The art of transferring pictures from one paper to another is what few
understand. Many have drawings or engravings which they hold as valuable
keepsakes, and wish to preserve copies. The plan of duplicating almost
exactly a picture by the method given here, is original with the author
of this book, who has many a time found it valuable in getting perfect
the outlines of engravings, prints, and pictures of various kinds for
pen or crayon drawings. Penmen produce very fine specimens of pen
drawing, aided by the above process of copying; and although many a
novice in the art of pen drawing exhibits equally as good designs as
older professionals, they are, nevertheless, borrowed.
The paper used for transferring purposes is light tea paper, generally
found in a tea store, or on sale at paper stores.
=We Prepare it as follows=: Procure a piece of soft pine or cedar, and
burn to a coal, paste one side of the tea paper with it until quite
black, and you have a neat transfer sheet. (In choosing the wood be sure
and get soft white pine). Lay this black paper upon the white, where you
wish the drawing to be made, the dark side down; upon this lay the copy,
face up, and fasten the whole to the table with thumb tacks, to prevent
its moving around and changing the outlines. This done, go over the
whole with a tracer made of wood or ivory, with sufficient pressure to
carry the lines through to the paper underneath, following every outline
of the picture until the whole has been gone over. Lift the tracing
paper, and you have upon the sheet below the desired drawing, which you
now go over with pen or pencil. After this is done, rub the crayon from
off the picture with your handkerchief, and complete the shading with a
fine pointed steel pen or pencil, keeping the copy before you. Use
Spencerian Artistic Pen, Crow-quill, or Gillott’s No. 170.