THAT LAUGH! - transfering the painting

I took the final drawing, scanned it, enlarged it in a digital file and got it printed at the exact size of the surface I would be painting it on. 

Next, I added graphite to the back to transfer the image on the panel once I added the neutral base tone. I recommend buying a 4B or 6B graphite stick - if you use a pencil, it's going to take you forever. Also, be generous with coverage so you can see your lines easier.  (Which is the reason why I recommend darker lead.)

Doing it this way LITERATELY saves me hours of time by not having to calculate the drawing at a larger scale. AND - you can just retrace the drawing if the guidelines get lost while you're painting!