PENCIL AND INK A
GAME CHARACTER
Dive into the intricate, brooding shadows as ANDY BRASE uses line and
ink for a deadly version of Ezio, the iconic killer from Assassin’s Creed II
W
hat could be better
than getting a chance
to draw some of the
iconic characters from
Assassin’s Creed?
Being asked to make them darker and
portray them as villains!
Those familiar with my art probably
won’t be surprised to know that I gravitate
toward the shadowy and more mysterious
characters. This often happens to be
villains, anti-heroes and monsters. The
Assassin’s Creed characters are already
quite dark, so this assignment was right
up my alley.
Ezio, from the Italian Renaissance
time period, was one of the assassins I
was most drawn to at first. To show this
character as a villain, I want to do it in
a fairly realistic way using mood, shadow
and the atmosphere of the drawing. I
don’t want to make him overly demonic
or bring in elements that might be totally
out of place in the Assassin’s Creed world.
I’ve always liked drawing statues and
think it’ll fit well with this image tobring in some elements that will build up
a gothic atmosphere.
The focus of this workshop is on the
inking and line work of my Dark Ezio
drawing. This piece is made to be
presented in black and white ink, so I’ll
be approaching the artwork in a way so
that colour won’t be needed. Having a
lot of contrast and spot black shadows
generally works well with drawings that
will be in black-and-white. It gives more
weight to the drawing if there are some
heavy blacks present.
I’m often asked what tools I use to ink
my art. Most of my detailed works are
done with Sakura Micron Pens. Long ago,
when I started inking, I used Rapidograph
technical pens, but they started leaking
and required a lot of cleaning, so I
switched. Microns don’t require any
cleaning up afterwards and they also have
more of a f lexible tip than some technical
pens. If you’re new to inking it’s always
good to try out some different tools and
see what works best for you. Many comic
artists and other inkers prefer to use aAndy is best known for his dark
character, creature and cover
illustrations. Titles he’s worked
on include DarkSun, Kull,
Daredevil, Swamp Thing, Assassin’s Creed,
book covers for George RR Martin, and his
own artbook/sketchbook titled Exorcism.
http://www.facebook.com/andybraseartbrush and ink to achieve a different line
style and more thick-to-thin lines.
For me, Microns tend to be what I use
most often. The following pages will give
you a better look into my ink work. Now
on to drawing an assassin!ARTIST INSIGHT
TEST RUN
Test your pens on
a separate practice
sheet before inking,
to make sure the ink
is flowing properly
when you work on
the drawing.GET YOUR
RESOURCES
SEE PAGE 146
PENCIL PEN INK
Workshops