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Description
A "before and after" comparison of the pencils and inks from my recent Wonder Woman: "Wonder Camp" illustration. I pencilled and inked this illustration using traditional drawing methods. I first pencilled this lightly onto Strathmore 500 series bristol board using a wooden HB pencil, and then, I inked the drawing using Speedball Super Black India Ink and a 8404 Raphael Kolinsky Red Sable brush, size #3. Inking isn't just about following pencil lines. Sometimes, you have to make some executive decisions, and alter things to make them work better in the inks. Example: My pencils indicated a black-on-black situation where Wonder Woman's hair was concerned. The night sky was also meant to be black (with stars), so I had to make a choice as to what needed to be done. A super gutsy move might have been to just leave it black against black. Rather than succumbing to adding a white halo around WW's head, I chose to use a little rim lighting instead for a much more natural effect. I added a little extra to the shadow on the netting on the door of the tent, and onto the tree to the left. In a couple places, I omitted some shadows too. An illustration like this one is very complicated because there are multiple elements to tackle. Half the fun of drawing and inking is thinking your way through it. It always pays to have a plan of action going in. I did, and I'm very happy that my plan was successful. I'm happy to say that my client was very happy with the results, and I'm proud of how this turned out. I hope you enjoy seeing these images together.

Description
A "before and after" comparison of the pencils and inks from my recent Wonder Woman: "Wonder Camp" illustration. I pencilled and inked this illustration using traditional drawing methods. I first pencilled this lightly onto Strathmore 500 series bristol board using a wooden HB pencil, and then, I inked the drawing using Speedball Super Black India Ink and a 8404 Raphael Kolinsky Red Sable brush, size #3. Inking isn't just about following pencil lines. Sometimes, you have to make some executive decisions, and alter things to make them work better in the inks. Example: My pencils indicated a black-on-black situation where Wonder Woman's hair was concerned. The night sky was also meant to be black (with stars), so I had to make a choice as to what needed to be done. A super gutsy move might have been to just leave it black against black. Rather than succumbing to adding a white halo around WW's head, I chose to use a little rim lighting instead for a much more natural effect. I added a little extra to the shadow on the netting on the door of the tent, and onto the tree to the left. In a couple places, I omitted some shadows too. An illustration like this one is very complicated because there are multiple elements to tackle. Half the fun of drawing and inking is thinking your way through it. It always pays to have a plan of action going in. I did, and I'm very happy that my plan was successful. I'm happy to say that my client was very happy with the results, and I'm proud of how this turned out. I hope you enjoy seeing these images together.