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Matt
The issue of drawing with lines and drawing with tones gets smudgy because we don't have the words to define some of these things. For example, Peggy's sauce drawings? Are they properly called paintings or drawings? They use what we normally consider as drawing media, but the net result is a tonal rendering that obscures much of the evidence of line drawing (in a very pleasant way, I might add). Similarly, standard academic cast or figure drawings seek to eliminate line through massing of tone because they are preparing the student for painting, which is, for the most part, tonal.
Anyway, if your goal is to render in pencil very uniform tones or ones that blend seamlessly without evidence of the lines used to achieve it, then smudging with finger, stomp, tortillon, or brush will not do it perfectly. In the end, one must use a needle-sharp pencil and a kneadable eraser.
Below, I have appended a jpeg showing a three stage process in creating an even tone in pencil. Unfortunately, the scan does not capture the essence of the graphite tones perfectly. In reality, they are somewhat lighter, for instance. If I had lightened the image to the proper value, the final, rendered tones would appear smudgy, which they are not. Just like a camera, the scanner over-emphasizes even the most minute differences in value. That being said, it might still offer some assistance.
The lower tones are just quickly massed-in with a 2B pencil in rough cross-hatch. Smudging will normally make the tone appear darker (and warmer) so the initial lay-in is a bit lighter than your final intention. The second (middle) squares are then stomped. As you can see, they appear uneven and blotchy. Even if you go over it and over it to the point where you burnish the paper, there will be some inevitable uneven-ness. The scan hightens this, but it is definitely there. If it is on skin tone, the person looks sickly. Finally, in the upper squares, it has all been gone over slowly and carefully to fill-in the interstices, or "holes" using a very sharp HB pencil and a kneadable eraser just to pick out areas that get too dark. This stage takes a long time.
A note on pencil and eraser: The pencils are best sharpened by whittling the tips with a utility knife so that there is at least three-quarters of an inch of the lead exposed and the wood is well-tapered. Then, the point is honed with sandpaper so that you have a long, sharp, thin point. This lasts much longer than the points made by a standard sharpener, which are rather broad and short. The best kneadable eraser I have found is made by Staedler. Never buy the ones made by Prang. They are neither kneadable, nor do they erase. Otherwise, I suppose they are fine.
I hope this helps. (I hope the jpeg is visible as it is not in the "preview" option.)
Juan
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