How to Draw Comic 101: Inking Tools

Inked comic show up better for printing or scanning. Furthermore inking adds another element of style to your drawing. If you read Manga, you would probably noticed that typically boys comics are drawn using bolder and thicker lines while girls comics are drawn using finer and thinner lines. Inking style can convey impressions like strength, energetic, feminine or simplicity. What you need to keep in mind is that comics are inked so it is easy to read. As long as your comic is easy to read, you're on the right path.

What you will need for inking are black ink, dib pens, technical pens, brushes, tissue paper and whiteout or white ink. You may need rulers, splines and some cotton wools.

For ink, India ink is nice, though it’s impossible to find where I live, but you’ll want waterproof ink that’s not too runny. If your ink bleeds excessively creating ugly lines or smear, you can leave the inkbottle open for few hours or over night to let it dry up for a bit. Too dry ink is difficult to use, so judge accordingly.

There are varieties of pen nibs you can choose. I suggest find one that you like, they differ from nib to nib and from brand to brand. This will be your main instruments so pick ones that will fit your style, give the best result and comfortable to work with. When you’re trying them out, be aware there are some break-in period for them nibs so don’t judge too quickly. Typically, the break-in period is after two pages worth of inking. Also new nibs maybe covered in oil to protect them, you may need to get some lighter to heat up the tip for a bit. Note that this process is very quick, don’t put the nib over the fire for too long or you’ll destroy it. In addition, nibs don’t last forever, with used the lines produced by them become thicker so used them accordingly. So make sure to clean them after each inking session to maximise their lifetime.

I typically use the Nikko Spoon pen. It gives smooth lines than the rest while still easy to control. For technical pen, I use Rotring Radiograph from my days of tech drawing, but I tried those disposable ones and they’re good enough for comics. Similar with pens, brushes are chosen according to preference. Though their use to fill blacks, you can ink with brushes too, for example Bill Watterson’s Calvin and Hobbes comic strips are skilfully drawn using sable brush. Similar with pens make sure to clean those brushes after use too. The rest of the items are self-explanatory. So next instalment in ‘How to Draw Comic 101’ will be ‘inking tips’, please look forward to it.