Since the discovery of the camera obscura, perhaps as far back as the 6th century, artists such as Joshua Reynolds, Durer and Canaletto have copied images onto drawing paper or canvas, using mechanical means. Below are a few simple techniques to assist you in copying from a photograph or other source.

* TRACING 1.
Depending on the size of the photograph to be copied, various techniques can be employed. Simplest of these is to cover the back of the photo with soft pencil, then, placing it onto the surface to be painted, draw over the principal lines of the photograph, pressing hard enough to transfer these marks onto the paper or canvas beneath. These marks can then be refined.

* TRACING 2.
Using tracing paper, trace over the photographic image with a pencil or ballpoint pen and then follow the steps above to transfer the image from the tracing paper. Both of these techniques will obviously result in an image the same size as the original.

* GRID.
Draw a grid over the photograph, or on tracing paper laid over the photo, using equally spaced horizontal and vertical lines. Let’s say the photo is 15cm x 10cm and you want to enlarge the image to fit a canvas 45cm x 30cm, ie make the image three times bigger. You can number the grid squares horizontally 1 – 15 and vertically 1-10. Make the grid on the photo 1cm squares and that on the canvas, 3cm squares. Again, number the squares as above. Simply copy exactly what you see in each of the smaller squares into the larger ones. So, any shape or line in square number 3/7, for example, you transfer to 3/7 on the larger grid. The final result is an enlarged image of the original.

* PANTOGRAPH
A Pantograph is a very simple mechanical device which enables you to accurately copy and enlarge a drawing from a photograph or other image. Clamp the pantograph to a table or drawing board then trace over the image you wish to copy or enlarge with the stylus. The image is then copied directly onto another sheet of paper or canvas using the pencil on the extended arm of the pantograph.

* PROJECTOR
A normal transparency projector can be used to project a photographic image onto paper or canvas and the size is then governed by the distance between the projector and the paper or canvas. It is then a simple matter to draw or paint directly onto the projected image.

* EPIDIASCOPE
This is a type of projector through which a photograph or even a three dimensional object can be projected onto a surface, such as paper or canvas. The projected image can then be treated in the same way as with a normal slide projector.

* CAMERA LUCIDA
A camera lucida, unlike other types of device which use a light source to project an image onto a surface, simply uses the reflection of an image which is seen on the drawing or painting surface. It does this by using a mirror set at 45 degrees in a small box. The viewer looks through the viewfinder through to the surface of the paper or canvas and sees the reflected image. It is then simply a matter of drawing onto the reflected image.

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Category: Arts and Crafts
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