Old Wine Skins: Inking More Vintage Megatropolis Quartet

Here is some inking in progress (done today, May 5, 2014) for an upcoming installment of Atomic Aftermath (essentially the post-9/11 storyline I am serializing on this blog). The rough layouts date from 2003 or 2004, and I probably lettered them on Clearprint a few years ago. One reason to ink them now is that if I wait any longer, the drafting tape might never come off! No kidding.

Two panels partially inked on Clearprint Design Vellum, with the layouts underneath. This gives a good idea of the translucent quality that the material affords. It greys out the original enough so that I can concentrate on the linework I'm lying down, and it eliminates erasing. I have to hold the vellum down to keep it in contact with the layout, which is a challenge (I usually use a burnisher), but generally I enjoy working with this method and am pleased with the results.

Update: Here are the other two panels in the scene, completely inked.

The layouts and inked finishes, side by side.

The two panels below occur between the two panels above, sequentially, to complete the scene:

Two tiers lettered some time ago but inked today, next to the rough layouts done in 2003-4 in marker. Note the lettering on the layouts, which was done using a computer font I designed in Fontographer based on my lettering. I was never really happy with it, and used it only on a few commercial freelance jobs. Here I've traced it using Rapidograph 2.5 and 3.5 pen points to give it more of a hand-lettered feel (in fact, exactly a hand-lettered feel). The layouts are actually photocopies of the originals, slightly blown up.