How-To Transfer Artwork: Projecting & Tracing (Episode 6)

This is the comforting message I've been looking for my whole life, now I can go out there and draw with a free conscience.

Give a traced drawing to anyone who can't paint and ask them to go for it. The results will clarify the outline of an image is only a small part of the artwork. Projecting saves me a huge amount of time and that makes being an artist more cost effective and productive, its a win win for everyone.

I completely agree that using a projector isn't cheating and it saves a ton of time. I'm an art teacher and I definitely know how to draw. Sometimes I sketch on a piece of paper, and if I wanted to transfer that sketch onto something bigger, why the heck would I redraw everything? Also, getting a sketch onto the canvas is maybe 5% of the artwork.

"With art, it shouldn't be about how you get there. Just the fact that you got there." -Michaelangelo

Mind blown here....yikes...am I the only person who has never known of this type of projector before?...this is incredible...I have used the old kind in the past...to be able to load a photo on a thumbdrive and use this is another level. Thank you So much Trevor for posting this....I am so happy I saw it!

The secret in realistic drawing and painting is in rendering tones and shades. Even though you could get the correct proportions by tracing the outlines you will have major problem if you don't know how to render depth and roundness via shading, or if you fail to render light and dark properly you cannot achieve realism that you want in your art work.

Great video! I watch a lot of video's on airbrushing trying to gain a few insights into how to airbrush. But those who have not done it do not realize how long it takes to get to the point to just pickup the airbrush and start painting. I recently got a projector and I love it. But even with the projector, three is a learning curve on how and "how much" you need to trace to get a good starting point for painting. And how dark/light your tracing lines need to be so they do not show in the final project. As always your video has a lot of great information and are professionally done. Glad to see you posting these again. Thanks for your hard work and sharing this information with all of us. Oh, and how cool is it that you are a forensic artist! Awesome!!!!

I like your decorum you're very serious and compassionate about the work you do and I appreciate the work you've done to help people solve crime.

You're the man! Have been interested in the projection subject. Thanks for your time and insights : )

I think it's time to invest in one of those bad boys. Keep up the great work Trevor. Thanks.

I learned that tracing is learning .So good job ive learned alot from you and I thank you for that!

When doing a huge canvas, a projector is time saving!! Otherwise it's graphing out in larger scales and it's really exhausting especially on huge scale. Ohh and the other thing is, is that I usually paint my background colours first as that's what I see before I draw the image onto the canvas.

My hats off to those that can draw (anything) better than stick figures. I can draw to a point but am sub par at best. I use a projector for everything I airbrush (99%) because of my limited "ability". Thank god for that tool!!

Even some of the masters used a camera obscura which is basically a homemade projector. Not everyone can trace using a projector and achieve a quality product with good craftsmanship. You actually have to learn that part lol good job thanks for sharing your process!

A friend of mine is a full time artist and uses projectors for images he's created himself digitally. He works BIG so the projector just helps him speed up and keep deadlines. He's a phenomenal artist and paints these outlines into 3d realistic images. He said himself that he just doesn't have the time to meticulously draw out the proportions before painting so he just projects.

Thank you!!! I have troubles drawing BIGGER pieces, proportions etc. So I got a projector to size up my original digital works for painting. This was a ton of help setting things up!

People who say tracing is cheating aren’t really professional artists themselves. Most professional artists can easily draw something but it takes longer. Time costs money.

Trever: Wow! This was a priceless video. I have never been able to figure out how airbrush artists got the image on the painting surface. I mean one that would really work. I have tracing paper, etc. but this is the real deal! I'm going to buy one of the digital projectors like you said. One of the sad realities of life: I wanted to do this years ago, but, like most people, I didn't have the time or money. Now it's comical I have the money but at 81 not so much time! Thanks again this video means a lot to me! Glen

Your presentation skiils as superior to others I've seen. As an artist, your knowledge base and recommendations have benefited me tremendously. Thank you.

I trace my original designs, and modify them until they look good to me. It saves me a lot of time, and also helps me when I have art block 🙏🏼👌🏼🙌🏼