From Photo to Final Paper

Now that the general layout of the portrait is set, the process of enlarging the photo and transferring it to the final paper begins.  To begin this process, a grid is placed over the photo, as shown below.  This grid is nothing more than 1 cm squares on a piece of clear acetate.

Luckily in this case, the section of the photo selected for the portrait is 8x10 cm.  So, 1 cm equals 1 inch on the finished paper.  Usually, it's not so easy.  For example, for another portrait, the selected area was 5x7 cm, so each square centimeter on the grid had to be enlarged to about 4.1 cm for the final portrait.

Next, a grid of the appropriate size, in this case 1 inch squares, is drawn on a scrap piece of paper.  Then the main lines from the drawing are drawn to scale.  The photo below shows the beginning of the enlargement.

Once all the main lines are drawn in, corrections to the overall drawing are made.  This is one advantage of using this grid system -- the artist is still drawing the portrait, not just slavishly copying it.  

When the drawing is adequate (even though it may look strange as there's no shading), a piece of transfer paper is placed between the drawing and the paper used for the portrait.  The lines are carefully gone over, using as little pressure as possible to make the transfer.  The photo below shows the drawing after it has been totally transferred.

Comments by L.M. Hornberger

"I know some artists use photocopiers to enlarge the photos, but there's a problem with distortion, especially when the enlargement is 200% or more.  Other artists use projectors, which also distort the photo a bit, but the main problem with projectors is that the drawing looks strange.  I'm not sure how to explain it, but it gives the final portrait a cartoon-like feeling, if the artist isn't careful.

"The best method I've found is the grid system. There's no distortion other than that produced by bad drawing skills.  Also, since it's a pain to do, I only draw in the truly necessary lines, so when I'm doing the portrait, I only have the major points marked.

"And yes, I can and have done enlargements without any aids such as the plastic grid.   I do almost all the smaller portraits and sketches totally freehand, but it's really hard to take a 3x5 photo and enlarge it totally by sight to a 16x20 portrait.  Besides, it's a basic time saver, much like a calculator is.  (Yes, I can do long division, but it's a lot easier to do with a calculator.)"

Next Step: Doing the Main Part of the Drawing