The Best Transfer Methods for Watercolour Artists -

Watercolour paper is surprisingly fragile – erase too much, or draw too hard, and you’ll damage your paper. After nearly twenty years of working with watercolours, I’ve reached a stage where I never draw directly on my watercolour paper. Instead, I use inexpensive, plain printing paper and a transfer method to get my drawing onto the watercolour paper.

In this guide, we’ll explore several effective transfer methods – all you need is your drawing, a couple of pencils, a putty eraser (or blutack!) and your watercolour paper.

Why shouldn’t you draw directly on Watercolour Paper?

Watercolour paper is expensive and surprisingly delicate. Excessive pressure – either from a pencil or eraser – can permanently alter the paper’s texture. Watercolour paper also has something called ‘sizing’: a treatment that helps the paper absorb water and keep watercolours looking vibrant. Disrupting the paper’s finish can impact the appearance of your colours, affect paint drying times, and impact the final appearance of your painting.

As watercolour paper is both expensive and sensitive, I always recommend drafting your designs on cheap, forgiving printing paper before transferring your finished piece onto watercolour paper. It gives you the creative freedom to make changes and make mistakes, without panicking that you’re ruining the paper you’ll be painting on.

Method one:

A lightbox (also sometimes called a light table) is a large, flat light that is placed on a table. Artists then work on top of this light – you simply put a drawing on the lightbox, and then put a new sheet of paper on top of it. The lightbox shines through both sheets of paper, so you can see the lines from the first drawing shining through the new piece of paper. This allows you to trace whatever lines you’re happy with, and free-hand the rest.

Lightboxes are especially popular with animators and illustrators who need to make small, exact adjustments to an earlier drawing. Famous artists, like Quentin Blake, use lightboxes to help them perfect important commissions.

There are a few drawbacks: lightboxes can be expensive, and you need someplace to store them. They can also only shine through so much paper – so if you’re working with two layers of thick paper, this technique may not work.

Free at Home Alternatives!

You probably don’t realise you already have at least two light boxes at your finger-tips. In fact, you’re on one right now.

Your mobile phone, tablet or laptop

You can use your mobile phone, tablet or laptop screen as a lightbox. Simply take a photo of the drawing you want to rework, or the photograph you want to trace. Up your screen brightness as much as possible, and then place a piece of printing paper over your screen. Your design will shine through, allow you to gently trace it with a pencil onto your printnig paper. Be careful not to press to hard. You don’t want to damage your screen!

Your windows on a sunny day

The other lightbox might surprise you – in the day, your windows are natural light boxes. The sunnier the day, the more efficient this all-natural lightbox will be. Just take the design you want to trace, and tape it to the window pane. Then put the piece of paper you want to transfer it onto on top. Voila! Instant lightbox.

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Method two:

Carbon Paper

Carbon Paper is a sheet of paper made with carbon that allows patterns to be transferred from one sheet to another. You’ve probably used carbon paper before – either in your art class, or if you’ve ever had to sign an important document that imprinted your signature onto the sheet below it.

Carbon paper is an easy option, as you can sandwich the carbon paper between your finished drawing and your watercolour paper, and all you have to do is trace over your drawing. However, don’t press too hard, or pull the carbon paper across the watercolour paper. Pressing too hard can leave you with lines that are very difficult to erase, and pulling can leave a thin layer of carbon behind, greying your paper. Carbon paper also represents a cost – which is why I infinitely prefer the method below….

DIY Carbon Paper

This method is the best transfer method of all three, and is my all-time favourite – all it requires is five minutes, a pencil, your printing paper, and your watercolour paper. I much, much prefer these results to the ones I get with traditional Carbon Paper.

step by step

Draft your design on any paper (e.g., printing paper, notepaper, old bill).
Flip the paper over (ensure it’s not on your watercolor paper).
Shade the back of your design with a pencil, covering all lines. A 3B / 4B pencil is perfect for this method. If you do choose a softer, darker pencil like an 8B or 9B, just remember you’ll need to use less pressure to get your design onto the watercolour paper.
Flip your paper back over, place it on your watercolour paper, and position it. Don’t drag your drafting paper across your watercolour paper as it can leave pencil smudges! If you can’t see your design through the paper, try these tips:
– Place the paper against a sunny window or use tracing paper.
– At night, use a bright laptop screen behind both pieces of paper.
Trace over your design, applying pressure to transfer the lines (adjust your pressure based on pencil hardness).
Without removing your hand from the paper, lift a corner of your printing paper to check the transfer. Adjust as needed.

Tip if your pencil lines are too dark: simply use a putty eraser (or blutack!) to lighten the lines. Ideally, you want faint lines that you can see but won’t show through your watercolour washes. Remember, you won’t be able to lighten or rub out pencil lines after you’ve started painting.

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Method three:

Digital Transfer

This is the best method to use if you have a complicated drawing that you need to reproduce, as it saves you from retracing every line.

Scan or photograph your original sketch and upload it to your computer or tablet.
Print the sketch onto regular printing paper paper.
Use a lightbox or a window to trace the printed sketch onto watercolor paper.

The Best Transfer Methods for Watercolour Artists