A7 - Line & Wash
If you are a coloured pencil artist, or a water-colourist or any type of artist that uses soft papers as a support for your artistic endeavours then you will probably have scrapped many a painting before it has taken shape, due to poor transfer methods. Creating a detailed drawing onto paper before you paint can be a problem, for one you have just spent several hours perfecting a line drawing and do not fancy drawing it all over again onto your painting support paper, so you use a time served process of transfering the drawing by means of tracing paper, carbon copy, tracedown or even the old method of using a grid.
Boom, your drawing ends up in the scrap heap because you either muddy the colours with graphite, leave indentations in the paper that show through the paint or something just as hideous.
Well fear not my dear artists as help is at hand. the method you are about to read below is a simple but effective way of getting your drawing onto paper before you paint, and give it a fighting chance not to end up in the fireplace providing fuel for your warmth.
If you are a coloured pencil artist, or a water-colourist or any type of artist that uses soft papers as a support for your artistic endeavours then you will probably have scrapped many a painting before it has taken shape, due to poor transfer methods. Creating a detailed drawing onto paper before you paint can be a problem, for one you have just spent several hours perfecting a line drawing and do not fancy drawing it all over again onto your painting support paper, so you use a time served process of transfering the drawing by means of tracing paper, carbon copy, tracedown or even the old method of using a grid.
Boom, your drawing ends up in the scrap heap because you either muddy the colours with graphite, leave indentations in the paper that show through the paint or something just as hideous.
Well fear not my dear artists as help is at hand. the method you are about to read below is a simple but effective way of getting your drawing onto paper before you paint, and give it a fighting chance not to end up in the fireplace providing fuel for your warmth.
We did some fairly involved tests a while back on one or two of my
Knuston Hall courses with students trying out various ways of making an
outline transfer while NOT indenting the paper surface.
As you found, the softer the paper, the more likely the transfer line is
to cut a groove if you use wax free transfer paper or even DIY pencil
'carbon' paper made from tracing paper.
Having to speed up the transfer process for students to enable more
actual CP time to be employed, means that any system of quickly putting
the basic shapes down on paper is a bonus.
We have tried most methods.
The current favoured solution is to use either tracing paper or thin
layout paper ( not so easy to see through, but it does work, as the
paper is usually thinner than tracing paper).
First lightly trace the outline from the reference. I prefer to use a
fine pointed marker pen for this as it ensures a constant fine line.
Next turn over the trace paper and check you can see the reversed image
through the paper.
If you are using layout paper, then you can tape the sheet to a window
and that will give you a good shot at the line on the other side -
alternative methods use a light box, but that costs money !
Depending on the work you are about to undertake, take either 1/ a
pastel pencil - with a sharp point or 2/ a soft wax type pencil - with
a sharp point or 3/ a soft watercolour pencil - ditto - ( my
preference - see below for why .. )
Choose a colour to go with the area you are working on - the horizon
would be a blue line, edge line for trees - green, houses - grey,
portrait - pink or flesh etc - you will quickly get the idea
Follow the image of the fine pen line on to the back of the paper
producing a coloured reversed image with your soft coloured pencil of choice
You should now have the fine pen lines on one side of the paper and an
identical coloured lines ( reversed) on the other.
Now lay the trace over the working paper with the coloured side DOWN,
facing, and in contact with your working paper.
Either tape down three corners or use a dab of blue tac on three corners
You will want to check the transfer is working and also keep the two
papers fixed together while you do it.
NOW the clever bit
Take a crafter's 'bone', the back of a spoon or fork handle, or
something with a flat hard but slippy surface.
work the flat hard tool over the pen side of the trace and - with luck -
you will transfer a light line in suitable colours to the working
surface with no indented line.
This needs practice and experimentation, but I can assure you it does
work and it is a good method.
If you find the paper grips the tool and the tool doesn't slide, it can
help to wipe the top of the trace paper surface with a bit of 'Bounce'
fabric softener.
Why do I prefer watercolour pencil ? because if you do go on to use
watercolour pencils as a base to your picture, the line will just merge
in and disappear as soon as it is treated with a damp brush.
Pastel pencil can be almost entirely brushed out,
Wax CP is fine if you are going on to use wax CP for your picture.
Ref:Peter Weatherill
To see a detailed tutorial step by step, by the artist who provides this advice please click the link the top of the page.
Enjoy!!!
Knuston Hall courses with students trying out various ways of making an
outline transfer while NOT indenting the paper surface.
As you found, the softer the paper, the more likely the transfer line is
to cut a groove if you use wax free transfer paper or even DIY pencil
'carbon' paper made from tracing paper.
Having to speed up the transfer process for students to enable more
actual CP time to be employed, means that any system of quickly putting
the basic shapes down on paper is a bonus.
We have tried most methods.
The current favoured solution is to use either tracing paper or thin
layout paper ( not so easy to see through, but it does work, as the
paper is usually thinner than tracing paper).
First lightly trace the outline from the reference. I prefer to use a
fine pointed marker pen for this as it ensures a constant fine line.
Next turn over the trace paper and check you can see the reversed image
through the paper.
If you are using layout paper, then you can tape the sheet to a window
and that will give you a good shot at the line on the other side -
alternative methods use a light box, but that costs money !
Depending on the work you are about to undertake, take either 1/ a
pastel pencil - with a sharp point or 2/ a soft wax type pencil - with
a sharp point or 3/ a soft watercolour pencil - ditto - ( my
preference - see below for why .. )
Choose a colour to go with the area you are working on - the horizon
would be a blue line, edge line for trees - green, houses - grey,
portrait - pink or flesh etc - you will quickly get the idea
Follow the image of the fine pen line on to the back of the paper
producing a coloured reversed image with your soft coloured pencil of choice
You should now have the fine pen lines on one side of the paper and an
identical coloured lines ( reversed) on the other.
Now lay the trace over the working paper with the coloured side DOWN,
facing, and in contact with your working paper.
Either tape down three corners or use a dab of blue tac on three corners
You will want to check the transfer is working and also keep the two
papers fixed together while you do it.
NOW the clever bit
Take a crafter's 'bone', the back of a spoon or fork handle, or
something with a flat hard but slippy surface.
work the flat hard tool over the pen side of the trace and - with luck -
you will transfer a light line in suitable colours to the working
surface with no indented line.
This needs practice and experimentation, but I can assure you it does
work and it is a good method.
If you find the paper grips the tool and the tool doesn't slide, it can
help to wipe the top of the trace paper surface with a bit of 'Bounce'
fabric softener.
Why do I prefer watercolour pencil ? because if you do go on to use
watercolour pencils as a base to your picture, the line will just merge
in and disappear as soon as it is treated with a damp brush.
Pastel pencil can be almost entirely brushed out,
Wax CP is fine if you are going on to use wax CP for your picture.
Ref:Peter Weatherill
To see a detailed tutorial step by step, by the artist who provides this advice please click the link the top of the page.
Enjoy!!!
