I started off inking digitaly with my comic, but after 8 pages I switched to doing it by hand. I enjoy using real paper more, but my lines don't look nearly as smooth as my older digital ones do.

should I switch back to digital or concentratee on practicing hand drawn stuff? Would anyone notice if I alturnated between the two on a regular basis? It's a conundrum.

lol!
Well if you're using a tablet then BOTH methods are digital AND "hand drawn". ;)
-anything "hand done" is "digital". Tablet stuff is all by "hand".

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If ink and paper is more comfortable and faster for you, use that

For me the work flow sucks if I use paper, storage and retrieval as well as protection form damage is also an issue. If it's on the comp directly the work flow isn't interrupted, interpreted and damaged at the scanning stage.

Though currently I'm doing my roughs in pencil again because that's more convenient while travelling to and from work. I had seriously considered using a tablet computer for that, but just opening a cheap sketchbook and starting to sketch is a much faster more convenient process that phucking around unpacking and starting up an easily damaged valuable bit of tech.

my friend's tablet just busted... so now she cant work on her comics..

My pc is sick... so now? I just use traditional nibs. At least I can update my comic with out tones untill my pc is back again. Same with color since I use markers/water colors.

I keep with traditional because later you can sell and my pc would break on me too often. Plus, I dont like to overly clean look of digital inks for my work. I need the natural textures unless i'm doing cell shading.

to get it done I do digital inked its faster when you are tired of working with your hand. 8D

Mine are all hand inked because I find it easier lol

Tanman2
to get it done I do digital inked its faster when you are tired of working with your hand. 8D

You work with your hand either way. This makes no sense at all. -_-
And you hand gets just as tired and painful no matter how you work.

ozoneocean
You work with your hand either way. This makes no sense at all. -_-
And you hand gets just as tired and painful no matter how you work.

I dunno about that. If you're doing it on paper, you're inking it at-size which may be a lot of fine hand movements and tighter control. If you're on a tablet then you can blow it up and use bigger strokes, and you may be able to have less control because you have an undo feature. You could also sit in a different way to make your arm more comfortable or something too, since you don't have to lean over your work when you're using a tablet.

skoolmunkee
You could also sit in a different way to make your arm more comfortable or something too, since you don't have to lean over your work when you're using a tablet.

With my Cintiq, the Intuous and the Graphire and my sketchbook it's all much of a muchness to me.

Except the Cintq screen is al scratchy now in some places so it's worse to draw on. -_-

This is an interesting question to me, because I myself always wonder why an artist either chooses to ink by hand or on the computer.

As for me, it depends on what I'm doing and how long I want to work on something XD. If I'm doing something that's just a picture, not a comic page, then I'm inclinded to do it completely on the computer. But that usually takes me awhile because I don't own a tablet, but I'm pretty apt at using a mouse to draw and color things. (all the digital work in my devart is done like that)

As for my comic, I ink it by hand, scan it, then use photoshop to add the greys (again, with a mouse). In terms of control, I think I could probably draw an entire page with a mouse and it would look just as good, but it would take me hours more to draw.

How 'bout I get a tablet? Nah, I thought about getting one, but I enjoy the bragging rights of using a mouse XD.

I am actually think more people should suffer with a mouse because when your tablet is busted, you can still work. I wonder, what makes a tablet an essential tool...? I've never used one, so I don't see how it's helpful.

Someone
I am actually think more people should suffer with a mouse because when your tablet is busted, you can still work. I wonder, what makes a tablet an essential tool...? I've never used one, so I don't see how it's helpful.

I've had my tablet for around 10 years, looks old , but still works fine. In the meantime I've lost count of the mice I've used.

I work all digital, though I must say that I hate inking either way. I even considered finding someone to do that for me. I ditched outlining in one shot paintings, but the panels' small details make this technique harder in comics. Guess I need more practice;)

Nicotine
I am actually think more people should suffer with a mouse because when your tablet is busted, you can still work. I wonder, what makes a tablet an essential tool...? I've never used one, so I don't see how it's helpful.

Bullshit. If you work on smooth-shaded digital art like I do, using a mouse is a waste of time and sanity. If my tablet breaks down, I will buy a new one. I'm not going to use mouse. In fact, I don't even own one.

Using a mouse?

Last time I drew something with a mouse it was hmm... 9 years ago? And I was basically doing shading pixel by pixel in extreme zoom + using various line/curve/shape drawing tools offered by Deluxe Paint V on my Amiga. It was a pain and I don't want to EVER have to work like that anymore, heh.

So yeah, inking with a mouse = crazy. I don't know, maybe if you have one of these super precise gamer ones (that allow you to snipe people in Unreal or whatever by precisely shooting them in the right eyesocket or ear or something)... but hell, those are so pricey, that I'd rather just buy a tablet anyway! Oh wait... I did that already :D

Anyway, at this point I'm all for digital inking. It allows me to overcome the "cheapness" of the traditional tools that I use (printer paper + automatic pencils + gel pens) and I can experiment with shading by doing it on a separate layer (easier to erase that way as you don't mess up the original lines). And tablets are just great.

Aurora Borealis
Anyway, at this point I'm all for digital inking. It allows me to overcome the "cheapness" of the traditional tools that I use (printer paper + automatic pencils + gel pens) and I can experiment with shading by doing it on a separate layer (easier to erase that way as you don't mess up the original lines). And tablets are just great.

You know, you can always shade on a separate layer, just set the lineart layer type to "multiply":P But there's a big advantage of digital over traditional - you don't have to fight with the scanner. I panic when I have to scan something, fight with scanning settings, adjust it afterward, also, it will always look worse than on paper.

Friedenmann

Aurora Borealis
Anyway, at this point I'm all for digital inking. It allows me to overcome the "cheapness" of the traditional tools that I use (printer paper + automatic pencils + gel pens) and I can experiment with shading by doing it on a separate layer (easier to erase that way as you don't mess up the original lines). And tablets are just great.

You know, you can always shade on a separate layer, just set the lineart layer type to "multiply":P But there's a big advantage of digital over traditional - you don't have to fight with the scanner. I panic when I have to scan something, fight with scanning settings, adjust it afterward, also, it will always look worse than on paper.

I am shading on a separate layer. Hell, I am shading on multiple layers, haha. Scanning settings? Got them figured out at this point, not that it matters as none of the original pencils remain after I'm done inking :D

I personally love the look and feel (and smell!) of traditional ink, but I tend to stick to digital inking. It's pretty much free. And you can erase digital ink. :]

Friedenmann
You know, you can always shade on a separate layer, just set the lineart layer type to "multiply":P But there's a big advantage of digital over traditional - you don't have to fight with the scanner. I panic when I have to scan something, fight with scanning settings, adjust it afterward, also, it will always look worse than on paper.

Here's a method for if you have line art that is not black (which generally looks weird when using the multiply method). Make sure the line art is the only layer visible, then go to Channels and duplicate the blue channel. Go back to Layers and create a new layer. Under the Select menu choose Load Selection and choose the duplicated blue channel as your selection. Now invert the selection. Then, simply flood fill this selection with whatever color you like. You can discard the original line art layer.

The advantage is that this will be a layer which is line art on transparency, instead of line art on white. There's some sneaky things you can do with this! Of course, if you're just using black lines multiply works just fine and is less work.

I do both, in that my comics are hand inked and my promotional stuff is done on the computer, but I'm honestly thinking about switching so that my comic production is all digital and no scanner in-between.

It's not that I don't enjoy hand-inking, but the process can be a pain in the ass when you're dirt-broke. I like working with Copic pens and Bristol board, neither of which comes cheap. Because of the constant, almost machine-like pace that I force upon myself to make comics, I almost always either run out of paper or need new pens, and the pens are not easy to find in this area unless I feel like driving 30 miles north to Milwaukee. Digital, I notice that I work a lot faster and the end result looks a lot better for me. However, if given the opportunity, I'll gladly hand-ink a drawing.

I prefer the look of traditional inking, but I tend to use digital inking much more often. My hand isn't exactly the steadiest thing in the world, so the undo option is a lifesaver. I don't really get the luxury of "undo" when using inks. It's also wildly difficult for me to use nib pens. I have tried, and I still can't get the hang of it. The only thing I can ink with is a micron, but then there's not much by way of variation in the thickness of the line. D:

Nicotine
This is an interesting question to me, because I myself always wonder why an artist either chooses to ink by hand or on the computer.
...
... In terms of control, I think I could probably draw an entire page with a mouse and it would look just as good, but it would take me hours more to draw.

...
I am actually think more people should suffer with a mouse because when your tablet is busted, you can still work. I wonder, what makes a tablet an essential tool...? I've never used one, so I don't see how it's helpful.

Forgive me if I am posting in a thread that has already ran its course. I'm excited though, because I am a big fan of the Wacom Cintiq, and have used their 12 inch model for over a year now. I absolutely love it. I tried the older Wacom tablets (with no screen) and ugh, will not do that again.

I started out working completely by hand, then slowly made the transition over to almost 100% digital. I made the jump to a tablet because when I travel, anything that I can do to reduce the sheer amount of crap I have to carry with me is aces in my book. Once I am finished with a piece, by working digitally I don't have to deal with the storage space required for large pieces of paper or canvas. That is one advantage. Another big advantage is that I can work much faster and more precisely digitally than I can by hand. What used to take me hours now takes me, literally, seconds on the tablet. I'm not just talking about auto-filling large sections either. Things like alternate perspective, warping, texture mapping, filters, working in layers- these are just a few of the things that have saved me several months worth of time by working digitally.

If you work with vector lines, there is still an advantage as far as control goes with the tablet vs. the mouse. Not as big as with the paintbrush, but still, for most people, the stylus is more comfortable. I guess the catch is that you have to be comfortable using software like Photoshop or Gimp or something similar.

I am not advertising or endorsing the new Cintiq, but I wanted to help spread word of its existence, because they just now redesigned it. If it is as good as my 12 inch version, every aspiring digital artist should try to demo one at the very least. Here is the link to their website:
http://www.wacom.com/cintiq/cintiq-21ux.php
If nothing else convinces you, watch the video.

i have a computer thats older than dirt so if i was to digitally ink it would have to be with the mouse.
i find that inking by hand the lines are more free. but i hate the smell of ink so i use black acrylic paint.
all the comics ive uploaded are done digitally i feel so handicap even after all these years.

I may be bumping an old thread, but many people have asked me how I work, and there seems to be lots of speculation as to which way is best. I generally ink by hand on comic paper only because I'm used to it and have more control of the pen strokes. I can get fine details, but not only that, the lines have life; they are not "perfect" and give an added depth and persona to the images. There are added steps with scanning, unfortunately, but because I want a certain look, I will take the time to do it. I don't do well with digital inking usually (it may take too long to master), but what I will do is correct manual inking mistakes digitally (works great). I know more people are inking with a tablet, and believe me I've tried since I know it really speeds up work and cuts costs, but sadly I can't draw on a tablet well for the life of me; it's like signing my name on a digital pad for a credit card purchase. I can't even understand it!

Some people don't like the look or feel of a digitally inked comic, but I find that it's much more acceptable than it has been in the past. And it's VERY fast. So if you can ink digitally well, then it will work out better for you in the long run when producing lots of pages. It's really a matter of preference and time constraints. After inking manually, I do play with my scanned image in photoshop before toning in Manga Studio 4 (excellent program).

I am terrible at inking by hand, mostly because cost restraints make me do it with ballpoints or markers rather than a professional pen. So when working on my comics I stick with inking on the computer. (Which I do with a mouse...I actually enjoy the challenge of using a mouse and because I like to use a digital brush pen rather than school pen or something like that, the lines probably end up looking just the same as if I used a tablet. Still, if I could get my tablet to work I would highly prefer using it instead, as I've heard so many good things about using them!)

However, there is a big exception: when I want to do big projects, especially ones that will be colored, I ink by hand, then ink that over again on the computer. A double inking. This will assure that I have more control not only over all the lines possible, but over the way the color itself will come out.

If I could do either well it'd be a good day.

I try my best to do both, so for instance when I'm on the road, I can do pages traditionally with the inks and the whole nine yards, while some I do on photoshop, and when scanned I can clean up the lines and try to marry the two.

I dont know though, it's all preference.

As someone who inked on paper for nearly 10 years, I have to say digital is the ONLY way to go today. It just produces better quality inks in this digital age. Paper inks were great in the day when comic pages were printed from photographic negatives... that's just not the case today, everything is digital. Digital inks allow perfect control of the line, something never available when scanning paper inks... yes, digital inks can be horrible, static line widths, no 'soul'... but, anyone who was a good inker on paper will be a GREAT inker digitally.

I've been digitally inking for around 3 or 4 years, I think the last thing Antarctic Press published of mine was my first digital inking. But, it took a while to get good at it, digital inking can be incredibly fussy and tedious... it takes a while to figure out... good paper inks are a lot better looking than beginner digital inks... but, eventually you get over the novelty and simply see digital inking as just another stage in producing a comic page.

I ink exclusively using Manga Studio now... it's a hard program to master, and at first you spend 2 to 3 times as long inking a page over just inking it on paper... but, it CAN be mastered with time... now, I can ink 2 to 3 pages a day... about the same speed as inking on paper.

I've never had a steady hand, I've never been able to 'draw from the shoulder'... digital inking fixes the shaky lines for me. It's that simple, really... not to mention the fact that with digital inks, you can move lines, change line widths, fix tails...

I'd guess at least 50% of comic books and manga are digitally inked today... in the next 5 years, almost all will be. It's just the next stage... like moving from grinding your own ink from burnt bone and oil to buying bottled ink... the craft moves forward.

I enjoy inking with a brush specificially. I can do it quickly, cleanly and efficiently and didn't learn to have to use any buttons. Wihtout computer aid my pictures can stand on their own...HOWEVER...

I do run them through Illustrator Livetrace and make corrections if I need to rather than using Pro-White to correct these days. I do all my bubbles, caption boxes and text through Corel or Photoshop (depends on my mood).

The tools I generally use are:

PENCILING
A 4H pencil for draft pencil.
A 2B mechanical pencil for heavier completion penciling
A Kneeded Eraser.

INKING ORGANIC
Series 7 Winsor Newton #2 for thin lines
Series 7 Winsor Newton #3 to 4 for thicker lines.

INKING TECHNICAL
Faber Castell India Ink Pen XS,S,M and B. PITT artist pens.
Precise V7 Rolling Ball fine pen

FILLING
#4 Round Brush
Sharpie, ultra black. Don't use stock it comes out too blotchy and blue.

SCANNING AND PRELIM
Corel Scanning - Reduce to 2bit color after darkening scan and then back again.

CORRECTION AND LINE FILTERING
Adobe Illustrator - Live Trace, custom settings.

COLOR AND OTHER MANIPULATIONS
Corel Paint Shop Pro Mostly, I like mouse wheel zoom when it comes down to it.
I don't work in Vectors very well yet. At least well enough for me to do a good job.

So I would have to say in the end: I do both to produce a page.

I prefer hand lettering. I love the way that my handwriting looks for comics. I don't think I'm very good at inking, but I don't think I'd ever seriously consider using digital inks for comics until I can get a tablet. My digital art skills are too far behind to risk a great deal of time on trying to ink with the mouse in GIMP! D:

I started out my comic as a hand inked purist and I hated everything digitally inked. Then I started using Photoshop to ink and I covered. I find digital to be better (For me at least) in every single way. Now the only part I do without a computer is the sketch and then everything else is done in Photoshop (And a cheap tablet for crosshatching). Many people don't like the shop but I find you can make lines look far more organic than in digital comic/manga programs. The downside is that pages take much longer to ink.

I'm still a bigger fan however of manually colored comic page. Every digital coloring I see looks way too perfect and metallic. Skin should not shine the same way as metal, but that's just me.

I used to ink traditionally. A publisher told me that my inks were weak..... Now I ink digitally and love it! It is faster for me and I can get better varied lines with ease with my tablet(s). I inked a page of Bounty and Pain in a mere hour digitally. I was almost ready to update and upload 2 pages on Sunday due to me working so fast lol. Personally I think for webcomics digital is the way to go. You can get it and knock out a page without scanning and cleaning up. It is like you can get back to having fun with a comic rather than slaving over a page.

lba
We have a new thread on this topic about once a week.

Dig through the archives here and you should find a vast amount of discussion and knowledge to help you decide what works for you on the subject.

How do I serch posts? Is this really a proper forum?