Traditional vs Modern Inking Tools

David Finch covers traditional comic inking tools, like the Series 7 Winsor & Newton sable brush and a nib holder, and compares them with modern tools like Micron pens. He also shares techniques for precise inking over pencils, highlighting challenges like ink spills and paper damage. There’s additional info on learning how to achieve detailed lines and the benefits of using contemporary inking methods.
Check out David’s full comic course for more instruction on creating a comic page from start to finish - proko.com/comicpage
CHAPTERS:
00:00 - Intro
00:23 - Materials
01:55 - Traditional Tools
11:05 - Modern Tools
26:56 - Outro
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ABOUT PROKO:
Instructional How to Draw videos for artists. My drawing lessons are approachable enough for beginners and detailed enough for advanced artists. My philosophy is to teach timeless concepts in an entertaining way. I believe that when you are having fun, you learn better. I take pride in producing high-quality videos that you will enjoy watching and re-watching.
CREDITS:
Artist | Instructor - David Finch (‪@DavidFinchartist‬)
Producer - Stan Prokopenko (www.stanprokopenko.com), Sean Ramsey (www.peoplewhodrawstuff.com)
Production Assistance - Patrick Bosworth, Sean Ramsey
Editing - Patrick Bosworth (www.patrickdavidbosworth.com)
Publishing - John Birchall, Alex Otis

[@ProkoTV]

If you enjoyed this lesson, check out the previous one where David sketches out the panels for this comic - kzbin.info/www/bejne/gmiQnJl7rLeVq5Ysi=I_TJ3RqtnNCI83pz

[@gheedra2708]

For some people who may wonder why people would even still bother using traditional methods of inking, and not just digital. Don't forget a side source of income for some professionals, is selling original art. Some people will even go as far as to save the pencils, scan in into their pc, then print the pencils in light blue on another piece of paper, and ink on that, allowing them to sell both the original pencilwork, and the inked drawings separately.

[@Lamonticus]

Also for some, the traditional tools just feel better.

[@JH-pe3ro]

It really is a different medium to ink traditionally - even though digital can get any look if you permit enough time, I've seen digital artists spend way too much time sculpting something that is literally one stroke of a manga G-nib or a brush. You're limited in developing that kind of technique in digital because the tablet surface and pen body are different, have different friction, don't have any interactions with wet ink or paper, and don't respond to angle or pressure in the same way - if you want the tactility of pressing down on a brush, you have to use a brush. But you can get most of digital's benefits if you ink traditionally and then "fix it in post". If you're publishing from digital, it really isn't a big deal to mess up because you can just put the paper on a light pad and redo the parts that didn't work, then composite it after.

[@meruem392]

😊😊😊😊

[@johngddr5288]

@@JH-pe3ro Ive seen that with digital inkers too. If you see some of McFarlane's digital inks, you can see how dead and overworked they feel compared to his traditional.

[@Jaydoom]

​@Lamonticus , That's how it is for me. I'm much better doing traditional then I do on digital

[@sadrecliner7201]

David finch Is one of my favorite artists! Thanks proko for having him on again!

[@SketchWithJim]

David is an amazing artist, he is definitely one of those artists I buy regardless of the book title. His work is truly awe-inspiring.

[@Djoarhet001]

Around when I was 12 years old I took 3 years of comicbook drawing lessons.This video unlokcked memories of many ink splatter battles with those nibs. It required a lot of focus and even then it still happened all the time. Smearing ink with your ruler was the worst. I remember we even had to scrape away paper when we really messed up. Nowadays I use my Pentel brush pen when I want to ink something. It's a different model from the one in this video but it's one of my absolute favorite tools. Highly recommend.

[@Arkhivez]

One of the fastest videos I ever clicked on.

[@Anon-cp6bm]

Also, remember that the type of ink heavily influences the type of lines you get as well as how well the ink flows through the nib. Also, crosshatching with the three forefingers: thumb, index, and middle finger, will allow for tighter and faster strokes, and if you have excellent muscle control you can achieve beautiful crosshatching, as long as that hatching has a consistent flow that doesn’t go against the form of the object

[@humanharddrive1]

i really liked the subtle sound edits 😺 they really help illustrate whatever you're talking about

[@chiptenor]

Great demonstration! Very comprehensive in explanation, both in materials and procedure. Thank you to David Finch and Stan P. (both great artists) for having him on Proko. Excellent!

[@3polygons]

Really lovely watch. As someone who loves the craft (both inking and penciling) that was delightful.

[@bloocheez3]

I love David Finch. Dude is a legend.

[@ElderRaceofMan]

Deciding how to apply blacks would be a useful topic. There are so many possible ways to approach the same pencil image. Every artist has their own method of dealing with it. It can be hard to know where to stop along the way and not overdo it as well as deciding when and were to apply shadow groups vs dense cross hatching. Maybe start with a pencil sketch and show various methods and stages along the way.

[@Pastromi93]

Awesome video, great information on tools and workflow. Totally want to see more!

[@bakedbeings]

Thanks for all the great lessons, David 🙏

[@jeffantonio1627]

great video! honestly one of my favourite inking tools over all is a bamboo reed pen. very beginner friendly, very fun

[@1MightyR]

Great tutorial and Awesome edits! 🔥🔥🔥

[@rileyninja9733]

What blows me away is that most Japanese artist draw without touching the paper

[@A0A4ful]

Hey Proko! Superb content as always! These BTS are so wonderful to watch. Earlier, comic book fan-atics would pore over the names and long list of the contributors. Rarely knowing the process of the artwork. Like the films' BTS, we'd love to see a whole comic process (even in time lapse videos) from ideas, scripts, sketches, pencils, inking, coloring, etc right to the hands of the buyers...

[@PhilowenAster]

I do both tools, having very recently started working with brushes and nibs as well as traditional pens...and something I've discovered about the traditional stuff that I like a lot more than the Micron pens and such is that when I erase, the India ink doesn't turn lighter like the Micron or Sakura pens will. I've had some of my finer lines completely disappear on me before, and have to go over the inks again before I try to scan them. Using a brush or a crowquill, that doesn't happen.

[@ElderRaceofMan]

When I used traditional tools, I used to use a clear ruler with some thin plastic dots I superglued to the underside to raise it off the page even more that normal.

[@babuchintalapudi5127]

Thank you so much! This is extremely useful for beginners who wanna make a comic like me!

[@ProkoTV]

Glad it helps!

[@TheArtOfJerry]

I need this video. To give extra spark.

[@alvinarenas5396]

I love all your videos proko

[@JeffreySalazar-dr3ex]

i absolutely agree!

[@danmagoo]

Great video, thank you. Long ago as a wannabe cartoonist, I strongly felt that the old-school pens were the *only* tool for "real" cartoonists, and that felt tips were a cheat. So I struggled and swore and blotched and scraped, wondering how the pros could use crow quills so easily while it's such a hassle for me. (Eventually I switched to mostly fountain pens, a compromise.) It's so fantastic to hear you explain as a solid pro that you have the same issues with dip pens, and are happy with good alternatives like the Tombow hard brush pen (excellent choice!) or a Micron pen. And I will check out your white-line pen. Thanks again!

[@chuckramos]

I love that Tombow pen, it's one of my favs

[@AboubakerArtist]

Yaaaaay!! Video about inking

[@zappasmoustache23]

Those Tombow pens are excellent highly recommend them, i barely use my microns anymore.

[@marcarper]

Awesome! Thanks You for this video😊

[@Jay-ql4gp]

Thank you so much! Yeah, that ink is gonna spill. I prefer the maru nib over the Hunt 102, it has the right amount of flex for me. And the Tombow Fudenosuke. I love that thing. Speaking of aging Tombows, I label mine so that I know which one is which right off the bat.

[@tonyshaw13]

I prefer using a fountain pen than a dip pen, same effects with out the constant dipping it to the ink, that and less chance of an ink spill

[@badicecream2913]

That's awesome. What kind of fountain pen do you use? I still haven't been able to find one that can get a similar effect to mapping nibs: P

[@paul329869]

Wonderful video.

[@pepelepeau]

So Good!

[@Jhonwick-yi6zn]

Amazing!👍

[@Mustdoit1233]

Great video

[@sushidub]

I’ve been drawing this way for years. The process that is. Pencil. Pen. Erasure. I had no idea going over the pencil lines with my pen can be considered ‘inking’. Always thought the term referred to some sacred illi/artist thing. 😮

[@Mosey410]

Have you tried Molotow One 4 All paint pens Art Primo sells them and a .01mm plastic nib that is wonderful. Check them out they ship to the lower 48 fast and if u don’t like the pens the nibs would fit the Posca you’re using. Cheers

[@stoatystoat174]

09:46 upsidedown ruler for pen lines is great tip. Feel a bit of a simpleton for never thinking of it :)

[@tyrawr4394]

Man I wish the Tachikawa T40 was more cheaper, it's very expensive in my country.

[@28paulp]

I prefer the messiness of the traditional tools like the dip pen

[@y0bc0]

😎

[@cookietoonam116]

Me too!

[@Mike_does_something]

It is just relaxing to draw ❤

[@kollatt]

david is the man.

[@ProkoTV]

Agreed!

[@rsa4510]

I have always wondered how the old illustrators, especially Gibson, did their ink drawings. Did they typically do a pencil sketch too, or were they so good that they just blasted out sketches (Gibson Girls are a good example) in ink directly? Would love to know, if anyone has input. Thanks for the nice video.

[@y0bc0]

fucking awesome video

[@ProkoTV]

Thanks!

[@kingmeulens]

Do most comic artists/mangakas pencil and ink pages traditionally like so? David Finch, Ryan Benjamin, Akira Toriyama, etc?

[@ProkoTV]

It depends on the artist. Some artists use both, like Ryan Benjamin, who you mentioned. Many have a preference but they can often use either one and the project's necessities will motivate their choice of mediums. Some artists like Rosemary Valero-O'Connell work with both in the same project. Pencilling on paper and then inking and coloring digitally.

[@andrewalvarez7389]

Having trouble finding much on composition and perspective when it has to do with drawing a cover. Does this course have that?

[@ProkoTV]

It does cover composition, lay out and thumbnailing your compositions. You can actually view all the lessons and their descriptions, whether you have the course or not. Try poking through them and see if this covers some of what you're looking for! You can check that out here: www.proko.com/course/creating-a-comic-page/lessons

[@andrewalvarez7389]

@@ProkoTV perfect! Thank you!

[@richardabia9735]

Hey, Proko , Do comic book artists also draw and ink digitally ? Like, on a computer ?

[@ProkoTV]

Absolutely! It'll depend on the artist's preference or the requirements of the project. Digital is great for working with people in a different country, for art that needs to be isolated and manipulated quickly and more. Here's a video of Ryan Benjamin, who you often see working traditionally on our channel, inking digitally: kzbin.info/www/bejne/e2HLeJicp5xsd6csi=6-pvcuGNaN8cDf3-

[@richardabia9735]

@@ProkoTV Thank you so much Proko. God bless you. I will definitely check it out.

[@bozoclown2098]

Make it assembly line to increase output. Deligate to pro/dedicate/specialist.

[@bozoclown2098]

So much is not considered( thought about). BLESS COMIC ARTIST.

[@jabulaniharvey-stinkycheese]

left-handed 🎉🎉❤❤

[@pelelamon9410]

nice

[@supersonico9364]

Nice 👍

[@timpeterson87]

My computer took a dirt nap 5 years ago and that was before I started drawing comics. I decided to use traditional tools out of necessity and I like it better than photoshop.

[@JimmyReyesArt]

Hey Proko what do you say we do a digital inking tutorial colab? You can ask Dave about my work.

[@ProkoTV]

No need to ask Dave! You've clearly got great stuff on your channel. DM'd you on Instagram 😁

[@JimmyReyesArt]

@@ProkoTV I’ll reply back on Instagram soon.

[@riolubis8601]

Quick questions, Which ones cheaper?

[@ProkoTV]

There's not really a 1:1 comparison for that since we're talking about such a wide range of tools. Some are even reusable, some aren't. Sorry we don't have a more distinct answer for you!

[@StandaloneVR]

Hi, do you recharge the pentel brush? Doesn't the ink empty too quickly in comparison to traditional techniques?

[@ProkoTV]

Yes, you can refill the brush pen being used here. It's up to you and your preference whether you want to being dipping and cleaning your brush or refilling it over time. For our experience, the one he's using last for a very long time and leads to less technical issue. But there's something about using that old style brush and inkwell that feels great too!

[@StandaloneVR]

@@ProkoTV perfect, thank you very much for your your kindness. do you remember which ink do you use to refill it?

[@ProkoTV]

@@StandaloneVR this will depend on the type of pen you get. Some are just hollow and you can put whatever you want into them, while others are cartridges or other refilling/reloading situations. Some will even use a small syringe to refill the standard pentel fude pen. You can find videos on that here on KZbin. Give them each a try and see what fits your use case!

[@StandaloneVR]

@@ProkoTV Thx super, I'll check it out. ❤️

[@wizoldsages]

Do you ink directly over the pencil?

[@ProkoTV]

That's what David's doing here and seems to be the most common but isn't the only way you'll see artists work. Usually, the artists are using a good, soft pencil/lead in combination with an eraser they prefer that allows them to erase the pencil marks without damaging the inking. For that, many artists like using Pentel's plastic Ain erasers. Hope that info helps!

[@wizoldsages]

@@ProkoTV super interesting thank you for explaining:)

[@kidkique]

05:22 I've got some ink - yeah that's a nice tattoo

[@wellington66440]

finch must be a big fan of marc silvestri

[@samankucher5117]

its David :0

[@waddahabdo7273]

We are in need for you

[@10hp88]

You can scan the pencil page and make it black and white 😅

[@ProkoTV]

You can! And some people do choose to do that, happening fairly often in the early 2000s. It gives you a different quality that some might like but isn't necessarily right for every project.

[@frederickcarter9855]

How much do you charge for a Mascot logo drawing?

[@ProkoTV]

David sells his work for a fairly high price. But you can find him on socials to ask for a commission if that's something you're serious about. It's up to him if that's a project he'd be interested in.

[@gavindennis9988]

Hold on, I thought you were inking Greg Capullo's pencils. These are yours?

[@ProkoTV]

Yep! David's course that this is from has him drawing the page from start to finish. It's a great one! www.proko.com/comicpage

[@XotoriD4rak]

So how about a ballpoint pen?

[@ProkoTV]

Ballpoint pen is a great drawing tool. It'll just get you different line thickness and usually not a fully black line. It's often a sort of lightish off blue.

[@XotoriD4rak]

@@ProkoTV so you don't recommend it for inking stan?

[@ProkoTV]

@@XotoriD4rak It's not typically used for the job and would be recommended against by people who do this regularly. But that doesn't mean you can't try to use it for a certain effect. Art's about the experimentation. We have a video with Rembert Montald where he uses it for drawing in his sketchbook. different purpose but he's a master of a ballpoint: kzbin.info/www/bejne/a5POkJ-erapnbLcsi=M8rrRg_LpZU0WLA4

[@XotoriD4rak]

@@ProkoTV okay so how about quill?? Thanks for the information btw I'm gonna make sure to check that out

[@ProkoTV]

@@XotoriD4rakDepends on the quill! Not all nibs/tips are created equal but that sort of thing is one of the traditional types of tools David mentions here in the video.

[@AkazyUNFILTERED]

Where’s Skelly?

[@ProkoTV]

He says he's too busy to work on new videos right now -___-

[@Andrusha_kazuar]

Traditional is better i think

[@ProkoTV]

There's definitely that nice energy of imperfection and the interaction between the materials that adds a little unknowable outcome to it. Both are great, though!

[@supahjadi8944]

A lot of comic artists do pencils digitally and print it out photo blue and ink on top. It allows them to sell of original traditional art.

[@user-awdoffn5wd]

나도 선을 자유자재로 쓰고싶다

[@owlsonik37]

The common person reading the comic will never know what you used.

[@ProkoTV]

We agree that people should definitely take a step back and view the work as the reader will, rather than just as artists super focused on the smallest things about the piece. But what tools you use will give your work different energy and can change the reader's perception. Something inked with a flowy brush like Jeff Smith's Bone and Tradd Moore's comics have a different feeling than work like David's and even manga drawn with nibs. It's good to consider but not go TOO crazy about.

[@MrAaaaazzzzz00009999]

Im too much of a coward to go from digital to traditional 😢

[@ProkoTV]

We believe in you! It's a much smoother transition than it can seem like. That fear of not getting it right while working with "permanent" materials goes away. You learn pretty quickly that nothing is really set in stone and you can work pretty quickly when you're not focusing on the super tiny details you can zoom in on and edit>undo>redo to infinity. Give it a try! We'd love to see it.

[@SuperMaster000X]

Dumb thing, but i never noticed he was left handed like me hahahahah

[@puppeli]

People still recommend Winsor & Newton sable brushes?! I watch a miniature painting videos and none of the artists recommend Winsor & Newton series 7 brushes anymore. Their quality has been bad for years now. I forget the manufacturers names, but artists recommend several other companies, that make better and cheaper Kolinsky sable brushes than Winsor & Newton.

[@ProkoTV]

There are always going to be different considerations for different artists. What represents a bad trait to one artist will be okay for their use case. This is true of all art supplies and there's no one-size-fits-all answer for any particular medium. Just personal preference and general ideas of quality.

[@kidkique]

vocal fry

[@kidkique]

Fun to watch but looks boring to do

[@zvonimirtosic6171]

David is very clumsy with pen and brush, it's painful to watch. Modern tools may be more convenient, but they radically change the language of the medium. (A) Lines are not as fluid, and tools (at least how many are using them) and (B) allow adding too many details with ease. Those two (A + B) congest the drawing with superfluous information and radically change the * time *, * pacing *, and involvement. Everything is more "frozen", excessively deliberated, "static" or "moving in slow motion", reader's imagination obstructed to add in missing details. I think comics publishers are not even aware of the damage.

[@racheladkins6060]

How can draw with your hand so cramped?