How To Transfer Your Drawing Onto A Canvas Using Charcoal For Drawing

Before plunging into the steps of how to transfer your drawing onto a canvas using charcoal for drawing,  it is important to understand why this needs to be done. The main thing is you have just completed a work of art which in terms of size is but a replica of the final artwork that you have in mind. Without utilizing charcoal for drawing, you will have to recreate your masterpiece part by part and line by line.

No exquisite artist wants to do that. That's like repeating the creative process unnecessarily.  Besides, there is a huge chance that you might not be able to replicate the images in the drawing as faithfully as the original composition. Charcoal drawing to the rescue.

Charcoal drawing takes time, but it's the artist's first choice when enlarging his or her composition. Even Michelangelo did not start by painting his masterpieces on the incredibly large ceiling of the Sistine Chapel. There had to be a small version of the images before they could be exploited to gigantic proportions. However, it's not clear if the genius utilized charcoal for drawing at all in order to complete his monumental task.

Nevertheless, modern painters are beholden to charcoal for drawing especially when it's time to transfer their works to a piece of canvas. Chances are, you have seen street painters compose their drawings from scratch. Still, in most cases, these unsung artists use either a model or a view.

That model could be you. But let's say that you want that painting of you to be transformed into a fresco for display in your home or room? Charcoal for drawing is the modern solution. 

Depending on the size of the painting that needs to be blown up, it could take a few hours to finish a charcoal for drawing task. Skipping the all-important task can result in a haphazard piece of work that lacks the proportion as well as the perspective of the original material.

The quintessential artist's trick to transfer his or her creative vision to a large piece of canvas involves heading to the commercial copying machine, which can enlarge any image to the desired size. Of course, artists of centuries past did not have this luxury, so modern painters beat them when it comes to maintaining the aspect ratio of their creative works.

Life is unfair, but charcoal for drawing is here to stay.  This approach involves turning over the enlarged paper copy of the original artwork and practically charcoal painting the surface of the images.  But before doing this, the artist has to underline sections that do not have any images. This way, the charcoal for drawing is applied only on portions of the painting with objects.

Thus, charcoal for drawing is a preparatory period for accomplishing the task of rendering the original concept into its final and much bigger format. With ratios and proportions intact and accurate to specifications, the artist proceeds with completing the creative task with oil paints.

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How To Prepare Your Canvas For Painting With Oil Paints

Before painting on a blank painting canvas, it is necessary to properly prepare it. Artists differ in their preferred method of preparation, but there are some basic steps that need to be followed.

Canvases for painting consist of fabric, usually either cotton or linen, stretched upon a frame. In their initial state, the fabric is not primed, which would cause paint to seep through the fabric. Not only would this make it difficult to paint, but over time, the oil paint would deteriorate the fabric. As such, proper priming is necessary when starting out with a blank canvas.

If the stretched canvas consists of only the raw fabric, the first step is to size it. Sizing is necessary to protect the fabric itself, as it acts as a sealant. Sizing generally consists of a thin animal glue solution. The front surface of the canvas should be primed, as well as the corners and sides.

Once the sizing has dried, the ground coat is applied. The ground coat gives the canvas surface a uniform texture, degree of absorbency, and color. It provides a good base for the oil paints that will be applied, and also adds more protection to the canvas.

Gesso is the most common material used for the ground coat when a canvas is being prepared for oil painting. Basically, gesso is a material that combines a white pigment with oil. It can either be prepared by the artist, or purchased ready to be applied to the canvas. It comes in a variety of different consistencies so that the artist can choose the one that best suits his or her needs and painting style. Although a cream style consistency is often used, some gesso has a paste-like consistency that can be used to add more texture to the blank painting canvas. It is also possible to obtain gesso in colors other than white. Water-based gesso products are also available, but these are more commonly used for acrylic painting.

If a smooth painting surface is needed, gesso is best applied to the blank painting canvas using several thinner coats. If a rougher and more textured surface is desired, one coat may suffice. Smoother surfaces work best for paintings that involve fine detail.

The gesso should be stirred before applying it to the blank painting canvas. If a smooth painting surface is desired, brush the gesso onto the canvas in a single direction. Clean the brush used to apply the gesso so that it does not harden. After the first coat is dry, sandpaper can gently be used to smooth the surface. After sanding, thoroughly remove the dust from the canvas surface with a soft, dry cloth. Apply the second coat of gesso, brushing it on in the opposite direction of the first coat. As with the sizing, the ground coat should be applied to the corners and sides of a stretched canvas, as these areas also require protection. Once the ground coat is dry, the canvas can be used for painting.

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How To Prepare Your Canvas For Painting With Acrylic Paints

The common types of canvas used for painting are cotton and linen. Painters often buy unprimed canvases and prepare them themselves as they can play around with the primers to achieve the effect they wish. However, primed canvases are also available at the stores. If you are using acrylic paint, it is always important to prime your blank painting canvas to avoid using up too much paint as the unprimed canvas is usually very absorbent. You need to know the right type of primer to use as some are only suitable for oil paint. The most common type of primer used for acrylic paint is acrylic gesso.

The steps involved

You will need water, a sponge, acrylic gesso, a stirrer which can be either metal or plastic, some paper towels, a plastic container and stretched canvas. You will also need a flat brush with 1"-2" bristles. Start by dipping the sponge in water then use it to wet the blank painting canvas. Using the stirrer, stir the acrylic gesso in the jar then pour some of it into the plastic container.

Add some water to the acrylic gesso in the plastic container to make it thinner. This makes it more viscous and it will therefore spread with more ease and penetrate the blank painting canvas more easily. You can also add acrylic paint of any color you want if you wish to achieve a different effect from the usual white. Use the paper towel to wipe any spills and clean the stirrer.

Using the brush, apply the gesso on the fabric in parallel horizontal strokes. You should then leave the gesso to dry. You can give it an hour, but the longer you let it sit, the better. If the fabric feels cold, the gesso is still wet and you need to give it more time. Depending on the level of detail you wish to achieve, you can have more than one layer of gesso. But you should always let one layer dry before laying another and lay them perpendicular to each other.

Final Thoughts

You need to be very careful when working with acrylic gesso as it dries up very fast. Therefore, keep the jar closed when you are not using it and pour just enough gesso for the job to avoid having too much leftover gesso. You should also wipe any spills as soon as they occur because when the gesso dries, it is not water-soluble and can therefore be very difficult to wipe off. Do not pour any leftover gesso down the drain as it can cause serious blockage in your pipes.You should only start painting when you are positive that the blank painting canvas is dry.

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