RGB Art Website

RGB BASIC DRAWING TECHNIQUES

Seeing an Object Out of Nothing (?)
Playing With Strokes
Understanding Perspective Drawing
Materials
Composing a Subject
Techniques in Copying a Drawing

Techniques in Copying a Drawing

There are ways and tricks to this. Learn the easier way to COPY and TRANSFER drawings to another blank sheet of paper without much ado. All you need is patience.

Line Techniques.

The figure below shows how to make a scaled copy by making accurate construction lines on the photo itself (try to cover it with a transparent plastic before putting lines on it) and making the same proportional lines to the the blank sheet where you will place the drawing. The red lines are the basic grid and cross lines, while the blue lines are added to some detailed, hard to copy portions of the subject. OBSERVE!!! See fig. below.

Assume this is the actual size of the photograph you are about to copy on a bigger white board, the example of basic grid lines are magnified in the illustration below.

This cute boy is a Photography of Ken Appleton

the magnified image of the boy with GRID lines

THE PHOTOGRAPH

In this magnified photograph, the RED lines are the basic grid lines done by drawing an "x" to find its center; while the blue lines are drawn starting freely from every blue or red intersecting lines in order to make the details easier to copy.

THE PAPER

The photo and the clean PAPER or board (of proportional size) must have the same line grids. Then the artist may start copying the detailed image by following through the grids.

Let us test your ratio and proportion skills:

If the dimensions of the photo is 3" x 5", and assuming that you have an illustration board with a width of 15", what then is the length?

Well of course if the paper is not in exact proportion with the photo, it is up to you to adjust the margins.

Instant Pencil Transfer. When I was in the first grade, my teacher in the art class would let the students use carbon papers to copy drawings, but the result was a permanent, solid, sharp and awkward blot. So try using PENCIL TRANSFER:

Try to zerox (photocopy) or scan the desired picture/image on a bond paper

By using a 6B pencil or graphyte, (sometimes just any ordinary pencil will do), shade the reverse side or back side of the photocopied image.

Trace the image on a clean paper. The result copy is, of course, in pencil and erasable. PRESTO!

Pantograph. Why make it harder when you can use pantographs! Of course this is the a tool in copying an identical image to a sheet. The advantage of this is its capability to adjust the desired scale and size of the resulting drawing. Just ask your nearest local Art Shop about it.

Copying as is:) Well, if you think you can do it without any tool, why not? Look at the image and trust your own judgments. If you intend to copy a face for comical caricatures, just remember the only keyword for it: EXAGGERATE. Exaggerate the facial features and emphasize it! Example, if the subject's distinct feature is his wrinkled laugh lines, focus on that feature and make it funny.

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