Simon Fraser draws a cover for 2000AD and Talks Shop

[@Volgan16666]

What a beautiful skill this guy has. I'm absolutely amazed that he is using a nib pen. Last time I used a nib was when I was at primary school in the 1970's. Love the comments regards digital tablets. Love it.

[@darioscomicschool1111]

Thank you for this Video!

[@MrFrankyseven]

It's great to have this session playing in the background when I'm at the drawing board. Makes the studio isolation less empty. Especially when I'm inking a page; there's always a tip in the KZbin background!

[@thecomicarchive]

Simon's best known work, Nikolai Dante can be found on amazon, just search for Nikolai Dante. As for the 2000AD comics you can buy them from the publisher 2000ADonline[dot]com.

[@thecomicarchive]

He uses a laptop stand that has a lip. I got one at Ikea that I use. It's a great idea. A bunch of his studio mates do it too.

[@katana2665]

I know this was an older video, but Thank You Simon.

[@RawHeadRay]

@1315 Basically this means that Simon Dante's up Tims pencils while retaining the performances that Tim drew, Love to see those pages.

[@VortexMotiveVision]

Loved this.

[@DanceLikeANitwit]

I thought I was the only guy that held his pens like that, good tip on the tape haha

[@GREENPAND4]

Really interesting because i thought pretty much all comics are inked digitally these days. How will he color it digitally without inking it digitally first?

[@thecomicarchive]

Inking is one part of comics that hasn't transitioned to digital as much. A lot of inkers just got used to the analog tools and would need to relearn the digital equivalents. But coloring has been overwhelmingly digital since the 90's. To get everything working the artwork gets scanned at high resolutions (typically 300-600dpi). Once in photoshop, which is a favorite of colorists, the line art is set to the multiply composite mode, which knocks out the white parts of the page so that the digital colors can be placed. There are a few other methods of transitioning but this is one I've found to be pretty popular.

[@GREENPAND4]

The Comic Archive Wow the multiply tool is awesome. I never even knew that it existed before now! Thanks!

[@thecomicarchive]

GREENPAND4 The composite modes are in the layers window. Highlight the layer with the black & white line art then click where it says Normal and switch that to Multiply. Now any coloring you do on a layer beneath will be able to come through.

[@rokstar2001]

Thanks.

[@rokstar2001]

Also where can I get ink pens and nibs like the ones he uses?

[@hulksmash075]

Wonderful video! I have a G-Pen, but I don't know why, I feel like the line quality is just not the same (as crisp) as a Pigma Micron pen. I feel like they crack a bit as pushed to the paper. I can't see it quite clearly with this video, but was the line pretty crisp in comparison to a Micron pen?

[@thecomicarchive]

Hey Dana. Thanks! One thing to keep in mind with inking is that the paper you use can have a big impact on line quality. Some paper tends to bleed with india ink (which is the mainstay of inking with a dip pen or brush). When you have a good 2ply bristol board the lines of a dip pen, which puts a lot of ink on the page, will not bleed. Every artist has their favorite type of paper but Strathmore is usually a popular choice.

[@smallclone]

You will never get the quality of line from a micron that you will get from a dip pen, the g pen will give thicker line for manga style books but nothing beats a crow quill.

[@hulksmash075]

Thanks for the tip, smallclone! Currently working with Maru dippen, and kind of like it. I feel at home. I want to try crow quill too one of these days :)

[@jbyrd117]

How does he keep his laptop from sliding down on that table?

[@rokstar2001]

Well I hold my pens like that I I usually position them closer to the point of the pen, which might be why I suck.

[@MladenMihajlovic]

Interesting, I can't seem to find this covert here: www.2000ad.org/?zone=covers&page=coversindex - which issue was it for?

[@thecomicarchive]

I don't know which issue it was for but I do know it was used later for some of the collections. 2000ad.wordpress.com/2012/08/23/nikolai-dante-sympathy-for-the-devil/

[@rokstar2001]

I can't find this comic, whenever I search the 2000ad title I get random junk. Is there a site where I can but it directly?

[@davidaaronartist]

woooow

[@rokstar2001]

Whoops I meant "Buy it"

[@jbyrd117]

I don't see how it's on anything but the table. Like at 08:36 it just looks like it's sitting there.

[@3Megan33]

HEY SIMON FRASER, IS IT TRUE GERARD WAY HAS THE PERSONALITY OF AN ANGEL AND SHITS GOLD????????? PLZ ANSWER

[@TheMightyHartley]

Half the video was blurred! Frustrating, considering the close work of the subject.

[@thecomicarchive]

Sorry to hear about your frustrations. It could be watching at a low resolution, or it just could be the nature of macro photography. The closer I get the camera the harder it is to focus. :(