Can I draw on canvas? What’s the best way to do it?

Many artists find it helpful to sketch an outline of their planned composition on canvas before starting a painting. You can use pencil, charcoal or transfer paper, and do this on linen or canvas.

Sketching in pencil, because the lines will be fine, allows you to carry out a detailed drawing. An H-grade pencil is best for this job, as it reduces the likelihood of smudging. If you apply paint quite thinly, however, there is a chance that pencil lines will show through.

The broader, more fluid lines of charcoal mean that making a sketch on canvas this way – as the Old Masters did – can be better suited to a looser style of painting than pencil. But charcoal is messier, and it may visibly blend into your colour when you come to apply it, especially if you use thin layers.

If you want to copy a drawing you’ve already done on paper onto your canvas, use graphite transfer paper. Place the sheet of transfer paper, with the graphite facing the canvas, under your drawing, and secure them in place using picture framing tape. They must remain still, or the graphite on your canvas will be smudged. Then trace over your drawing with a pencil, and the graphite pressed on to the canvas will replicate your drawing.