How to Ink a Sketch for Scanning
Inking finalizes a drawing and takes it from a sketch to a permanent work of art. Inkers use special pens, brushes, and inks to replace rough pencil lines with professional, easily reproducible lines. If the sketch is to be scanned, inking makes it clear and bold so the scanner can pick it up completely.
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Instructions
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Outline the shadow areas that will be filled with black. Make the outlines using a fine pointed rapidograph pen. Mark each the interiors of these sections with an "X" so there is no confusion between shadow and negative space.
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Spot fill the large black areas. Cover the majority of the white space using a wide bristled brush dipped into black ink. Leave a 1/8th inch margin between thecurrent working area and the rapidograph outline to avoid getting ink into unwanted places. Fill in that margin with a brush pen.
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Decide which lines in the sketch are the darkest. Thicker lines are used to indicate areas where small shadows form. Use the spotted shadows as a guide to determine light direction. Draw over the darker areas with a brush pen to begin lending shape and dimensionality to the sketch.
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Indicate highlights with thinner lines. Use a rapidograph pen to draw the lines in the brightest areas.
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Fill in the mid tones with a brush pen to create contrast and form. Connect the highlights and shadows to finish indicating the shapes in the sketch. Vary the angle of the pen to change the thickness of the lines, starting thin at the highlights and working toward the thicker, darker lines. Adjust line thickness and add crosshatching to accentuate curves and texture as desired. Let the ink dry completely.
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Cover any mistakes or thin out any lines with white correction fluid. Run an eraser back and forth across the page to get rid of any pencil, leaving only the ink to be scanned.
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References
- Photo Credit Hemera Technologies/Photos.com/Getty Images
