Starting with Black and White

I've learned over the years that if I wanted to have a good finished product, then I would need to perfect my penmanship before I even got to the color. Inking out a rendering is by far the most important part, even more important than the color choices I make (and I've made some really BAD color choices). It makes sense though, the ink is basically the bones of a drawing, and if the bones don't look good, nothing I place on top will look good.

So I've compiled a list of things that I've learned over the years, in regards to inking out a rendering. And I'm providing you with a handy-dandy cheat sheet (rendering) to follow along. Yeah!!


1. Depth: It's extremely important to show the surroundings and dimension in a drawing. Even if I'm drawing a one-point perspective drawing, I need to add depth. So foreground and background are key. But at the same time, I always want the viewers eye to be drawn directly to the home.

2. Dead Space: When I'm drawing I like to add in empty pockets (especially to the roof). This gives an overall more finished/polished look (weird, I know). And it also helps add in the idea of sun reflection in those areas.

3. Ink Dimension: This is probably the most crucial lesson I've learned. Not all lines are created equal. My job as an artist is to show you what needs to stand out. So the outline of the roof needs to be darker/thicker than the shingle hashing. The same concept applies to every other part of the house/drawing.

4. Reflection: All surfaces can be reflective, even the drive way. So I try to tie in all the individual elements with subtle reflections. This comes in a little more prominently when I get to the coloring phase of a rendering, but still plays a big role in the inking.

and last but not least...

5. Texture: Everything has texture. Whether that be smooth and sleek, or rough and bumpy...every surface has a feeling. The tricky part is showing that feeling. So look for texture in everything from stucco to concrete to glass!

I hope you've enjoyed my mini-tutorial! These lessons took me a long time to figure out...and even longer to pull together and put into practice! Lord knows, I wouldn't be the artist I am today without a LOAD of practice!!