Lettering Episode 6 with Speedball Nibs

The pencils for Sunnyville Stories episode 6 have been finished.  I’m inking and lettering the pages as this blog post goes live.  Something is different however this time around.  Some of you know out there that for the first five stories (which I refer to “episodes”), I used Pilot V-Razor Point markers to letter my pages.  I had some problems however with that.  When I erased my pencil lines after lettering and initial ink lines, that led to fading.

I needed something better for lettering my comics.  So I chose a new tool – the Speedball C6 nib!

Pictured on the left is the old Pilot pen I would use for my lettering.  On the right is the C6 nib along with its plastic holder.  This method of lettering my comics is a bit more labor-intensive.  I have to dip the nib into my bottle of ink from time to time.  However, the results have been a whole lot better for me.  My letters look…well, a picture is worth a thousand words.  Let’s have a closer look at the old against new method.  

Here’s an example of what I was talking about. This is a sample of an initially inked page from Sunnyville Stories episode 5.  As you can see there, the letters inked by the Pilot pen faded.

This was done with the Speedball C6 nib dipped in India ink. Not only do the letters look much better, but the India ink can stand up to being erased to remove the pencil lines nearby.

Here are some more page samples of the pages to Sunnyville Stories episode 6 that I’ve lettered so far. That nib is very handy and I may have to use it from now on.

If you’re curious about nibs and other tools for lettering your comics, check back to the lettering tutorial I did.

This Saturday, I plan to have a blog post up on the cover for the sixth comic.  That’s all for today, loyal readers.  Be sure you subscribe via RSS feed or through email if you haven’t already.  Also follow the sync on Newsgrape.  Be sure to stop by Indy Planet to buy your copy of my first book, Sunnyville Stories Volume 1, as well as my other comics – or you can get them a copy over at Desert Island of Brooklyn, New York.  As always, your feedback is appreciated.  What’s your opinion?  We’d like to know.