Customer Reviews

The Art Of Comic-Book Inking 2nd Edition

5 star:		(10)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I know how to draw (or at least, I think I do) but I never learned how to finish a pencil drawing with ink. So I was totally looking forward to having a professional give me pointers on how to lay down a decent line.

But this book tells you nothing. For starters, it's not even a book. It's more like a pamphlet, it's so frigging short. I think it's only about 65 pages.

Secondly, you are NEVER told how to put a line of ink onto a page. Nothing. No explination. All they do is tell you what brushes or pens some guys like and give you some before (pencil) and after (inked) drawings.

But you're never told how to hold your pen or brush, how to drag your instrument, or how to actually make a good looking line. VERY FRUSTRATING since that is exactly what I thought I was paying for.

-Dan

P.S. I learned later that this 'book' is apparently the 2nd of two books. I've looked everywhere for the 1st book but nobody seems to sell it.

That's what it should have been called, considering Gary Martin hardly touches on the techniques of inking with a crowquill pen. And of his "guest" inkers, only a few mention it or begin to describe it. I think the book could have used a little more instruction on inking with a pen.

That, however, is the only black mark (no pun intended) against it (& why I gave it 4 stars). The rest of the book is extremely informative and those guest inkers (tops in their field) mentioned earlier, inking three different pencilled pages, are a great touch; Gary is himself, an amazing inking talent. Also, Steve Rude is a great penciller, one of the best (though I agree with the reviewer who would have liked other pencilling style represented in the book; e.g.: what approach to take when inking looser pencils). All in all, though a great book and one of the few written on the topic.

P.S. Regarding inking with a crowquill: besides the art books already written on it, there is one author that I know of who describes it in some detail. Dave Sim, in his "Guide to Self-Publishing", describes the mechanics of the process almost as if it were a science. I don't know if the book is in print anymore, though.

First and foremost, the author states in the first chapter, first sentence, first paragraph... before you begin to ink, 'learn to draw'!

This book is absolutely amazing. The artwork and techniques described in this book are priceless. These are the same techniques pros use in what you buy in the comic book stand. It's fairly easy to ink, and the author and his talented band of contributing artists prove this through their many examples and explanations on how they achieved their results. You will learn valuable techniques, starting with the basics, how to hold the pen or brush, line weight, and pen / brush control. Also, cross-hatching, dry-brushing, feathering your lines, etc... (these tend to be my favorites). You'll learn how to translate a penciled peice of artwork into a finished inked drawing primarily. You'll learn how to ink faces and facial features, as well as backgrounds and other objects. The author also clarifies any question you may have on the duties and tasks performed by the inker, as well as finding jobs as an inker. There is alot more to be taught in this book, believe me.

The book includes a reproduced page of artwork for you practice on as well, which is great. As other reviewers have mentioned, the pencils are done by the same, excellent I may add, artist named (Steve Rude). But, I feel the author gives you enough leverage with what you learn in this book to learn fairly easy how to ink other penciling styles.

This is easily the best book about drawing for comic books that I have ever read. Not only are the inking tips and examples outstanding, but I think this book is necessary for aspiring pencillers as well. You learn not only how to ink pencilled lines, but how to create ink-ready drawings. Beautiful artwork throughout the book. Seeing how various inkers handle the same pencils is really helpful. Thanks, Gary Martin, for putting this book together.

I finally know what makes for good comic book inks after reading this book. Gary Martin comprehensively outlines all the elements of comic book inking including the various techniques, styles and methods that the pros use. Plenty of samples from his own work and that of others. If you want to learn how to ink comic book art or you just want to know what distinguishes good inking from bad, I highly recommend this book. The production values, art and cover are also very professional.

I enjoyed this book quite a bit. Martin focuses on his genre (superhero) and the inking techniques he describes are best suited for that. However, he is really talking about classical, traditional inking styles and in that sense, he is talking about comic book art as a whole. There are beautiful examples of different techniques. Plus, Martin is funny and fun to read. He also gives glimpses into the industry and talks about the role of a professional inker. There's even some theory in there -- really cool. Perfect how to and reference book for a beginning or medium experience inker.

It does cover many essential techniques of brush inking for comic books. The meat of it is about inking super heroic human features, and considerations about how to approach it. For this it is valuable.

Other subjects like "spotting blacks" , rendering background elements, rendering various textures, using zip a tone etc are only given a page to a page and a half, with too few examples.

the celebrity inkers section is hit or miss...some of them describe their approach in a useful way and some avoid practical advice in favour of talking about their "attitude" on inking. ( One inker commented that he never discusses what tools he uses for fear of cramping some one's creativity. That teaches me nothing.)

For human figures: valuable. For other stuff :not.

This beautiful book provides information about specific tools and techniques for the comic book inker. In an ingenious move, Gary Martin had several different professional inkers put brush to the same layouts, showing differing styles on the same art.

Mr. Martin has introduced a wonderful book that will truly inspire any amateur or intermediate comic book inker. The tips and techniques cover all the basics to begin but the real treat is the "real life" samples of Mr. Martin's style and other professionals in the industry. The only thing that could have made this book any better would have been to include a variety of pencillers to illustrate the different inking approaches.

Length:: 0:19 Mins

In the foreword, Gary Martin says The Art of Comic-Book Inking is intended for

* people who want to become inkers
* working inkers who haven't had professional training
* pencillers who want their work to be more inker-friendly
* the majority of editors working in comics today

This isn't a step-by-step tutorial book but more of a guide book showing the different impact a drawing create with different inking styles.

There are lots of industry tips in each chapters, like how to create the illusion of depth, fix composition, add realistic backgrounds, prevent backaches etc. There are also professional tips on handling assignments in the real world, stuff like how best to communicate with editors (which is to always tell the truth).

Plenty of real world examples are included. A point to note is there's no instructions on how to specifically create the different lines, like applying pressure at different points to get a thin-thick-thin stroke. Only the end results are shown. So this book is really about the reader going about with his own experimentation and discovering his/her own technique.

Towards the back are 10 comic panels where different guest inkers are invited to ink their version of how they should look. They also talk about the equipment they use, their work flow, considerations they used to interpret the panels and personal tips.

Finally at the back of the book are 8 inking boards where they can be photocopied to be used for practice.

The table of contents:

* Before You Start
* Getting Started
* Line Weight
* Contour Lines
* Spotting Blacks
* Feathering
* Crosshatching
* Establishing Your Style
* Facial-Shadow Guide
* Inking Backgrounds
* Advanced Techniques
* Cartoon Inking
* Texture Reference Guide
* Practical Tips
* Secrets of the Stars

(More pictures are available on my blog. Just visit my Amazon profile for the link.)