If you trace back the history of inking in comics, its sole purpose was to enhance the initial drawn lines by the penciller so they would reproduce properly when printed. Now, inking is an art form in itself – much more than simply tracing a penciller’s work. Inkers are required to take drawn panels and make them come to life with the use of dynamic lighting, depth with linework and shading, and add texture which may be lacking in the pencils. This important facet of comics is often overlooked and taken for granted.

The best inkers have the ability to determine how to make the important elements on the page ‘pop‘ and improve the linework. Inkers determine light sources, create convincing contrasts with shadow and light, and help separate visual planes to create a sense of depth. Without this step, comics may appear flat and lifeless – the right combination of ink can change the atmosphere of the story. Here are some examples of inked panels:

With the dark contrast areas in this Batman-Spiderman pinup, you can see the musculature and definition of both heroes, the folds and dynamic shape Batman’s cape takes on, and the rugged texture of the rooftops. The silhouettes of the city skyline also add to the dramatic nature of this panel. You wouldn’t achieve the same effect with pencils alone – therefore, inking serves as a key tool in developing scenes and defining shapes in your artwork. Even though they have been clearly laid out within the pencils, the ink gives the image a deeper, moodier appearance.

In order to be a successful inker, you must have a good working relationship with your penciller – as you are drawing overtop of their work and their vision. Make sure you’re on the same page (pardon the pun) when you’re working on a project together. There have been many documented occasions where a penciller will refuse to work with an inker over ruined work.

Secondly, make sure you know how to draw comics just as well as your penciller – if not, better. Understanding the physics and properties of light and shadow, anatomy and mastering the techniques of brush + ink, marker rendering, or pen work is abslutely vital in becoming a successful inker. You may also be called upon to fill in for a penciller who is behind on his work – where you are filling in details, adding texture and in some cases drawing complete panels from roughed in sketches. Trying to maintain a consistent style with your penciller is extremely important.

Here’s a few techniques to improve your inking when you’re learning how to draw comics:

1) Variable Line Width
This is the method of establishing form and creating some depth in your work.

Objects in the foreground should have thicker, darker outlines than ones in the distance. Your natural inclination is to look at the boldest, darkest item on the panel – so if your most important element is in the foreground, make sure it is outlined and detailed better than something behind it. A thicker line creates the perception of heavier weight and fuller form, whereas a thinner line recedes into the background.

2) Determine Light Source
Take a few seconds and create a point of reference for your light source.

It could be a simple symbol or a dot on your page (in the margin) to indicate where your light will be coming from. This will help you figure out which portions of your inked work will be cast in shadow. Remember to be consistent with your shadow placement in your panel, and from panel to panel as well.

3) Adding Washes and Hatching

A wash is a thin, diluted application of ink which creates a grey tone in the background. By building layers of wash, you can create different levels of contrasting greys, which do not detract from the solid black linework put into place.

Some artists use cross hatching as a method of creating shadows. A loose hatch appears more like a grey tone when viewed from afar, and also adds texture to your drawn elements. The downside of cross hatching is a rougher appearance – this may not be suitable for some artwork (superhero comics especially – which rely on clean, solid form). As you learn to draw comics, you’ll develop a signature style over time. Make sure your style works for your penciler.

4) Scratches, Dabs, and Erasing
To create some textural effects in your inked work, you can use an ex-acto knife or a dried out pen nib to scratch away and some of your solid pools of black to create some interesting scratchy textures, stone, masonry or woodgrains.

Using a molded putty style eraser creates soft, leathery textures by picking up dabs of ink and leaving behind some grey spatters. If you apply the eraser and different points by dabbing, you will create a blotchy, blobby texture that is an interesting effect for backgrounds or softer elements in your work. The dab technique also works with washes as well – use a brush with some watered down ink, and try blotting on the panel at different stages of wetness/dryness. You will create some cool looking patterns.

Once you’ve rendered your panels in pencil, try out some of these inking techniques (most of these can all be applied to digital work as well). Experiment and develop an inking style that suits your pencil work. Will it be slick and clean like the major houses (Marvel, DC, Image) or feature loose, scratchy effects with more grit, found in indie comics? If you’re working with a partner, make sure your styles complement one another, but don’t be afraid to offer your input – inking is not just tracing! For more tips, check out this previous post on simple digital inking techniques.

This concludes our latest installment on how to draw comics – stay tuned for more tips from idrawdigital.

A good comic book layout can capture a reader’s attention and keep them focused on your content. If your composition is poor and allows the viewer to exit your page, you haven’t mastered the art of leading people on through your layout. Here’s a few ways to improve your composition and page layout, and keep your readers interested by maintaining their eye on your work and dialogue.

The Grid

The earliest comics were always set up in a grid format, contained within white gutters (borders) and followed the logical Western method of reading – across from left to right + down to the next level & repeat. In this example from Jack Kirby, you see Captain America and Batroc the Leaper battling it out over a 9 square grid page layout, which reads very easily. The red arrows were added to illustrate the reader movement.

As comics grew in popularity and the talent level increased, artists injected their creative influences and began to produce layouts that did not necessarily conform to a grid format. While absolutely stunning to look at, these pages were a logical disaster if they weren’t planned properly. In order to keep the flow of the story intact, there are a number of grids that can be used throughout your comic to moderate pace, as well as allowing for eye-catching imagery.

The most common grids are the 9 and 6 panel grids. In a 20-24 page issue, the 9 panel grid is most useful when the story contains a lot of information that needs to be conveyed. Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons did this effectively in The Watchmen series. The sample below is another 9 panel layout that splits two scenes going on at the exact same time, and creates an interesting visual effect.

Here is a standard 6 panel grid from the old newsprint/pulp style comics of the 60s-70s. The grid offers enough room for dialogue, action and visuals. This is a traditional layout for comics, and the most commonly used – even to this day.

In sharp contrast to the traditional linear aligned storytelling method, here is a sample of a manga influenced comic book page layout. Note, the grid is skewed to create a feeling of motion and adds a sense of dynamic action – the reader’s eye is forced about from one end to the other at a high rate of speed.

Yet another grid format which is gaining popularity is the widescreen panel. This type of panel layout is used to create a cinematic feel. These longer panels also create the illusion of extended time.

Finally, a traditional ‘strip’ styled layout – 3 panels. This is most common for newspaper/online serials which use a wider format.

By establishing a grid for your page layouts, you can conform your artwork and continue to guide the reader along with the position/movement of your characters and backgrounds, as well as logical placement of speech bubbles.

Create a Point of Focus

Once you have established your grid, it is now time to determine where your main focal point for each panel will be. The standard in comics/webcomics is to place the focal point in certain areas to avoid visual confusion from one panel to the next. For example – a panel which is predominantly horizontal should have its focus in one of three locations – the center of the panel, left of center or right of center. For a vertical panel, the focal points should be center, slightly above center or slightly below center. The trickiest panel to set up a focal point is the square. You have the option of above, below, left and right of center, and the center itself. When placing a focal point in a square panel, plan accordingly – make sure it will lead your reader towards the next panel.

Here is an example (using Super Monkey no less!) of the placement of the focal point in each panel.

See how a silly and simple comic makes use of effective focal point location? This method draws the reader’s eye from left to right, and keeps the flow of the story going within the page layout.

Avoid at all costs: Do not have competing focal points in adjacent panels (creating a converging effect when viewed – drawn to the center of the page). Another pitfall in focal points – do not lead your reader’s focus out of the page bounds, or into a panel that does not follow the logical sequence of the story. Always have your artwork force the viewer towards the next panel (either subconsciously or blatantly) – do not rely on the reader to make a logical conclusion to go from one frame to the next. A poorly led panel causes bigger problems than you may think.

Poor composition within panels often disrupt a person’s natural reading flow and cause confusion.  The minute you disrupt the reader’s concentration and focus, you lose the element of immersion in the story, no matter how good that story is. Poor planning and vision of your visuals will negate all the hard work that is put into a script and storyline. You don’t want your writer to strangle you, now do you?

Lines of Sight – Backgrounds and Characters

The final tip I will elaborate on in comic page layout and composition are lines of sight. This is another simple method of forcing your reader to follow a direction using a subtle, subconscious prod. Here is a sample – read this page:

Now follow along with these subtly implied lines, using the character’s lines of sight, the guidance of character’s positions and movements, as well as visual cues from the background and the placement of speech bubbles.

Your eye was moving all over the place, yet it was contained within the page. This widescreen grid automatically forced you to move along the horizontal axis from left to right, and all the additional drawn elements moved you around dynamically, never leading you out of the page until the final frame, when Batman glares menacingly over his shoulder – directly at you (or in this case, THROUGH you).

This was all achieved using lines of sight, background cues, grid layout, speech bubble placement and focal points. If you keep to this strict method of creating comic panel layouts, and ensure your compositions within each individual panel lead into the next, you will have no problem maintaining a reader’s active interest in your story. Just make sure that the story is well written! For some tips on that, read my blog post on writing.

Try these helpful hints on your next project, and you will be well on your way to becoming a master visual storyteller.

You’ve seen them a million times, and in many circumstances, they have helped create that perfect touch to the setting within the comics you’re reading. Backgrounds seldom receive much attention, but are vital part of adding depth and mood to your comics. Here’s a few pointers on how to develop the right backgrounds and make your comics more realistic.

Seek Out Reference Material

I can’t stress this enough when you’re trying to develop a scene, use as much reference pictures as you can. Build the scene in your head and in roughs before you commit to putting it on paper. Some of the best reference pictures come from stock photography sites – they’re free to browse, and you can often save low-resolution ‘comp’ photos for your photo library. Here are a number of stock photo resources I’ve used for building backgrounds.

Getty Images
Fotolia
istockphoto

You can also rummage through Google’s image search option as well. The results aren’t always the greatest – but sometimes you can come up with user-based pics that can fit the bill better than a stock resource. Remember, don’t try to take these photos and repost them as your own – that isn’t cool – nor is it legal!

Draw Rough Sketches and Establish Perspective

Is the frame a birds-eye view or a street-level view? Do you require one, two or 3 point perspective to get your idea across? Where are your characters standing? Is this an establishing shot? Do details matter? Is the focus on the foreground or the background?

These are all questions you should be asking yourself prior to working out your composition. Having these all answered will make background drawings very easy. Sometimes, all it takes is a mere blend of colour or simple linework to get your point across. Other times, you need to have immense detail in order to build the mood or add depth to the story.

Establish where your horizon line is, and your focal points. From there, build your images according to the focal points – remember that the horizontal lines lead towards the focal points, and create a sense of depth. Practice this with photographs – determine where the focal points are, where the horizon line is, and how the lines in structures and objects all lead to the focal points to create depth.

Kevin Hulsey has a great primer on perspective drawing here.

Simplified, or extremely detailed… the choice is yours – and its dependent on what mood you’re trying to evoke. The important part is to plan it out first.

It’s all in the details…

As mentioned before – perhaps your comic relies on a lot of details in the backgrounds to increase realism, or it is important to advancing your story – or maybe you don’t require as much emphasis on details, and simply use backgrounds to give the viewer a hint of the setting, and allow them the imagination to fill in the blanks on their own. Depending on your style or inclination, background detail is important.

Every leaf, every lily pad, and every blade of grass has its purpose. Its a visual stimulus and the way to establish an exact location and a moment in time.

Fantasy art often relies on intricate backgrounds in order to visually demonstrate the differences between the ‘fantasy land’ and the land we are accustomed to seeing. This detail is necessary to help immerse the viewer into the world that the artist has envisioned.

In these two frames from Kapow Express by Xia Taptara of idrawgirls fame, you can see the simplicity of the backgrounds. Its the interior of a noodle house – with some characters milling about in the background – but as you can see, its merely some blends of soft tones and some hazy silhouettes behind the main character. The emphasis is all up front, yet the feeling of being in a dark, seedy environment is achieved.

The Final Rendering After your Composition

With colour and inks, your background can take a new life of its own and set a dramatic stage for your story – in this pin-up of Captain America – the rooftops are clearly rendered and the details of the buildings are quite intricate – window panes with reflections, dilapidated planks on the wooden water towers, concrete bricks with mortar in the spaces – these elements all add to the overall piece and visually guide the viewer along. With colour and ink work, the background comes alive and enhances the mood – even though its a subtle, drab and dreary shade of grey/blue… We can sense that is probably dusk or close to a night-time hour. We know we’re in a big city (possibly New York) and there is a general feeling of foreboding and mystery. The viewer receives all this information from looking at ONE panel with no descriptive text. Just a super hero hopping across a series of rooftops.

The background is what completes the story here.

In stark comparison, here is Captain America again, running towards the viewer with a look of urgency on his face. If you look at the image overall, it is quite powerful – there is a feeling of strength and intensity. This is due to the emanating action lines and a red wash tone applied to the background. Simple, yet extremely effective at building a mood.

Now if you eliminated both of those backgrounds, all you would have is Captain America running towards you – but add in those backgrounds and their subtleties, and there are two totally different moods achieved. Backgrounds are absolutely essential in trying to build momentum in a story, or establish location, feeling and general ambiance.

Think carefully as you are plotting your comic – make sure you pay attention to the importance of a solid background image or color/linework. It can make or break your overall presentation.

I don’t usually use idrawdigital as a platform for self-reflection or life-based posts, seeing as this is a resource site. But I do want to share some background history on why I decided to follow the illustration career path. If I was ever asked the question: What made you decide on becoming an artist/illustrator/designer, I’d emphatically answer – Heavy Metal magazine made me do it.

When I was a a kid, I loved comics. I’m sure there are a number of readers out there who felt the same way – I would grab all of my favorites and trace the panels over and over again until I was able to mimic the artwork by myself without tracing. I used to have stacks of 8.5 x 11 ruled paper in binders with comics that I replicated on my own. Honestly, I think this is how I ‘trained’ myself how to draw. The problem was, the subject matter was always the same – costumed superheroes duking it out, or Star Wars characters or GI Joe, He-Man or whatever the popular toys for boys were at the time.

I grew up and gave up the toys, but I still doodled and drew – eventually making skateboard graphics (DOG TOWN!) and developing detailed backgrounds and buildings. My cousin was studying to be an architect, so I would pore over all of his books and university work to get ideas on improving my own renderings. One day, while looking over his work, I noticed a magazine on the coffee table in his apartment. It belonged to his roommate, and I found myself drawn by the cover illustration of a scantily clad amazonian (I was 13… its natural.) Curiously, I picked it up and thumbed through it, half-expecting it to be some kind of smutty rag – but I was pleasantly surprised to find out that it was indeed a magazine with mature comic stories in it.

I was hooked – I recall reading a story called Attila by Antonio Segura and Jose Ortiz, a Spanish artist/writer duo who had created this post-apocalyptic world. The story itself was a bit thin, and pretty sexist and had everything that appealed to a teenage boy – the art style was different, the story was darker, and the idea that there was so much out there in the world of comics that stretched beyond the small circle of mainstream comics I was accustomed to. I was led to believe comics were what you found in the Sunday paper and on the news stand beside the Archie comics and the Disney crap for kids. If you wanted something more powerful, you made the huge stride to super hero comics.

Picking up Heavy Metal magazine and reading the stories was as powerful as waking up from a coma – or even being born. I realized that I wanted to step up my game and tell better stories. Ones that were darker, ones that were more cinematic and mature than the corner store pulp I was used to seeing. Yes, Heavy Metal changed my perception of how I wanted to draw and how I wanted to tell the stories bouncing around in my head.

I quickly found myself trying to get my hands on more of these magazines. Since they were classified as ‘mature’ due to their content, I had to basically beg, borrow or steal them in order to stay up to date. Eventually, I was able to bravely and boldly walk into a comic store, grab the latest issue off the shelf and purchase it. I think the conversation went something like this:

Clerk: Aha! Heavy Metal, eh? You like the adult comics, huh?

Me: Ermm…. uhmmm…. nooo. I… uhh… I like the stories…..

Clerk: I’ll bet. The ones that have the big boobs in ‘em, eh?

Me: Uhmmm… no…. seriously… I like the stories…..

Clerk: Sure, you do. They say the same thing about guys who buy Playboy magazines.

Me (mortified): ….

Clerk: It’s ok kid. I won’t tell your mom. The next issue won’t be out for three months. I’ll remind you when its around – and I’m just joking with you.

Me: O-ok.

Here’s the issue from that conversation:

I don’t think I bought another copy from the comics store again. The next time would be at a corner store, and when I was questioned by the old lady behind the counter who thought it was a nudie mag due to the racy cover, I quickly opened it up and showed her it was a comic book. She then thought it was like Conan or something. Yeah… or something! Funny thing is, when I’d see her while I was out side doing what kids did at thirteen, she would always call me over and give me an ‘advance’ copy before she put it on the shelf the next day. Good times.

I did that until I moved out of the neighbourhood. I remember starting high school in the fall, and I used to bike across 3-4 neighbourhoods to get there, and every season (the magazine came out seasonally) I would leave immediately after class and visit the old lady at the store. I’d buy the Heavy Metal, chat for a few minutes, then bike home. I think it took me less time to bike home uphill on those days than it did to bike to school downhill all the way.

I decided I was going to become an artist. I wanted to draw comics, and draw powerful illustrations and tell fantastic stories. So I wrote scripts and drew characters and made comics with the dream of getting my story printed and published in Heavy Metal magazine. I eventually grew older and the dream faded a bit, I decided that I needed to have a career that paid well and allowed me to live comfortably. I put the skills I had to good use and became a graphic designer and now I’m a creative director.

But I still love comics, and whenever I see a Heavy Metal magazine lying around, I ALWAYS pick it up and I remember that feeling I got at thirteen – and NO it wasn’t the ‘funny feeling’ you get in your pants. It was a feeling of enlightenment – like a door had been opened which would lead me down a path to fulfillment. So why am I telling you this? Well, I’ve been at a crossroads with my artistic career for a little while now. I like my day job, I really like blogging, but its difficult to have your voice heard amongst the screaming throngs of Twitter-ers, Bloggers and Net-o-philes, so I end up sabotaging my own projects for fears that I’ll never have any success. Its pretty strange, since I’m extremely confident with my design and direction while I’m at work, but I’m pretty introverted and lack self-esteem with my comics.

I was cleaning out some old books and came across an old Heavy Metal magazine. I sat down on the couch, opened it up and started reading, and a flood of memories and daydreams filled my head. Before you know it, an hour or two had passed – and I felt this sense of purpose again. Now I’ve gone full boar into producing comics again, and once again, I have Heavy Metal magazine to thank for opening my eyes.

If you want to learn more about the publication, check out the Wikipedia entry or the official site. Kevin Eastman (of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles fame) is currently the editor and has managed to keep this independent magazine alive and kicking with its blend of sci-fi, fantasy and dark graphic storytelling for the past two decades. A lot of the featured content comes from European artists who have established themselves as bonafide talent, but there are a number of North American entries, and a wide variety of short stories ranging from extremely humorous to downright horrific to completely strange and abstract.

If you’ve never read through any of these issues, check them out. You may recognize work from some of the greatest non-mainstream talents out there. I will warn you – some of the material is a bit on the racy side, so you may want to exercise some caution – its not a comic for kids, that’s for sure. The stories are campy and cater more to a male audience, but pause for a moment and just look at the craft of the artists (and in some cases) the skill of the writers. I highly recommend it.

If you’ve been abreast of things in the comic book-turned movie world, you’ve already come across a number of Frank Miller’s works in recent years. He is best known for his dark, film noir-style graphic novels such as 300, Sin City, Ronin and more familiar names with Daredevil: Born Again (during his run at Marvel) and Batman : The Dark Knight Returns (with DC).

His gritty, loose style gives his characters more of a darker, mysterious edge. Miller is well known for his use of contrast and deep shadows to create some dramatic looking imagery:

Miller refined his style with the issues he developed for Daredevil in the 80s during his time at Marvel, and collaborated with Chris Claremont on a Wolverine miniseries. Miller was able to expand Wolverine’s character through the new storyline, and introduced more of an Eastern flair with his artwork featuring some manga-like undertones.

From there, he moved on to produce his own ‘creator-owned’ title for DC – ‘Ronin.’ The story is about a reincarnated Ronin samurai who ends up in an alternate version of a future New York.

In the mid 80s, Frank Miller produced one of his greatest pieces of work, which still remains as one of DC’s best selling series of all time: Batman: The Dark Knight Returns. Set in the future after Batman retires from crimefighting following the death of the 2nd Robin, the story develops with Batman returning to action as a meaner, grumpier version of the vigilante in future Gotham which is overrun by punks. The political and moral aspects of the stories bring Batman to face one of DC’s greatest champions in a duel to death for the fate of society.

After a contract dispute with DC over ratings and censorship, Miller produced the first of a series of stories for independent publisher Dark Horse. This series, entitled Sin City proved to be the pinnacle of Miller’s work and his calling card for future work to come. Set in seedy Basin City, the stories revolve around a number of darker anti-heroes forced into noble roles in order to complete their tasks. All of the stories intertwine in some manner, creating a rich, yet pulpy film-noir world of booze, broads, and bullets.

Some of the books were transformed into live-action sequences for the Sin City movie. With Miller on the production team, the director, Robert Rodriguez was able to follow the pacing and use the books as the official shot storyboard. It was one of the few graphic novels that stayed true to the story and appearance, and followed the books frame by frame. Here are some examples:

Miller went on to write for a series of different stories – Hard Boiled with Geof Darrow, a new Daredevil series with John Romita, the scripts for RoboCop 2 and 3, and numerous others. In 1998, he hammered out his version of the ill-fated battle of Thermopylae, simply entitled 300. Using his trademark shadowy style, Miller illustrates the battle between the vast Persian army and their defeat at the hands of 300 Spartans told from the perspective of King Leonidas of Sparta.

300 was also brought to life on the big screen and followed many of the same techniques used in Sin City, under the direction of Zack Snyder. Here are some of the stills from the movie, and you can see how they mimic the style of the graphic novel:

Setting aside his differences with DC, Miller returned to produce a sequel to The Dark Knight Returns entitled the Dark Knight strikes again. The story continues on where DK left off, but this time the story revolves around the criminal activity of Lex Luthor and a band of superheroes forced to work for him.

Miller also produced a pet project of his own, another silver screen adaptation of one of his favorite comic book icons, penned by the immortal Will Eisner – The Spirit. Panned by critics and fans for its lack of substance, you can still feel the noir edginess Eisner developed in his books from the 40s-50s. Miller extended that edgy, pulpy feel to the movie – unfortunately, the dialogue was out of date and out of context for today’s viewers, and it remains only as a piece for die-hard fans and eye-candy for the rest of us.

Will Eisner's 'Spirit'

Miller's homage to Eisner's Spirit

Currently, Frank Miller has been busy working on the sequel to the Sin City movie, and rumors were reported to have him create a series of new stories for the film which would also be available in print. Miller has also completed work on the first draft of a followup graphic novel for 300 which has yet to be titled. His work has influenced many, and he has been awarded for his revolutionary edginess in writing for classic comic book characters as well as for his artistic works done on his own terms. Frank Miller is an icon and a pioneer in the comics world, due to his unwavering attitude towards the display of the darker, violent side of reality.

You know him from the fantastic illustrations he’s done for Rockstar Games for games like Grand Theft Auto, The Warriors and Bully. His name is Stephen Bliss, and his signature style is like a gritty, urban still life that captures the mood of the darker side of the city and its people.

If you’re not familiar with his work, here’s a few samples to refresh your memory.

Look familiar? A lot of his work has been plastered all over New York City buildings, as full page spreads in magazines, and as stills in TV commercials. His style is distinct, edgy and top quality.

Before Stephen began his sweet gig with Rockstar Games in New York, he was an in-house designer and artist for Hysteric Glamour in Tokyo during the mid-80s. In 1989, he returned to London to work as a freelance illustrator. His work has been featured in such high-profile publications as GQ, Time, Arena, and Vogue. As the years passed, his client list expanded to include Burton Snowboards, BMG Music, The Cartoon Network, Sony, Nintendo, MTV, Pepsi and trip-hop mainstays Massive Attack.

In 1998 with the help of his brother, he formed Steroid – a T-Shirt company which sold merchandise throughout the UK and Japan. In 2001, he landed in North America and became Rockstar Games senior artist, and has been cranking out work for their game titles. His moody, urban illustrations helped define and brand each game in the Grand Theft Auto series, but had enough distinctive changes in the artwork to make each individual game unique.

Stephen Bliss’ art has been a great influence on my own style of work, and each time a new Rockstar product is released with his artistic vision, I am amazed and inspired at the skill and quality he puts into each piece. Sometimes its merely the use of colour, or definition in a silhouette – either way, he puts interesting spins on his subject matter, yet still manages to retain a signature style that is distinct and instantly recognizeable.

You can check out his site and portfolio online – www.stephenbliss.com