How to Use Tracing Paper

 

I hate zentangle. All those lines make my eyes cross. I encounter a lot of coloring pages I don't like and a few that I do like, but want to modify to suit my coloring style. 

  

I use tracing paper to copy the lines I want to keep and transfer them to the paper for the media that I want to work with.

Tracing helped me develop my drawing skills. Nearly every artist uses tracing paper to refine drawings. Only one side of tracing paper needs to be graphite.

 

Place a sheet of tracing paper over the image you wish to copy and tape it in place. 

  

Trace the lines with a fineliner pen.

   

Flip the paper over and trace the lines with a Kimberly HB pencil. I don't like using a mechanical pencil because it will pierce and tear the paper.

   

Tape the traced image on paper, graphite down. Rub over the lines with a paper creaser until they are all copied and clearly visible. The lines will appear dark, but are easy to erase.

   

After the lines are transferred, I trace over them with a quilter’s silver pencil. It has a hard lead that isn’t erasable, but it leaves a fine gray line that can be colored over. Then, I erase all the graphite with a soft vinyl eraser. 

Here, I’ve added more branches and leaves from the coloring page above to the traced image. Then, I traced over them with another sheet of tracing paper. I ended up with two images that I can duplicate easily.

 

This drawing turned out different because of the amount of detail included in the traced sketch. Since I couldn’t erase the lines, I had to color over them. I did a lot of burnishing to the tail and body to bring forward the branches, leaves, and head. I chose a pale blue background so the leaves would stand out and because blue compliments the orange eyes. The head and branches are my favorite part of this one. I had the most trouble getting a shadow behind the leaves, branches, and owl. I made the mistake of coloring in the background last—lesson learned. The order of operations should be: background first. Spray with workable fixative. Then, transfer the image and color it in beginning with the shadow on the background.

A light board isn't necessary for tracing, but it does make it easier. This one has 3 adjustable brightness levels. It's on eBay for $11.99.

  

Wax Free Transfer Paper is available from Blick Art as (black, white, red, yellow or blue) rolls for $9.71 and black or white sheets for $3.32. Stylus or nail dotting tool. Do not confuse transfer paper with carbon paper; it's not the same thing.

Once you have a line drawing exactly the way you want it, you can transfer it to any type of paper or canvas. Place tracing paper on top of transfer paper and trace over the lines lightly with a dotting tool. You can do this with a line drawing printed from your computer as well. Transfer paper is also useful for placing focal objects onto a painted background. It can be difficult painting a background around lines, especially if the finished work is intended to be dark.

Another method of transferring lines is to draw an image onto plain paper with an HB pencil. Flip the paper and color over the lines with a charcoal pencil. Place the paper, charcoal side down, onto drawing paper and trace over the lines with a dotting tool using medium pressure.

Blue tack adhesive will lift excess graphite without erasing the lines. Simply tap on lines and lift; don't swipe back and forth as you would with an eraser. It doesn't smudge the way an eraser does.