3 Simple Ways to Transfer a Drawing to Canvas

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Transfer your favorite drawing, photo, or sketch to canvas for painting
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If you want to transfer a drawing or picture to a canvas so you can paint it, it’s fairly simple to do. The most common method involves using charcoal and paper to move the drawing onto your canvas, but you can also use a projector or transfer paper. In this article, we'll teach you how to transfer all 3 ways with expert tips from expert artists Kelly Medford and Kathy Leader. Follow the steps below to transfer your drawing to a canvas so you can bring it to life!

Transferring Drawings onto Canvas: Quick Steps

  1. Print out or make a copy of the drawing you’re transferring.
  2. Cover the entire back of the drawing with a soft charcoal stick.
  3. Tape the drawing to the canvas with masking tape, charcoal-side down.
  4. Trace over the drawing’s lines with a ballpoint pen. Apply firm pressure.
  5. Untape the bottom and sides. Peek at the drawing.
  6. Remove the top tape if you’re happy with the transfer.
  7. Trace over the transferred lines with a fine-tipped India ink pen.
Method 1
Method 1 of 3:

Transferring a Drawing to Canvas with Charcoal

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  1. You will be covering the back of the drawing in charcoal to transfer it to the canvas. Copy it so you don’t have to do this to the original copy of the drawing. Print it out or copy it with a scanner onto a new sheet of paper. [1]
    • You can also change the size of the drawing when you do this if you want it to fit on a smaller or larger canvas. Use the scale feature when printing to have the computer automatically resize it to fit the paper size you’re printing on.
    • If you don’t have access to a printer, pull up a scan of your drawing or image on your computer’s screen, sized as you want it to transfer. Trace it by placing tracing paper, or thin regular paper, over the screen and using a pencil. This works best in a dark room.

    Tip : If you don’t have a copier at home, go to the nearest printing center to make a copy of the drawing. The employees can also help you blow up or shrink the size.

  2. Place the copy of the drawing face down (AKA, drawing-side down) on a hard, flat work surface. Use a soft charcoal stick to rub over the back of the paper where the drawing’s lines are. Use side-to-side motions with the side of the charcoal stick to cover more area at once. [2] You don’t have to cover the paper completely, just where the drawing is on the other side, says Medford. [3]
    • If there are any large spaces without lines on the drawing, hold the copy up to a window and mark those areas with a pencil before you start coloring the paper with charcoal. This way, you can more easily avoid those spots to save time and charcoal.
    • If you don't have a lot of charcoal, just retrace over the lines of the main shapes instead of shading the page entirely.
    • Shake off any loose charcoal dust onto a piece of paper and toss it afterward. You could also pour the dust straight into a trash bin if there’s one nearby. Just be careful not to spill any charcoal on a carpet or anywhere that it might stain.
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  3. Tape the drawing to the canvas, charcoal-side down, with masking tape . Position the copy of the drawing where you want it on the canvas , with the art facing you and the charcoal touching the canvas, says Medford. [4] Place a square of masking tape in each corner and several squares along the edges to hold the paper in place. [5]
    • The number of pieces of tape you need will depend on the size of the drawing. Placing one every 1 in (2.5 cm) or so will do the trick.
  4. Apply firm pressure as you go over the lines. This will transfer the charcoal to the canvas, recreating the lines of the drawing so it will be ready for you to paint, Medford explains. [6]
    • Try to keep your hand off the drawing as you go over the lines as much as possible so you don’t rub any excess charcoal onto the canvas.
  5. Remove the tape carefully from the bottom corners, bottom edge, and sides. Gently lift up the paper by the bottom edge and peek under it to see if the drawing transferred all the way. [7]
    • If you see any spots that didn’t transfer well or spots that you missed, re-tape the drawing and go over the lines with the ballpoint pen again.
  6. Untape the top corners and edge when all the traced charcoal lines are on the canvas. Discard the charcoal-covered copy of the drawing. [8]
    • The transferred lines will be very delicate at this point, so be careful not to rub them with anything or you’ll smudge the charcoal.
  7. Use a fine-tipped India ink pen to trace over the transferred lines. This will fix and secure the outlines of your drawing so the canvas will be ready for paint.
    • India ink is a black ink commonly used for drawing and outlining, especially for comics. You can get an India ink pen at an art supply store.
    EXPERT TIP

    Kelly Medford

    Professional Artist
    Kelly Medford is an American painter based in Rome, Italy. She studied classical painting, drawing and printmaking both in the U.S. and in Italy. She works primarily en plein air on the streets of Rome, and also travels for private international collectors on commission. She founded Sketching Rome Tours in 2012 where she teaches sketchbook journaling to visitors of Rome. Kelly is a graduate of the Florence Academy of Art.
    Kelly Medford
    Professional Artist

    Spray the charcoal lines with a fixative spray. This will keep them from smudging and keep your drawing in place. It also prevents charcoal from mixing into your paint.

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Method 2
Method 2 of 3:

Using a Projector to Transfer a Drawing to Canvas

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  1. Some projectors connect to a computer to project a digital image and some require you to load a hard copy into the projector. Load an image that you want to transfer according to the type of projector you have available. [9]
    • The advantage of using a digital projector is you aren’t just limited to transferring your drawings to canvas. You can find any kind of digital image to use as a reference, such as a photo, and trace the outline onto the canvas to fill in with paint.
  2. Set up your canvas on an easel or another kind of stable stand. Place it about 5–10 ft (1.5–3.0 m) in front of the projector, depending how much space you have and how big you want the image to be. [10]
    • You can adjust the distance between the canvas and the projector after you project the image to position it just right on the canvas.

    Tip : The closer the projector is to the canvas, the bigger the image will be.

  3. Make the room as dark as you can by turning off the lights and covering any windows or other sources of light. Turn on the projector to start projecting the image on the canvas. [11]
    • Adjust the distance between the canvas and the projector if the image is really big or really small on the canvas. You can also make minor adjustments later using the projector’s zoom feature to get the size perfect. [12]
  4. Turn the ring around the lens back and forth to find the right focus for the image. Leave it when the lines are clear and sharp enough for you to trace.
    • Make any final adjustments to the size of the image after it is in focus using the zoom feature on the projector.
  5. Use a pencil to trace all the lines you want to transfer to the canvas. Trace the entire image if you are using a drawing or trace the outline and specific features if you are using something like a photo. [13]
    • You can go over the lines when you are done with a fine-tipped India ink pen if you want them to be darker and more defined.
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Method 3
Method 3 of 3:

Using Transfer Paper to Transfer a Drawing to Canvas

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  1. The process of transferring a drawing with transfer paper could smudge or tear your original art. Scan and print it on a new piece of paper, or use a copier to make a copy. You could also sketch a duplicate. [14] Make sure this copy is the size you want to transfer to your canvas.
  2. Position your transfer paper on the canvas exactly where your drawing will go. [15] Trim it if it’s too large for the canvas. Make sure the white or lighter side of the transfer paper is toward you, as the color on the other side will transfer onto the canvas, explains Leader. [16] Place your drawing on top of the transfer paper.
  3. To prevent either sheet of paper from shifting as you trace your design, use strips of masking tape to secure them. Tape the transfer paper to the canvas and tape the copy of the drawing to the transfer paper.
  4. Press down firmly as you trace to ensure the lines transfer from the transfer paper onto the canvas. If you’re tracing a drawing, follow every line. If you’re tracing a detailed image, focus on the main outlines or silhouettes. You’ll be able to paint in the details after transferring. [17]
    • Use a pen with visibly different ink from your drawing (either darker or a different color) so you can tell what you’ve already traced as you go.
  5. Peel away the tape slowly so you don’t damage the canvas. Before you remove the top strips of tape from the transfer paper, lift it up and peek to see if the transfer was successful. If not, re-tape and re-trace with more pressure until your transfer to canvas is complete.
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Expert Q&A

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  • Question
    What kind of paper do I use to transfer drawings to canvas?
    Kelly Medford
    Professional Artist
    Kelly Medford is an American painter based in Rome, Italy. She studied classical painting, drawing and printmaking both in the U.S. and in Italy. She works primarily en plein air on the streets of Rome, and also travels for private international collectors on commission. She founded Sketching Rome Tours in 2012 where she teaches sketchbook journaling to visitors of Rome. Kelly is a graduate of the Florence Academy of Art.
    Kelly Medford
    Professional Artist
    Expert Answer
    You can use transfer paper or tracing paper to put your drawing onto a canvas.
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      Things You’ll Need

      Transferring a Drawing with Charcoal

      Using a Projector to Transfer an Image

      Using Transfer Paper

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      References

      1. ↑ https://youtu.be/a3F9BJyZiVI?t=86
      2. ↑ https://youtu.be/a3F9BJyZiVI?t=123
      3. ↑ Kelly Medford. Professional Artist. Expert Interview. 26 March 2021.
      4. ↑ Kelly Medford. Professional Artist. Expert Interview. 26 March 2021.
      5. ↑ https://youtu.be/QUcuN-RxOac?t=61
      6. ↑ Kelly Medford. Professional Artist. Expert Interview. 10 March 2021
      7. ↑ https://youtu.be/a3F9BJyZiVI?t=457
      8. ↑ https://youtu.be/QUcuN-RxOac?t=199
      9. ↑ https://youtu.be/7fnB_OXEEDc?t=605
      1. ↑ https://youtu.be/7fnB_OXEEDc?t=783
      2. ↑ https://youtu.be/7fnB_OXEEDc?t=605
      3. ↑ https://youtu.be/ErPoND-dPQw?t=204
      4. ↑ https://youtu.be/7fnB_OXEEDc?t=1012
      5. ↑ https://youtu.be/SvTVkNLXttg?t=32
      6. ↑ https://youtu.be/SvTVkNLXttg?t=65
      7. ↑ Kathy Leader. Artist. Expert Interview. 13 February 2022.
      8. ↑ https://youtu.be/SvTVkNLXttg?t=78

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        Jul 15, 2023

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