Topic: Inking
Email 6 (of 8)
How do you make the art pop? Inks!
Inking is one of the most exciting parts of the comic process. As Jean Giraud, aka Moebius, a french master comic book creator once said,
“Be careful about trying to obtain too much precision or obtaining too much speed as an artist.”
You don't want your lines to be so precise that your hand is moving slow and shaking as you're drawing. You also don't want to be going so fast that you're not precisely putting down the lines the way that they're supposed to be. Inking can be very challenging—even for the most experienced of artists. It takes time and concentration, so your mind has to be ready and still in order for your hand to be steady. Whether or not you struggle with it or are an inking master, the good news is you're almost done.
Eric Shanower returns for this email to give us his thoughts on inking comic books.
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Click this link to go directly to a transcription for this video
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Featured Materials
Below is a preview of some of the additional readings, videos, comics, and other resources to enhance your learning regarding this email’s topic. You can review these materials in full by going to the course landing page.
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Stephen Silver Inking Tutorial
Stephen Silver (Lead Character designer on Danny Phantom & Kim Possible) shows his inking techniques and how he achieves his signature look
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18 Tips to Aspiring Artists by Moebius
The French artist Moebius (concept art for films like Alien, Tron, and The Fifth Element) gives readers 18 motivating tips to inspire artists everywhere.
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Traditional Inking - Control
A video that originally appeared on Jonathan Glapion's Youtube page. It explains the importance of inking and how control over technique massively affects how the final inks loo
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Palle Schmidt Interview on Gutter Talk Podcast
A podcast interview with comic writer Palle Schmidt, creator of Comicsforbeginners.com, on the MakingComics.com Gutter Talk Podcast. In it he talks about his artistic process, comics in Denmark, and how frustration can be a tool.
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Activity: Inking Your Comic
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Instructions
You are going to ink your comic. A couple important notes on the comic page worksheet: The thing that is important with inking is to take your time. Practice your lines before committing them to paper. Also, there is no need to erase your pencils as you will be able to get rid of them in photoshop/GIMP later.
Follow these directions:
- Read this email’s tutorials (provided above)
- Fill out your worksheets by inking your art - that you have already penciled from the previous email - according to the directions in this email’s tutorial
- Turn them over for peer review to a friend, or assess them yourself
Feedback (Optional)
Concentrate feedback on what you or your peer like about the inks you drew. Notice the lines and thickness. Try and use the following sentence for feedback: "What I like about your inks is [insert what you like]"
Activity Models
Professional Inking Model
If you need inspiration look at the student models provided within the document above to see how others completed this assignment.
Student Activity Models
If you need inspiration look at the student models provided within the document above to see how others completed this assignment. |
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Activity Materials
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This tutorial will walk you through the process of completing the inks for your comic.
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A blank worksheet that serves as a template for you to use to create the illustrations, letters, and inks for your final comic.
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This rubric is a helpful guide for you to do the best inks you can during this activity. Use the rubric to have a peer assess your work, or complete it as a self-assessment.
When completed, tally up the amount of “Yes” answers (questions provided within the rubric) to see whether or not your work has room for improvement. Then, refine as needed.
0-1 = Poor
2-3 = Satisfactory
4 = Good
5 = Excellent
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Next Steps
You’re at the end of this section of the course! Check your inbox for the next email.
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TEACHER’S CORNER
Ink, Ink, Baby!
Inking can be such a fun and rewarding process, but the idea that lines being made are final can be very daunting to new artists. Issues of pacing and working too fast plague this step as on the surface the act of inking can seem like a simple tracing process (even though it definitely isn't).
Tips & tricks for troubleshooting common student issues during this section of the project are covered on the email 6 section of the “How To Make A Comic Book” Teacher’s Guide:
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