A sandpaper block is a small wooden paddle with strips of sandpaper stapled to one side. It is used to sharpen pencils, charcoal or pastels, or to clean drawing tools, and can be an essential item for an experienced or developing artist.Click to see full answer. Also question is, what are sanding blocks used for?A sanding block is a block used to hold sandpaper. In its simplest form, it is a block of wood or cork with one smooth flat side.Furthermore, what is a Tortillion used for in drawing? ːrˈtiːj?n/; or blending stump) is a cylindrical drawing tool, tapered at the end and usually made of rolled paper, used by artists to smudge or blend marks made with charcoal, Conté crayon, pencil or other drawing utensils. Also asked, do you need a sanding block? When you’re dealing with curves and soft edges, you can use the contours of your hand to back up the sandpaper and naturally mimic the shape. But when it comes to flat surface: never sand without a sanding block. This keeps the paper flat, which means your final project will also stay flat.Can you clean a sanding block?Sanding sponges are highly flexible and can be used on flat or contoured surfaces without any hassle. You can easily wash the sponge and remove the residual matter. This sanding sponge has to be rinsed with water during the sanding process.