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Description
asked me for some pointers in inking and I quickly knocked this together from one of his pieces. Keep in mind I am not a professional and these are steps and tools that work for me. Original pencils are here: [link]

Before I get into any details the first two things I will say in regards to becoming a better inker is this:

1)Practice, practice and even more practice

2) Buy this book by Gary Martin [link] It will change the way you look at inking.

One of the most important choices an inker can make is what type of inking utensil he or she is going to use. Try everything! Only then will you find what works the best for you. The most common inking tools are:

1) pens (Micron Pigma, Staedtler pigment, etc)
2) Quills (Hunt, Crow, etc)
3) Brushs (Windsor Newton, Style Stones, Sables)

I use Yasutomo Black Sumi Ink for its richness. Alot of other india inks are far too watery for my tastes but again try many kinds.

On this image I put the light source in the top left corner with the shaded areas coming from the bottom right corner. I indicated this with smileys and frownies on her form where I used light and heavy lines. Determining the light source is one of the most important things to do as it affects how you ink the image or panel.

I inked this piece in more of an anime style with little actual detail than I would normally give. Keep in mind the style of the art you're inking. Like a doctor we inkers are to 'do no harm' to the pencils but rather take the pencils to the next level of detail and completeness. That doesn't mean you can't change things if they are obviously incorrect (an eye or nose that's horribly out of proportion for example) but think of the pencils are the foundation and walls. Change them too much and you risk collapse.

I added on the bottom of the page the difference between a brush and a pen. I prefer the brush but from time to time I use a pen for some details. You can see how a brush can be more fluid with line weights and curving. I used a french curve on the pen side to do the hair example where I didn't use anything on the brush side.

I'm sorry that this can't be more thourough. Sometimes inking is a seat of the pants, I'm doing it out of instinct kind of thing. But trust me that once you get the hang of it your art and others you ink will only be that much better and you that much more satisfied.

Here are some pages with much more details:

[link]

This is a great video to watch: [link]

Edit: I forgot to put up links to the utensils I mentioned. D'OH!

Windsor Newton Brushes: [link]

Micron Pigma Art Pens: [link]

Yasutomo Sumi Ink: [link]

Description
asked me for some pointers in inking and I quickly knocked this together from one of his pieces. Keep in mind I am not a professional and these are steps and tools that work for me. Original pencils are here: [link]

Before I get into any details the first two things I will say in regards to becoming a better inker is this:

1)Practice, practice and even more practice

2) Buy this book by Gary Martin [link] It will change the way you look at inking.

One of the most important choices an inker can make is what type of inking utensil he or she is going to use. Try everything! Only then will you find what works the best for you. The most common inking tools are:

1) pens (Micron Pigma, Staedtler pigment, etc)
2) Quills (Hunt, Crow, etc)
3) Brushs (Windsor Newton, Style Stones, Sables)

I use Yasutomo Black Sumi Ink for its richness. Alot of other india inks are far too watery for my tastes but again try many kinds.

On this image I put the light source in the top left corner with the shaded areas coming from the bottom right corner. I indicated this with smileys and frownies on her form where I used light and heavy lines. Determining the light source is one of the most important things to do as it affects how you ink the image or panel.

I inked this piece in more of an anime style with little actual detail than I would normally give. Keep in mind the style of the art you're inking. Like a doctor we inkers are to 'do no harm' to the pencils but rather take the pencils to the next level of detail and completeness. That doesn't mean you can't change things if they are obviously incorrect (an eye or nose that's horribly out of proportion for example) but think of the pencils are the foundation and walls. Change them too much and you risk collapse.

I added on the bottom of the page the difference between a brush and a pen. I prefer the brush but from time to time I use a pen for some details. You can see how a brush can be more fluid with line weights and curving. I used a french curve on the pen side to do the hair example where I didn't use anything on the brush side.

I'm sorry that this can't be more thourough. Sometimes inking is a seat of the pants, I'm doing it out of instinct kind of thing. But trust me that once you get the hang of it your art and others you ink will only be that much better and you that much more satisfied.

Here are some pages with much more details:

[link]

This is a great video to watch: [link]

Edit: I forgot to put up links to the utensils I mentioned. D'OH!

Windsor Newton Brushes: [link]

Micron Pigma Art Pens: [link]

Yasutomo Sumi Ink: [link]