Pencil to ink

[joshm]

Hi,

This if my first post in the ink forum. I ink with a brush and have been doing it this way for awhile. I like the feel of it and I ink rather quickly. I have two questions, one, what do you think of my inking? Two, I'm thinking of going to digital inking and I need some advise as to which inking pad/tablet is best? I don't care about cost (well, I do, but I’m willing to go with higher price if the quality is best), but I think quality and cost don't necessarily go hand in hand. In other words, just because it's the highest price doesn't mean it's the best. So, if you have experience with digital inking and you know if a good inking pad/tablet let me know. Thanks.


http://www.comicbookculture.com/sample1/pencil-ink-sparrow.jpg

[dubbery]

I use a 6x9 wacom tablet. I haven't used anything else so I can't really tell you which tablet is better. But I can say that I think you don't really need one bigger than 6x9. What program are you planning to work in?

dub

[Genko]

Wacom is the best brand definately. Size is arguable.
I have a 4 x 5 inch one(drawing space, not tablet size) and it's more than enough.

[joshm]

I'm using CS2 suite, which comes with seven programs, among them are Photoshop and Illustrator. As for size I wanted to go with the biggest, would you recommend something smaller? Wacom tablet was what I was recommended by my brother, who has a mac and is planning on getting one. Thanks for the advise guys.

Josh

[dubbery]

The main thing is comfort. If you don't mind having a bigger tablet in your lap then go for it. Personally I think 6x9 is best, but that's just my opinion. I use Illustrator CS2 and it's perfect for inking.

dub

[joshm]

I have a nice office setup in my home. I have my computer right behind my drawing table and I have a monitor stand connected to the wall so I can just bring the monitor over when I'm drawing. I'll do the same when I ink, so I'll have the tablet on my art table.

Thanks again for the help.

Josh

[dubbery]

Ok now your just showing off and I'm jealous :p

dub

[Genko]

Yeah I'd have to agree with the comfort thing.
In regards to wacom big is not nescessarily better.
The workspace on the tablet represents your monitor.
So even on a small Wacom I can cover every inch of
my monitor, and when working with art you always blow
everything up anyways to work on it. I'd recommend going
small or medium, you'll have everything you need to get
the job done and you'll save yourself a few dollars to spend
on some other piece of equipment you will probably need.

[joshm]

Ok now your just showing off and I'm jealous :p

dub

If I was showing off I'd tell you about my computer...lets just say my brother has a g5 and my pc functions at the same level.

Okay, I'm showing off now. LOL.

Josh

[joshm]

Yeah I'd have to agree with the comfort thing.
In regards to wacom big is not nescessarily better.
The workspace on the tablet represents your monitor.
So even on a small Wacom I can cover every inch of
my monitor, and when working with art you always blow
everything up anyways to work on it. I'd recommend going
small or medium, you'll have everything you need to get
the job done and you'll save yourself a few dollars to spend
on some other piece of equipment you will probably need.

What if the page I'm inking has a curved line that I need to ink as a full line, with no breaks? I'm hearing you guys, but I just don't want to get stuck with a small tablet when I can get a bigger one. I'm going to have to just try it out. Do you guys know of a retail store that might have one, like Best Buy or something?

[dubbery]

For a long curved line it's best to zoom out because the closer you zoom in the more control nodes Illustrator will add to the line. This can cause the line to be wavy. You will get a much smoother curve if you stay at a zoom level of 100% for curves like this. So a bigger tablet doesn't really help there either. That is if your planning on inking in Illustrator and not Photoshop. But like I said comfort is the main thing. So if you got the space for it go ahead.

dub

[joshm]

If space is the only issue then bigger would be my choice. I have a large art table that I built and the traditional kind in my office. I should show pictures. Thanks for the help.

Josh