[Thomp]

if you think there carbon paper is high c check out one of their basswood 3x4x10" blocks $28.00

from henecal i get 5 bd ft for that... shipped

[Just Carving]

Well , since you have more time than money, trace off your original pattern onto tracing paper with a fine permanent marker or ball point pen. Flip the tracing paper over, take a soft lead pencil--anything softer than an HB--B, 2B, etc. and blacken in an 1/8" or so band over all of the linework traced. Now flip the pattern over, position it as desired on the piece of wood to be carved, and draw lines over the lines you traced with your pen. Use a different color hard point pen or pencil so you know that you've transferred all the lines to the wood. Remove the pattern and you should have a light image of you pattern on the wood. Take a pencil and darken any lines needed on the wood to carve. Save the pattern in a flat envelope or folder for next time. You can also trace off the outline of the pattern --go an 1/8" bigger for error in cutting--onto a piece of cardboard--which can be salvaged from old tissue boxes or cereal boxes. Cut the outline out, and now you have a template to trace your roughing/cutting lines onto the block of wood to be carved.

[Eddy Smiles]

Good suggestion! I've done just that when I haven't had a sheet of graphite paper. In fact, when I'm setting up a watercolor painting I often cheat on the layout by taking the picture of what ever I want to paint and running a copy of it. Then I take a French Gray watercolor pencil and rub it across the back of the copy. Then I lay it on top of my watercolor paper and trace that part of the image that I want to duplicate. As you said, when you lift the paper a light image is left on the medium and in the case of the watercolor pencil it disappears as soon as clear water or another color is applied. There's more than one way to skin a cat... (whoops that not politically correct anymore...someone is liable to call animal control on me!) Ha! Ha!

[Thomp]

if your really stuck, black crayon will do the sane if your just gonna carve it off anyways...