Random Idiocity

Author notes

Comic 16:High School Blues Part 2

Mark

on Oct. 9, 2006

Woot another update! *dances*. Anyways Radec asked yesterday what pens I use and how I make the comic really Black and White. So in lack of anything better to say, I decided to repost my reply here to dispell any questions that you may hace about it.

For inking I don't really stick to any one pen. I usually just browse around art shops and stationary shops and try out different pens till I get one I like.

generally I look for a few things when looking for a pen

1: How black is it. This isn't that big a factor I make em perfectly black and white on the computer but still, really black inks always nice.

2: The "feel" of the pen. It's gotta feel smooth and natural using it. this is one of the most important factors cause you cant do good inks when your hand hates the pen

3: The ink. Some pens have ink that really creeps into the paper. I tend stay away from that cause they tend to smudge a lot, and if I keep the pen in one spot too long, I really dont want a puddle of ink to start spreading.

Also inks like that usually don't react well with water, which can be a problem cause I usually work after showers and my (mancandy) hair sometimes drips on the paper.

What you want is ink that flows freely and doesn't spred and smudge all over your page

4. What style I'm aiming for. I used to go for more details and hatching where I use fine tip pens, Now I'm trying to use more line personality with brush pens. I usually cycle in and out of styles and techniques so I buy pens that would help whatever style I'm going for.

To make it black and white, I use a really old program called Microsoft Photo Editor. Basically I max out the image contrast leaving just prime colours, in this case, Black and White. This gets rid with any uneven tones an unwanted pencil lines. I then soften the image down a bit because pure black and white looks screwed up and pixely. the ammount of softening I do depends on the strip. Generally more hatching=more softening.

Maybe I'll one day do a tutorial on how I make the comics