Line Weight and You, a PSA
I’ve been spending more time reading the horror comics which inspired me and have remembered what it was about their line-work that so entranced me in the first place.
Some more recent tinkering with real brushes has been leaving me frustrated with digital.
It’s a challenge to achieve ink-like results digitally. You really have to be conscious of how things would look if they were done analog.
The width of your lines should first and foremost denote the weight of the form they depict. Secondarily, they ought to take the light sources present into account.
Constantly try to go from whisper thin, to thick and back again, even with many flip-flops in a single line. Do so with the above tenets in mind. Be a slave to those tasks. Style and the flashier aspects of inking come as a result, I think. They’re byproduct, not the goal.
One last thing, I’ve got a crap-ton of new updates on my Flickr page. If you want Twitter like art updates, head over there. If you want meatier stuff, I will be active as ever over here. Perhaps more so in the coming weeks.
May 27th, 2008 #
ZOMG! Don’t tell me yer goin’ back to traditional media! Say it ain’t so, Ray! :D
I understand your complaint, however. It’s a real compromise to settle for the standard brushes in the paint/draw apps, and even custom modded brushes don’t have the random beauty of real-world tools.
Anyway, sounds like a mid-life (mid-career?) crises unfolding…. just breathe deep. ;)
May 27th, 2008 #
hey ray,
i have been struggling with line weight for a while. i like some effects of digital line that do not vary in weight. it has a nice creepy lo-fi, digi look, but since i have wanted to try to change up my lines ala coop, you, etc… to get a SOLID look. within those endeavors i have not really dealt with the weight in a way that does that. what my mind wants to do is just make more lines to describe what maybe a single line could. i really enjoy the high contrast noir look you have achieved on the alien but i just cant seem to do it.
any advice?
May 28th, 2008 #
I really like how you put texture inside the line work.I had no idea you had that Flickr stuff, way cool shit man:) Did you get my past e-mail?
May 28th, 2008 #
I did, I did. I just haven’t had a chance to respond. The above lineart is the first thing I’ve drawn for fun in about two weeks. As soon as I get these jobs out of the way I want to work on our collab.
May 28th, 2008 #
fuckin’ a :)
May 30th, 2008 #
And this is why for the last 25 years those old farts (meaning my peers) have been leery of digital. If you think it’s tough to get these brushes to work now, imagine back then. And, as you know, twice burned…
May 31st, 2008 #
d!, I just noticed your comment. I read your blog and saw that you already have a pretty solid grasp for line. I’d say draw from life. Just try to keep form in mind, making the lines correspond to weight and light. You’re more than halfway there, for sure.
Charlie, I hear ya. If it weren’t for a couple of choice programs, things would still be bad for lineart. I ain’t pushin’ no nodes!
Jun 1st, 2008 #
Hey Ray, I haven’t checked in on your blog for a while and agree somewhat with your views on line variation. It has always been a sign of a polished inker in comics as well as illustration. It is exactly what drew me to MS in the first place. I spent countless hours getting comfortable with sable brushes and ink untill it felt comfortable before I got a Wacom.
That said, I think it really depends on the style an artist is going for. Some of the more polished ink jobs almost look like a 70′s comic book when compared to stuff like Mike Giant is doing with Sharpies and Charles Burns with technical ink pens. There are a lot of artists turning out fresh original stuff with practically single width line work.
I’ve also taken a step backwards and work with traditional media. I mainly use digital to get everything laid out and work out the colors but enjoy holding a real brush again.
Anyway, love your new stuff and congrats on the album cover.
Jun 2nd, 2008 #
I totally agree. It takes all kinds. This is just a diatribe on how I approach things.
I had no idea Burns used technical pens. Weird.
Jun 3rd, 2008 #
I could be wrong on that…remember reading something about technical pens back when Burn’s work was appearing in RAW (really wish I’d kept those).
May 18th, 2009 #
I really dig the brushwork on this. If you don’t mind me asking, what kind of brush/ brushpen did you use?
May 19th, 2009 #
Pentel Brushpens, DaVinci round sables, the usual suspects. Been leaning towards traditional more of late.