Sometimes you may want to refine your basic drawings by tracing them.
To make your own simple light box you will need the following:
1: an old open-topped heatproof box, I use an old wooden draw
2: a light fitting from an old lamp or a torch
3: a piece of Perspex or thick glass wider than the box
Make a hole in the side of the box to take the light fitting cable.
Place the Perspex over the top of the box, turn the lamp on and begin tracing.
The image above shows a side view.
Safety First:
If you are using glass, bind the edges with insulation tape.
Inside the box can get hot, so to help with this:
1. Use a low wattage bulb.
2. I taped the light fitting to a small cardboard box, which was then taped to the floor of the box. This was to help prevent accidents with the bulb breaking.
3. The cable hole lets heat escape
4. The Perspex or glass is wider than the box but does not cover it completely.
5. Turn off the light as soon as you are finished with your work.
Notes:
1. If you use a torch, you may want to make a cardboard stand to direct the light horizontally.
2. If the light is too distracting, tape a piece of lunch wrap over the top of the Perspex to diffuse it.
Alternatives:
1. Tape your drawing to a window.
2. Put a light source under a glass topped coffee table.
Your drawings will now be ready to scan to your computer.
If you use Photoshop you can further refine your drawings by deleting white space with a great piece of free software called 'Mac's Remove White'. You can download it from here.
Once unzipped, place the file into the plugins folder of your graphics program.
BONUS
The sun is my favourite source of light. It gives warmth and helps things grow. Here is a quote about the sun:
Three things cannot be long hidden: the sun, the moon, and the truth
Hindu Prince Gautama Siddharta
Here are some medallion suns to use in your projects. Click the image to download larger print quality images then right click and 'save image as'. For web images just right click the images on this page and 'save image as'.
Article and Images Copyright Mina Keenan
Personal Use only
Lightboxes from Amazon
