Inking Techniques for Comics and Illustration
A course by Sergio BledaComic Book Author and Professional Illustrator
A course by Sergio Bleda, Comic Book Author and Professional Illustrator
Explore the technical and creative possibilities of professional inking
As a cartoonist, Sergio is usually in charge of the entire creative process of his comics: drawing, lettering, coloring, and, of course, inking. Inking is a highly creative process that can transform a good pencil drawing into a fantastic illustration, completely changing the look of a comic.
In this course, Sergio Bleda teaches you professional inking techniques for comics and illustration that you can apply to your own work and to pencil drawings of other artists' work. Learn useful tips to use inking tools and apply them with various techniques.
What will you learn in this online course?
15 lessons & 23 downloads
Know the materials
11 minutes, 52 seconds
Working with the materials
12 minutes, 4 seconds
The script of the stories
8 minutes, 57 seconds
Choose your favorite material 1
16 minutes, 22 seconds
Choose your favorite material 2
14 minutes, 2 seconds
Inking a page 1
17 minutes, 10 seconds
What's included in this course?
Start by getting to know Sergio Bleda's work. He also tells you about the artists and works that inspire him. In addition, he shows you his creative process when writing scripts for his comics.
He goes over the materials you need to ink comics and illustrations professionally and encourages you to experiment with different techniques.
Once you've familiarized yourself with the tools, get to work on inking your first comic. Learn to use the dry brush and do hatching by hand, and discover special effects such as splattering with a toothbrush and mechanical hatching.
Sergio explains different ways to create gray: gouache, with a bleed-through lighting technique, and by working with a piece of gray card.
To finish, take a look at the work of other professionals, which will help you to understand and analyze different styles and inking finishes. This exercise is highly useful when looking for and defining your own style.
What is this course's project?
Ink a comic, your own illustration, or, if you prefer, work on a prompt that Sergio provides for your final project.
Projects by course students
Who is this online course for?
This course is for comic artists—both beginners and professionals—illustrators, designers, and anyone interested in the creative process of comics and inking.
Requirements and materials
Prior knowledge of drawing is recommended, but is not strictly necessary to ink.
Regarding the materials, you need pens, brushes, markers, ink, and paper.
Reviews
- 4 months ago
Muy bien explicado. Lo recomiendo ampliamente
- 11 months ago
Very nice lessons
- 1 year ago
Great variety of techniques, excellent demonstration.
I'd add a warning to the first page though where he shows his past works because the video features explicit sexual content depicted in his books, and of there are minors in his audience, this might be disturbing for them. Also, I do not like the political messaging with the first T-shirt worn.
Some videos do not have subtitles or selectable audio at all, so it was not easy to follow the instructions.
- 1 year ago
Aporta muy buena información para personas que quieran empezar a hacer historietas, tanto por el lado del dibujo (técnicas, materiales, roles, etc.) como el de la creación de la historia y más tarde el proceso editorial. ¡Se agradece mucho la información extra siempre! <3
- 1 year ago
Muy bien explicado y excelente información. 100% recomendable.
He has worked for magazines such as El Víbora and Kiss Comix, and with international publishers such as Casterman and Soleil, with which he has published series such as NSA and Dolls Killer He has also been awarded the prize for best illustrated album in the I Edition of the Carlos Giménez Awards for Cinco Relatos Apasionados, an erotic book with explicit content written by Ricardo Esteban and illustrated by Bleda.
Content
- U1
Introduction
- Presentation
- My Influences
- U2
Materials and script to make your vignettes
- Know the materials
- Working with the materials
- The script of the stories
- U3
Inking time
- Choose your favorite material 1
- Choose your favorite material 2
- Inking a page 1
- Inking a page 2
- Inking a page 3
- Special effects
- Beyond black and white
- Other authors
- U4
Final recommendations
- Scanning
- Recommended bibliography
- FP
Final project
- Inking techniques for comics and illustration
What to expect from a Domestika course
Learn at your own pace
Enjoy learning from home without a set schedule and with an easy-to-follow method. You set your own pace.
Learn from the best professionals
Learn valuable methods and techniques explained by top experts in the creative sector.
Meet expert teachers
Each expert teaches what they do best, with clear guidelines, true passion, and professional insight in every lesson.
Certificates
PLUSIf you're a Plus member, get a custom certificate signed by your teacher for every course. Share it on your portfolio, social media, or wherever you like.
Get front-row seats
Videos of the highest quality, so you don't miss a single detail. With unlimited access, you can watch them as many times as you need to perfect your technique.
Share knowledge and ideas
Ask questions, request feedback, or offer solutions. Share your learning experience with other students in the community who are as passionate about creativity as you are.
Connect with a global creative community
The community is home to millions of people from around the world who are curious and passionate about exploring and expressing their creativity.
Watch professionally produced courses
Domestika curates its teacher roster and produces every course in-house to ensure a high-quality online learning experience.
FAQs
You’ll learn manual inking techniques using brushes, nib pens, and markers, plus how to create textures, shading, special effects, and use professional materials to add volume, depth, and clarity to your comic illustrations.
This course is geared toward those with basic drawing skills—perfect for intermediate learners looking to sharpen their comic and illustration inking abilities.
You’ll need nib pens, brushes, technical markers, suitable inking paper, a kneaded eraser, protective sheets, black and white ink, and cleaning supplies for your tools.
Yes, the course dives deep into inking with both brushes and nib pens, explaining their differences, advantages, and specific uses in comics.
By the end, you’ll be able to professionally ink comic pages, create textures, effects, and volume, choose materials wisely, fix mistakes, and prepare originals for printing and digital use.
Yes, you’ll learn techniques to protect your artwork with protective sheets, use a kneaded eraser effectively, and practical tips to avoid smudges and keep your work clean while inking.
The course covers special effects like dry brush, splatters, hand-drawn screentones, gradients, and using unconventional materials to enrich your illustrations.