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A completed, enlarged and colored picture of Winnie the Pooh, colored pencils, ruler, eraser, Sharpie, and original Pooh image with grid drawn over it resting on a drawing mat.
Print Recipe

How to Enlarge a Drawing to Scale Using a Grid

Want to learn how to enlarge a drawing? How about using a grid for transferring a picture onto your paper or canvas for your art project.
Prep Time5 minutes
Cook Time45 minutes
Total Time50 minutes
Course: Art Project
Cuisine: Art Project
Keyword: gow to enlarge a drawing with a grid, how do i enlarge a drawing by hand?, how to enlarge a drawing, how to enlarge a drawing to scale, how to enlarge a picture for drawing, how to enlarge a sketch, how to trace and enlarge a drawing
Servings: 1 Enlarged drawing
Author: Shelly
Cost: $1

Equipment

  • Ruler

Ingredients

Instructions

  • To learn how to enlarge a drawing we start with the original drawing or reference picture that you want to transfer.
    If you have drawn a sketch as a line drawing that is ideal. 
    If you want to start with a photo of some sort, first make it into a line drawing. Use a computer program to make it into a line drawing. Or just draw lines around the outside edges of the main parts of the picture. 
  • So next we’re going to draw that grid on top of the original drawing or picture. 
    I usually start with a grid that creates ½x1/2-inch squares or 1x1-inch squares on my smaller image. The more detailed the picture, the smaller I make the blocks on my original grid.
    Take a ruler and place it on one side of your drawing. Draw small marks ½ inch apart all the way down the side of the drawing (like small dots).
    Next repeat that on the opposite side of the drawing.
    Draw horizontal lines between the ½-inch marks on either side of the paper. This will make parallel lines that go across the picture in one half inch increments.
    Turn your picture on its side and draw small ½-inch marks across the top edge of the picture. Do the same on the bottom edge of the picture
    Draw vertical lines between the half inch marks from top to bottom on the picture.
    This will make one half inch small blocks across the entire picture.
  • Next you want to make a grid on the surface that you want to transfer the drawing onto.
    Remember that you’re hoping to make the same number of squares on the surface. So count the number of squares on your original grid. Count the number of squares wide and the number of squares tall.
    Now calculate how to make the squares on your second surface.
    For example:
    If your original piece was 4"x5" with ½x1/2-inch squaresMake an 8” x 10” with squares that are 1"x1". The second grid will be the same number of squares wide and tall as the first gridThat doubles the size of the new drawing. This will also easily transfer to a 16 x 20” canvas by making squares that are 2"x2" in size. 
  • Making the second grid is done by repeating the exact same process as for the grid on your original piece.
    So on the second surface, make marks on either side of the canvas that are 1 inch apart.
    Note: Or whatever measurement you have decided upon for the second grid.
    Then draw lines across the canvas or paper that connect those marks and make parallel lines that are 1 inch apart.
    Do the same thing vertically as well.
  • If you would like to you can number all of the grid squares on your first drawing. Then make the same corresponding numbers on the second drawing paper grid.
    On my drawing, I wrote numbers across the top on the first drawing. Then I wrote letters down the side. So I ended up with squares that were numbered A1, A2, A3, and so forth. Then when you go down to the second line it would’ve been B1, B2, B3 and so forth.
  • Take a moment to look at what is in the A1 block of your original grid.
    Draw everything that you see in the first block (A1 square) of the original drawing into the first block (or A1 square) of the second drawing.
    When I’m content with that, I will move on to drawing what's in the next square and copying it into the second grid.
    When you move onto the next square in the drawing, you will have drawing in connecting boxes to use as a help to start and stop your lines in the new box.
    Copy what's in block A2 to A2 then wash and repeat
    I do find it works best to do the boxes in order. A1 and then A2 and then A3 and so on, not jumping all around the picture. But even if you jump around between squares the drawing will still work. As long as you copy every square and don’t miss any!

Video

Notes

If the lines on the grids don’t look parallel, go back and check your measurements.
Erase and redraw to make sure the grid lines are straight and parallel. If they aren't accurate the picture will be distorted when transferred.
It’s important that you draw the grid lines lightly. Then you can erase them from the new drawing surface after you are done drawing. You don’t want all of those lines to show through on a watercolor painting for example. So make the marks light so they’re easily erased.