Inking is an important skill for many artists, and mastering it takes time. We at RetroSupply Co. believe in working smarter, not harder and that's why we've collected many tips and tricks from years of experience to help you.
Our concise list of 10 tips for improving your inking won't make you a master overnight. Instead, these are effective techniques you can incorporate daily to make inking easier and more enjoyable.
You'll be surprised how quickly you'll improve!
In this video, our guest artist, Matt, uses our Inferno Ink pack of inking brushes in Procreate. You can use any inking brushes or software you like, and these tips will still apply. The point is to find what works best for you so that you can incorporate these tips in a way that will spell success.
Hand selected by veteran cartoonist Ed Vill, Inferno Ink is a one stop shop for all your new favorite inking brushes. Includes dozens of unqiue brushes for any style or situation.
A good brush pack will have a variety of distinct brushes.
The first and most important tip to get better inking is to know what tool you are using. Just as traditional tools have different appearances and uses, the same can be said of digital inking brushes.
Take the time to play with your brushes to get to know them.
Identifying the similarities and differences between brushes will make you feel more comfortable using them in the future. You will know what works best in what situation and your aesthetic preferences.
💡But Wait There's More: If you're looking for more tips on how to better familiarize yourself with your tools, check out our article on using new tools more confidently.
Every software has its own brush settings menu. Take the time to familiarize yourself with it.
Whether you are using stock brushes that come with your software, or premium brushes that you've purchased (such as Inferno Ink used in this tutorial) you may still want to customize them.
Learning your software's brush settings will not only give you the keys to understanding that software better, but it also unlocks a world of endless customization possibilities. Fine tune a brush to fit your individual needs and style of working so that your tools work with you instead of the other way around.
Procreate and other software have both universal and individual stabilization settings.
Modern image software all contain some variation of "stabilization" which allows for smoother–and at times more precise–brush strokes. Depending on your software you will have global stabilization which applies to every brush, individual stabilization settings, or both.
How much stabilization you need will depend on your current skill level and level of comfort. Stabilization for some presents its own challenges, and too much can make your work look stiff and unattractive. Shoot for a happy medium that allows you to comfortably express yourself.
Utilize tools like undo as often as you need.
Traditional art is still relevant in the modern age, but digital art allows us certain luxuries that we would be foolish not to take advantage of while we work.
Like stabilization mentioned above, we also have undo/redo, using multiple layers, layer and clipping masks, and many other helpful tools that will drastically improve your art.
Utilizing them to help you create your vision with your hands isn't cheating. Rather, it's a means to an end, a way to express yourself. As you improve, you will always be adding and removing techniques, especially as software updates and incorporates new features.
💡But Wait There's More: New to digital art or just aren't sure what the differences are between layer and clipping masks? Our handy guide to masks and channels has you covered.
Confident lines can take practice, but are much more attractive.
Confidence in your line work may be one of the most important skills to focus on to improve your work. Depending on how you approach it, it might also take the longest to master.
Avoid short, scratchy strokes that give your work a jagged and amateur look. This often comes from not using enough of your body to draw a line. Drawing from your wrist or fingers won't give you the range of motion necessary to lay down long, attractive lines.
Try drawing from your shoulder using your whole arm and quick, sweeping movements. It's okay to overshoot your lines while doing this. Your work will have more liveliness, and you can always erase what doesn't work for the illustration.
Soften intersections of harsh lines to create depth and cohesion.
The intersection of two perpendicular lines is known as a T-Point. These areas of your artwork can be stark and feel disconnected.
Connecting these points can improve the cohesiveness of your work and introduce opportunities for creating more depth and shadows.
Another bonus of this technique is that it creates subtle stylization, making your work look distinct, polished, and intentionally made.
Lower the opacity of your sketch so you aren't tempted to copy it too closely.
You might have run into the problem of your inking losing all the dynamic quality and interest of your sketch. This is likely due to trying to follow your sketch too closely and not letting the inking shine on its own.
Think of your sketch as a blueprint or starting guide. Lower the opacity until you can barely see it, and pay attention to how your inking is building on top of it. Your inking should improve the foundation that the sketch established and give it life.
Watching artists you admire ink is a great way to learn. When you have some time available check out something like Robin Banks' Wolf Wax live draw to see the full inking process.
Varying line weight serves as a method of conveying light and shadow.
Line weight variation is one aspect of inking that can often distinguish amateurs from professionals.
Inking should be able to stand alone with or without color or other stylistic elements. An illustration using lines all the same width is boring and can often cause important focal points to get lost.
When inking, consider your light source and the volume of your subjects. Anything closer to your light source should have thin (or even no) lines, while anything further away or obstructed will have thicker lines or heavy areas of black.
Take the time to study the fundamentals of form building and, if possible, draw from life so you can see how these concepts can be applied in your work. The more you practice, the less you'll rely on references.
Hand selected by veteran cartoonist Ed Vill, Inferno Ink is a one stop shop for all your new favorite inking brushes. Includes dozens of unqiue brushes for any style or situation.
Texture is an easy way to give your work realism and visual interest.
Artists throughout history haven't solely relied on ink to define their artwork, and neither should you. Allow your work to shine by incorporating retro textures with tools like halftone brushes to bring it from flat to fabulous.
These elements can help bring your work into a particular era you might be trying to recreate or just break up empty space and give it more visual appeal.
Try using print defects, ink splatters, paper folds, and other visual effects to give your work the look of real ink on paper. But be mindful to use them sparingly and reference real-life sources to ensure you aren't too heavy-handed. Doing so effectively will tell a story with your work that attracts a broad audience.
Flipping your canvas is one of many ways to get perspective of how your illustration looks as a whole.
With digital art, it's tempting to zoom in and focus on the areas where you're working to the detriment of the whole illustration. Stepping back from your work gives you perspective on how the entire illustration is fairing. You'll quickly notice any glaring mistakes that would have otherwise been missed.
Try some of these techniques:
There are as many different ways to ink your work as there are artists. How you approach the topic and what works for you will be something you identify through a lot of trial and error. Still, some tried and true tips can help you create more attractive and professional work.
These tips aren't just great for inking, though. Many of these points, such as stepping back from your work, paying attention to lighting, incorporating texture, and more, are good to remember throughout the entire art process.
Take the time to bookmark this page so you can come back to it and practice the tips we've outlined. You'll be able to look at your work over the weeks or months and see a big improvement.
Watch the full process of creating an illustration from sketch to inking to coloring and texture work in this 90 minute live drawing recording.
Learn how to use clipping masks, layer masks, and alpha lock in this easy to understand tutorial for Procreate. This article includes plenty of visual examples and animated GIFS to demonstrate concepts.
Whether you’re already familiar with Procreate or opening it for the first time, we’ll be looking at our top20 features and gestures to help you move around the Procreate interface like a pro!
