This week in your sketchbook, we will practice rendering texture and line in ink.

WARM UPS

Just as you would warm up before exercise, warm up before using ink. Take the time to work on your lines and strokes on a separate sheet of paper before you begin working on your actual illustration. This will ensure that you have proper command of your hands.

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This image is of comic book artist Jacob Halton’s inking warm-up, which he does in the morning to “get command of his hands”.

Try all the tools you have!  Play with hand pressure, stroke shape and angle. Try to repeat the same stroke over and over, until it becomes a part of your muscle memory. Use this as a way to become familiar with your pens.

Try out methods of creating value too. Value swatches are a great way to learn how to do this.

Fill 1 page in your sketchbook with line techniques and then fill 2 pages in your sketchbook that use these techniques in a composition of your choosing. You can do a portrait, still-life, landscape, a character in an environment, etc or an illustration on a topic of your choosing. Make sure the composition is thought through. No floating characters in white space.

Post when complete:

GO TO: CLASS SITE

DASHBOARD > POSTS > ADD NEW >

Write your post. Add a Descriptive title.

Choose CATEGORY (bottom right side): Sketchbook

PUBLISH

Please add your introduction by [DATE AND TIME]. It should be between [250-300 words].

Before next class, read the comments and get to know your classmates! 

For extra credit, reply to one of your classmates’ comments. Do you have something in common? Did you learn something? Be kind.