INK AND COLOUR
A COMIC COVER
CHRIS VISIONS shows how to compose an image in your
sketchbook using value, pencilling and inking, then colouring
with both traditional inks and Photoshop
F
or years I was intimidated by
working digitally. Something
about the plastic nib on a
plastic surface felt too jarring
to me. I love the sway of a
brush on paper too much, the pop of the
ink from a pen nib – there’s a romance
in traditional work that I can’t separate
myself from.
Today, Cintiq tablets and Kyle Webster
brushes bridge this gap a little more for
me, but I still love paper. So here I present
you with a process that enables you to
keep your traditional connection strong
while utilising the power of digital.
I dance back and forth in the
beginning, drawing my sketch in my
sketchbook, scanning and changing my
lines to blue, and then printing it out to
give it more detail traditionally again.
I encourage you to keep a sketchbook:this is the place where you can hone your
skills, play with different paper types and
drawing materials, and see how you can
lay layers and washes.
Go crazy in your sketchbook and enjoy
yourself. You’re making art, an act that
rewards innovation and the new. Not
only do your skills come out in your final
pieces, but the fun you have in a piece
naturally shines through as well. Learn
to enjoy your process, keep that level of
excitement high and the skill will come.
Going back to my sketch, you may
notice there’s no strong mid-tone. This is
because I was working a certain way with
pen, had an idea in my head on how the
lighting would work, and I was itching to
start the piece. Be sure to use reference,
and use a mid-grey or coloured marker
to act as a mid-tone in the layout stage.
Your Presto Pen will also be handy inChris describes himself as an
“art maker and ground shaker”
working in the fields of
illustration, comics and
wherever the creative wind pushes. Find
out more at http://www.chrisvisions.com.this stage to mark your light areas as well.
That foresight comes from a lot of drawing
and a lot of observing.
So, after I’ve printed out the sketch,
it’s on to the inking, which I love. This
is where you really mould your piece,
much like a sculptor. I like to jump
around, building up the whole piece,
not just focusing one area. This keeps
your piece balanced. Working with
washes and strong values enables me
to build my form, which you’ll find
guides you throughout your digital
colouring and works towards your
goal of creating a striking piece.Photography by Tyler Q Tucker
GET YOUR
RESOURCES
SEE PAGE 146
ARTIST INSIGHT
HOW TO SOLVE
PROBLEMS
EARLY ON
Make your thumbnail
image as solid as
possible, establishing
use of dark, medium
and light tones to
create an interesting
composition. Small
problems here will
only get bigger later,
so fix them now.Pencil Acrylics Ink Photoshop
Workshops