There is a very useful reference book on sale this week. It’s The Art Of Comic Book Inking, and it’s a comprehensive one.
TAOCBI is written by Gary Martin, with Steve Rude and Vitali Iakovlev. This third, expanded edition includes new material on digital inking, and adds several pages of printed bluelines, so you can practice inking over ‘pencils’ done by some comic greats. Hey, thrive under the pressure!
The Art of Comic Book Inking explains, obviously, what inking is. But after that, things get really interesting. The different inking instruments are discussed, and more importantly, the thought process behind successful inking. Do you correct an artist’s drawing errors? (Yes!) How and why to make thick and thin lines. How to work with editors. How much inking is TOO much? How to vary the type of line and different approaches to textures.
In addition, there are samples of inking from several artists that have been done from the same pencils. So you can compare their inking styles, and better understand their decision-making process.
All very useful for the novice, or an inker who wants to add more to his knowledge of the craft!
Dark Horse, The Art Of Comic Book Inking, Third Edition, $34.99 for 212 pages of content
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