Inking

So, last time we talked about penciling and what you may expect when you get a page from a penciller.  Now onto the fun part, the inking.  When you begin to ink the first thing you should do is prep your inking supplies.  I like to use a #2 sable brush, Sumi ink, non-reproductive white or white gauche for corrections, a micron tech pen, a ruler, and a cup of water to clean my brushes with.  Tools vary from person to person.  Some people prefer crow-quill pens to brushes, while others ink with rapidiograph tech pens.  the choice of tools as always is up to the individual.

Next get your brush wet and start inking.  I tend to start anywhere I feel comfortable on the image.  For the Thor piece I began on the leg. by holding the brush at about a 45 degree angle I can vary the thickness of the line that I am putting down.  This is called line weight and can ad a lot of depth to the image that the pencils may not have had.  Line weight works to pop certain elements off the image.  As I am inking I am constantly turning my drawing.  This is to provide ease of working and maintain a sense of flow throughout the image.

                                                         Next I began to work on the face.

And that is it for now.  Next time more on inking and What happens when mistakes are made.