Inking 101

So you want to be an inker. The first thing like everything. Practice Practice Practice! Every inker has their different tools. Pen, brush, technical pens, wacom tablet. I would classify that there are two types of pencilers in today's comics. The first is the penciler that draws fairly loosely or tight, but expects the inker to embellish. The second is the penciler that draws super tight and expects the inker to follow close to the lines, a method which master inker Joe Rubenstien terms as lamenating. Sometimes a penciler inker relationship can start with the lamenating process, but as a penciler becomes more comfortable with the inker, then they allow the inker to express more freedom and embellishment. This comes down to communication.

I will not discuss the techniques in this post. There are better resources that can explain it better than my blogging at this time. Instead I offer some resources on the web...

http://www.inkwellawards.com/
http://comicbooks.about.com/od/inkers/tp/Inker-s-Comic-Resources.htm

Ok first thing. Practice!

There are several ways to practice.

• Inking on the actual artwork
• Inking over vellum
  
• Inking on blueline
• digital inking

Here are some pros and cons:

Inking on the actual work: This is usually the best case scenerio, but starting out, these can be hard to obtain. Who will trust you to ink on the actual pages? This is the tried and true way of inking. As well, it adds collectibility value to the finished pages. The cons are that sometimes the penciler may have a heavy hand and dig into the page. When this happens, the paper is brittle and ink will bleed on it. A downside on the production side is that it takes time for transit between penciler and inker. This can also become costly for the independent creator if fedex is required.

Inking on blue line: This is a more preferable method of inking these days with the advance of technology. It is easy to get high res images, especially if you ask nicely! In this case, it is best to invest in a oversized printer that can print on 11x17 boards. This will save you time and money in the long run. No more late nite runs to kinkos! This method also reduces cost and time because you don't need to rely on fedex either. The downside is that the collectibility of the pages are not as desired by fans as much.

Inking on Vellum: This is probably the best way when starting out. It is cheap and cost effective, especially if you cannot afford the more expensive printer, comic boards, or even the runs to kinkos. You can get individual sheets of vellum for like 50 cents. It is not necessary, but you may need to invest in some type of lightbox as vellum is opaque and can be hard to see through sometimes. Downsides to vellum is that they are usually thin and buckle. The ink also does not get absorbed as well as paper does, leading to a lot of pooling

Digital Inking: all the benefits of higher turnaround time, probably even faster than blueline printout because you skip the printout and scanning. There are different types here, but I am talking about the type of digital inking that involves actually inking with a wacom tablet or similar form. I have not had much experience in this so some professional digital inkers can give better advice on technique. For me, the only real con is that there is no physical product at the end.

I'll end the post here to let things digest.

For some more practical advice, here is a link to a previous post Inking tips

Inking Tips

Here are some small inking tips for aspiring inkers:

Ink over professional work! Two obvious reasons for this is you can learn from the artists, and you can practice your techniques on professional grade material. Many artists have no problems sending high res digital files for you to practice on. Just ask nicely!

When possible, always communicate with the penciler. A good dialogue can sometimes turn into a working relationship! If the penciler likes what you do, he is more likely to request you for other jobs!

Always treat each new gig as a test!Don't be afraid to change things up, especially if it's a new penciler you are working with. If it's a rush job they want you to do, it's more than likely it's also a test to see if you are a good fit with the artist. Try to do your best job on it!

Hehe, notice all these are common sense tips! It has nothing to do with technique or whatnot. Like anything, the technique of inking comes with confidence and practice!

Now, go at it!