The tracing technique is a technique that allows us to make copies of a drawing easily and totally faithful to the original drawing.
It is possible that you need a copy of an original drawing or design, because with the tracing technique you will get an exact copy of the whole drawing or of the part or object that you need in a short time, which avoids having to redo the drawing freehand and run the risk that the drawing differs at some point. It is also an ideal technique for those who want a certain drawing but have elementary or little developed drawing techniques.
On the other hand, with the tracing method, a drawing can be copied to a different medium.
If you are also interested in learning how to trace a drawing, we will show you the different methods to achieve it.
Depending on the effect you want to achieve and the support where you want to copy it, you will choose one tracing method or another. Each one has its pros and cons, so choose the method based on the one you like the most, the one you feel most comfortable with, or the one that best suits your needs.
Use onion skin
- Onion paper is a type of very thin greaseproof paper that is also translucent. You can get it in various sizes at any stationery store. Thanks to its translucent characteristic, you can make a totally faithful copy directly and on a 1:1 scale. All you have to do is put the onion skin over the original and copy the drawing with a pencil or marker.
This paper is also known as tracing paper or tracing paper. - Place the onion skin on the original image, then with a pencil go over all the edges of the drawing, if you want you can also do the shading, then place the final support on the onion skin and go over all the lines of the drawing again. Finally, all you have to do is give it color or shading and give it the final touch you want.
- This is a technique that takes more time than others, and you also have to be careful, since putting too much pressure on the onion skin or tensing it too much can break it.
Use carbon paper
- Using carbon paper (also known as transfer paper) to make copies has also been widely used for many years, although it has some drawbacks that have gradually left it aside. Carbon paper comes in A4 size and is a paper that has one side covered with ink, wax or carbon. This type of material will come off when it comes into contact with a support that we are going to use once pressure is applied between them.
- To make the copy using carbon paper we will place in this order: the original drawing (with the drawing facing up), the carbon paper (with the part that stains facing down) and finally we will place the support where we want the copy to be made. Then apply pressure by reviewing the contours of the figures and objects in your drawing.
- Keep in mind that when going over the original image it can be damaged, also carbon paper can stain the original drawing or make marks on it, especially when great pressure has to be applied to achieve the tracing.
Other disadvantages is that with this method you don’t really see what is being drawn, until the end and also you have to apply more pressure than with other methods. - On the other hand, you can make your carbon paper yourself using a type B pencil and oily paper. Cover the paper with the pencil line and you already have your carbon paper.
Use a table or light box
- The light table or light box is the method most used by professionals and consists of using a table that has a very powerful light source inside and whose surface is translucent so that the passage of light is intense.
- To make the copy, place the original on the surface of the table and put the final support on top of it where you are going to make the copy. You only have to turn on the light and begin to review the edges of your drawing to then give it the final touches.
- Other ways to do this tracing is using a window that is getting sunlight, the downside is that it is not a very comfortable position, especially if the drawing is very large or complex. You could also use a glass table by placing a spotlight under it to illuminate the drawing from below.
- Now you know how to trace a drawing using the most used and copy techniques that are more faithful to the original drawing. Remember to choose the method that is most useful, easy and meets your needs.