Hi All:
My plan was to post my progress from my art project this week, and I was hoping to go to fedex office (formerly Kinkos) and use their large format scanner to scan in some previous stuff so I could touch up in photoshop and start posting online. Unfortunately the pencils were too faded and could not get a decent render. So the truth became inescapably obvious: I was going to have to start inking. Never really wanted to ink to be honest, just wanted to draw and contribute to the story. So I pulled out a 2 page spread I did as part of an art project last year and spent pretty much the rest of yesterday and this morning inking. More frustrating than I thought and I did learn something. Now I'm hoping I can adjust my routine at the drawing board to incorporate inking as the last step to save some time.
First two pictures are before and after, and the last is the touched up image in photo shop. Post one like and one dislike, but if you wanna dog the inks I wouldn't blame you, it's my first time.
have at you.
Comments
I use microns too. I used mostly 01 and 05 when I started years ago. Now I use 08 for almost everything, with 05, 03 and 01 for details and backgrounds and a big "graphic" 1 for borders.
A little tip for microns - the nibs can "pop" when you put pressure on them from the side. By pop I mean make a tiny pop noise and, more annoyingly, spit a little ink on the page. I think this is caused by the nib cracking. When I get a new pen, I roll the nib against some paper to break it in. I think that softens up the nib and reduces unexpected pops. But I bear down pretty hard when I ink, so it may not be necessary for everyone. Actually, I don't think I break in 01 pens, the thinner nib can split. (Which I used to do on purpose for line width variation.)
The reason I asked about coloring is because it looks inked for colors. (If you were going for B&W there would need to be more solid black areas to give contrast.)
@aaron:
yes, first time inking was intimidating, so I stick with size 1 and 2 points from the micron pens I have.
since then I've gotten more micron pens and 2 "lepen" of different sizes. They have softer tips which feels more like pencil drawing when I use them.
i would definitely want this to be colored, but I'm no colorist and if I need to become one that won't happen for a long time.
thanks for the comment, I do appreciate it.
You did a really good job on the vehicles. And the pages really convey a chaotic feel.
My dislike would be that the layout was hard to follow when I first saw it. My rule of thumb is that if the reader has to think about what panel (or speech bubble) comes next, it's a problem.
The inks are good, especially for your first time. You may want to vary the line width more though. Thicker lines on things closer to the "camera" will give the impression of depth and help objects to not blend in with the background. It can be unnerving to ink thick when you're starting out. I think it's because pencil lines are generally thinner, so it feels like you're losing detail. But you get used to it.
What did you ink with? Also, would this be a B&W or color comic?
I think it looks great! Good job, especially for a first time!