company - was started in Massachusetts (I believe) perhaps you could find out why Bostik doesn't sell it in the States. We just get it for a few dollars from the supermarket over here. It is so well known that any of those type products are just generically called Blu-Tack here. Perhaps I should start a Blu-Tack export business
!!!yeah I asked Bostik that.. said hey.. try selling this to the art stores as eraser rather then adhesive.. You know ..if it was made in china we would have it ;-)
What is that saying about a prophet in his own town.........
I was thinking about the cheaper copies too, there is a little oil in the Blu-Tack which will bleed out over time when used to stick up posters.........you can see it on the paster paper and the Blu-Tack get hard. Just thinking that cheap copies may have more oil in them than you want. Just be careful that it doesn't affect the paper and create problems with laying down more layers. I hope not - but it made me think why other similar products aren't recommended by Mike SIbley and others.
I was thinking about the cheaper copies too, there is a little oil in the Blu-Tack which will bleed out over time when used to stick up posters.........you can see it on the paster paper and the Blu-Tack get hard. Just thinking that cheap copies may have more oil in them than you want. Just be careful that it doesn't affect the paper and create problems with laying down more layers. I hope not - but it made me think why other similar products aren't recommended by Mike SIbley and others.
QUOTE (bigs @ Jul 25 2009, 05:21 AM)
but it made me think why other similar products aren't recommended by Mike SIbley and others.
Well I don't know about anything other than the 2 I tried... the blu-tack works and the elmer's doesn't. Maybe Kim and I should mail each other a small piece of each brand to try them out side by side just for fun.
Now that would be interesting to have a shaded area that is "erased" with the same pressure from several types including Blu-Tack.
QUOTE (bigs @ Jul 26 2009, 03:00 AM)
Now that would be interesting to have a shaded area that is "erased" with the same pressure from several types including Blu-Tack.
The shipping of the product begins on Monday from both location! Any suggestions on particular tests would be helpful, and of course our results would be posted! I have a limited amount of experience and availability to paper types, and my current project is on illustration board which has no tooth and may not be the best thing to test on. So any ideas would be helpful.
Mike has already done this with many products but it will be fun to see what happens.
This is an excerpt from a mail conversion with Mike Sibley
Quoting Mike:
Incidentally, I've been sent similar US products over the years (UHU, Tak'N'Stick etc) and none perform as well as Blu-Tack, which fortuitously has just the properties required for graphite. It's also the original Wall Putty product.
well I have both products and to be honest they seem to work very close to the same ...mine seemed to dry out faster but still worked ...but to be honest I do not car so much for using either ...its great for colored pencil mistakes or lightening areas but when I want something completly gone i use my eraser .. the putty sticks and if you are not careful the pulling up action can crease your paper 
happened to me .
happened to me .
The kind that I have is "Duck" brand Adhesive Poster Putty. They make 'Duck tape' and other adhesives, it's a reasonably established company. In any event, it works great, just as Blu-Tak is always described.
Thanks for the tip Ernest, I will have to keep an eye out for that at my local stores!
Kim, the real power of this stuff is not in erasing mistakes but in lightening values without rubbing and bringing out highlights that have gotten smudged. I think and will verify that it makes a difference on the smoothness of what you are drawing on.
I have been out of town for the past week and will try both products out side by side later this weekend or early next week. Kim, thanks for the card as well, very nicely done!
First impressions on Paper Tak
I ripped off a small piece of the product Kim sent me and rolled it into a ball (about the size of a pea) and left it on the table over night. This morning kneaded it and pull it out as if cleaning it (just like a kneaded eraser) and it was kind of stiff and plasticy not soft and stretchy. The blue tack stays soft and stretchy even after weeks of sitting stuck on my monitor. I have a piece of Elmer's poster putty stuck to a lamp and it is fairly hard and breaks fast when stretched similar to Paper Tak.
I will try and evaluate the ability to remove graphite in the near future.
Kim, the real power of this stuff is not in erasing mistakes but in lightening values without rubbing and bringing out highlights that have gotten smudged. I think and will verify that it makes a difference on the smoothness of what you are drawing on.
I have been out of town for the past week and will try both products out side by side later this weekend or early next week. Kim, thanks for the card as well, very nicely done!
First impressions on Paper Tak
I ripped off a small piece of the product Kim sent me and rolled it into a ball (about the size of a pea) and left it on the table over night. This morning kneaded it and pull it out as if cleaning it (just like a kneaded eraser) and it was kind of stiff and plasticy not soft and stretchy. The blue tack stays soft and stretchy even after weeks of sitting stuck on my monitor. I have a piece of Elmer's poster putty stuck to a lamp and it is fairly hard and breaks fast when stretched similar to Paper Tak.
I will try and evaluate the ability to remove graphite in the near future.
I sat down with a piece of very smooth bristol paper and a 4b and 9b pencil.
I pulled a bit of Blue tack and Paper tack and right from the start the blue tack is softer and stretchier.
Click to view attachment
Next using a 4b pencil and a very light touch and many layer I made a dark area. I converted the photos to black and white and adjusted the brightness so the photo is a bit darker than it really was.
Click to view attachment
I then rolled the Blue Tack over the line to try and get a smooth gradient. Some rubbing was required at the light end and some graphite was re-added at the dark end this was true with both products
Click to view attachment
Now the Paper Tack.
Click to view attachment
Click to view attachment
I think the blue tack is easier to control and picks up a more slower and even amount of graphite with each pass. It also seems a bit more sticky and the hotter it get the more sticky. This can be good and bad but you only need a tiny amount so having more than one piece is no problem.
Next I added a highlight as you would to an eye. I used a 9b solid graphite pencil to make the pupil then role out each product to form a point. This was then pushed on the spot , re-rolled and pushed again. Both products seemed just as effective. Also you will see an area above the eye test where I attempted to erase a light line with a rubbing action. Blue tack seemed to do a better job at this, but a Kneaded eraser will win hands down so I don't think this is all that important.
Click to view attachment
Click to view attachment
Lastly, I used a Design ebony pencil to make a dark square and blended with a stump. Next I tried to make a white line that could be hair or anything that needs to overlay a shadow area. Neither product worked all that well with the rubbed in graphite but I didn't really expect them to since there were just pushed on the surface without rubbing. I did rub a bit in the end, and both products were about the same.
Click to view attachment
In conclusion, I have no idea how these will work in the long run, I do know Blue tack stays softer and more pliable and I feel it achieved the results faster and more accurately than the paper tack. If you find paper tack locally and wanted to try this form of erasing, I would say go for it, it does work. If you like it, you probably want to give the blue tack a try it seems more suited to the job!
I pulled a bit of Blue tack and Paper tack and right from the start the blue tack is softer and stretchier.
Click to view attachment
Next using a 4b pencil and a very light touch and many layer I made a dark area. I converted the photos to black and white and adjusted the brightness so the photo is a bit darker than it really was.
Click to view attachment
I then rolled the Blue Tack over the line to try and get a smooth gradient. Some rubbing was required at the light end and some graphite was re-added at the dark end this was true with both products
Click to view attachment
Now the Paper Tack.
Click to view attachment
Click to view attachment
I think the blue tack is easier to control and picks up a more slower and even amount of graphite with each pass. It also seems a bit more sticky and the hotter it get the more sticky. This can be good and bad but you only need a tiny amount so having more than one piece is no problem.
Next I added a highlight as you would to an eye. I used a 9b solid graphite pencil to make the pupil then role out each product to form a point. This was then pushed on the spot , re-rolled and pushed again. Both products seemed just as effective. Also you will see an area above the eye test where I attempted to erase a light line with a rubbing action. Blue tack seemed to do a better job at this, but a Kneaded eraser will win hands down so I don't think this is all that important.
Click to view attachment
Click to view attachment
Lastly, I used a Design ebony pencil to make a dark square and blended with a stump. Next I tried to make a white line that could be hair or anything that needs to overlay a shadow area. Neither product worked all that well with the rubbed in graphite but I didn't really expect them to since there were just pushed on the surface without rubbing. I did rub a bit in the end, and both products were about the same.
Click to view attachment
In conclusion, I have no idea how these will work in the long run, I do know Blue tack stays softer and more pliable and I feel it achieved the results faster and more accurately than the paper tack. If you find paper tack locally and wanted to try this form of erasing, I would say go for it, it does work. If you like it, you probably want to give the blue tack a try it seems more suited to the job!
This is a "lo-fi" version of our main content. To view the full version with more information, formatting and images, please click here.