Diana Sprinkle (![[info]](http://l-stat.livejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif){kind=small} amegoddess) wrote,@ 2004-07-07 10:53:00 |
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TokyoPop manga inking job, cheap inking paper and inking pens FAQ...
Hey yo, looky Mike Vega posts about the manga I'm inking for him and Tokyopop. He even posted a page of my inkings. Yes, go and looky. http://www.livejournal.com/users/papera
Soon, I will be slaving away with no life as book eats me... yay! But first I get to go to San Diego Comic Con. =D
ponyboy asked what I was using for my inking so I've made this post because the comment was getting quite long. I've also included links to buy pens and art supplies because when I love I give links.
Inking... the broke artist way.
Inking paper...
First off. All of the cool pens in the world won't help you if you ink on shitty paper... although the people who master 'Inking on shitty paper' are awesome and can rock it any where... but how about trying the nice stuff first before poking your eyes out struggling on the crap stuff? =D
To illustrate, I've always hated watercolor because the first things I did with it were done on regular printer paper and looked like crap. However watercolor is cool if you don't have to fight your supplies too. But don't worry the paper I'm suggesting is cheap and good so I won't break your wallet.
Deleter Comic paper is good and comes in two sizes. Dojin size is classified as Type-B and is a paper size of A4 is (about 8.5 x 11.5 inches) or Pro size which is a paper size of B4 which is classified as Type-A which is bigger (about 14.5 x 10 inches), all packs are 40 sheets, thin weight (about 1 ply) so making comics doesn't stack up all crazy like, and will run you about 3.00-7.50 a pack. I personally like the plain or blank kind because I didn't need the Japanese comic grid as I draw in the panels on the computer now but the grid can be useful. You can find a whole list of Deleter paper for cheap here:
http://www.animebooks.com/paper.htm
I also like this Borden & Riley #234 Paris BleedProof Paper for Pens. It rocks hard core for inking and markers and it's smooth so you could use it for color pencil too. It's a little more expensive then the Deleter brand about (7.00-13.00) but the paper size is in inches and it goes a size larger then the Deleter paper. Like Deleter it also has 40 sheets a pack and is lightweight, about 1 ply. You can buy this stuff cheap here:
http://www.dickblick.com/zz106/01/produ
I use some other more expensive paper for commissions and art show pieces but that stuff is more expensive and I don't really use it for comic inking so we'll move on.
Inking pens...
Right now I'm using 3 types exclusively and I'm hardly using the last type, the brush pen. I've left that one for last because it's expensive (almost 30.00 with shipping) and I'm not currently using it for my comics. However I personally love that pen so I'm leaving it in because I've inked whole comics with it. I'm just not right now.
I use these cool Tachikawa Japanese nib pens for my base inks...
http://www.ghostcircles.com/dxs/ima
You can buy them here for the low price of 3.75 (shipping is cheap too and after searching around I believe this place has the best price.)
http://store.yahoo.com/animebooks-com/t
They make this sexy thin line and you can fill/refill the ink cartridges with your own ink. However you have to run the tip of the pen under water sometimes to get the ink flowing again. Although it might be that I have to do this because I put Rapidograph black India Rapidraw ink found here:
http://www.officedepot.com/ddSKU.do;jse
That's a serious ink type. Waterproof and shiny black I like it but it's a bit much for these pens. I actually think the ink they come with is okay and not as tough on the pens as the stuff I use. But then I'm picky about how black the ink is...
Sidetrack... The Rapidograph ink is one of the only things I held over from when I use to use Rapidograph drafting pens. Which are suggested to me as a young artist as TEH INKING PENS!!!! I think everyone suggests these things to young artists but, and this might be an unpopular opinion, but I'll tell you right now Rapidograph pens are a waste of money for young artist.
For one the Rapidograph pens are hard to clean. They also leak and the ink dries in them easily which then leads back the hard to clean problem. If you bend the tip... you're screwed. I've bent my shares of tips, at least 4 pens were lost this way. Also the pens are really expensive and the line they make never varies which is good for what they were originally design for, drafting.
I'm not saying to never use them or that they suck I'm just saying that these pens might not be the best for teachers to suggest to young/new/starting out artists. I mean WTF!!! Here's something expensive, temperamental, with no line depth, oh and also it's easy to break... tee hee, go art young one! XD
If I could break my art teacher's fingers... Please guys learn and play with the cheap pens then buy the cool drafting pens when you want to fool around. That way you won't be bitter about it like me... Er, I think I got off the subject. Anyway...
I also use a point 1 Zig Millennium pen to vary the line weights or add more depth.
http://www.ghostcircles.com/dxs/ima
You can buy them here cheap:
http://www.createforless.com/search/sea
These can also be found at Hobby Lobby, Kinko's, and some art stores although Hobby Lobby is the cheapest at 1.44 a pen (in Texas wear I live). The Zigs have a plastic tip so they don't fray like Microns do and they last a good long time. The only warning I have is to stay away from the 005 (they are the smallest tip) in Zigs because the tip is too small and it bends easily... which is no good. Besides if you wear down a point 1 it will draw a thin line like the 005 so really there's no need to buy the 005 pens.
And then there is this Kuretake Japanese brush pen, which is refillable.
http://www.danielsmith.net/
(search for the term "kuretake" to find the ordering page for this pen... they at Daniel Smith just don't want let me link right to the page where you can buy it for some dumb reason. >_<)
This brush is my favorite affordable brush pen and I love it. Sadly I think I'm killing mine slowly. Will have to buy new one. I bought mine super cheap (under 10.00) but now the best I can do is 19.99 with crazy 8.00 shipping. =/ Oh well.
But yeah those are the pens I tend to use. Alone or all together depending on the project. Right now on the TokyoPop inking job I'm using the Tachikawa nib pen and a Zig point 3 and that's about it. For my own secret comic I'm using the Tachikawa nib pen and a Zig point 1. When I use the brush pen I use it to do outlines and a Zig point 1 for all of the other lines. Makes the characters pop out of the backgrounds that way.
I spot almost all of the heavy black areas using the computer now because it's much easier that way. I do a lot of things digitally now. Also as much as I love to ink I still want to do a more laid back pencil comic one day and let it be messy.
Well that's my inking supplies that I like. However there are more pens that I use on and off depending on the project but these three are the ones that I like the most.
Wow, good thing I made this a real LJ post because this has really run long. =D
-Diana
Hey yo, looky Mike Vega posts about the manga I'm inking for him and Tokyopop. He even posted a page of my inkings. Yes, go and looky. http://www.livejournal.com/users/papera
Soon, I will be slaving away with no life as book eats me... yay! But first I get to go to San Diego Comic Con. =D
ponyboy asked what I was using for my inking so I've made this post because the comment was getting quite long. I've also included links to buy pens and art supplies because when I love I give links.Inking... the broke artist way.
Inking paper...
First off. All of the cool pens in the world won't help you if you ink on shitty paper... although the people who master 'Inking on shitty paper' are awesome and can rock it any where... but how about trying the nice stuff first before poking your eyes out struggling on the crap stuff? =D
To illustrate, I've always hated watercolor because the first things I did with it were done on regular printer paper and looked like crap. However watercolor is cool if you don't have to fight your supplies too. But don't worry the paper I'm suggesting is cheap and good so I won't break your wallet.
Deleter Comic paper is good and comes in two sizes. Dojin size is classified as Type-B and is a paper size of A4 is (about 8.5 x 11.5 inches) or Pro size which is a paper size of B4 which is classified as Type-A which is bigger (about 14.5 x 10 inches), all packs are 40 sheets, thin weight (about 1 ply) so making comics doesn't stack up all crazy like, and will run you about 3.00-7.50 a pack. I personally like the plain or blank kind because I didn't need the Japanese comic grid as I draw in the panels on the computer now but the grid can be useful. You can find a whole list of Deleter paper for cheap here:
http://www.animebooks.com/paper.htm
I also like this Borden & Riley #234 Paris BleedProof Paper for Pens. It rocks hard core for inking and markers and it's smooth so you could use it for color pencil too. It's a little more expensive then the Deleter brand about (7.00-13.00) but the paper size is in inches and it goes a size larger then the Deleter paper. Like Deleter it also has 40 sheets a pack and is lightweight, about 1 ply. You can buy this stuff cheap here:
http://www.dickblick.com/zz106/01/produ
I use some other more expensive paper for commissions and art show pieces but that stuff is more expensive and I don't really use it for comic inking so we'll move on.
Inking pens...
Right now I'm using 3 types exclusively and I'm hardly using the last type, the brush pen. I've left that one for last because it's expensive (almost 30.00 with shipping) and I'm not currently using it for my comics. However I personally love that pen so I'm leaving it in because I've inked whole comics with it. I'm just not right now.
I use these cool Tachikawa Japanese nib pens for my base inks...
http://www.ghostcircles.com/dxs/ima
You can buy them here for the low price of 3.75 (shipping is cheap too and after searching around I believe this place has the best price.)
http://store.yahoo.com/animebooks-com/t
They make this sexy thin line and you can fill/refill the ink cartridges with your own ink. However you have to run the tip of the pen under water sometimes to get the ink flowing again. Although it might be that I have to do this because I put Rapidograph black India Rapidraw ink found here:
http://www.officedepot.com/ddSKU.do;jse
That's a serious ink type. Waterproof and shiny black I like it but it's a bit much for these pens. I actually think the ink they come with is okay and not as tough on the pens as the stuff I use. But then I'm picky about how black the ink is...
Sidetrack... The Rapidograph ink is one of the only things I held over from when I use to use Rapidograph drafting pens. Which are suggested to me as a young artist as TEH INKING PENS!!!! I think everyone suggests these things to young artists but, and this might be an unpopular opinion, but I'll tell you right now Rapidograph pens are a waste of money for young artist.
For one the Rapidograph pens are hard to clean. They also leak and the ink dries in them easily which then leads back the hard to clean problem. If you bend the tip... you're screwed. I've bent my shares of tips, at least 4 pens were lost this way. Also the pens are really expensive and the line they make never varies which is good for what they were originally design for, drafting.
I'm not saying to never use them or that they suck I'm just saying that these pens might not be the best for teachers to suggest to young/new/starting out artists. I mean WTF!!! Here's something expensive, temperamental, with no line depth, oh and also it's easy to break... tee hee, go art young one! XD
If I could break my art teacher's fingers... Please guys learn and play with the cheap pens then buy the cool drafting pens when you want to fool around. That way you won't be bitter about it like me... Er, I think I got off the subject. Anyway...
I also use a point 1 Zig Millennium pen to vary the line weights or add more depth.
http://www.ghostcircles.com/dxs/ima
You can buy them here cheap:
http://www.createforless.com/search/sea
These can also be found at Hobby Lobby, Kinko's, and some art stores although Hobby Lobby is the cheapest at 1.44 a pen (in Texas wear I live). The Zigs have a plastic tip so they don't fray like Microns do and they last a good long time. The only warning I have is to stay away from the 005 (they are the smallest tip) in Zigs because the tip is too small and it bends easily... which is no good. Besides if you wear down a point 1 it will draw a thin line like the 005 so really there's no need to buy the 005 pens.
And then there is this Kuretake Japanese brush pen, which is refillable.
http://www.danielsmith.net/
(search for the term "kuretake" to find the ordering page for this pen... they at Daniel Smith just don't want let me link right to the page where you can buy it for some dumb reason. >_<)
This brush is my favorite affordable brush pen and I love it. Sadly I think I'm killing mine slowly. Will have to buy new one. I bought mine super cheap (under 10.00) but now the best I can do is 19.99 with crazy 8.00 shipping. =/ Oh well.
But yeah those are the pens I tend to use. Alone or all together depending on the project. Right now on the TokyoPop inking job I'm using the Tachikawa nib pen and a Zig point 3 and that's about it. For my own secret comic I'm using the Tachikawa nib pen and a Zig point 1. When I use the brush pen I use it to do outlines and a Zig point 1 for all of the other lines. Makes the characters pop out of the backgrounds that way.
I spot almost all of the heavy black areas using the computer now because it's much easier that way. I do a lot of things digitally now. Also as much as I love to ink I still want to do a more laid back pencil comic one day and let it be messy.
Well that's my inking supplies that I like. However there are more pens that I use on and off depending on the project but these three are the ones that I like the most.
Wow, good thing I made this a real LJ post because this has really run long. =D
-Diana
