By popular request, I have created a page detailing the process I use to create this comic. To avoid making almost duplicate pages on my other sites, I’ve also included with the images and descriptions below the similarities between this process, and what I do when creating my other ink artwork. I hope you find it educational, or at least moderately entertaining, and that it helps you gain an insight into what is behind a project of this sort. This is not intended to be a “How to Draw Comics” lesson, though, so please don’t write me requesting help, because I’m simply not able to offer thorough advice, lessons, or critique on an individual basis. This page is just an attempt to detail my personal, rather mundane methods for those interested.

First, I use my T-square to draw out the panels for the comic. For Crap I Drew on My Lunch Break comics, I use Strathmore 400 Series Premium Recycled Drawing Paper, 80lb in the 9″ × 12″ size exclusively. For most of my other ink artwork, I use the Strathmore vellum-finish 100lb bristol board, also 9″ × 12″ size, or other drawing papers.

Once I’m happy with the panel layout for the comic, I take a big metal ruler — that’s a technical term — and a Prismacolour marker, and trace over the boxes. Afterwards, I use an 08 size Pigma Micron, and do the title, date, and copyright info on the comic, in addition to cleaning up the corners and edges of the panels. I add the comic # to the bottom right corner.

Now I draw the comic or art for the first time. This entails doing the outlines loosely, and mapping out where a lot of the detail will be filled in later. Depending on how realistic the final subject needs to be, more or less detail may be involved in the first layer of drawing. I draw and sketch with mechanical pencils, unless I’m actually shading in graphite too, in which case I’ll use drawing pencils. I’m not picky about brand of mechanical pencil, though I like 0.5mm lead thickness. Mostly I’m concerned with having a good clean line.

After the pencils are done, then comes the drawing for the second time. At this point, I use a 01 size Pigma Micron, and go over the pencil lines I want to keep in ink, as well as freehand any detail I want to add into the picture. Things like flower petals, feathers, individual leaves, clothing details, earrings, backgrounds, and such usually get drawn in at this point. Since I know where they go already, I don’t bother adding them until I switch to ink.

This is the thin first layer of ink, with all the pencil erased completely, before I start the third and final layer of drawing and the shading. Sometimes at this point, I may freehand in more with the fine pen. If I am doing a comic with dialogue, I would also go over the lettering in this stage before I actually started working on the pictures. I use the 05 Pigma Micron for the text.

I redo the drawing for a third time, this time using 05 and 08 Microns depending on the line thicknesses I want. If there are any areas that are solid black, I also colour them in.

Once all the outlines are done, then I start the shading, hatching, and/or crosshatching. I use slightly different styles depending on what I’m doing, and if I’m trying to create texture or other effects. For comics, I mainly use a 01 Pigma Micron to do the shading. For my art ink pieces, I use a combination of 01 Microns and the 005 Micron, which is even smaller.

And here we have a finished comic! Most Lunch Break comics take anywhere from 4-6* hours to complete, depending on the complexity, length, and my endurance. My other inkwork can take several days to do one piece from start to finish. Click here to see this comic in action.

*This was true when this page was originally created, for the comics being made around the time of the strip pictured. The newest comics take anywhere from 10 - 12 hours from drawing to completed inking, depending on whether they are four- or six-panel strips. I haven’t had a chance to remake this page yet!