The term "inking" has been part of cartooning vocabulary for decades, it's simply the process of going over your rough sketch with a final layer of ink. These days, most artists do this digitally, but the name has stuck around.
I wanted to compare traditional and digital inking methods using my Inktober 2025 submission for Day 19: Arctic. My cartoon shows penguins who've clearly lost their way (fun fact: penguins live in the Antarctic, not the Arctic!).
My Traditional Approach
I started with a rough sketch using a Copic brush pen. I'll be honest—I'm not a fan of Copic fine liners. They clog constantly, so I stopped buying them years ago. But their brush pens? Those are superior. They keep their flexible tips and create line work similar to traditional dip pens, which suits my cartooning style perfectly.
Here's where I made a rookie mistake: I started on paper that was too thin to handle water without buckling. So instead of traditional watercolour washes, I switched to Inktense pencils and blocks. These are great because you can apply them dry, then activate them with just a light touch of a water brush. Hopefully, this would prevent the paper from wrinkling too much.
My Digital Method
After scanning my preliminary sketch, I moved to my computer-based process. One I developed years ago after attending a cartoon workshop. This technique became the foundation for my blog "Meet the People" and its character Alvin and his wife.
My workflow goes like this: I scan the line work into Paint.NET for editing, then paste it into CorelDraw (I've been using it since version 3, originally for technical diagrams). The magic happens when I convert the bitmap into vector line work using CorelDraw's autotrace tools. These automatically smooth out the kinks in my original ink work.
The key trick I learned was to enclose any shapes I wanted to colour. Then colouring becomes simple—just click and select. I use Pantone colour patches for consistency across all my illustrations. When shapes are simple, colouring is quick and easy. Complex shapes with lots of fixing? That can get tedious.
The Verdict?
So which approach is better? That's for you to decide! Each has its charm—traditional inking has that organic, hands-on feel, while digital offers flexibility and polish. What's your preference?
