Why a hobby knife?
Let’s get this out of the way, a hobby knife is the best way to sharpen art pencils. Whether it’s pastel, watercolour, woodless or coloured pencils, a hobby knife will stop the colour strip inside the wooden casing from splitting or breaking inside. A standard sharpener will break fragile pencils like pastel pencils, so it’s best to step away from a standard sharpener when dealing with art pencils and pick up a hobby knife instead.

Sharpening pastel, woodless, charcoal, watercolour pencils
To sharpen your art pencils, hold the pencil firmly in one hand. Then angle the blade at the edge of the wood and use your thumb to control the blade. Make small, shallow cuts and rotate the pencil for even slices. Don’t apply too much pressure, the wood and colour strips are soft so it’s best to use a light hand when cutting. 

Sharpening graphite and coloured pencils
These pencils have a durable colour strip inside, so the “leads” can handle some pressure. Graphite pencils and coloured pencils can be sharpened either with a hobby knife or with a mechanical or manual sharpener for a quick sharpen. 

Use sandpaper for sharpening pencils to a fine point
Sometimes you’ll need a fine point for drawing, you can finish sharpening a pencil by using sandpaper to create a sharp, fine point. To do this, sharpen the pencil as required, then reach for some sandpaper and move the paper backwards and forwards, while lightly twisting the side of the pencil onto the sandpaper. Keep the pencil at 10-15 degrees from the surface and rotate the pencil for an even sharpen. Then you’re ready to go!

Remember to keep yourself safe when using a hobby knife
Sharpening with a hobby knife can be dangerous. Only use a hobby knife under adult supervision. Always sharpen the pencils away from yourself, slowly and at a slight angle, making sure the hobby knife blade is sharp. Don’t attempt sharpening a charcoal pencil, watercolour, pastel, woodless pencil, or any other pencil using a blunt knife, not only is it super dangerous, you’ll also be putting too much pressure on the pencil.

Now you know how to sharpen art pencils with a hobby knife! We hope you’re feeling confident to tackle sharpening your art pencils next time they’re a little blunt. 
Looking for more? Explore our range of art pencils or check out more of our handy how to videos here.