Grid Method
noun · / ɡrɪd ˈmɛθ.əd / · drawing technique · also: cell-transfer method, squaring up
A reference-transfer technique where the artist draws an equal-cell grid over a reference image and a corresponding grid on the drawing surface, then copies the image one cell at a time. Used by artists since the Renaissance to ensure accurate proportions when copying or scaling a reference, and still core curriculum at contemporary atelier-style art schools.
By Sarah Chen · Last updated 15 May 2026Mechanics
The grid method has a simple workflow:
- Draw an equal-cell grid (e.g. 6×6, 10×10, 20×20) over a reference image.
- Draw the same grid at the desired final scale on the drawing surface.
- Copy the contents of each cell from the reference to the surface, treating each cell as a small independent drawing.
- Erase the grid lines once the transfer is complete.
The cell-by-cell decomposition trains the artist to draw what they observe rather than what they expect. A drawing of an eye is hard because the brain knows what an eye should look like; a drawing of the abstract shapes inside cell C2 is easy because the brain has no expectations of what cell C2 should contain.
Origin
The grid method dates to the Renaissance. Albrecht Dürer's 1525 woodcut Draftsman Drawing a Recumbent Woman shows a German artist using a literal physical grid (a vertical wire grid between artist and subject) with the corresponding grid drawn on the paper. The technique was already in widespread workshop use by then; Dürer's contribution was the published illustration.
Charles Bargue's Cours de Dessin (1866–1871) codified grid-based proportional copying as a foundational atelier exercise. Bargue plates — lithographs of Greek statues and old-master drawings with subtle proportion guides — became standard issue at the École des Beaux-Arts and remain core reading at contemporary ateliers like the Florence Academy of Art and the Grand Central Atelier in New York.
In the 20th century, photorealist painters like Chuck Close formalised the grid method as a finished-painting technique, using extremely fine grids (sometimes 100×100 cells or finer) to construct large-scale portraits one micro-cell at a time.
Variants
Several variants of the grid method exist, each addressing a specific limitation of the basic technique:
- Proportional Transfer Grid — the standard labelled-cell version (A1, B1, C1…). Default choice for most artists.
- Diagonal Cell Grid — adds two diagonals through each cell, giving 9 reference points per cell instead of 4. Better for curve-heavy subjects.
- Mural Scaling Grid — same technique at large scale, used for transferring small sketches onto walls or large canvases at 1:10 to 1:100 ratios.
- Sight-size method — uses a 1:1 grid alongside a model so the drawing matches the model's actual visual size. Common in 19th-century atelier teaching.
Modern use
The grid method remains the most widely used reference-transfer technique in figurative art education. It is taught at the Watts Atelier, the Florence Academy of Art, the Grand Central Atelier, and most online drawing courses (Proko, New Masters Academy, Schoolism). It is also used outside the academic tradition: muralists, sign painters, theatrical scene-painters, quilters, cross-stitchers, and tattoo artists all use grid-based transfer for scaling and copying. Compared to projector tracing and direct tracing, the grid method is the only technique that actively trains the artist's eye while transferring.
In Grid Maker Pro
The grid method is implemented as several overlays in the Artist Guides category — primarily the Proportional Transfer Grid and its Diagonal Cell variant. Grid Maker Pro itself takes its name from this technique.
Related terms
- Loomis Method — head-construction system, uses different geometric primitives but related transfer logic.
- Proportional transfer — the most common variant of the grid method.