need some SERIOUS help inking...

[Moonlightace]

Hi all, Long time lurker...first time poster

I've had a web comic for a reasonable amount of time now, haven't bothered publicizing it yet but thats another story

Generally I do my strips by scanning in a sketch, and digitally inking them...unfortunately for me I somehow managed to break my graphics tablet...err...bugger

You only really realize how much you rely on something AFTER its gone...so I figured "hey!! till I un-break my graphics tablet I can manage by inking the old fashioned way!"

Thats when I realized I didn't have a clue HOW to ink the old fashioned way.

So how does one go about inking? Any help/links to tutorials/anything would be greatly appreciated!

thanks a ton

[That guy]

WELCOME TO CG!

I'm glad to see you've plucked up the gumption to speak on the forums, so I will only mention in passing that the thread at the very top of the T.T.&T forum when you posted this was titled "How the F*CK do you INK?" I suggest browsing that one for answers.

As you are starting at a slightly earlier point in the process, I'll begin with some basics:

Pencils: pencil lightly so you can erase afterwards or use blue pencils (You can buy these in art stores, they are designed to easily remove blue lines on a computer when you are done, leaving only the black ink)

Pens: You'll find a variety mentioned in the earlier thread. The main point is to find one that you like and can be comfortable working with. I suggest one with a variety of nib sizes and one which does not bleed. Beyond that, it's personal choice (I use Microns).

Scan: Don't take digital photos of the paper or anything silly like that. Scan it and scan it large. (You will scale it down later.)

Modify: A variety of programs are mentioned inthis thread. I'm guessing whichever you used with your wacom will be fine. Just remember to keep the image at least 2x as big as you want the final until you are done doing absolutely everything with it digitally. THEN shrink it down and it will look far more crisp.

Start there. Cruise the forums some more and I'm sure you'll find a number of threads which go over various aspects of the process in greater detail. There is also a SEARCH button at the top of your page right now. Enter a few keywords and you're off and running.

Happy inking!

[Moonlightace]

Alrighty!

I was browsing "How the F*CK do you ink?" but found myself tilting my head and staring blankly at the screen, and starting fresh WAS a good idea at the time... ehe

I'll go looking now. Thanks a bunch for the basics

Edit: Will fineliners work? Right now theyre my weapon of choice

[Largopredator]

When I ink 'analog'(so not on my tablet) I exclusively use fineliners, or at least what is considered fixed-width pens. I sketch up the page in all the detail, and just trace it with a pen. I had some great ones when I was young but they stopped making those, so I just try out various alternatives I pick up from an office supply store. Like that guy said, the biggest problem you should look out for is bleeding. If you put a pen down on the paper and the ink kind of starts flowing out around the tip, or pressing through the paper, you'll want to avoid it. The wider the tips get, the more prone they are to this kind of bleeding. There's usually a notepad hanging around where you can try them out on.

[NakedElf]

For the most part, practice. That's all there really is to it.

Different pens have different qualities to them. Which men you chose depends on what sort of job you want it to do. A sharpie is very different from a bic is different from a micron, but they can all serve a purpose.

I'd recommend just making a bunch of sketches you don't care about (not your precious comic drawings, which I assume you put actual time and effort into,) and just play around with different pens and ink away at them. (My first time trying to use a brush pen I completely destroyed the lineart for one of my strips and had to start over from scratch. Not fun. Practice on something less valuable until you have a little competency.)