As you draw, you’ll want to keep your drawing paper free of smudges and stray marks. There are a couple of ways to do this.

To give your finished work a sharp, defined border, you can frame your drawing with Post-It notes. For example, if you want your work to have a 1″ border, make your measurements and lightly draw the lines, then stick the Post-It notes along those lines, overlapping them. When you are finished your drawing, simply pull them off, and you have crisp, clean edges for your work.

If your hand gets any graphite on it, it will create smudges on the drawing itself which will give it a dull, flat appearance. To solve this problem, you can place another piece of paper between your drawing hand and the drawing surface. This will keep the heel of your hand off of your picture and keep your drawing from smearing.

Photo by Grietgriet