Now that my canvas has arrived, it’s time to begin!
First, I must transfer my pencil sketch onto the canvas. I trace my sketch onto a sheet of tracing paper.
Then I rub pencil onto the back of the traced drawing. This will act as carbon paper.
I now tape this carbon paper right side up onto my canvas.
I trace the lines with a 2H pencil.
My drawing is now transferred to the canvas.
Inevitably, all of this tracing distorts the original image. I have to spend some time now correcting any errors that have crept into the image. Here’s a detail of the canvas with the drawing transferred onto it and corrected.
I lightly spray some fixative on the drawing so the pencil won’t smear into the oil paint. Now I can begin my underpainting.
