Hello, loyal readers. This blog post is going live as I’m over in the Tar Heel State (that’s North Carolina to the uninitiated). Today, I’m going to share another inked page from Sunnyville Stories episode 6.
Remember the pencils to page 3 of our story? I had a considerable crowd shot there of the Sunnyville Junior Theater Club.
As you remember, this was a crowd shot. I’ve got the Eftirmatur brothers, Alexander and Magnolia Talbot, and both Von Straussen siblings.
Inking comics has always been my favorite part of the process. It allows me to create finished artwork that will be reproduced and it makes the artwork come “alive”. Plus I have some enjoyment in picking out what tools to use. See that wooden crate in the lower left foreground. I used a brush with that for both the edge of the box and those woodgrain lines. I could have used a pen, but the brush allows for thicker lines and that was necessary for an item in the extreme foreground. See my first and second tutorials on how to ink with a brush for more information.
The composition took some time to plan as well, both during the pencils and inking stage. The real challenge (when you’re handling a crowd scene) is to not clutter up your image. I had to be careful not to do that here with the Sunnyville crowd here. If you want some good examples to refer to in how to not clutter up a page, I recommend you look at the work of Marvel/DC superstar Jack Kirby.
That’s it for now. Subscribe to the RSS feed or via email if you haven’t already. Also remember to buy a copy of Sunnyville Stories Volume 1. Since the price will go up early next year, you may want to go and buy a copy today before the price increase goes into effect. You can get a copy at Indy Planet, from Desert Island of Williamsburg, and the Housing Works Bookstore Cafe.
See you next time.
