INKtober of Pen & Inks

Jake Parker's Inktober since 2009.

Inktober is a celebration and challenge of drawing in ink mediums. Also it is to take up the challenge of creating ink drawings every day or once a week or something in the month of October.

This year I remembered to look and participate in what others are doing for INKtober instead of looking at all massive compiled drawings at the end of the month. The art work is impressive from a vast scale of artists to novice to professionals and people who rarely use traditional mediums as well.

Check out #Inktober to see what people are up to. Its baffling in an awesome way.

Recently I have been getting back into illustration marker work. Illustration markers is one of those mediums like watercolor that people don't really want to touch because its a one hit go. Once you place something down its permanent and any attempt to get rid of the placed marks makes a bigger mess that is quite noticeable.

The payoff of using illustration markers is the bright vibrant and sometimes translucent effect it gives off. Also it is like playing a puzzle game where you have to strategically think about all the strokes you are gonna make before it is placed.

Personally I like to use pen & nib for inking. Copic and sakura multiliners are nice but if I use them,
I have to use the different pens for the widths because I cannot twist and swoop my wrist naturally to create clean fluid lines. I use them for touchups and have collected them. If I use the Copic multi-liners I love the SP version. The barrel is made of stainless steel and has a nice feel to them.

Also I add the pencil grip thing on the pen holder because it is fairly thin the crow nibs I like to use.

Tip- When one uses alcohol or water based markers to prep your work use waterproof ink and or india ink. It is permanent and does not make the paper or your material bleed. In the long run it can ruin your supplies. So be careful.

On the right eye notice that smudge, The ink was wet and it spread this is
what causes the dark marks on your markers at times.

This is an example of something functional but it can drag misc. ink at times. At the very tip the dark spot is caused by bad ink being laid down.

I'm not the best inker but have an idea what the standard or above that is. I am improving.

So what I do I have a printout of my drawing I want to ink. Tape it to some nice paper I want to ink on and use a light box to trace the drawing.

When you ink it is a wet medium so if you are right handed start from left to right. If you are left handed right to left. Last thing you want is your hand dragging in fresh ink all over your new work!

This is when your nib has no ink and have to dip for more ink.

This is a full reservoir too over saturated it will cause messes!

Everyone has their preferences on their tools and materials and how they handle them. Generally when you draw in any medium never tightly grip your medium. It makes you tense and your strokes will not be fluid. Drawing is the extension of your whole arm as well. In the long term you can get carpal tunnel griping your mediums too tight. One time someone said anytime you are holding like your brush or something lightly and gently hold your medium light enough if someone tapped you it knocks right out of your hand.