CAA: Christian Anime Alliance

So some of you may know I'm working on a manga right now. And right now I'm trying to decide which I should use. My options are these:

Pencil: Cheap, easy to shade with and takes half the time. But also doesn't look too great when scanned because it is VERY hard to pencil in just one tone.

Pen: Not as cheap, but I only have pens from places like Wal - Mart. Meaning mostly ball point, ect.
But this takes more time then pencil, and still has a problem, because I still have to edit quiet a lot on the PC. (Ink scraped across the paper)

CG: Takes A LOT of time, but looks the best. And can be scanned and edited after being drawn in pencil.

So what I'm trying to decide is which one I should be using. The reason I haven't bought some new professional inking pens is because I'm afraid it's my scanner and drawing that makes the picture not look any good when scanned.
So I'm afraid they won't change much if I buy some real pens.

So, for any of you out there who are artists, please, help me ought on what I should be drawing with.

Thank you all so much!

Aaron

Well... it depends a little bit on how much of a perfectionist you are and how much work you're willing to do. My advice is to choose the drawing method which allows you produce images the quickest. A manga is going to be hard enough to complete as it is, so don't handicap yourself anymore than necessary.

I have a question though, about what you mean by 'editing'. If you mean scanning somethng and redrawing it, then yes, that'll take huge ammounts of time. However, depending on what software you're using, there may be a way to make your pencil scans look inked.

If you happen to have photoshop, you can use both Levels and Unsharp Mask to effectively alter the contrast of a B/W drawing picture. Depending on your drawing style, it may work more or less effectively. If you don't have photoshop, other software may have a similar function.

Also, do you just use a #2 pencil? or do you use, like a 6B for deep shading? Or you might try a soft charoal pencil...it might be messy in your scanner though...

Perhaps you have a pencil or ink drawing you could attach. It may be easier for others to offer solutions if they can see the problem.

I personally ink with a set of Rapidographs and plan my inking very carefully so I don't smear, but it takes some time for that.

Examples of my results can be found on devart.

For most of my work, I ink with micron pens and brush pens (when I'm on the go), and a 2 or 3 round brush for whenever I have the time, with small details drawn with a .005 micron pen. I prefer a brush because it has a lively, calligraphic-like effect, and makes filling in large dark spaces (which I use a lot) a breeze. I use acrylic inks for brushwork.

Also, as Esoteric said, Photoshop can be a big help. I use the "brightness/contrast" function almost exclusively.

Here are three examples of each kind.

First - ink
Second - Pencil
Third - CG

And I'm working with GIMP 2.0

I think you could start out with pencils, then when you've got the page to how you want it, go over it in pen. Have two pens, one fine and one medium.

Afterwards use an eraser to remove the pencil marks. If you rub too hard it takes some of the pen marks off with it, so the trick is to rub it just hard enough to remove the pencil marks whilst leaving the pen marks.

Are you working on A3 pages and then shrinking them by the way? A3 page could take a long time, but doing so gives you the advantage of putting more details into each page.

Actually, since I've just started on this I'm using regular printer paper.
But I tried drawing in my math book a bit and it is some amazing paper. Giving darkness, smoothness, and allows for a lot of detail.
So if I can figure out what kind of paper that is, I should buy some of that.

Paper really affects a drawing, doesn't it?

Yes, the paper is important, particularily if you're using ink/markers. Generally, the higher the weight of the paper, the less bleedage will occur. The stuff they use for printing books is nice paper, but I don't know where you can get it.

Your pencil work is pretty clean (meaning I don't see smudges, etc.) which would be the biggest draw back to graphite.

So, the question is which do you enjoy working in more? Pencil or ink? I think you could make it work in either.

Ultra Magnus's idea is good if you want to use ink but keep the process simple. Pencil lines will be easy to erase or edit away in the computer as long as you draw lightly. I also like how Shao uses a sharpie to fill in solid ink areas, which would be very difficult with a ballpoint, so that's a possibility for you.

If the only thing keeping you from preferring pencil is shading solid areas, there are some techniques to help. First, use a very soft graphite pencil, like a 6B, or even an 8B. You can pick these up at Aaron Brothers or Micheals. They have a thick soft lead and the best way to sharpen them is with a razor (Be very careful!!!!!). I've attached a picture of my pencil. With so much lead exposed, you can gently rub the side of it on the paper for maximum coverage. (Be sure and support the lead with your finger, otherwise pressing hard will break it off).

More tips for pencil. Don't try to make it completely dark on the first pass. Build up several soft layers to keep the tone even. To avoid streaks, after the first and second passes, use a tortillion, que-tip, or even a soft tissue to rub the graphite into the pores of the paper.

Good luck with whatever you choose.

Pencil: I used to do that but gradually moved away from this option after smudging too many linearts. They also don't necessarily scan well.

Inking: I use Uniball Signo 207 gel pens. I doubt they're professional inking pens but they're good enough for me. This is my current method. Ink full A4 pages, scan and digitally tone/color.

Digital: I rarely do this because it takes too much of my time and I prefer having something in hard copy ("what happens if I lost all my electronic files in some freak computer accident?"). But if you feel more comfortable with it, by all means, you need not worry about replenishing your stationary supply.

Many members have already given good insights here so I won't repeat them. ^^ But just so you know, I use plain ink pens and printing/photocopy paper with pride.

Well, I usually use pens to ink over my pics (unless I'm going for a different look, in which I'll use whatever fits the picture style best). A while ago, I used the micro-point Uniball pens, which proved to be very good, but also a tad hard to control. Sometimes, the ball is too thick (or maybe it's the ink control, who knows), and that can make it hard to ink in the more intricate areas of your pics. These days, I use a .005 point milennium ZIG pen that you can probably find at an art store (I found mine at Hobby Lobby). It's REALLY great, and I don't lose control of the ink as often. Anyways, I would definitely recommend ink pens. Pencil can look kind of dirty. If your computer program were Photoshop, I would recommend that as well (possibly along with inking), but I've never heard of the one you use, so I can't really say.

Anyways, keep practicing your artwork!