Keeping in mind that the OP does not want to tear off paper....
I sew through paper a lot, more for quilting designs than for piecing. I can buy a pantograph roll for the pattern and then copy it on to parchment paper -- I buy from the dollar store, comes in a 25 by 1 foot rool. With my vision issues although it takes more time to both copy the pattern and then tear off the paper, I get much better results than trying to mark my scrappy tops with lots of color alternation. For one reason no one can tell if you bobbled off the design line a bit! I will say to be aware that some graphite from pencil can end up on white fabric and can be hard to get out.
Another warning -- you've got to watch tissue paper for quilting base, some of it has a light glazing of some sort of poly base and doesn't tear as well as you would hope. I find in general that the tissue paper also does not hold up well to the stitching part.
Again, I'll have to tear it off at the end but in my current Christmas themed string project I am using blank/fresh newsprint (not generally carried at office supply stores I've tried but I ordered from Amazon). It is much cheaper to buy as an art supply than the sheets from quilter-specific brands.
I do really like the suggestion of paper patterns from the thrift stores!!