Transferring a Drawing to Watercolour Paper, Dendrobium convolutum Part 3
Now that I have a draft composition, I can begin working on the colour studies. I don’t need the entire drawing for this stage, but in this case I’m choosing to transfer all of it to watercolour paper first. I often do this because I like to have a practice painting alongside the final piece. This “trial run” helps minimise uncertainties later on and gives me a safe space to test colours, textures, and techniques before committing them to the main artwork.
If you’ve never transferred a drawing before, this is excellent practice and a very useful skill to develop in advance of transferring the final drawing.
Using a Light Pad to Transfer a Drawing
My preferred method for transferring a drawing ito watercolour paper is to use a light pad, such as the Huion brand. I keep an A2 light pad on my desk specifically for this task. It provides a clear, even light source that makes the transfer process clean, accurate, and gentle on the paper.
Steps
1. Secure the Study Drawing
Tape the drawing onto the surface of the light pad. This keeps it stable and prevents any shifting while you work.
2. Position the Watercolour Paper
Place the watercolour paper directly on top of the drawing and secure it with tape. Make sure the edges are aligned so the transferred image sits exactly where you want it on the sheet. Make sure you have the correct side of the watercolour paper facing up (there is a fine mesh pattern on the wrong side of the paper and a felt texture on the correct side)
3. Switch On the Light Pad
Turn on the light pad and switch off other light sources in the room. This increases contrast and makes the underlying drawing easier to see. If the pencil lines are too faint, you can go over the study drawing with a fine‑liner pen to improve visibility.
4. Trace Lightly
Using an H or HB pencil, begin tracing the image onto the watercolour paper with very light pressure. Turn off the light pad at intervals to check the weight of your line- ensure it is not too heavy or dark and do not indent the paper. Place a clean sheet of paper under your hand to protect the watercolour surface from oils and accidental marks.
5. Check for Accuracy
When you’ve finished tracing, carefully check the drawing for any gaps or inaccuracies. It’s surprisingly easy to miss small details or distort shapes when tracing, so take a moment to review the work before moving on.
If you need to erase anything - use a clean kneadable putty eraser and gently roll on the surface to remove graphite.
Now watch the Video
Alternative Transfer Methods
If you don’t have a light pad, there are two reliable alternatives:
1. Window Method
Tape the tracing paper and watercolour paper to a window in the same way as you would on a lightpad . With good natural light, this works surprisingly well. It’s not quite as clear as a light pad, but it is a perfectly functional low cost option.
2. Traditional Tracing Paper Method
You can also transfer a drawing by placing tracing paper directly over the watercolour sheet and retracing the lines. This method works well, but you must take care to avoid pressing too hard or transferring unwanted graphite onto the watercolour paper.
Important considerations
Avoid pressing too firmly, as this can indent the watercolour paper.
Keep the paper clean to prevent graphite smudging. Explore:
Steps
1. Prepare the tracing
Take your completed graphite drawing on tracing paper and turn the tracing over to the reverse side. Place a sheet of spare paper underneath to protect the surface from graphite transfer.
2. Reinforce the reverse side
Carefully trace over the lines on the reverse side using an HB pencil. This creates a clean graphite layer that will transfer onto the watercolour paper.
3. Position the tracing
Place a sheet of watercolour paper on your desk. Turn the tracing back over so the image is now the correct way up. Secure the tracing paper to the watercolour paper with tape so it cannot move.
4. Transfer the drawing
Using a fine‑liner pen, draw over the outline on the tracing paper. This pressure will transfer the graphite from the reverse side onto the watercolour paper. Do not apply too much pressure -keep the line light and controlled. Carefully lift the corner of the tracing to check that the graphiote is transferring.
5. Reveal the transfer
Remove the tracing paper to reveal the transferred drawing on the watercolour sheet.
6. Check for accuracy
Compare the transferred drawing with the original study. Fill in any missing lines or details before beginning your painting.
Botanical artists use careful transfer methods to avoid disturbing the paper surface, so developing clean, accurate transfers is an important skill. That’s why I practise the method during the colour study — it allows me to refine the technique before committing to the final painting.
The next post will be the colour study page - keep an eye on the blog for updates.
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