Kav's Tips for Comic Artists - Inking Process
by A. "Kav" Kaviraj
Comic book artist, A. Kaviraj, continues his op/ed series of providing useful tutorials for comic book artists.
Here we have some panels from 'The Crimson Mask'. A swordfight scene. I penciled with a blue mirage non photo fine point marker, available from The Complete Line. Then I outlined it a la Sean Phillips with a 0.5 Copic Marker available from Marker Pop.
I just focused on the figures-the hard part-details or backgrounds could come at a later stage. If you do the hard parts first, and you screw up, you won't have to waste as much time when you go to redraw it. Note I outlined future areas of black and put an 'x' so I would know without thinking what was to be filled in later. The blood spatters I wanted to look real so I Googled some blood spatters and traced those.
The next stage you can see where I filled in the blacks, and then the next stage where details are added. I chose no backgrounds on these panels as I wanted to focus on the action.
The next series of panels is an inset panel and a crowd/large interior panel. I used all the same techniques. In the final version everything is black and dark as this dark chamber they are dueling in requires. Everyone is wearing black. Don't be afraid of too much black.
PS. you know you've drawn a lot of people on a page if there's more than 20 on a page-I try to do this whenever I can. Sometimes it's not possible, of course, but when I can I always keep that 20 in mind. My record is 48. Well, I have drawn crowd scenes where there are just heads so that would make hundreds but that doesn't count.
A Kaviraj
http://www.championcitycomics.com/
For more of Kav's Tips at Comic Related: http://www.comicrelated.com/forums/index.php?showforum=602
A. KAVIRAJ: Kav is an artist, teacher, and biologist who lives in Sacramento, California. He is the artist forThe End of Paradise, Rapid City, and Dr Death vs The Zombie. He is the writer and artist for Dr. Death vs. The Vampire. E-mail: ddkaviraj@aol.com
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