When I give talks about science comics, I am sometimes asked about the medium I use. I am pretty unsophisticated. I start with a pencil underdrawing and then trace that with India ink. I use Koh-I-Noor Rapidograph pens and a brush pen for inking. This allows be to use varying line weights and to taper the line when necessary. Once the ink has dried (or has been blotted as in the video below) I erase the underlying pencil work with a Pentel Hi-Polymer white eraser. This means I essentially draw each page twice. My comic pages are 10in x 15in and I draw them on Strathmore Smooth Bristol (300 Series). For those interested in seeing the process, here is a time lapse video I created showing how I draw Wrinkles the Wonder Brain from Optical Allusions.
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This was great! I am all for pencil/pen/eraser–the erasing part is especially fun, I find.
p.s. The musical choice made me a little giddy.
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For those that don’t know, the music is the Intermission Theme from Monty Python and the Holy Grail. I heard it for the first time when my Dad and I rented the movie from the local video store (in Beta, no less). When the intermission came on we looked at each other a bit perplexed for a moment and then started to get up to go to the bathroom only to have the movie start right back up. I can remember being disappointed that the intermission didn’t last any longer because I really had to pee. Video tape novices that we were, it never occurred to me to stop the tape for a bit.
Good times.
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