Inking for Comics. I wish someone would teach people how…

Inkers.   HAH!  They are to laugh!

I inked this. I'm sometimes a professional inker.

There’s a character in the Kevin Smith film CHASING AMY who inks comics for a living, and his friends call him a professional tracer. He complains that he’s not, but convinces no one, and the movie was a minor box office hit, so it left that defining moment in America’s brain.

Banky Edwards during a moment of self-loathing

When it first started up in the 90s, the inkers at Image Comics, were working with prima donna pencilers who insisted their work be reproduced as faithfully as possible and forced their inkers to actually BE “tracers”. This further convinced a generation of comic fans that inkers were barely trained monkeys with a sweatshop tool in their unskilled paw.

un-inked pencils by Erik Larsen. The inker better not get "creative".

And of course, there’s always just running the pencils through a photoshop filter. Screw the inker, who needs ‘em? They’re only messing up my work.

But the inker is the essential last hand on the drawing. He or she is the one that makes the artwork lively, or bold, or personable, or slick, or capricious. They are the singer of the song. The human hand. The Deus Ex Machina: The creator emerges from the machine.

Consider your favorite comic book or graphic novel: A CONTRACT WITH GOD, MAUS, WATCHMEN, BATMAN YEAR ONE, RED HULK POUNDS HIS ENEMIES TO DEATH, BLANKETS, SIN CITY, V FOR VENDETTA, or Name Your Own Favorite…

pictured above: Knowing what you're doing.

Every one of these magnificent examples of the form has a distinct and memorable kind of line work. It’s built into the character of each story, inseparable to the experience, and to treat this essential skill with little more than a backhand slap is to misunderstand what makes comics the appealing form of media that they are.

Ty Templeton inks Tom Artis on Tailgunner Jo.

I’m teaching a seven week comic book inking bootcamp at the TCW this January, starting on January 17th, on Tuesday Evenings. (spaces are still available in Inking for Comics. –kts)

click here to visit the TCW online and find out more

Come on down and learn to know what you’re doing.

Click here to find out more.

Ty the Guy OUT!

PS:  If you’re in Toronto tonight, drop in for my “Drawing the Figure” drop in class.  25 bucks at the door for three hours with a live burlesque model, and an instructor who knows anatomy!   Who says this isn’t the TCW Age of Learnin’?

587A College Street (at Clinton), Toronto, On, Canada, M6G 1B2 • Phone: 647.328.1656 • info@cartoonistsworkshop.com

(AND Ty is teaching Writing for Comics Level One, Mondays, starting January 16, 7-10pm. There’s still some spots available. And there’s a special deal if you’ve taken Level One before, and you’d like to repeat it before taking Level Two in March; 50% off of Level One. contact Sean Menard  through info@cartoonistsworkshop.com for details.

AND Ty is teaching a full course for Figure Drawing for the Comic Book Artist.  Featuring a different model each Wednesday evening, beginning January 25 7-10pm, with instruction from Ty. Spaces still available, but they are limited for this course.  Keiren)

Here now, your bonus moment.

While the inking is competent, it looks like it was "traced". Sigh...

NEW YEAR, NEW CLASSES!!

It’s January, and we’re counting down the days until Ty starts teaching his next set of classes at Toronto Cartoonists Workshop.

Before he does though, the one and only Leonard Kirk is teaching a SNEAK PEEK WORKSHOP on DYNAMIC PAGE COMPOSITION. That class will be THIS Saturday, January 7, 1-4pm. Click through to book a spot; it’s $25/+HST.

Next Wednesday, January 11, it’s Ty’s turn for a SNEAK PEEK WORKSHOP, FIGURE DRAWING FOR THE COMIC BOOK ARTIST. This will be a three-hour look at what is a brand spankin’ new class. There will be a live model and instruction from Ty.  The class runs 7-10pm. Click through to book a spot; $25/+HST.

Classes “officially” begin the week of January 16. First up will beWRITING FOR COMICS, LEVEL ONE. Immediately following this session, Ty will be teaching a brand new course which will be WRITING FOR COMICS, LEVEL TWO. Level One starts Monday January 16, 7-10pm. Click through to book a spot. If you’re interested in Level Two, but it’s been a while since you’ve taken Level One, talk to Sean Menard, TCW director–he’s offering an AMAZING DEAL wherein you can get a 50% discount off of the first course.

On Tuesdays, beginning January 17, 7-10pm, Ty will be teaching INKING FOR COMICS. This is a brand new course; previous versions involved four different inkers teaching their methods and ideas. This course will be taught solely by Ty, and will involve lots of in-class work so that you can get immediate feedback on your techniques. Click through to book a spot.

Starting on Wednesdays, the following week, Ty will be teaching the full version of FIGURE DRAWING FOR THE COMIC BOOK ARTIST. This class will involve a different live model each week, with ongoing instruction from Ty.

Check out the Toronto Cartoonists Workshop website for all details and for all the other courses available. There’s also a course about watercolour painting, Life Drawing with Geordie Miller, and–yayyy!! Dave Ross will be teaching a class on Designing Environments and Props for the Comic Book Artist.

Learn how to do this from artist Dave Ross

Keiren