Copying Tips for Artists

Methods for getting your initial drawing onto your paper or canvas.

Tracing methods:

You can use graphite pencil on the back of your paper, then place your paper on the canvas or paper and trace over the lines.  This will not work well if your background paper or canvas is a dark color. You can purchase “Saral” brand wax free transfer paper at a crafts store. Locally this is available at AC Moore in the Mall of NH.  They have rolls with gray, but also a small paper sampler pack with 1 each of white, graphite (gray), yellow, blue and red.  I tested out the white this week on a dark green background I had on my canvas and it worked well.  If you need to buy a full roll, these color papers are available online. I found this easily at www.dickblick.com. The direct link: http://www.dickblick.com/products/saral-wax-free-transfer-paper/

As you can see from the photo below, the regular graphite (gray) does not show up well on a colored background.

As mentioned in the arttutor.com blog, https://www.arttutor.com/blog/201407/copying-reference-photo, your photo or original needs to be the same size as your canvas for this to work.  To increase or decrease the size, you still need to prepare a grid.  It is easiest if you use a 1” to 2” ratio, or 1” to 3”.  Many of these prepared grids are available at art stores.  To make an unusual size, say ¾” to 1” or 2”, you will need to draw your own grid.  This is actually quite easy, but tedious.  You can prepare a grid with a marker pen on tracing paper, place it over your photo or drawing. Then mark off your canvas in the correct ratio and draw onto it. If your initial photo or drawing is larger than the standard size paper, you will probably have to tape two sheets together to make a larger grid. If you plan on using this grid several times, you might want to buy a heavier grade of tracing paper.

I would suggest not following the exact pattern unless you are trying to be very realistic. Use your own artistic vision and just get the basic shapes on the canvas with grid or tracing paper. Fill in the shapes with your own technique and make the image your own.

For a free tool on how to use the grid method:  http://www.griddrawingtool.com/

Thanks to Eileen Belanger, we have sold three of the boxes that were painted by our artists for our fall fundraiser.  I will be picking up the rest next week and they will be available for purchase at my studio.  I will also have them at my table when I do craft fairs in November and December.  Please feel free to contact me if you would like to purchase a box. lhfeinberg@myfairpoint.net

Linda Feinberg, Treasurer, Artist and Blogger