Transfer the Drawing

This is a terrible picture, but then again, it isn't meant to be more than guide lines. This is a cropped version of the "drawing" that has been transferred to the board.  It is very subtle, and in order to make it show up, I had to fool around in photoshop. The background is still only the raw sienna wash. I used a graphite transfer paper (which is colored blue) to transfer onto the board. 

I should stop and explain the working method I'll be using for this piece.  I have worked out the image on paper prior to going to the canvas because I want this painting to be fairly tight.  I edit and move things around and get the drawing/image/composition as close to complete as I can.  This is a time tested way of creating paintings - do your drawing first - then transfer it to the canvas. By working on paper instead of the canvas, I am more at ease and can explore and make mistakes, edit, cut out, add and scribble without feeling that I'm ruining the canvas.  I think it saves me a lot of time too.

I then transfer the drawing so that I don't have uneccesary lines on the finished canvas.  Because I have already done my work on a different paper(s),  I am now merely transferring the lines that I want onto the canvas.  This is a bit labor intensive, but I like this method because it allows me to focus more on the painting, plus it keeps the canvas cleaner. There will still be plenty of time to improvise with the painting as I progress, but this gives me a good base to start with.

The blue graphite line is so subtle that it does not really interfere with the paint.  What some artists have done is to apply a varnish or fixative to seal the drawing, but I'd rather just get to it. 

now to start painting!