The #1 Reason For Drawing Traditional Comics!

[@katemyersart]

I've done both digital and traditional inking, and I definitely prefer traditional! It's a bit messier, but I find it actually speeds up my process. I'm a huge perfectionist, and I would tweak and crop and copy and paste a single panel forever and never get any work done. Traditional forces me to commit to my lines and accept my mistakes. I also look forward to the process much more when inking traditionally!

[@fortytwocrayons3485]

I have this same issue!

[@ScottSerkland]

That makes a lot of sense.

[@talimediaart]

I’m experimenting with a hybrid application for traditional and digital art. Mostly doing everything in pencil and photographing it and coloring it digitally to print it out and cut it up for collage and sculpture. Then, there will be times where I draw and color digitally and use it in a traditional piece or save it to be used as backgrounds.

[@ScottSerkland]

I've done something very similar to that in the past. my process is constantly evolving.

[@thumbsaloft]

I'm totally a traditional artist, I fell in love with PENCIL and PAPER as a child and that love has never gone away. The thrill of applying pencil to actual paper just does it for me.

[@ScottSerkland]

Though I do both digital and traditional I admire and respect anyone who is committed to staying full traditional.

[@roeltorresbadkidspress2458]

I did my graphic novel completely digitally, but when I ran my Kickstarter, I offered up original traditional art pages. I waited to see how many supporters backed that tier, then created traditional art pages for them.

[@ScottSerkland]

That's a great idea. I hope the art pages we well received.

[@haunted.by.horror]

Inking is my favorite part of drawing traditionally. It's my favorite part of drawing digitally as well. It's just so much better when you're doing it traditionally.

[@ScottSerkland]

I totally agree! Inking is therapeutic.

[@Saiarts_yt]

Thank god I came to this video, I am a traditional artist and a illustrator even though generationally I'm in Gen Z. The passion on using pencil, pen, and paper freehandedly I just never couldn't get out of. I don't have any knowledge when it comes to digital art and that is upsetting. But I just wish to get myself out there as a traditional artist even if I do or don't make comics.

[@ScottSerkland]

That's Awesome, Now in the age of generative AI traditional art is more important than ever!

[@SalazarArtNation]

First!!! I do a hybrid approach too. My scanner is finicky so I'd like to do more traditional so i can experiment with different mediums, but I leaned in to more digital so I don't need to scan. Traditional is great cause of the original artwork. I've taken pictures of my traditional pencils abd gone over them digitally, Also I've done digital pencils or inks and printed it out and colored traditional. I've sold some artwork that way. Those are some awesome original covers!

[@ScottSerkland]

Both digital and traditional have their merits. and I like the hybrid method in order to get the best of both worlds.

[@28paulp]

I love both digital and traditional drawing so I use both. I generally draw in traditional pencil and traditional inks scan it into my computer and color digital. Other times I draw in pencil and digitally ink. Then in some cases I do all digital

[@ScottSerkland]

All valid ways of creating comics. I've done most of the same things at one time or another.

[@Yillhunts6021]

That is very cool how you do your traditional art first before you start to digital art I understand when you do traditional art you made it by your hands blood sweat and tears it's like your baby. You just don't want to let it go that's all I'm going to do I'm going to design my own comic and hopefully everybody will like it. thank you

[@ScottSerkland]

I found that artist are different, some get very attached to the work they do and some just want to get rid of it after it's printed. I'm in between I like to hold on to some pieces but others I'm happy to sell.

[@tylerblakeart4810]

Currently I'm working mostly digitally, but I especially love inking traditionally. I'm also studying watercolor riht now, trying to brin my skills up and ultimately I'd like to pencil digitally, and then ink traditionally and finish with watercolors

[@ScottSerkland]

Sounds like a great plan. I've been wanting to get back into watercolor myself.

[@mydrynphillippe7530]

Hybrid inking sounds like a good option for me, working in black and white. Screentones, I have to go all digitally on due to a hand tremor issue, but the rest of the inking I should be okay with so long as I have the printed road map. The advantage I can really see with hybrid is line consistency. With pure digital, when parts are resized, the lines are going to very from one panel to another and even within a panel itself. Going back over a piece by hand fixes the issue to a large degree.

[@ScottSerkland]

I see what you mean, as I get older I notice it's harder for me to get the same steady line I used to and that tinny bit of correction that digital give you helps a lot.

[@sydfoxart]

What are the dimensions of the papers? Particularly the larger second one at the end! That's a huge paper! Would love to know for my project I'm working on.

[@ScottSerkland]

Comic pages are usually drawn at 11” x 17” but the page at the end was 19” x 24”

[@HelmutDoork]

I have art OCD so digital drawing has never worked for me. It seems like there is always some kind of slight disconnect, either a minute delay, or wobble that drives me nuts. The exception would be coloring. I usually use colored pencils for that, but if I want a less sketchy look I use gimp. I use a mouse for that, as it's mostly select area, flood fill, then layer on some shadowing with a fairly broad brush. I have no idea if that is "correct" or not, I just came up with it myself. It seems odd to do a sketch digitally then ink it with a pen or marker. Inking is the part that makes me the MOST nervous, as I can't erase mistakes, it's either whiteout or fix it digitally. For the sketch part I have a big, fat, pink eraser that takes care of mistakes, and a Tombow made for colored pencils when I color with those. I have a dip pen, G-nib and blue pumpkin nibs for most inking, except when I need to use a ruler, then I use an 03 marker. I like the feeling of the nib pen on paper better than the marker.

[@ScottSerkland]

Sounds like you have found a way that works for you. Their is no right or wrong way. It's art and art is subjective.

[@ddexpress]

That art you got looks amazing. Well done to the artists. For me personally I like doing both, but for comics, it just doesn't feel the same for me if I do them digital. Not to mention I don't have the best laptop to handle drawing those pages, and I feel more comfortable at the moment inking and painting traditional than I do digital. I feel it's a bit more of preference for the artist on what they want to use to achieve the final product.

[@ScottSerkland]

I get it. it's hard to replicate the feel of traditional digitally. Another plus of Traditional art is not having to invest in expensive computer equipment and it's easily portable.

[@ddexpress]

@@ScottSerkland Especially when the power goes out, you can draw by candle light (which I've done before, although with a flashlight of course).

[@gungalgeno-7077]

I’m thinking of improving my art traditionally so I can scan and probably add more to my art digitally. Mostly logos and titles probably lol

[@ScottSerkland]

I've been doing it like that for a while.

[@heavybar3850]

can you please make a video on how to tradionaly colour comics, thanks.

[@ScottSerkland]

Coloring in the one part of the process that I have never done traditionally. I usually work in black and white and when I do color I have always used photoshop. Even before the switch to digital colors colorest just indicated what colors they wanted and and a color seperator would set everything up. They are of couse exceptions where people would paint or color comics with maker but for that I would recommend watching painting or rarker rendering videos. There really issn't a standard method for traditionally coloring comics.

[@heavybar3850]

@@ScottSerkland Thanks for the reply. Im gonna look into that, cheers.

[@vandalix8103]

Yea!traditional drawing!

[@ScottSerkland]

Thank you! Cheers!

[@natew5544]

that would take forever to draw and ink at that size! dang josh lol

[@ScottSerkland]

I know, right? It's amazing he produces as much work as he does.

[@the_flushjackson]

Traditional all the way, maybe digital for layouts. Sidebar: What was the size / paper specs on the EC horror'esque variant cover original artwork that you showed off?

[@ScottSerkland]

The original art I showed for the EC inspired cover was 19" X 25"

[@waltzcentral6500]

I'm working on a comic. But I draw big. I'm wondering if I should use large size paper

[@ScottSerkland]

That might be a good idea. Depending on how big you draw you might also want to use a larger stroke (line weight) if not your line may get really thin when you reduce to printed comic size. Assuming your doing a comic.

[@waltzcentral6500]

@@ScottSerkland what size paper would you recommend?

[@dherokbattleborn]

I’ve done both traditional and digital. Digital definitely has benefits when it comes to speed but you lose a lot of the charm. The texture of the paper, the different tools, even working around mistakes adds appeal. Another thing that annoyed me about digital is the brush packs and digital tools. Was never interested in downloading other peoples and making your own is a bit confusing. For the tools. Maybe I ain’t doing it right but drawing buildings, perspective and perfectly straight lines was always hard digitally. Feels easier to do those things on paper.

[@ScottSerkland]

I agree. Do you Use Clip Studio Paint? They have a lot of great perspective tools that make it way easier than doing perspective traditionally.

[@dherokbattleborn]

@@ScottSerkland I’m a photoshop user. At least I was until they updated their terms of service saying they’d feed my unpublished works into their AI. I might have to try clip studio paint when I need to do digital work. Does clip studio have invasive AI scanning? Decent digital perspective tools does sound nice.

[@AndyCat90]

I'm not good at digital art, so I prefer traditional art more and that includes comics.

[@ScottSerkland]

What ever you are most comfortable with. There no wrong way.

[@Spencer_125]

Honestly i only do traditional art in general bc being near a screen for too long hurts my eyes, makes me irritable and gives me headaches. Plus i can always post it online and editing the photos so they look better on screen isnt as bad as creating it fully digital for me

[@ScottSerkland]

That's a great reason that I forgot to mention.

[@mistersandy]

Scooby Doo

[@usagi_does_shit4972]

I planned to do it digitally but oh dear I feel so unsafe and wonky digitally- it really does not look good.I guess I'll stick in my traditional comfort bubble😅

[@ScottSerkland]

It’s takes some getting use to. But on the other hand with traditional you have original art to sell.