Step Five : Inks

My tools for inking are a #3 or #4 Sable brush and various pens. I used to use Windsor Newton brushes exclusively however I am fairly hard on brushes and the fine tip wouldn't last beyond a week of use. These days I use less expensive sable brushes and get about the same mileage out of them. The pens I use run from the classic old-school crowquille pens that require dipping into an inkwell as well as the newer india ink markers.

I start inking a page by outlining the figures with a marker. Faces, hands and other small details are generally taken care of at this stage. With the figure done for the most part the background can be tackled, Background elements are outlined first and then gradually the blacks are filled in. the brush comes into play filling in solid blacks and also reating areas where I want the line to have more texture.