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In this post: Make signs, crafts and art easily with the pencil transfer method! Perfect for large and small scale projects. Easy enough that anyone can do it!
Have you ever wondered how to make large scale art or signs? Well I’ve got a really simple method that I’ve been using for years. Several of my tutorials mention it and describe it. But after several requests on how to make large scale (or even smaller scale) art, I thought I’d give it its own dedicated post so I could easily point people to how it’s done. Introducing the pencil transfer method!
Table of Contents
The Pencil Transfer Method
The pencil transfer method is really very simple.
Pretty much anyone can do it.
Supplies
- Paper
- Pencil
- Something to trace (computer print out, etc.)
- Something to trace onto (paper, wood board, canvas, etc.)
Instructions
1. Create something to copy – purchased digital art, a word or phrase printed from the computer, etc. (Please pay attention to copyright laws and terms of use agreements when downloading fonts and art from the internet.)
2. Using the side of a pencil rub all over the back side of the image.
3. Now turn the page over, place on your wood, canvas or paper and trace the outline of image. This will leave a penciled outline!
4. Then just fill in with paint, marker, etc. And voila…your very own art!
See didn’t I tell you that was easy?
Here are a few projects on which I’ve used this method:
Vintage You Are My Sunshine Sign
Have you ever tried the pencil transfer method yourself? What would you like to make with this method next?
So, I see you have several sheets you taped together. Did you print it a certain way or just created your phrase and picked your font and font size and printed it so it would be several pages?
I created the file full size (in the case of the canvas sign shown I made it 24′” x 24″) and then when I went to print I selected full size and my printer gave me the option to tile it out as you see it. See if your printer gives you that option. 🙂
Otherwise you’d have to print a letter per sheet of paper and match it up. Still doable. 🙂
Oooops. Just replied on the other pencil transfer post. Either way…great info. Will let you know how it goes. Suz
🙂 Great!
Great idea! Thanks so much for sharing!!!
Great info! Thank you for sharing. Now hoping my computer has the tile feature for printing.
Hope so!
I’ve used this method and I adore it. I usually use a charcoal pencil, I didn’t realize regular pencil lead would work! Good to know!
I love your singing sign, would you mind sharing what font this is?
New to your blog and ❤️❤️❤️❤️’ing it!
Love the vintage bakery sign, you make it all look incredibly easy. Great blog, thanks for sharing.
How did you determine the font size to use to get the 24×24 finish size….sorry if that’s a dumb question…
You create a custom sized document in whatever program you’re using and then size the font to fill the document. 🙂 Not a dumb question if you’ve never done it before!
I’ve always wanted to know how to do this! Thanks so much for the easy step by step tutorial. I’ll definitely be trying it for my next project. Hope you’re having a great day, Coco
Awesome!!! Have fun with it!
LOVE this! Thank you for sharing! I have a question: WHAT FONT DID YOU USE? Thank you so much!!
Hi Tina, I’m sorry but if it’s a font we use for creating our art prints, we don’t share the font!
Thanks so much for addressing this transfer method! I now have EXACT directions! Look out!
This is so awesome! Thanks so much for sharing this method. It looks like fun too!
it looks like you painted straight on the canvas, what kind of paint did you use that it didn’t need to be primed?
I’m not exactly a professional artist and I like the look of canvas so I didn’t prime or use a paint that took the place of primer. If you are going for a professional look I’d suggest looking for a canvas primer first. Sorry – I know not much help.
Hi Shannon,
I used to find transparencies with beautiful, inspirational quotes on them and I could attach them to bottles, repurposed books. Do you by any chance carry them or know yourself where to find them. I used to see them at Michaels, Joannes…
Hmm. Have you tried Amazon?