Tracing and Transferring

Offset Sheets – necessity frequently arises for transferring outlines, etc., from one surface to another, as, for instance, from a pencil drawing on absorbent paper to a less absorbent paper suitable for pen drawings. For such a purpose, a thin sheet of firm paper with a surface that is not too smooth should be provided. This sheet can be made into fairly permanent transfer-paper by spreading over one side with any dry pigment, such as powdered indigo, red chalk, or the scrapings from the point of a pencil.

Another way is by a rubbing movement of the side of a soft pencil of any color. The entire surface of the paper should be covered. Whichever method is used, the surface should be blended by “stumping” or rubbing gently with the finger or a soft rag. Place this prepared paper with the colored side down on the blank paper that is to receive the copy. Over the former place the drawings from which the lines are to be transferred. Next take a stylus or sharp pointed hard pencil-if a pencil, the harder the better-and trace over the lines that are to be repeated or transferred on the white paper below.

The result will be a faint outline that can be touched up if required with a pencil, or the picture may be completed at once with pen and ink. The “offset sheet,” as it is called, may be preserved for frequent future use. Tracing paper treated in the same way may be used. Tracing paper is useful in many ways, but its general use is not to be recommended for the pupil. There are times, however, when tracing paper is a great help.

Pencil Transfers - When a pencil drawing has been made that one wishes to preserve and also to reproduce practically line for line, in pen and ink, the use of tracing paper is advisable in order to transfer the outlines of the pencil drawing onto the paper on which the pen drawing is to be made. To do this proceed as follows:

Take a piece of tracing paper (in lieu of the regular kind, any thin, firm, transparent paper that is not oily will answer the purpose). With a finely-pointed rather soft pencil trace the outlines of the pencil drawing.

Then lay the tracing paper on another sheet of white paper, with the pencil lines of the tracing paper on the under side. Then again draw the lines on the tracing paper, but on the side opposite to those made before. The lines are now drawn on both sides of the tracing paper. Now place it on the paper on which the pen drawing is to be made with the lines that were last drawn underneath; that is, they should be in contact with the pen drawing paper.

The tracing paper should now be briskly rubbed on the upper surface with the side of a stylus or stiff, flat-surfaced ivory or bone paper cutter. The thumb nail is sometimes used for this purpose, but its use should be discouraged, as it wears away the nail very quickly.