Tutorial: Transferring Complex designs onto fabric

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Originally published at Cosplex. Please leave any comments there.



This isn’t a very complicated or unusual technique, but since I was using it to transfer Kasumi’s very complicated designs on fabric, I decided to whip up a quick tutorial.

I first used this technique to transfer Diao chan’s designs from paper to fabric. For the top I managed to do this whilst the fabric was stretched over a mannequin, so it’s reasonably versatile. I’m not particularly skilled at painting freehand (I tend to get the proportions screwed up) so this was a real lifesaver.

For Kasumi, the designs were very complicated so I decided to sketch them out onto paper first, before transferring onto tissue. If your design is less complicated you could sketch straight onto tissue paper and save yourself a step.

Things you’ll need

1. Your design either on paper of tissue paper.
2. Strong tissue paper. I recommend the Burda dressmaking pattern paper.
3. Ballpoint/Biro Pens (more the one colour helps!)
4. Your Fabric
5. Masking tape
6. Hard floor/table that won’t get destroyed by masking tape
7. Coloured pencils & Sharpener

Method (Follow the lightbox pictures!)

1. Your design should be drawn out in black pen so that it can be easily seen though the tracing paper to sketch. Masking tape the design flat by each corner to your floor/table. Then masking tape tracing paper larger enough to cover the design over the top.
2. Trace the design out with a ball point pen.
3. Un tape and flip the tracing paper over. Using a coloured pencil, roughly scribble over the back of the tissue paper. You’re aiming to make sure all the areas of the design are covered.
4. Once the tracing paper is covered in coloured pencil it should look something like this.
5. Tape you fabric down to your floor/tape. Your fabric is going to be in this position as you paint it, so if your table/floor is delicate remember to cover it with a PVC table cloth that you don’t mind damaging (with acrylic paint it should wipe clean). Make sure the fabric is taught as this will prevent it from warping during the painting process. Align and tape the tracing paper on top, coloured pencil side down.
6. Re-trace the design with a ball point pen. It helps to use a different colour so that you can tell what you have missed. Apply moderate pressure but don’t break through the paper.
7. Remove the tracing paper and voila! Your design is ready to paint. Remember that the tracing isn’t indestructible so try not to walk/rub it off.