Inking Your Drawing

When I color something in Photoshop, most of the time I ink it on paper first. Inking not only gives you a crisp line, but it can also give you a more dynamic piece of line value is used to give your drawing weight.

Any good inking starts with an equally good drawing. Sketch out your composition and put in as much detail as possible beforehand. When you drawing looks "finished" it is time to begin the inking process.

Please note that drawings can be colored in just about any medium without inking them. Inking will give it a cleaner look, while pencil will tend toward a sketchy, soft look.

Get a thin liquid pen. (gel, pilot, whatever is cheap and floats your boat) Slowly, slowly start inking your drawing by tracing over your lines. Make smooth strokes and continue them till the end of the line. This will help you avoid jagged art.

Microns and rapidographs make excellent inking pens and will tend to bleed less then brands like sharpie.

Continue inking until your whole piece has been traced over in one even line quality.

Get an eraser that will not leave residue behind. White soft rubber erasers tend to work best. Being careful not to wrinkle or tear your drawing, erase all of the pencil lines. This will make your inking look a bit empty, but fear not, there is still work to be done!

(yeah, I can tell you're soooooooooooooo excited that you get to spend more time on this)

Line value is the key to a good inking. Thicker lines can be used to show an area in shadow, or an area in the foreground. Notice how the strands of hair in the front have more value. This is because detail diminishes with distance. Things in the foreground need to stand out! Once you finish adding thickness to key lines you are all ready to color your image however your heart desires.