easy tip to getting an outline on canvas

For many people, painting is fun and relaxing, but drawing is stressful and difficult. Of course, there are sketching naturals out there, but most acrylic painting beginners struggle when it comes to drawing. The skills required to do a nice painting are much quicker and easier to pick up than the skills required to do a sketch that is correctly sized and proportioned.

So what's a canvas painting beginner to do?

Thankfully, there are easy ways to add an outline to a canvas, and we're going to give you all of the quick tips right here, right now!

Whether you're planning a painting party or painting as a hobby, this will make it easy for you to skip straight to the fun part of creating your masterpieces - no drawing skills required!

SUPPLY CHECKLIST

Here's what you'll want to gather before you begin!

• Your canvas or canvas board in the size of your choice
• A printout of your image in the same size as your canvas
• Transfer paper (also known as graphite paper or carbon paper)
• A stylus, pen, or pencil

Pro Tip: If your canvas is larger than you can print on your home printer, simply take the file to a print shop, and they'll be happy to print a larger version for you!

STEP 1

Start by layering your canvas on the bottom, your transfer paper on top of that, and your printout on the very top. Be sure that your transfer paper is graphite-side down. You can tell that it is the side with the graphite because it has a waxy texture.

Line them up as closely as possible in a neat stack, and you're ready for Step 2!

STEP 2

Next, you're going to trace the lines from your image with a pencil, pen, or stylus. The tracing utensil that you select doesn't matter too much, because the pressure from the writing instrument will press on the transfer paper, which will transfer the graphite to the canvas.

If you don't have a line drawing and are using a photograph, this still works perfectly well! Just trace the outside edges and any other details that you think will be helpful as you paint your masterpiece!

You now have an outline on your canvas! You're ready to paint!

​WOULD YOU LIKE TO SEE THIS TECHNIQUE IN ACTION?

We would be happy to email you a free video to make this technique even clearer! You'll also receive access to a whole library of canvas painting tips and video tutorials.

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We've created dozens of paintings that are easy for acrylic painting beginners to paint at home. To make it even simpler, we offer a package that includes a printable line drawing of the image to transfer to your canvas, a supply checklist (including paint color recommendations), and a video tutorial of every step of the painting!

Check out the painting options!

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WANT YOUR IMAGE DRAWN FOR YOU?

Order a painting kit from The Sketching Pad, and we'll draw the image for you, saving you this entire step! We offer dozens of painting options, and we will also gladly draw a custom image for you! All you have to do is email your picture, and our professional artists will draw your outline on your canvas to perfection!

order a canvas painting kit!

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