Using the Grid Method to Transfer Photos to Paper for Drawing and Painting

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This video is an overview (not a step by step) of the way I use a simpler version of the grid method to transfer reference photos to watercolor paper.
If you’re new to drawing and watercolor painting, watch the video, and then explore the links below to get acquainted with this process. It’s incredibly useful for accurate rendering of shape-next-to-shape relationships in your underdrawing.
Keep in mind that you don’t have to add lots of shading and details to the drawing on your watercolor paper, because you can add that with your pigments when you begin painting. Think of the grid method as a way to draw abstract shapes, one cube at a time. It creates an accurate road map for the placement of your objects and figures in a watercolor.
For more tips and tricks to help you jumpstart your art-making, visit my online courses at http:www.belindatips.com
#gridmethod #drawing #watercolors
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Links to Books and Supplies Related to The Grid Method:
Drawing Using Grids: Portraits of Babies & Children
amzn.to/2K63fBW
Drawing Using Grids: Portraits with Character
amzn.to/2tjiBMU
Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain
amzn.to/2tiGcxj
Transparent Sheets of Drawing Grids
amzn.to/2Map9V5
Artist’s Proportional Divider
amzn.to/2IbKYBj
Artist’s View Finder
amzn.to/2yrh9x0
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Links to KZbin Videos describing the Grid Method:
Mister Otter Studio
• How to use a Grid to D...
The Art Tutor
• Video
Dan Beardshaw
• How to Draw FACES with...
Need a Flow Chart to Understand the Basic Steps to take your art from making it to shipping it? Download my free Art Flow in the Studio flowchart:
bit.ly/Art-Flow

[@bdelpesco]

If you’re new to drawing and watercolor painting, watch the video, and then explore the links to more videos by other artists in the show-more section to get acquainted with this process. It’s incredibly useful for accurate rendering of shape-next-to-shape relationships in your underdrawing. Keep in mind that you don’t have to add lots of shading and details to the drawing on your watercolor paper, because you can add that with your pigments when you begin painting. (Here's a post about that on my blog: wp.me/p5WQio-1Xg) Think of the grid method as a way to draw abstract shapes, one cube at a time. It creates an accurate road map for the placement of your objects and figures in a watercolor. If you're new to art-making, you might find this artist-studio flow chart helpful: bit.ly/Art-Flow

[@oOstoneyOo]

Belinda Del Pesco I really enjoy your videos. They motivate me to paint and draw. Thank you

[@bdelpesco]

Hey Justin, Thanks for letting me know! I hope the motivation sticks, and you're craving time with your art supplies all summer long! :)

[@aarondcoe]

I am so glad you're making videos again, Belinda. I worried that you had stopped for good. I think you are a wonderful teacher and that you approach art in a such a thoughtful way. I always used to check your channel first when I needed a printmaking fix. Also, though I've worked with several truly excellent printmakers, it was you who taught me my favorite technique (drypoint on Dura-lar). Thank you.

[@bdelpesco]

Hi Aaron - What a SWEET and kind comment! Thank you so much for sending a little feedback here in youtubeland! I'm grinning that you're making drypoint on dura-lar - its SO FUN! Are you teaching it now?

[@aarondcoe]

I have shared it with some. Most of the printmakers I know are affiliated with the local University and have access to almost any supply or material they could want, including lovely and huge etching presses, but I think Dura-lar and careful spoon work or a baby food jar really puts intaglio in reach of almost anyone. I am fortunate to have an antique etching press and find the Dura-lar works excellently. I think printmaking is really about process- it is really one of the most time-consuming and laborious ways to make a piece of art, especially when it is unlikely you'd sell many prints of an edition, but with Dura-lar and water-soluble inks, you can head to the studio and put together a small edition in a spare few hours. Also, the low cost liberates the artist to experiment and play. Please continue your good work, both on paper and the screen. You are an ambassador for this most archaic (and wondrous) of art forms.

[@bdelpesco]

Hi Aaron, That's a very high compliment and I thank you for it. I'm glad you took the tutorials and ran beyond them to convert methods to suit your needs. Printmaking favors an experimental mind and encourages problem solving in creative ways, so I'm shaking your hand as a kindred spirit. Here's to printmaking process, and diving deep into the tools of making and the resulting beautiful rewards. All the best to you.

[@jenniferbee9962]

Thank you Belinda for posting and sharing this easy peasy way of grid drawing! I’ve always done freehand and spent way too much time getting the composition right that I was afraid to ruin the painting. You are so right! Wow.

[@bdelpesco]

Hi Jennifer - I’m so glad you found this helpful! I hope you create a whole stack of prepped drawings, and the process of making them is meditative, and productive. Happy drawing to you!

[@pdavis7537]

I always wondered about this. I watched your video twice and then took a picture of a kit fox from an old calendar and reproduced it perfectly! Now I have a new skill! Thanks Belinda!!!

[@bdelpesco]

Yayyyy! I'm so glad the grid system worked for you! It makes a HUGE difference in scale, accuracy and shape rendering, and I hope that the more you do it, the more confident your "drawing muscles" will get! 💪🏽

[@brainysmarticus]

It's always the simplest things that work out the best ,thank you !!

[@bdelpesco]

I agree - simpler is better when we’re all learning something new. Thanks!

[@suzieblair8089]

Thank you so much for this tutorial, it was the best I have watched, and believe me I have watched a ton. I wish I could draw, but alas I can not. I spend so much time trying to draw the image and then get frustrated because I just can not do! I end up walking away from the drawing and the painting, feeling like a failure. I am still going to feel like a failure, because I can't draw, but with your method, I will be able to get to the painting. Thank you, suzie

[@bdelpesco]

Hi Suzie, You can do it! No one knows how to draw till they practice, so I applaud you’re approach to Keep Trying. This grid method is my Go-To drawing approach. I was gridding a scene just last night. Once you get the feel for it, your drawings will get better and better. Have faith, and have courage. I’m rooting for you!

[@beverlyweber1002]

Thanks for the great inspiration to get started, Belinda. I think with your videos that I'll finally be able to get started. I've already printed a few photos to use as reference to try the gridline method! Love it! Can't wait to view the videos a second time and work along.

[@bdelpesco]

Hi Bev, I'm glad you're excited to get started! I'm building a storyboard for a more in-depth grid-drawing method course, so stay tuned, and practice with some simple photos... nothing too complicated. Come here and leave any questions that pop up. :)

[@robinh9229]

EURIKA!!!! This is life hanging. Thank you so much for posting this.

[@bdelpesco]

Hi Robin, 😂 I'm so glad it makes sense to you. I hope the tips lead to more accurate drawings, and an increase in productivity. Go get 'em! :)

[@maryf.1956]

Wow! Thank you for this info. I have grid drawn before but it has been much more complicated than it needed to be. 😊 thank you

[@bdelpesco]

Hi Mary, Yes, I have seen the mathematics-intense grid systems (insert crossed eyes here). I hope this simplified version works for you, and you'll be gridding and drawing like a Pro for days afterwards! Thanks for the feedback!

[@jeankirkbride4707]

Finally! This is the best grid system I've seen. Much better and more useful than the cumbersome measuring I've used in the past. Thank you, Belinda.

[@bdelpesco]

Hi Jean! Thanks for letting me know it made sense to you. 🙃 I use this grid method all the time! It’s been a game changer for me. I hope it works for you too!

[@nancyrolfe3033]

BEST simplification of process and prep in increments!! Most useful and practical allowing more painting time....I can't thank you enough, Nancy

[@bdelpesco]

Thanks so much for the feedback, Nancy! I hope you're gridding and getting all your under-drawings done in mini-art sessions so you'll have a stack of finished drawings beckoning you to the pigments!

[@carkirsch77]

Thank you Belinda! I found it very interesting method! I will try it!

[@bdelpesco]

You're so welcome, Maricarmen! I hope you try it, and you find it helpful!

[@2tolerable]

Omg finally a good explanation even I can follow! Thank you!

[@bdelpesco]

Hi Crystal, I'm so glad! We must comprehend things the same way, because this works for me so well! Happy gridding and drawing to you!

[@floratan2890]

What a fantastic idea to reduce it to one square at a time by folding the reference photo!! Thank you for sharing!

[@bdelpesco]

Hi Flora! I didn't invent the idea - I'm just passing it on, as simply as I can. I hope it works for you! :)

[@Katerina-vm2ok]

This is one of the best channels I have come across…thank-you so much for your time in teaching us things we need to know!😊

[@bdelpesco]

You are so welcome, Katerina! Happy art-making!

[@mebendickson]

This information is very helpful and I can see where it will save me time in prep and transferring a source file to my painting paper. Thanks!

[@bdelpesco]

Hi Mark, I hope it works seamlessly, and becomes as habit-forming to you as it is to me. It will strengthen your drawing skills, and "seeing" skills. Good luck with it!

[@IndigoPlans]

Great tip! So glad you’re back! Greetings from Montreal

[@bdelpesco]

It's good to be back. Thanks for the warm welcome! :)

[@carolhobday6011]

I've always been a little intimidated by all the measuring. This is just what I needed! Thank you so much!

[@bdelpesco]

Hi Carol, Me too! I hope this simple, pared down method of gridding your reference and painting support seals the deal, and works like a charm for you from now on!

[@marjoriepark1198]

What great suggestions!

[@bdelpesco]

Thanks for the feedback, Marjorie! Happy drawing!

[@maryliztippin-moody6856]

This is a great method! Thank you so much for sharing!

[@bdelpesco]

Hi Mary Liz! Thanks for the feedback, and Happy Painting to you! :)

[@MissNausicaa87]

Missed your videos, good to see you back on youtube Belinda ;)

[@bdelpesco]

Thanks, dear - it's good to be back. This was a spontaneous, mid-painting response to a repeated question. I just pulled the camera out and started blabbing. :)

[@saundrayork767]

Yes! I do this; its a classic method; and, it works like a dream! Ironically, I enlarge onto tracing paper but then, once I have the image as I want, I transfer to my watercolor sheet. I love your idea of folding to make squares-- all these yrs I've been doing the math. When working on an area that is highly detailed, such as a motorcycle engine, I enlarge (again) that one square so that I am drawing 1:1 on a separate tracing paper. It is SO good that you are teaching this!

[@bdelpesco]

Thanks, Saundra! I appreciate that you're backing me on this; I think using a grid saves from So Much Frustration! And it also teaches us how to Look, and Measure inbound and Outbound lines inside each cube to understand and See Shape, before we get into the nitty gritty of the detail. And yeah, a motorcycle engine would be a perfect candidate (dare I say even REQUIRED) for a grid system transfer. :)

[@saundrayork767]

Recently, I've been working on cityscapes of DC. Using the grid helps me maintain my perspective and proportion. This is especially true when working on portraits. I prefer to 1st prepare a graphite study before I begin with the watercolor paper; this teaches me the contours of the face, head & hair. Once I have learned the facial topography, I can the map out which colors I want & in what order.

[@2112Dahlia]

Great suggestion Belinda. I will try it, should def. help me get more done with the little time I have. Thank you!

[@bdelpesco]

I hope you do try it. Little shape-drawing sessions in the evenings have given me a stack of drawings ready to paint, and that's good incentive. Go gettem!

[@celiab3701]

So clear!! Thank you!

[@bdelpesco]

Thanks, Celia!

[@brendamatzbeaz6016]

That is brilliant! The folding. Thank you for this.

[@bdelpesco]

Hi Brenda - I’m so glad you found the demo helpful! Thanks for the feedback!

[@beverlyweber1002]

That was soooo helpful! One of my biggest challenges is knowing how to start and feeling like there isn't enough time to make any progress. This show me that I can accomplish as much or as little to begin the process. Thank you!

[@bdelpesco]

Hi Bev!You've *got it*! - Think of your art-time as episodic television when time is tight. 15 minutes here, and 30 minutes there... and before you know it, you've completed a stack of drawings that are ready to be painted. Keep at it, my friend!

[@Rainy-nx2ph]

Wonderful!!!

[@bdelpesco]

Thanks, Rainy!

[@YunliDeUlrika]

Fantastic method. I love the way you break it down into very manageable stages so that you can do just a bit at a time.

[@bdelpesco]

Hi Ulrika - I'm glad the basics in this video made sense to you. When I first tried to grid a drawing, the explanations I found had way too much math (numbers challenge me), and the process seemed cumbersome. This approach has increased my drawing time, accuracy and enjoyment of the process tremendously! I hope it works for you too!

[@YunliDeUlrika]

Hi Belinda - I think it's darned clever of you to have come up with this simple, straightforward approach to gridding a photo. It's so easy! Yes, I already tried it -- I printed some photos I had taken previously and then did the grid folding the same evening while watching TV with my husband. It's super quick! I'm very excited to get drawing.

[@bdelpesco]

Yayyyyy! We're Evening Couch Grid Drawing Sisters! The more you do, the easier it will get! You're literally training your brain to sketch shapes instead of things! Yayyy!

[@kaiylabarber9174]

It helps for me to turn the picture upside down and start from the bottom and go up. That way, I don’t recognize any of the images. I only see shapes. Great video!

[@bdelpesco]

Kaiyla- that’s a great reminder tip! The prompt - Draw what you see, instead of what you know - is harder than it sounds, so making recognizable items unfamiliar by flipping the reference photo upside down helps us see Shapes rather than Eyes, Nose, Ears, etc. good one! Thanks!

[@nancymiller3993]

thank you. so simple now that you have explained it this way.

[@bdelpesco]

Hi Nancy, Thanks for the feedback. I'm glad to know there are others out there who needed the simpler version of this amazing tool for accurate drawing.

[@liart6219]

What a clever metodo! I’m always using drawing the grind on the stamped image or I use an grid app on my iPad, but this looks so simple and Relaxed and as you said you can do it anywhere. Thanks for sharing 😊

[@rebeccapage4411]

Oh, I loved this method! Thank you 😊

[@bdelpesco]

Hello Li - Yes, this is simple, portable and relaxed, so you can draw all your squares or just a few depending on how much time you have. Thanks for your compliments, and happy art-making to you!

[@bdelpesco]

Hi Rebecca! Thanks for the feedback, and I hope the process is useful to you!

[@SuperXrunner]

Great video. Thank You!!

[@bdelpesco]

Thank you for the feedback! :)

[@nacerber1035]

Thank you Belinda :)

[@bdelpesco]

You’re welcome, Nacer!

[@Freedaaa]

Straightly forwarding the relevant information ! Thank you so much. :-) Best wishes!

[@bdelpesco]

I'm glad it made sense to you! I really love this method to transfer drawings accurately!

[@Bebe-ft1ef]

Thank you!

[@bdelpesco]

You’re welcome! Happy grid drawing to you!

[@guyhiebert]

Thank You, Helpful hints not a grid guy but your way makes sense. Rather then just draw. I will keep it in mind

[@bdelpesco]

Hi Guy - Thanks for the feedback - I'm glad you liked the hints. Do you draw freehand?

[@guyhiebert]

I do draw free hand. I just finished doing a portrait of Dean Martin. I found his lips and eyes most challenging. I did get it done. For my next portrait I will use your method. One square at a time. I think my issue is looking at the whole image and seeing the picture and not the shapes.

[@tranquilenvironments]

Thank you so much! It really helped me to simplify the grid method. And you're a joy to watch and your living room is a beautiful backdrop. 😊

[@bdelpesco]

Thank you, Lisa! I'm so glad you found the video useful! And I appreciate your compliments! Let us know if the grid method works for you!

[@kellysalama7399]

I know this is an old video, but you are brilliant!!! Finally no math! How do I make my drawing larger than my photo? Thank you for your videos! Kelly

[@bdelpesco]

Hi Kelly, I’m high fiving you on “Finally, no math!” 👩🏻‍🏫 LOL. That was the goal, for me at least. On photo enlarging, as long as your photo and drawing paper are the same aspect ratio, draw in the grid cubes the same way. And sometimes it helps a lot to enlarge your reference photos to something like 11x14 or bigger at Costco.

[@angiehatchett2843]

Thanks so much Belinda - I've been struggling to copy a photo with gridlines and got so distracted by trying to get the whole image down in one go. I'm going to try one square at a time straight away now!

[@bdelpesco]

Hi Angie, I hope it works for you. I get distracted just from breathing, so I'm with you on the overwhelm of the whole image. One cube at a time, add extra cross lines to the squares if you need them. There are examples on my blog here: wp.me/p5WQio-1Xg

[@angiehatchett2843]

Oh - I've just come across the scale factor!!! I did wonder ....

[@bdelpesco]

If you have any trouble with scale, come back and leave a comment. It's more important to be exact if you're doing figures, but there's wiggle-room with landscapes, roomscapes and florals, etc. :)

[@angiehatchett2843]

Thanks so much Belinda .... I'm half-sizing a landscape, so I think I'm OK just to keep trying at the moment - in between other things!

[@guyhiebert]

I do draw free hand. I just finished doing a portrait of Dean Martin. I found his lips and eyes most challenging.

[@bdelpesco]

I know that feeling - rough spots midway through. You can grid just a section to assist with accuracy. Sometimes we look at the source material for so long, we can't "see" what we're missing in the details of our work. Do you use a mirror to flip the image and see it with "fresh" eyes?

[@guyhiebert]

I have heard of technique and I have not used that method. I will try that. But I really like the advise you have given as to see shape and not what we see. An eye is an eye and not just almont shaped or walnut shaped.

[@bdelpesco]

Yes, I recently saw an image I did *years* ago, and all the eyes I painted looked like I traced a football first. :) Good luck with it - If you find any other methods that are helpful, be sure to come back and describe them. We're all studying our craft hard, and tips help a lot.

[@roobsi6947]

Wonderful, I draw my portraits the same way

[@bdelpesco]

Hi Roo - that’s great. It really is a helpful drawing tool, isn’t it? Happy drawing!

[@richardthomas7435]

Great tutorial, drawing a lot of grid lines gets boring really quick !

[@bdelpesco]

Hi Richard, I'm gad the tutorial made sense to you. I love simple fixes for complex challenges, and this one really works for me. I use it almost daily while setting up drawings for watercolor and printmaking. Let me know if you get stuck. :)

[@phyllisjeanfulton]

do you have juicy tips for plain aire? i find it so frustrating to get a fairly accurate way of drawing without resorting to taking a photo. Thanks, and I enjoy your tips.

[@bdelpesco]

Hi Phyllis, I'm not a plein air painter, so take this with a grain of salt. When I *do* draw and paint outdoors (occasionally), I make a rough value sketch in pencil, and a very rough watercolor color study with a number 12 brush to keep me away from noodling the details, and then I take a BUNCH of photos to paint from in the studio with my studies. In my book, there's nothing wrong with using photos. Especially when you're additionally working outside, learning about actual color, shape and shadow from truthful scenery.

[@MathieuDeVinois]

I mimick the lines by stretching my hand and holding a pencil either horizontally or vertically. Than you close one eye and look at the scene you want to draw. Sometimes I twist the pencil to get a better idea of the angle some lines or shapes have on a 2D plane. With your thumb you can mark some point on the pencil to use it as kind of a rudimentary ruler.

[@bdelpesco]

Hi Mathieu, I like pencil and hand measurements too. I had a college professor who was a huge measuring advocate, and it really does help. The more you do it, the better trained your eye becomes. 👍🏽

[@virginiapaul7073]

What if you want a painting a different ratio and standard printer paper?

[@bdelpesco]

Hi Virginia, can you give an example of what you’re asking?

[@mikebernard8914]

First time grider. Do the grid lines disappear with watercolour or do you erase them as you draw. Sorry if it is such a basic question. Thx

[@bdelpesco]

Hi Mike. All questions are welcomed here. 🤓 I apply the grid with light water soluble pencil or watercolor pencils in a light color like ochre. The graphite pencils I use are made by General ( like these amzn.to/3wwJWve ) and with light lines, they just wash away once you start painting.

[@mikebernard8914]

@@bdelpesco Thanks for the info. Right now I am trying some water soluble crayons, that I don’t know how to use yet. Lol. I’ll try utubing these Neocolor II’s and hope for the best. Thx again

[@bdelpesco]

@@mikebernard8914 Those water soluble crayons are GREAT FUN, but they will stay visible as a grid under a watercolor, unless you're heavy handed with your pigment layers. I've had more fun using the Caran D'Ache as grid drawings for monotype prints - like this: www.belindadelpesco.com/light-field-monotype-3.html/ but they have *many* uses, as you'll see in your search. Have so much fun!

[@theoriginalquinnpiper]

Thanks for asking this question, Mike! and thanks for the detailed response, Belinda!! I've never used a grid or under-drawing (is that a word?) for watercolor, but lately I've been painting from photographs of small archaeological artifacts, and accuracy has become very important. I will try these techniques! Thanks!

[@bdelpesco]

Hi Quinn, Thanks for the note and happy painting with your newfound tools towards accuracy!

[@annesaffer629]

Excellent video! This is a great and versatile way to grid and draw the image. I like the recomendation to isolate and draw one gridblock at a time. Beginning artists can get overwhelmed by the complexity of the whole image.

[@bdelpesco]

Hi Anne, thanks for your great feedback. Isolating the grid block was very impactful for my wandering eye, and I hope it’s helpful to other artists too!