I finished page 4 of my story this week and although it is not the masterfully-inked page I wish it was I definitely had a major breakthrough in my process of trying to become a better inker. Halfway through this page I pulled my old Crow-quill pen nibs out of a drawer and found that not only do these ten year old things still work but they come much closer to giving me the type of line work I'm trying to achieve.
Click below for the full page, minus tone and lettering.
Comments (8)
Rich,
I agree with you about the break-thru. The crowquill has made your line more confident looking for sure. I really like where this is going and can't wait to see the finished product. Sweet!!!!
peace,
Herc
Posted by Herc | August 30, 2006 7:45 AM
Posted on August 30, 2006 07:45
I agree with Herc, real nice looking stuff. The Crowquill is a fun tool to play with.
-John
Posted by John | August 30, 2006 8:30 AM
Posted on August 30, 2006 08:30
Rich, let me add to the chorus, this is gorgeous line work. Really striking and bold... at this magnification, almost reminds me of a linocut.
Technical question: Do you immerse the croquill nib in ink, or use the eyedropper? One thing that has always gotten me with dip pens is that sometimes I'll have enough ink to draw for several minutes, other times I run out after a single pen stroke. I have always felt that if I could get this part more consistent, it would improve my pacing and rhythm when drawing.
Posted by Tess | August 30, 2006 10:44 AM
Posted on August 30, 2006 10:44
Yeah I just dip them into the ink. The reason I hadn't thought about using them in years is that depending on the condition they are in and the surface you are working on they can splatter on you at a moment's notice or like you said run out of ink after one line. In college I used to use them a lot and incorporated all of the splatter into the piece. But now I want something cleaner so in my mind I equated pen nibs with splatter but if used right you can get a very crisp line with them.
Posted by Rich | August 30, 2006 11:42 AM
Posted on August 30, 2006 11:42
Go check out the inking tutorial Rich Posted- use a small cup or something to dip you nib/brush into, not the actual bottle. this way the amount of ink you load is always consistent, and you get the same line consistancy(sp) everytime.
Posted by John | August 30, 2006 11:52 AM
Posted on August 30, 2006 11:52
Tess,
You need to read the whole tutorial that Rich posted. It explains the crowquill process pretty in depth. It has to do a lot with the ink level of the container you are dipping your pen in. And trying to have the level stay the same. It was a really good tutorial. It gave me a lot to think about for sure.
Peace,
Herc
Posted by Herc | August 30, 2006 11:53 AM
Posted on August 30, 2006 11:53
For some reason I thought that inking tutorial was only on brushes, but I see now that I am wrong. Will do, thx!
Posted by Tess | August 30, 2006 3:59 PM
Posted on August 30, 2006 15:59
You should try a Hunt 101 or 102 for size ... they're super flexible and are a step beyond the crowquill. Anyway, throw away those awful Micron thingies and put some character in your line with crowquills, nibs and brushes!
~T
Posted by TomD. | August 31, 2006 12:38 PM
Posted on August 31, 2006 12:38