In this post, I’ll share five methods for transferring a drawing to watercolor paper. Whether you want to trace a line drawing from one of my tutorials, or you want to transform your own composition into a watercolor painting, this tutorial will give you all the tools you need!
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WHY TRANSFER SKETCHES?
Knowing how to transfer drawings onto watercolor paper is a great tool to have in your creative toolbox. It gives you freedom to be messy with your original sketches without worrying about stray marks or guidelines showing up in your final piece. It also means that your watercolor paper will maintain its integrity as you won’t need to draw heavy lines or erase the paper since you can finalize your sketch in your sketchbook first.
If you’re not very confident in your drawing skills yet but want to work on your watercolor skills, transferring drawings opens up an entire world of beautiful practice pieces. You can use something like my downloadable line drawings – all the fun of painting without the stress of drawing!
Here are five ways to transfer a drawing to watercolor paper:
Transfer a Drawing Using a Lightbox
This is my preferred method for transferring sketches to watercolor paper. It’s simple, clean, and straightforward. Plus, lightboxes can be fairly inexpensive. Here’s a link to my favorite lightbox (it’s only $20 at the time of writing)!
To start the transfer process simply turn on your lightbox, place your drawing down first, and then place your watercolor paper on top.
Use the light to make sure that your drawing is placed where you want it to show up on the watercolor paper. Once you have it in place, you may want to tape your drawing down so you don't accidentally move it out of alignment.
If you're having a bit of difficulty seeing the outline, dim the lights in your workspace. I find that it is best to use 140lb watercolor paper for this, as it can be difficult to see through thicker paper.
(Tip: if you’re using 300lb watercolor paper, try using one of the transfer techniques below!)
You can trace over the lines in either pencil or pen depending on the style you’re going for. When I paint realistic pieces, I always use a pencil like this so that the sketch lines won’t show up in the final piece.
Make sure to draw lightly and roll a kneaded eraser over the final sketch to lighten it further if needed. You want to be able to see the sketch while you’re painting, but you also want it to be light enough that it won’t show through strongly in your finished piece.
If you want to use a pen to create an ink-and-wash effect, make sure you’re using a waterproof pen so that it won’t bleed when you paint the final piece.
Transfer to Watercolor Paper Using a Window
No lightbox? No problem! On a sunny day, you can achieve the same effect using a window.
Pick a bright, sunny window and tape your original drawing to the window. Tape your watercolor paper over your drawing and begin tracing with pen or pencil.
If you are having trouble seeing the original sketch beneath the watercolor paper with this technique, I’d recommend going back to your original drawing and making the lines darker so that they shine through a little bit easier.
Transfer Using Graphite Paper
Graphite paper or transfer paper is simply a sheet of paper where one side is a waxy consistency and the other side is covered in graphite (aka pencil lead).
Start by putting your watercolor paper down first. Then add the graphite paper on top with the graphite side facing down. Finally, place your drawing on top. From there, you can trace over the lines of your drawing and the pressure from your pencil tip will transfer it to the watercolor paper.
The only downside to this method is that it can get a little messy and cause excess graphite to smudge onto your paper.
Transfer a Sketch Using Tracing Paper
This method is accurate, but time-consuming. To transfer with tracing paper, trace the line-drawing onto the tracing paper, flip the tracing paper, go over the lines again, then flip the paper again and put it on top of your watercolor paper. From there you can trace over the lines a final time and the pencil lines will transfer to your watercolor paper.
Transfer Using an Art Projector
This final method is the most complex, and usually not utilized by watercolor artists unless you’re painting on a large scale or if you’re using thicker watercolor paper.
This method is to use an art projector to transfer your drawing. This is especially useful if you want to take a small drawing and blow it up to a much bigger size. You’ll often see muralists using projectors to transfer their initial sketches to a wall. However, please note that projectors are also the most expensive option on this list.
Overall, my favorite method is the light box. It’s easy, and the equipment is affordable and portable. If you plan to do a lot of watercolor painting, I’d recommend investing in this lightbox to make your transfer sessions that much easier!
Happy painting,
Alex
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