Review by Tina Koyama
As a lefty, smearing my writing is a fact of life. As an adult without a critical teacher looking over my shoulder, it doesn’t don’t bother me much. The only time I get annoyed is when I’m working on a graphite drawing, and I see the mess I’m making – both on my drawing and on my hand.
With drawing, though, it’s not even a lefty issue, is it? Righty artists make smudgy graphite messes as much as lefties do. I found an easy solution for all of us, whether writing or drawing – the SmudgeGuard Glove.
Wanting to minimize hand coverage, I chose the one-finger style ($14.99). It’s also available in a two-finger style ($16.99), which was apparently requested by tablet users. Both styles can be worn on either hand.
Mine is “cool black,” but it’s also available in “sweet lavender,” which is pretty, but there’s no way I want a color that would instantly show graphite and ink dirt. My black one will look new indefinitely (want to guess how many black items of clothing I own?). Even if it starts to look grungy, the product description says it’s hand-washable.
When I first saw this product, I was skeptical about how comfortable it would be to wear as I draw, but I was pleasantly surprised. I have worn mine many times for a couple of hours at a time, and have not found it uncomfortable, even on a hot day. I think an accurate fit is important, though. Following the product description’s recommendation to “use an actual ruler” (instead of a screen image of the size guide) to measure my hand, the XS fits me (ahem) like a glove. The nylon/spandex fabric is plenty stretchy, but I think baggy fabric of a too-large size might impede comfort and maybe effectiveness.
The SmudgeGuard Glove is working out much better for me than traditional solutions I’ve tried, like a piece of tissue under my hand (which never seems to be in the right place as I move around). It keeps my hand clean and also prevents transfer of graphite from my hand to the paper. The glove works equally well for writing, too.
(On warm summer days, I like to take my drawing easel and pencils out on our shady back deck, where these photos were taken.)
DISCLAIMER: Some items included in this review were provided free of charge by JetPens for the purpose of review. Please see the About page for more details.
Tina Koyama is an urban sketcher in Seattle. Her blog is Fueled by Clouds & Coffee, and you can follow her on Instagram as Miatagrrl.
