What Is An Anti-Fouling Artist Glove?
You may have seen some artists drawing with a weird glove on their hand. This isn’t a fashion statement and it’s also not a tribute to Michael Jackson.
These anti-fouling gloves help reduce smudging with traditional mediums like graphite. But they also reduce friction while drawing on a digital graphics tablet.
The only friction you really want on your tablet is between your stylus nib and the tablet surface. Anything else can slow down your work or even cause you to mess up.
Some tablets come pre-packaged with a free anti-fouling glove but not all companies are that generous. You’ll usually need to buy one separately which can be a pain.
Plus it can be hard to understand the value of an anti-fouling glove if you’ve never used one before. Why would you care and what’s the benefit? Does it really make a difference?
And the biggest question in your mind: “do I really need an anti-fouling glove”?
Of course the answer is no, but you will get a much better drawing experience if you pick one up.
Think about how much your meaty hand can get in the way of a slick tablet surface. Our hands can be sweaty, greasy, and just plain fleshy. These obstructions will slow down your drawing whether you want to admit it or not.
But aside from your workflow think about your tablet’s screen health as well. Your palm can leave a lot of stain marks from sweat, dirt, grease, food chunks, or whatever other things you leave on your hands.
An artist glove will keep your tablet’s screen sparkling clean and residue-free.
Almost every glove is machine-friendly so you can wash it whenever it starts to get dirty or smell funky.
Best of all it’s a great resource for traditional artwork too. You can use an artist glove to reduce smudges while drawing in graphite, carbon, or charcoal. It’s basically the ultimate safety net to protect your artistic process from little annoyances.
If you need something cheap and easy I’d recommend this Huion artist glove. It’s very affordable and it’ll last you a lifetime so it’s well worth the investment.
But if you’re just not sure what to get you can browse artist gloves to see what’s out there. Some are called anti-fouling gloves but they all mean the same thing: an accessory that makes creating art a little easier.
