inking like a pro

Many people break into the business by inking

other people's pencils, so it's important to at least acquaint yourself with the subject. But inking is an art in itself. Even the most dramatic comic book illustrations can achieve their full impact only when a talented inker adds his magic. The ink line has a crispness, boldness, and variety of thickness that a pencil line can't produce. As shown in the illustrations at right, there are three basic types of ink line. By varying its thickness, we get bolder or softer lines. Just using one thickness of line leaves a character looking lifeless.

The magician's adage "It's all in the wrist" also applies to inking. The more you bend your wrist, the less control you'll have. Of course, the line will remain straight up to a point. But when you bend your wrist too much, the line becomes wobbly. The solution is to keep your wrist locked, your hand loose, and move your whole arm instead. With a little practice, it'll become second nature to you.

A few more points: Hold the pen or brush straight up and down. Feel free to move the page around, so that your

arm is always at a comfortable angle.

HOLD THE PEN OR

BRUSH PERPENDICULAR

TO THE PAPER

THICK TO THIN

EVEN

THIN TO THICK

TRIANGLE

T-SQUARE

Doesn't a T-square look serious? But hey, if comic book artists use one, how complicated

can it be? It's a great tool. You'll actually like it when you use it. Scary thought. All horizontal lines are drawn with a T-square; all vertical lines are drawn against a triangle. This eliminates the fuss of measuring.

Lucky you. Just when you were wondering when we were going to get back to this subject, here it is again: more gray tones! In black-and- white drawings, tones are created by adding shaded sheets that come in various percentages of gray. If you look closely at a newspaper image, you'll see that the shades are all made up of black dots called screens. The bigger and closer together the dots are, the darker the shade. After your drawing is finished, carefully cut a sheet of screen so that the piece fits precisely within the area to be shaded, then burnish it down.

COMIC BOOK

PAGE WITH

DRAWN PANELS

In addition to drawing your own patterns for shading, you can use screens.

Professional inkers also use pens, which are easier to use than brushes. Starting out you'll feel more confident using a flexible-point pen that has removable tips. There are many pen tips to

choose from. Try starting with Joseph Gillott Nos. 170, 290, and 404. If your local art supply store doesn't carry this brand, ask the manager to help you choose something comparable.

Use a technical pen with a nontoxic ink to give you an even-weight line. Its points are interchangeable and come in varying degrees of thickness. It has a rigid feel. You should also buy a few nontoxic fineline markers in different widths.

Use a nontoxic India ink for inking and Pro White for whiting out. If you use nonwaterproof ink, your drawing will smear if it gets wet after the ink has dried. Waterproof inks, on the other hand, are permanent.

French curves, available in many sizes and shapes, are used by pencilers and inkers for drawing smooth, curved lines.

Drawing circles and ellipses can take a long time if done freehand. So we cheat a little. We use circle and ellipse guides, which are plastic and translucent.

For inking straight lines, use a raised 6-inch plastic ruler. A T-square is too unwieldy to use for drawing short lines. Turn the ruler upside down and run your pen against the edge. If the pen weren't raised off the

paper surface, the ink would blot and you don't want that.

FRENCH CURVE

NIB HOLDERS

PEN NIBS

PEN NIB

FINE-LINE MARKER

CIRCLE GUIDE

ELLIPSE GUIDE

RAISED PLASTIC RULER