How to Transfer Drawing to Canvas for Oil Painting

Study for Leaves of Grass. All works by Patricia Watwood.

With the image of a female person effigy reading in the summertime grass in mind, I began to develop my oil painting, Leaves of Grass. I started with a preparatory drawing. I work with models and from life as much as I can, only using photographic reference when absolutely necessary for practicality.

Models brings their own presence, and sometimes, I accept to be patient for the correct pose to go far, or begin with one affair and permit information technology evolve every bit I work and acquire more than about the arrangement based on my familiarity with information technology.

	In the last composition, I adjusted the model'due south foot position from flat on the footing, as it was inthe cartoon, to resting on the brawl of the foot, giving the whole pose a freer, more fluid feel.

The early studies are done chop-chop, then that I can feel free to change things effectually, and be open up about how information technology volition unfold. I spent near 1½ hours on the cartoon, and then forced myself to switch to some other projection so that I wouldn't become locked into my image too apace. The more hours I invest in any particular moving-picture show, the harder information technology is to intermission it down, revise it, or throw it out altogether, so I stepped away.

The next thing I did was to transfer the drawing I made to a canvas, to brainstorm an oil report. I liked the pose and the figure so far, and felt fix to move forward in developing it. Here are the steps to transfer a study to canvas:

ane. To begin the large painting, I like to transfer the cartoon, and copy the information from the written report to the large work. This saves me a lot of time by not having to re-describe, and also saves on model fees! I took my small painting and laid tracing paper over it. I traced all the principle lines of the composition, in graphite pencil, reducing the design to a simple linear graphic. You can run into that the lines are very simple and in some areas (clumps of grass, for case) there'southward very niggling information transferred. In those passages, I will just re-create directly from the painted study to the large canvas.

2. Next, I accept the tracing paper to a photocopy store, where I become the cartoon enlarged. At some stores, yous can do this yourself on an oversize black and white copy machine. Some places will do it for you, and you just tell them what the finished dimensions should be. The paper is three-feet wide, on a gyre, so you can enlarge the cartoon quite a lot, and the automobile can enlarge up to 400%. I take had practiced success enlarging drawings in this style. I have made photocopy enlargements of original drawings as well as tracings.

3. The adjacent stride is to accept the photocopy and rub pastel on the back of the paper then you can transfer the lines. I put the paper on my studio window and rub NuPastel (dark cherry-red or sienna) on the dorsum where I run across the lines. In an surface area with a lot of particular, I tone the whole expanse, but if it'south a simple line I just trace the line. Next, you tape the paper in place on your prepared sail. So, I draw over the lines on the front of the photocopy with a graphite pencil. Make sure yous printing hard enough to press the pastel onto the canvass. I commonly elevator upwardly the paper and check to make certain I can see it (if not, press harder or rub on more pastel).

4. When that is done, I set the photocopy aside (tape it to a cardboard or foam core lath), and fix the transfer lines on the canvas. To gear up the lines, I apply a minor brush–a round with a proficient point–and redraw all the lines in paint. I will mix raw umber or burnt sienna with a bit of white, and but a touch of medium. Then I thin the paint with my solvent so that can paint the lines fluidly. I compare the painted lines to the large photocopy as I become to be sure I have drawn the lines accurately. Sometimes I will compare with the study or original drawing to brand sure I retain the likeness of the original. Once all the lines are redrawn in paint, I permit it dry out overnight. In one case the lines are dry, I begin the underpainting.

Have y'all worked the same fashion? What have you lot found along the way? Practice yous have whatsoever tips to share with the community?

–Patricia

For more painting instruction from Patricia, cheque out her latest DVD, Figure Painting: Realistic Peel Tone.

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Source: https://www.artistsnetwork.com/art-mediums/oil-painting/how-to-transfer-a-study-to-a-large-canvas/

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