Inking-The Best Tool for Cleaning up your artwork(Part 02: The Different Styles of Inking, The Tech, still maintaining the guts and weight analogies.)

Has it been 3 years since I last did a post about Inking?

I need to get back into topic and finish those posts..... When I have the time.

For those who need a refresher without having to refer to my 2023 Blogpost,

Here's the Gist of it:

Having a Cleaned up Outline is essential to having a professional looking Cartoon Character before they're ready for the books or the world of ANIMATION.

Because you can't submit something that looks like this

Well.... Maybe in a HOW TO DRAW BOOK or ANIMATION CONSTRUCTION or HOW TO Book......

(Think PRESTON BLAIR)

But when it comes to a finished product

A good cleanup and a good eye at the inking or computerized tools that make it possible are truly essential to making a good finished product.

But there's another haphazard to beware when it comings to cleanup and Inking and that's the maintaining of the GUTS of the rough drawing.

I think I've mentioned this in my original 2023 Post but that gist of it all is that no matter how hard you try to maintain the guts of the original ROUGHs during the cleanup, 

The original spontaneity of the original drawing are ultimately are not gonna look the same on the cleaned up inked drawing.

I coined that term LOST IN TRANSLATION but another analogy is also CLONING DEGENERATION.

The idea is that the clone is always gonna look inferior to the host that they're cloning.

The host is fine but the Clone can't seem to look stable as is no matter how hard you try to maintain it.

And I still hold true to my word about how certain scenes lack spontaneity to the original rough or storyboard/layout.

For example, 

I was recently watching the REN & STIMPY documentary HAPPY HAPPY JOY JOY, and during the part where the late CHRIS RECCARDI was discussing what led to the 1992 ROSCOE's CHICKEN AND WAFFLES incident, 

There was some cuts to the storyboards featuring the FLIES who yell at REN.

I've seen REN'S TOOTACHE before and below is the actual scene

Notice how more PISSED OFF the fly in the left looks in the storyboard compared to the finished cel?

No wonder why JOHN wanted everything in his animations to always emulate but also exaggerate the layouts.

There's a difference in drawing something that's rough but full of life

But then it falls apart when you see it all cleaned up via ink pens or vector outlines and although the silhouette is there, the spontaneity is lost.

Say what you will about my CHOICE of INSPECTOR GADGET but I'm sure this cel had more liveliness in the rough drawing compared to the cel.

It's not really about what tools you use to clean up or INK your characters but it's how you utilize the tools and maintaining the line weight.

Good Line art from a COMIC is one thing 

But in animation, it's a whole other thing entirely and if not how the inking is achieved.

It's not really how you ink the characters but it's how you control the pressure of the tip of the pencil vs. the tip of your ink pen.

Speaking about the tools,

In the INDIA INK realm of inking,

There are different methods to what people use for their inking.

For me personally, I use my trusty FABER CASTELL PITT Artist Pens

The reason I like this set is because I can choose which brush size I can use for the inking when on paper, Canvas, or even clear acetate.

But in the olden days of inking animation cels before XEROX and COMPUTERS later took over, 

Most inking was actually done on DIPPING PENs

You know, those styluses you dip literally in a container filled with ink.

The idea with the use of pens weather they are dipping nibs or ink cartridges in the pen is that the artist's personal touch is preserved not just in the way they ink but also they line weight they apply for certain elements like the skin, hair, clothes, you name it.

Some studios are also very picky about how to ink your characters too.

For example, Imagine you're working at the ink and paint department at WALT DISNEY's studio in BURBANK, 

You think inking is a cake walk in the part?

I THINK NOT!

WALT was very picky about how each line should look and be maintained.

For example, If he noticed a LINE BOILING on something like a DEER's snout, he'd request a retake of that cel.

And considering how many FEMALE PROTAGONISTS are in the DISNEY library

WALT was very picky about how to capture the subtle delicacy of the female skin like the arms, legs, and face when it came to the inking and he demanded perfection on the outlines. 

I also noticed how some of the colored outlines also vary in line size....

Not just in the line weight but also the thickness.

Take for example that Above screenshot of TINKERBELL,

Notice how thick the outlines for her hair is compared to her skin or dress?

Some artists want to differentiate that in the the actual work.

Another thing that allows the artist to maintain some guts when compared to the rough vs the finished cel.

When the time came for XEROX, INK pens were passe but that doesn't mean that Cleaned Up artwork wasn't.

It was actually taken more seriously than before because as I've stated in past posts that the issues with XEROX was that the tech was originally developed to photocopy business documents, not animation

so of course the LITHOGRAPH plates are going to copy rough pencil line art and the erasures no matter how hard you try to clean it up.

so a good clean up is essential.

This can get a little tedious having to make sure you know who the CLEANUP artist is as not every cleanup artist is created equal and they can have differing pressure on their pencil tips either by their wrist or their specific pencil they're using.

Once DIGITAL INK AND PAINT came around, the mantra of a good cleaned up line art was still king because WACOM TABLETS were still just drawing tablets without a screen.

due to the limitations of LCD DISPLAYS what with the expense as well as most usable LCD displays of the late 80s and early 90s still being PASSIVE MATRIX Displays.

While the tablet surface could still be used, I highly doubt the artists from the 90s that moved to DIGITAL found it useful for anything other than VFX, CG Texture painting, or even effects like blush on the cels.

So.....

The clean ups were still drawn on paper

Then they get passed on to the COMPUTER DEPARTMENT so they can be scanned into the COMPUTER at the highest resolution/DPI settings,

Then they drawing gets passed into the DIGITAL INK AND PAINT DEPARTMENT where the artists does the touches on the digital cel.

But like I said,

Inking, or clean up is simply not just inking for the hell of it.

Taking advantage of pressure of the pencil tip to add the line weight is also crucial too

Let's take PETE EMSLIE's drawing here of a bickering couple.

Line Weight is simply not just by determining where the pressure is.

It also helps with the action too.

For example, yes, a good line weight understanding allows the weight of the line tell us where the gravitation pull of the cloth goes but it also helps with determining the direction the limb goes.

For example, On the left of EMSLIE's drawing, the guy's right arm is pointed downward so the I have a hunch that the thinner the outline for his arm, the more downward it goes.

Also notice how much thicker the outlines are on the character's clothes compared to their skin?

But what explains the GIRLFRIEND's right cheek being thicker as she scolds her boyfriend?

The thickness also can help with determining the weight of the cheek.

Underneath our epidermal side of the cheek

is muscle and fat that

expand or contract depending on how we hold our breath 

or how we eat.

So line weight can also help use determine the weight of the element such as if a cheek is full, saggy, etc.

But if you also seen my posts about weight and body mechanics, 

You'll know that gravity is one thing but so is CENTER OF GRAVITY.

The CENTER OF GRAVITY in an object is determined by where it is but the name implies it also controls how that object holds up.

In one of those posts, I used COMPUTER POWER SUPPLIES as an analogy of weight distribution and false weight dictation where no matter how you see it, the higher up the largest weight is, the more misconstrued it's understanding of weight distribution becomes.

For example, Remember when POWER SUPPLIES were mounted to the top chamber of PC CASES?

Well that introduces weight distribution problems where the case becomes tippy because the largest weight is at the top and not the bottom.

The same can go with a large computer monitor.

The monitor looks like it's heavy regardless if it's a CRT or an LCD but the reality is, the weight is at the top or the base which is the base unit, not the stand holding it together.

The stand supports the weight proficiently just as human legs do to the torso/waistline.

But at the end of the day, it's trying to be careful that the monitor doesn't tip or fall over since the base has all the weight.

But what does weight distribution have to do with artistic line art?

Actually, I'm just rambling but if this picture of YZMA is any indication, it does play a role.

YZMA, an old crone of a character, is struggling to keep her facial posture in check.

Her Jaw has more weight but so is the tip of her nose.

If you've seen the LATE DALE BAER's animation of YZMA, you'll understand the weight nuance on how YZMA talks,

emotes, 

etc.

All while trying to keep the character's facial weight intact.

Remember how I said that good line weight also assists in the acting poses/gestures?

Here are production sketches of MR. HORSE from REN AND STIMPY.

Notice where the line weight is in artist HELDER MENDONCA's clean up?

Have all you all paid attention to where the line weight is as you cycle through these poses in linear fashion?

So what's the gist of line weight on a horse?

Well, Horses are much larger than humans in real life and more heavier in weight,

So of course line weight does matter.

Just imagine trying to sustain the weight of a horse, let alone MR. HORSE...

Reminds me of a gag from FIRE DOGS where MR. HORSE falls from great heights

OUCH. That must be painful....

But it sets the bar how much MR. HORSE weights to the point that such great heights would not allow MR. HORSE's legs to break that fall.

But a painful fall is very different compared to arm gestures

Let's use MARIO as he runs

You know the classic lyric "SWING YOUR ARMS FROM SIDE-TO-SIDE"?

That actually is determined by gravity and your arms fighting said gravity as it sways when you run.

Same goes for the legs but in a different way.

Wait a second?

Why am I talking pantomime? This isn't a pantomime post. 

THIS IS A LINE-ART POST!!!

Well.... I've exhausted most of my knowledge but in any sense, it's more important than ever to use line weight in a way that it's effective because without it, the drawing is going to not hold up if you are one of those artists with line weight OCD.

Maybe that's why it burns me up so badly when I see WESTERN Animated shows that are PUPPET RIGGED, since the assets are often COOKIE-CUTTER rigs built up from templates, or hand drawn assets if you're lucky.

But often at times, the assets all have evened out outlines.

At least the one on the furthest in the BACKGROUND 

has variations in line weight.

But nothing can beat a GOOD-OLD-FASHION Hand drawn OUTLINE.

Believe it or not,

SHASTA here(that's one of my original characters)

Is hand drawn.

But it takes good eyes and great wrist dexterity to handle the line weight so you at least know where the gravitational pull of clothing fabric or skin goes to.

Not just on INK PENS, Pencils, or even PEN DISPLAY STYLUSES but also with how you view it.

And if a clean up isn't enough to tell the weight,

You can even try to fake a line weight further by drawing of the existing line just to add a little weight but do yourself a favor, pay attention to your own skin and clothes before you do something like that and see what feels like there vs what's heavy.

Trust me, it'll work out just fine if you pay attention to the center of gravity of the object during a said cleanup.