Inking

Definition

Inking is the stage that follows penciling in the creation of hand-drawn comics. Inking involves going over finished penciled artwork with black india ink to make the art permanent and sharp. Inking pencils adds depth, focus, and texture to the drawings and historically allowed the artwork to be reproduced accurately in the printing process.

Introduction

Although inking began as simply the step of outlining penciled art darkly and cleanly enough to prevent the loss of information in the printing process, inkers have since become able to make a significant mark on the underlying structure of the artwork. As printing technology has evolved and improved, rendering dark ink outlines less necessary, inkers have nevertheless retained their importance to the process of creating comics, as their additional contributions to a finished work have allowed inking to transcend the simple tracing of the pencils. Over time, the inker’s job has come to include creating a sense of depth, emphasizing certain objects within the page or panel, and otherwise adding to the penciled art through the use of a number of techniques and tools.

While the penciller is seen by many as the foundational artist of the comic, some artists prefer inking over penciling because of the satisfaction they derive from taking the pencils to their finished form. Although many artists ink their own pencils, controlling both pencil and brush with equal skill, most specialize as either a penciller or an inker. Regardless which artist ultimately inks a penciled work, a finished graphic work generally cannot exist without the efforts of several individuals; thus, the process of creating comic books and graphic novels is a highly collaborative one.

Many inkers have their own recognizable styles and are artists in their own right. Sometimes a specific inker is hired for a project because the inker’s personal style is considered appropriate by the penciller or the editor of the comic or series. At other times, a project can require that an inker adopt the style that the project demands and work under the watchful direction of the penciller or editor. Some well-known inkers include Klaus Janson, inker of Frank Miller’s Batman: The Dark Knight Returns; Karl Kesel, inker of such series as The Fantastic Four; Mike Perkins, inker of such series as Captain America; and Mike Esposito, who inked many issues of The AmazingSpider-Man and a number of other major Marvel Comics titles.

Tools

Like the penciller, the inker usually uses a drafting table and the equipment that goes with it when inking. This equipment may include an adjustable-height swing-arm lamp with incandescent and fluorescent bulbs, an adjustable-height drafting chair, a scanner, and a brush basin. The inker may use cutting tools such as a T square, a drafting triangle, a precision knife, and a ruler as well as basic tools such as erasers and white correction fluid.

In addition to copies of the penciled art, sable brushes and black india ink are the traditional tools of the inker. However, inkers also use other tools to create the many complex effects for which they are known. An inker’s arsenal may include brush soap for keeping expensive sable bushes clean between uses; gray wash, a mixture of black ink and water; white and pigmented ink; black pencils for providing rough textures; erasable colored pencils for achieving a softer line and more consistent tone; dip pens and flexible nibs for fine detail work and creating a more consistent line; pen brushes with their own built-in ink supplies; technical pens for creating uniform lines; and markers for creating somewhat fuzzy lines.

As technology has advanced, the computer has become one of the major tools used by some inkers. Though initial pencils are usually hand drawn, they can then be scanned and reworked on a tablet or monitor using virtual tools in a variety of illustration programs. While some pencillers choose to skip the inking stage altogether and just add color to their pencils, many believe that digitalization can never replicate traditional inking methods. Still, some of the repetitive and time-consuming work of the inker can be done electronically, allowing inkers to concentrate on more detailed work. Other benefits of digital inking include using the computer to blow up an artist’s work to add details that have an interesting effect when the images are later reduced in size.

Techniques

Inking techniques vary widely, from those that create a simple style to those that provide a more complex and layered look, depending on the effect the art is meant to have in relation to the story being told. In addition to making sure that all the information on the page is portrayed clearly, largely through outlines, inkers add shadow to certain planes and figures to emphasize the prominence of particular elements. Varying tones through a variety of techniques has a similar attention-capturing effect. Inkers also vary the weight, or thickness, of the lines of ink in order to give the art a sense of depth.

A number of common inking techniques rely on the use of many small lines or dots and on areas of black or gray tones. Feathering, or hatching, uses many close-set parallel lines of black ink to soften edges of lines and create gray tones. Cross-hatching and curved hatching fulfill similar functions but use crisscrossed lines and curved lines, respectively. Stippling also creates a variety of gray tones through the application of many small black dots. The tones created by these techniques give illustrations the illusion of texture. Large areas of black or gray are also essential to many comics. Known as spotting blacks, areas of solid black call the reader’s attention to certain areas, provide dramatic shadows, and elicit emotional responses to the artwork. Areas of gray can be created using techniques such as watercolor wash, in which artists dilute black inks with water to apply gray tones in a manner similar to watercolor painting.

Impact

As comic book production becomes increasingly technologically sophisticated, some comics will be able to skip the inking stage because the pencil art can be reproduced in a way not possible before. Nevertheless, inking remains a crucial step in the creation of many comic books and graphic novels, even many of those created digitally. Inkers continue to be recognized for their significant contributions to comic book art, with awards such as the Inkwell Awards and the Eagle Awards honoring those working in the field.

Bibliography

Eisner, Will. Comics and Sequential Art: Principles and Practices from the Legendary Cartoonist. New York: W. W. Norton, 2008. Labels and describes the various components of comic book art, including inking. Also discusses the collaborative nature of comic book creation.

McCloud, Scott. Making Comics: Storytelling Secrets of Comics, Manga, and Graphic Novels. New York: Harper, 2006. Discusses the steps involved in creating comics books and graphic novels and provides visual examples of various styles and techniques.

Schmidt, Andy. The Insider’s Guide to Creating Comics and Graphic Novels. Cincinnati: Impact Books, 2009. Provides tips from comics professionals regarding various aspects of the comics creation process, including scripting, inking, and coloring.