Painting 33

Ref 1005.- Watercolor Creating and transfer and exact shape to watercolor

I wanted to re-créate  a exact "shape" from an airplane photograph --- however "the lesson learnt during this process is what I really like to share with you this time"
This is the original photo reference and the painting result of this process
over cold press paper

First I made a scan of the figure I wanted to paint; most of my past painting are not concerned with details or fine accuracy so I didn´t have experience in transfer exact "outlines scale" onto the paper, (but a plane like this needs to be accurate at least in the contourn and then make FreeHand in inside details ) my mistake it was to use plain carbón paper to do it, and after I masked light border lines and Little details; here and there .- following is what happens when I start to work with wáter
I couldn´t get rid of the lines and at the sea started to dirt the paper

This is not what I expected but I tried to take advantage of the dark colors to start from there

(Most colors used are cerulean, ochre & Payne´s grey at the sea, but I added some touches of viridian and sepia and at the end after taking away the masking I added and integrate the foam with  permanent White (gouache)

 

 

Then I tried to take advantage of the few main lines I did at the airplane,(with carbón paper)  which were mixed in some way when I start to add the watercolor, finally some of the fine lines (rigs and another small details) were made with ink previously diluted

 

The point I wanted to share is that base on this issue, I start to check in the best way to transfer a image onto a paper, and following are some of the main methods I found:

1.- Made your own graphite paper.-  rub the back of your paper drawing with a very soft pencil, like 4B or softer, then dip in alcohol, remove some of the excess, then gently rub the back of the drawing with it, wait a couple of minutes for the alcohol to dry and its ready.-The advantage of this method is that you can adjust the drawing if you're not happy with it because unlike carbon paper, you can erase easily with this stuff.

2.-Use the computer bright screen and/or your window  if the paper is not so thick taping the drawing and the watercolor paper so you can see and transfer the main referece lines and/or contourn

3.- Trace by placing your printed image over your final paper and drwing over the main lines, pressing indents into the watercolor paper underneath

 

Probably there are many ways --- I like drawing so I usually sketch out a few of the main structural lines and go from there. If I'm doing something really complex or realistic, then I take my time to get proportions correctly established, perspective worked out and so on. I personally think that by drawing the subject you learn how it works; shapes, forms and values. I always feel that if I can draw something ,I can paint it too. So, if there are another easy way to transfer please share with us