craftgrrl | Embroidery help please!

Hi there creative people! I really need yor help:)
I just started embroidery, the above was done by me, freehand with an air erasable pen.
I also have a tranfer pencil that I tried to tranfer a pattern from a book but the pencil left a barely there faint mark on the fabric, so faint that I couldn't follow it and it was on white linen so you would think it would show easily but it didn't and I followed all the instructions to a t!

I want to ask you, what's the best way you transfer your embroidery, patterns from books etc onto fabric? do you use carbon paper/pens/pencils?? Also what's the best way, if any to transfer patterns to felt?Thanks in advance!

I'd be so grateful of any help, thank you in advance!