We’ve started making Christmas cards. Youngest wanted to draw a dachshund wearing a Christmas hat. First few attempts frustrated him, so he asked if I’d print one out for him. No. Try tracing and transferring it.
How to trace and transfer an image
We’ve started making Christmas cards. Youngest wanted to draw a dachshund wearing a Christmas hat. First few attempts frustrated him, so he asked if I’d print one out for him. No. Try tracing and transferring it.
This was new to him. I explained that when I was his age, we didn’t have printers or scanners. This was one way we could copy an image. A look of amazement from him. A moment of feeling old for me.
Time to pull out the tracing paper.
I chose an image from one of my favourite children’s books. I showed him how to use white tack to temporarily fix a piece of tracing paper over the image. Using a soft pencil, we traced around the image. Adding all the lines that we wanted to transfer.
Then, turning the tracing paper over, so the pencil marks are face down, we positioned the image on a card. I showed him how to go over the lines again with the pencil, until all the lines were darker. I explained that only the lines, he had traced from the book, would be transferred.
And then the magic part. Carefully removing the tracing paper and the white tack, he could see the image was transferred to the card.
Just for fun, we coloured the image in, using watercolour pencils and glitter. We changed the shorts into trousers, seeing as it’s too cold. Brr.
Of course, now we have the image, he can use the image again and again*. By flipping it over, he can trace the boy so he’s looking the other way.
Now he knows how to do this, I’m pretty sure I’m off the hook when it comes to scanning an image. He’s already copied another image. Not a daschund, but I’m sure that will be next.
*Obviously he will not try and pass the image off as his own. Just using it for family Christmas cards.
Printmaking Transfer with Carbon Paper
When you use Carbon Paper to transfer onto Linoleum, some prep work may need to be done to the linoleum.
Light Sanding may be needed to the surface of the linoleum in order for the carbon paper to transfer.
You can follow these steps without sanding, but I can tell you from personal experience, you will need to make sure you check as you go if the drawing is transfering.
It can be very frustrating and upsetting when you’ve spent a lot of time tracing your drawing and it does not show up! I do not want this for you.
I will list a few linoleum types where carbon paper transfer well.
Linoleum for this Project
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- Carbon Paper
- Masking Tape
- Linoleum
- A Sharp Pencil or a Colored Pen
- Drawing or Photo Printout (Directions on how to prepare images)
- Fine grit sandpaper
- Depending on what linoleum you are using, you may have to sand the surface with fine grit sandpaper. Just enough to scuff it up a bit. This will create a surface that will accept the carbon paper.
- Line up your Drawing or Your Photo print out on top of your linoleum. Where you can see the image.
- Tape your Drawing to the top and one side of the Linoleum
4. Slide your carbon paper underneath your drawing and over your linoleum. Be sure that the darker side of the carbon paper is facing downward toward your linoleum.
5. Use your Sharp Pencil or Colored Pen and proceed to trace your image. Be sure to check that it is transferring.
6. Once transferred, take the tape off and use your drawing as a reference when carving.
