I've been using Wacom products to color GU since it's inception. And for a couple of years now, I've been using a Cintiq 21UX to color directly "on" the screen. But, one thing I've been reluctant to do is completely move away from inking on paper.

Recently I've begun doing the occassional sketch and ink directly "on" the Cintiq skipping over the pen and paper element. There are some definite benefits...

It's a bit quicker. It's far easier to make corrections. Once you ink a sketched image on paper, the sketch is pretty much gone, and in order to get a reasonable scan, you have to erase the sketch entirely. No more sketch ever. Skeching on the Cintiq means I have the sketch forever.

When inking, once you commit the ink to paper it's permanent. One out of place line or bumped arm and the whole piece either needs to be redone or has to exist with the error forever more. It can be nerve wracking even for guys who have been doing it as long as I have. Inking directly "on" the Cintiq means any error is easily removed. Using Photoshop I can even ink tough sections on a new layer making it that much easier for me to correct without impacting the original piece. Or I can ink things on a new layer so it's easier to move over the main piece. This isn't possible withough using multiple pieces of paper and multiple scans in the traditional pen/paper manner.

With Taks returning to work and my duties with the kid increasing exponentially, finding was to speed up and/or simplify the process has become crucial. Hell, I've even started coloring slightly different, giving myself a colored flats etc. to make selections easier later in the coloring process. It's been kind of nice. Makes me feel a bit more intune with what I'm doing.

So this post could very well be the official recognition of GU becoming a fully digitally-produced comic. Sure I may miss all the paper, the tangible representations of my effort, but really this should be better for me, the kid, and the comic in the long run.

So besides the tangible product when your finished, are there any other good qualities to inking something on paper first?

Not really. No.

Interesting.

And think of it this way. By going all digital and having the kid, you won't have to worry about Kid-Accidents ruining your paper archives or Works in Progress. (Especially once Woody Jr. reaches the toddler and grabbing stage)

Didn't you used to sell the sketches? The non-text bubble ones pre-everything sketches? It seems like I remember that whole thing going on.

But yeah, it's always a proud moment when you chop a chunk of time off a process and lose nothing in the end result.

Yeah, I used to try to move them. People seemed interested in having a piece of GU and I didn't see where it would hurt.

Along with doing the sketching digitally, I changed a bit of how I color which currently takes a bit more time.

I would definitely be interested in ink's of some my favorite comics. (Such as the Ding! dragon raid comic). I would imagine you can always fall back on inking when the mood strikes you. Sounds like it's all win-win!

The Ding! panel was given to a fan that cried when she met me. Had I not given it to a fan such as that, it's unlikely that I would have ever parted with it.

Wow, I think that was the right fan to give it to, for sure! I had no idea you were so awesome that you inspire tears in the eyes of others. =P

I suppose the Ding! shirt will have to do!

He definatly inspires tears. Sometimes I wonder if it's the *awesome* though. (It's a joke)