The Art of Comic Book Drawing

Inking Techniques

Master these basic inking techniques, and you’ll be off to a great start! Once you have these traditional techniques down, try experimenting with different media and line-making. You can achieve a variety of looks with just a few tools and techniques.

HATCHING

Hatching uses lines to describe an object’s form and to suggest shadows. The lines can vary in thickness to indicate changes in the object’s form or intensity of shadows. You can also use simple hatch lines to suggest the inner contours of your figures; however, simple hatching should be done sparingly—it can give your work a tedious appearance. Pens are the best tools for hatching.

CROSSHATCHING

Introduce hatch lines at different angles to build up shadowing or ...