Inking On Paper Again

Since my experience with GBS I've been inking almost exclusively on my iPad. I've gotten quite adept at it and the process I've developed offers some advantages even beyond aiding my recently damaged nerves. But there's still something about inking on paper that I just love, and I've missed it dearly. So I've started relearning and reshaping my process so that I might again ink on paper, at least when I want to.

The main thing that's facilitated this has been using the Kuretake brush pen recommended by Ryan Andrews. This pen is great, and it's just much easier to use for me than a brush. I still have some problems controlling the brush, and I'm still prone to dropping it, for some reason. But the brush pen's fat form has stayed firmly in my grip through much experimenting, and so I decided to try making a finished work with it.

This piece was a zombie portrait I did for some friends of mine. I originally pencilled it on 11"x17" bristol. Then scanned it into my iPad for inking. The iPad inks look like this:

DeliciousBrainsOrPoochesOfDeath

Once I was done and my friends were happy, I decided to take a stab at inking the actual pencils on paper. I think it came out pretty well:

ZombieFriends-Merged-MED

While there are things I really like about the iPad version, for the most part I really prefer the hand-inked one. I'm partial, of course; I just love original comic work, it's something I just love looking at.

It's also something I can give to people. So now I can actually give my friends this original drawing, which I expect will look much nicer than a digital print.

At any rate, I'm psyched to be inking on paper again, and pretty pleased at all the drawing options I've developed since getting sick. My illness, while a total drag, has at least pushed me in some new directions. And that's not the worst thing ever.

Pens & Inks

My hands are finally getting their coordination back. And hallelujah! It's great to be drawing on paper again, though I've been laying off the brush. It's just too much trouble and too messy to risk with my spazzy fingers. My medical travails, however, have once again sparked my interest in alternative drawing tools. Case in point: the recently discovered Kuretake brush pen, as seen on Ryan Andrews' excellent blog. After seeing what he did with it, I just figured I had to try one out. Amazingly, the thing makes lines that are surprisingly comparable to the ones I make with my favorite brush.

Kuretake-Sketches

The advantages are numerous. For one, there's no messy prep and no messy cleanup. You want to draw, you just pop the cap off and start drawing; when you're done, put the cap back on and put the pen away. No cleanup. No ink siphoning. The pen uses disposable, replaceable ink cartridges, so you'll occasionally need to replace these. But not every time you draw. Also, the grip is pen-like and a bit easier for my nerve damaged hands to grip. And because it's a pen, it's portable.

There are, of course, downsides as well. The Kuretake-plus-cartridge-replacement combo is likely a tad more expensive than brush and ink. And maybe not quite as expressive. And surely you can't use the brush pen to fill large areas of black as easily. But the primary downside is that the ink that comes with the Kuretake is not even remotely waterproof. This may be fixable, however.

I've since purchased Platinum Carbon Ink cartridges that are compatible with the Kuretake. The Carbon ink is reported to be extremely waterproof. I haven't tried it in my brush pen yet, but I did pick up a Platinum Desk Pen that uses the same cartridges and, if the pen is any indication, it does seem to be quite waterproof indeed.

PlatinumCarbonFoutainPen-Sketch

In addition to my brush pen, the Platinum Carbon Desk Fountain Pen has been quite a revelation. I've tried nib pens, which I like, but which are finicky and suffer from all the same dipping and cleanup issues as brushes. I've tried Rapidograph technical pens, which are also a bear to clean. But this fountain pen is as good as any of them, and in true pen form, it's a snap to use.

What all this ease-of-use means is one basic, but very important thing: I draw more. And that's pretty awesome.

A Convert

Disabled

As readers of this site will likely be aware, I produce a webcomic called Malcontent. Malcontent is drawn in a very traditional way. I pencil the images on drawing paper and then ink them using india ink and brush. This is a laborious process that requires a great deal of fine motor control and manual dexterity. But I've been inking on and off for decades now, and I do okay. For me it is a fairly straightforward affair that I can do relatively quickly and with a minimum of mistakes. And I love doing it. I love inking.

As readers of this site might also be aware, I am currently recovering from Guillain-Barre Syndrome (GBS). This has affected my nerves, and, in particular, the nerves in my hands have lost a good deal of fine motor control. The last time I inked a Malcontent strip it was a disaster. I managed to get through it, but I had a rough time controlling my lines, and had to make all sorts of corrections with ProWhite. I ended up doing a lot of the detail work with pen and at one point I even dropped my ink-laden brush on the paper, making a giant blotch that had to be whited out. Though rationally I realize that in most cases GBS sufferers make a complete recovery, I admit I started to despair that I might never regain enough function in my hands to ink again, or that I'd at least have to put Malcontent on hold until I did.

The iPad Can Draw

Not long before I got sick I'd received an iPad for my birthday. I'd wanted one to help me with my comics, figuring it'd be useful as a sketch pad for roughing out ideas. But I quickly discovered numerous great drawing and painting apps for the device. With the addition of a stylus to the mix I started to be able to make fairly sophisticated drawings and paintings. I've been drawing up a storm ever since, and it's been a blast. I'm even working on a set of drawings about my experience with GBS.

treatment

And, though it took some time to figure out, I've finally managed to devise a method for inking Malcontent on my iPad. Now, when I make a Malcontent, I pencil it on the paper (try as I might, I can't seem to get the right feel if I pencil it on the iPad), photograph the penciled work directly onto the iPad, then ink in Procreate using the pencils as a reference layer.

pencils-on-ipad

The iPad-inked work looks a bit different than the hand-inked stuff, but I think it's close enough that it doesn't change the tone of the strip, and some of the changes I actually like. Since most of the process is now digital, it's actually faster, easier and more consistent to work this way. And I no longer have to scan and correct inked pages, which is a huge time saver and convenience!

inks-on-ipad

Technology Saves the Day (Again!)

But the best thing about the iPad is that it's actually allowing me to work past my disability. While my function is limited I can still use the iPad to do fine line work. There are two things about the iPad that make this feasible: zoom and undo. With the ability to zoom into the page, fine linework is no longer difficult because it's no longer fine. I can now make lines far thinner than I'd ever need to just as easily as I can the fattest line on the page. And with undo I no longer have to worry about the mistakes my often spastic hands make, or correct those mistakes after the fact. I can make corrections immediately and as often as necessary. I can screw up all I want!

A few years ago, best case scenario, I would've needed to take a break from certain types of cartooning, and in particular, I'd have had to either suffer through a much-compromised hand-inking process or put Malcontent on hiatus. But the iPad has changed all that. With the iPad, and the amazing drawing apps available to it, I can get on with my creative life almost immediately after suffering from a debilitating paralytic disorder.

I used to be one of the people who thought that the iPad was only good for content consumption. But I've been converted. The iPad is an amazing and extremely versatile drawing and painting tool. (I'm sure there's other stuff you can do on it as well.)

And while I still love inking with brush on paper (and miss it dearly, but mark my words I will do it again), I love drawing on my iPad just as much.