Hey,
I have my comic strip all penciled out and scanned in. My next step is inking. I'm using Photoshop, and I can't find a good way to ink. I don't have a tablet, and the pen tool is way to complicated for me to figure out. Can someone help me out here?
Thanks,
Connor

You need to ink by hand, re-scan, and tidt up in Photoshop.

Either that or max out your image correction and do lots of erasing with the mouse.
(Image/Adjustments/levels...)

It's also possible to create a new layer, and then simply go over your lines with the brush tool, using pure black. It's what I do, in Painter - it's time-consuming, and you're probably better off using cartoonprofessor's methods, but it works for me.

Traditional inking is a better choice if you don't have a tablet. Inking with a mouse takes ages.

Hey guys,
Thanks for all the help. I'm going to try CartoonProfessers method first, then if that doesnt work, ink by hand.

My comic is penciled and inked digitally. There is a "proper" way to ink digitally using the pen tool and curves but I'm too dumb to make it work. So, like any good illustrator, I cheat.

This image was penciled digitally:



This is the same image inked and colored:



Here is how:

Either draw or scan your image into the computer. Open the image in Photoshop.

Take your pencil image layer and duplicate it. You now have layer 1 (pencils) and Background layer (also pencils for now)

Clear the background layer so it's just white.

Set the opacity on your duplicate layer (pencils) to 50% (or whatever, as long as it's lighter than normal. find what suits you best)

Create a new layer above it and call that INKS

You should still be able to see the pencil layer at this point.

Now, staying on the INKS layer, zoom in on a section of the art you want to ink. Close enough to see what you're doing but not so close that it looks like random lines and pixels all over the place. If you're seeing pixels you're WAY too close.

Select the lasso tool. Create a lasso around the edges of whatever pencil lines you like. If your pencils are "tight" this will be easy. If they are "loose" you'll have to make judgment calls. In any case you want to be as precise as possible with the lassoing.

Once you've made your selections with the lasso, find the "FILL" command and execute. Fill with 100% black.

Repeat this process until the page is done.

Then dump your pencil layer. You have just created a digital "INK" layer.

This is easier with a tablet and stylus, obviously, but I've done it with a mouse and with a trackball.

Hope this helps.

Wow, Winterman... that must take you ages.

Personally, I find it extremely hard to draw with a mouse, or even a tablet (which is why I bit the bullet and invested in a Cintiq).

Using the pen tool and curves produces exceptionally neat lines but doesn't have any variation in line thickness.

To do a full page from pencils to inks takes me about three hours using this method with the stylus. Maybe five or six with a mouse. I play a lot of PC games so maybe that helps with the trackball and mouse.

The point is it's an alternative to the "proper" way that works. Not for everybody but, for those it can help, I hope it does. It certainly came like an epiphany for me.