How to Add Ink for Manga
As manga becomes more and more available, many readers with artistic abilities put pen to paper and create their own manga. Tablets, digital imaging programs and digital screentones are all useful tools, but some people prefer to create manga traditionally with pen and paper. If you have your story written out, your script finalized, and your preliminary sketches complete, you're ready to ink your manga.
Other People Are Reading
Things You'll Need
- Light table
- Pencil drawing on manga manuscript paper
- Background sketch
- Pigma 005 pen
- Art gum eraser
- Dip pen with assorted nibs
- India ink
Instructions
-
-
1
Turn on your light table and lay your rough pencil drawing on top of it.
-
2
Use your Pigma 005 pen to ink the foreground. Run your pen along the same path multiple times to draw heavier lines. Stop periodically to give the ink a chance to dry--you don't want to accidentally smudge your artwork with your hand.
-
-
3
Use your Pigma 005 pen to ink the background. Refer to the background sketch, which is on a separate piece of paper, for your setting. You are likely to only have very minimal background art on your preliminary sketch. Again, take care not to draw too quickly. Allow the ink time to dry.
-
4
Erase your pencil marks with your art gum eraser.
-
5
Consider your artwork. What will you shade with ink? What will you shade with screentones?
-
6
Decide what nib will best help you fill large areas of black. Insert it in your pen.
-
7
Dip your pen into the India ink and shade in the large areas of black.
-
8
Repeat for smaller areas, developing the image by enhancing its texture and form with your ink work. Change nibs as necessary and move slowly enough so that you do not smear your ink before it dries.
-
1
Tips & Warnings
Rub an eraser against inked areas to lighten them if you wish.
Use correction fluid to add brilliant bits of white to your ink work. You may dilute it in water for a thinner wash, flick dots of correction fluid from the brush connected to the cap, or use a toothbrush to obtain the desired effect.
Experiment with different brands of ink. Dr. Ph. Martin's matte ink and Higgins ink are two brands popular with American inkers.
Experiment with different nibs for your dip pen. Nikko, Tachikawa and Zebra are three major manufacturers who create nibs for manga artists in Japan.
Though your light table is an excellent tool for tracing from one sheet of paper to another, it also provides excellent contrast for inking over pencil lines on a single sheet of paper.
