While I’m thinking about coloring…

I’m practicing some inking and coloring techniques for magazine and other glossy print work. It’s different in style than something like my wildlife stuff because I’m trying to keep a cleaner line yet still convey my somewhat sloppy, goofy style.

I drew this gag on Strathmore Multimedia paper and then I taped a sheet of Denril vellum drafting film over the pencil. I inked it using my dip pen and some Superblack ink. The larger black areas were painted in with a brush. I then scanned the thing with the pencil under it. I did this because I might want some of the pencil to show up under the ink. Okay, I REALLY wanted that, but it’s hard to accomplish with a scanner. What the eye sees and what gets scanned are two different beasts.

Here’s a couple photos of the pencil and ink on the drawing table. You can really see how the ink lays on top of the Denril, thick and glossy.

I always love the pencil most. It’s a conundrum.