Making a Carbon Transfer

[Paulo_P]

Graphite transfer paper is available too.

[Bruce Lee]

Thanks, Paulo_P! The graphite transfer paper and the powered graphite both seem like very good ideas, providing you have the money to afford such things, and the access to purchase them. However, a regular #2 pencil is still all anyone actually needs to make this graphite transfer technique work, and I want to stress that because it's simple to do, and very effective, and doesn't have to cost any extra money at all. Many artists barely have enough scratch to keep a decent supply of bristol board, so whenever possible, I think it's a good idea to minimize art purchasing art supplies you're not going to use too often. Powered graphite and graphite transfer paper would both be great luxuries to have to do this method of transfer, but I want to make the point to younger artists, who might just be starting out that you don't have to buy anything special to make this work. I doubt that powerd graphite will save you all that much more time than using the side of a #2 pencil yourself, and you don't need to buy graphite transfer paper either because I've just showed you how to make your own with this very simple technique that takes very little time or effort to do, and won't cost you any extra money.

I used to use the method of transfer I described here frequently as a student at the Joe Kubert School. I used it to transfer my sketches onto thick papers like canvas and illustration board for painting. A lightbox would not have worked as an effective means of transfer, but I always had great success with this technique. I would have loved to have known about powered graphite, or to have been able to afford actual graphite transfer paper to have sketched on, but I doubt I could have afforded either back then, and I'm absolutely sure I didn't have the time to go hunting them down. Heh. I had to find a more practical solution. My methods & material instructor provided me with this technique, and it works well. It's practical, effective, and very inexpensive. It's no nonsense and uncomplicated, and that works best for me when there's a deadline to be met.

Loston

[Brian Germain]

Right and you know what's really screwy is entire computers get smaller and thinner but they can't even make a think portable lightbox cheap? someone needs to make and market those!

Right. And as you mentioned, this technique is good for transferring a drawing over to thick papers like canvas or illustration board. A lightbox is ineffective on those types of papers and boards.

Loston

[MrBray]

Pfft, when I was younger, I just used a round piece of glass that I sat on my lap, with a small desk lamp on the floor. But that was waaaaay back in the mid 80's. Beyond that, I used so much carbon paper its not funny.

Now I've got a small light box, and I mounted a 2 foot flourescent under my glasstop art desk. It'd work better if the glass wasn't tinted, but it gets the job done.

[Acacia]

Awesome technique! It's so much easier than a lightbox or the way I was taught (involving re-drawing backwards and eck...)

Thanks for the tips! I'll have to try this out sometime!

[Bruce Lee]

Awesome technique! It's so much easier than a lightbox or the way I was taught (involving re-drawing backwards and eck...)

Thanks for the tips! I'll have to try this out sometime!

You're welcome, Acacia!