Old School Technology
Camera Lucida

In my History of Photography class, we learned about the Camera Lucida (invented in 1807). I decided to purchase the modern version, a NeoLucida, and try it out.  This device uses a mirror to project an image from an original source onto the canvas or paper you are working on.  For example, I used a photograph of a blue morpho buttery and looked through the eye piece of the NeoLucida to see my source image superimposed onto my alcohol ink paper.  This way, I could use the holographic-like projection as a guide for proportion and color as I applied ink in targeted areas. This technique was highly successful since alcohol ink paper does not lend itself to traditional sketching.