INKING BASICS

WHETHER OR NOT YOU ADD COLOR TO YOUR FINAL DRAWINGS, THE INK LINES WILL REMAIN VISIBLE, SO YOU WILL USE THEM TO CONVEY TEXTURE, VOLUME, AND DEPTH. HERE ARE SOME TIPS.

Tapered ends: Complete your lines by lifting or flicking the pen upward to create a super-thin finish, particularly when drawing hair. Inking too slowly and pressing too hard causes the ink to pool and blunts the ends of your lines.

Distance: When drawing an object that should appear closer to the viewer, use thicker ink lines. Thinner lines create a delicate, faded appearance that’s suitable for a distant object.

Convex edges: To add the appearance of volume and lighting, narrow your lines or leave gaps at any rounded, convex edges that face a light source.

Object order: Thicken the lines of the object at the front of a drawing, and keep in mind that the object in front will cast a shadow onto anything behind it. For a very distant background object, taper out its lines or leave a subtle white border around the object in the foreground.

These simple shapes clearly demonstrate depth, volume, and lighting through the use of line width variation and tapered ends.