Tracing paper has gotten a bad rap.  When I was a child I didn’t like tracing paper.  I didn’t like drawing on it.  I didn’t like trying to store it.  I think it was the impermanancy of the paper that turned me off.  I could see through it.  That allowed things that were underneath to show through, obscuring what I had drawn on the surface.  This just didn’t appeal to me so I put tracing paper in a drawer and forgot about it…until now.

Over the last few years I have been rediscovering the values of tracing paper and what a fantastic asset it can become in an arsenal of tools for furthering artistic endeavours.  I always keep a pad of it on hand now.  I’d like to relate to you my technique for using tracing paper so it might help you in your own artistic practice.

When I plan out a painting I like to do a few preliminary drawings.  They may not be highly detailed, little more than thumbnails but I’ll block in the major aspects of the image so I can map out where items are going to go on a canvas.  Often, these rudimentary drawings won’t show all the details necessary to pull off the image or, halfway through the work I’ll change my mind about some aspects of the image and thats when the virtues of tracing paper shine.  Look below…

*A note of caution.  This technique will not work for oils or media that might lift off the ground when tracing paper is applied or drawn on.

Here’s my latest work with the right side shrouded by tracing paper (image 1).  The main portion of the painting is in the center of the canvas.  That being done it’s now time to move on to the secondary supporting features of the painting.  In this case, I’m determining the size, shape and location of a rubber duck that will feature prominently in the final piece.

Anyone who has drawn on painted canvas with a pencil knows that when the time comes to remove those pencil marks they are notoriously difficult to get up (or paint over). With a sheet of tracing paper in place I can draw all over my painting-in-progess as much as I like and never make a mark on the finished work. If I hate what I’ve drawn I can put down a new sheet of tracing paper and start again.

Once I have a preliminary idea on the tracing paper (image 1) I’m able to place subsequent pieces of tracing paper over it to refine the image.  Using this techinque makes it easy to copy a line or refine it until you get the look you want.   Above is a composite of the three stages that I went through to get the final image.

Now that I’ve got the size and shape of my self-satisfied duck it’s time to place it within the composition. By cutting away the excess tracing paper I get a fairly decent idea of how the final image will look.  Notice I’ve used green “painters” tape to adhere the duck cut out to the painted surface. Always use a low-tack tape when adhering anything to your work. Left over adhesive residue can ruin it. 

Now it’s time to play.  I’ve got my duck cut out and an image of the magnifying glass it’s being scrutinized under.  I can lift them up, shift them, reposition them as many times as I like until I’m happy with the composition.  Once they’re in place I can trace the images onto the canvas right around the cutouts, fill in the missing details and paint them into the piece.

And voila!  Duck and accompanying magnifying glass, traced, painted and finished as part of the final composition. This took me only a couple of hours to plan out. It’s cheap, easy, fast and reliable and in the end I get a solid composition and a happy, finished image.

TWO ALTERNATIVE METHODS

Now, the above method is the one I like to use. It’s worked for me in the past; it’ll work again and as the old adage goes, ‘If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it’. But there are a couple of other methods one can use for transfering an image off of tracing paper onto artwork.

The image of a rubber duck I used to demonstrate my personal method is a fairly simple one, but you may have an image which is much more complex, one which doesn’t lend itself well to being filled in after you’ve traced around the outside. In this case I’d recommend our old friend–carbon paper.

Carbon paper has been around for ages and has been working relentless since its inception at making flawless copies of things impressed upon it. Slide a sheet of carbon paper under your image and tape the two of them down on your artwork.

At this point it’s very important that you make sure your original image is secured firmly. If it moves at all, even a little bit, this technique will be thrown off leaving you with an image that looks skewed or distorted. I’d recommend using low tack painters tape again but be careful when affixing it to paper products.  It can still tear the top layer of your work if you’re not gentle.

Once the image and the carbon paper are in place, trace over the lines of your original. You may have to give it some pressure to get a good impression. When you’re done tracing, carefully peel off the tape and you’ll find that your lines have transferred through the carbon paper onto your work. Now you’re set to polish off your masterpiece!

Alternately, if you don’t have access to tracing paper or can’t afford it, you can use a slightly less precise method that involves a soft pencil and a bit of elbow grease.

Using a 2B / 4B pencil or graphite stick will give you good dark lines with a lot of graphite. Flip your original drawing over and, using the pencil, trace the lines heavily. Get a lot of graphite on there; the more the merrier. When you’re sure you’ve traced every line on the back of your paper flip the image over again, carefully position it where you want it, tape it down and go to town tracing your original drawing just as if you had carbon paper under it. This method is a little less accurate and a bit more messy but it will acheive the same result.

If you find yourself downplaying the strengths of tracing paper I hope this post will change your mind.  Explore everything that tracing paper can do for you. I know that it has helped me and I hope it helps you too in your personal practice.

For now, that is all. Goodnight.

This entry was posted on Friday, February 6th, 2009 at 12:35 pm and is filed under Tips and Tricks . You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.