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Did you know that tracing paper is regular paper treated to produce a translucent paper?
Typing paper could be used in its place.
Steps
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1Place a picture on a flat, smooth surface and secure it with tape.
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2Lay the tracing paper over it and secure it with tape.
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3Using a pencil, trace the picture with as much or little detail as you need.
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4Once you have finished tracing the picture, remove the picture from underneath the tracing paper.
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5Turn the tracing paper over so that the tracing is face down and the blank side of the paper is facing up.
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6Coat the WHOLE blank side of the paper with graphite (lead) using your pencil.
- To coat the blank side of the tracing paper, hold your pencil almost completely sideways with the lead touching the paper and move your pencil lead back and forth to create an even coat of gray or black surface.
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7Obtain a new surface, such as drawing paper, to transfer your drawing.
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8Place the drawing paper on a flat, smooth surface and secure it with tape.
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9Place the tracing paper gently on top of the drawing paper with the graphite surface face down. You may secure it in place as well.
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10Trace the image, with pressure, onto the drawing paper.
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11Gently remove the tracing paper when you have completed tracing the drawing. You will now have your transferred drawing on your desired surface.
Community Q&A
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QuestionWhat If I want to make the drawing bigger than the original?
Community AnswerScan the image and increase its size, then reprint it. Then trace the bigger image. -
QuestionCan we use butter paper instead?
Community AnswerYes, you can. Parchment paper or baking paper also works like tracing paper. -
QuestionWhat if I don't want it to be mirrored?
Community AnswerIf you follow these steps, it won't be mirrored. If you skipped the step where you coat the back side with graphite and used your first set of lines to trace over, it would be mirrored. -
QuestionDo I have to use a pencil for the tracing part, or can I use a pen instead?
Community AnswerYou can use a pen or pencil, but a pencil would be safer. You can always erase pencil marks when you make a mistake. If you make a mistake using pen on tracing paper, you have to start over. -
QuestionWon't the graphite transfer as well? So there would be black smudging all over?
Community AnswerGo back over the final results with a pencil or (preferably) a pen, then use an eraser to remove marks. -
QuestionWhy can't I just coat the reverse side of the original picture with graphite and then trace over it?
Community AnswerYou can do that; however, not all tracing paper is made from graphite. It's best to use a water soluble tracing paper. The method you described is time-consuming and messy, because you would really have to coat it, and then it is going to smear all over everything. -
QuestionHow can I transfer onto a canvas?
Community AnswerThis will be by using a similar technique but ensure that you don't press as hard or you will create an indent on the canvas. -
QuestionCan I trace without coating the entire side in charcoal? Can I trace it directly on the line?
Community AnswerYou don't have to coat the whole page. You can coat the backside of the areas with lines, if you can see where all your lines are. Coating the whole thing goes pretty quickly, though. -
QuestionSome tracing paper has a smooth side and a textured side. What are these different sides for?
Community AnswerYou will want to trace your picture onto the smooth side, coating the charcoal onto the textured side. It makes it easier to transfer! -
QuestionWhy is my picture coming out backwards?
Community AnswerYou probably skipped the step where you coat the other side of the tracing paper in graphite.
Warnings
- If you are wearing a long-sleeved shirt, you will want to roll up the sleeves to prevent lead from transferring onto them.Thanks!
- You may want to wear clothes that you won’t mind getting dirty.Thanks!
Things You'll Need
- Tracing paper
- A picture
- Pencil sharpener
- A pencil
- Masking tape
- Old clothes
- Drawing paper or another surface to transfer your tracing























































