I'm trying to create a quite consistent look, not using sharp lines. Sometimes I'll hardly have any outline at all, and sometimes allow edges - where there's a highlight on the side of the subject - to disappear altogether.
For this style of sketch, shade only with the side of the pencil so that the whole surface has the same amount of paper texture. When erasing, I'm careful to 'dab' or 'dot' the kneadable eraser, not rubbing at the surface, so that graphite doesn't get smudged into the paper. You want the speckles of white paper to show through evenly across the sketch.
