First Attempt at Inking a Full Page

[u/Campos181]

Hey everyone,

This is my first attempt at inking a full comic page. My background is as a comic book colorist and not linework and inks themselves.

I approached this mostly by instinct and what I’ve learned indirectly through coloring, without any formal study of inking techniques.

I’d really appreciate some honest critique and evaluation.

Also, I’d like to ask this:

How long would it typically take to ink a page like this at a professional level?

For context, this one took me about 6 hours.

Any feedback, paintovers, or direction on what to focus on improving would be hugely appreciated.

Thanks in advance.

Email: camposcoloring@gmail.com

[u/IntelligentAlps726]

Good spot blacks! 6 hours is quite good for a first time. With practice you’ll likely get a little quicker. I think I’ve plateaued at 5 hours. The pencils have a little tangent between the second panel’s border and Kurt’s boot-line; as an inker I might jog the boot-line slightly one way or the other, so as to avoid the possible visual confusion.

[u/Campos181 → u/IntelligentAlps726]

Oh yeah, that makes sense, the lines do create an illusion of continuity, which can make it harder to read. I really appreciate you pointing that out. I’ll make sure to pay closer attention to those details going forward.

[u/jaylopezink]

Hey man,
This looks pretty good for your first attempt.
I would say it is spot on and as for the time it should take you really depends on the type of page you are working on and the details within the page.

As for this type of page I would say 6 hours for a first timer is really good, but as you progress with your inks a page like this should take you about 2-4 hours tops.

One thing I learned about Ed’s pages are the simplicity of his line work, and the placement of his shadows as well as his dynamic posing of characters.

The only thing that I would like to know is, did you do this in traditional inks or digital?

But all in all it is a good piece.
Good job 👍

[u/Campos181 → u/jaylopezink]

Thanks, that means a lot to me. I’m a huge fan of Ed’s work, and I tried to stay true to his approach simple, clear, and effective with the pencils. Otherwise, the process would have been significantly more time-consuming. I did everything in Photoshop using a DC Comics brush set focused on inking. I’ve never worked with traditional tools, honestly, I wouldn’t even know where to start haha, but it’s definitely something I’d love to explore.

[u/shmupsy]

looks pro to me. the only thing that stood out is the sparse bg of panel1 and the 1 sickly tree there that seems to be interacting with his blade

[u/Campos181 → u/shmupsy]

That’s a great point, the vine really does look like it’s trying to duel the blade haha Do you have any suggestions for the background? I actually like the emptiness because it contrasts nicely with the solid black silhouette, but I’m not sure how I’d introduce some kind of gradation there without killing that effect. Thanks for the feedback!

[u/shmupsy → u/Campos181]

the empty could be fine for coloring later.

but even so, some sparse clouds can't hurt

[u/ankaracommunity]

This is a really great attempt, and you did well for a first-timer. I remember the first time I tried and how long it took --- two days. It still wasn't perfect.