St. Petersburg, Florida. – At a workshop at the Imagine Museum, local comic artist Josh T. Rodriguez hopes to inspire others the way comics have inspired him. After a brief introduction to 15 participants, Rodriguez shows a slide with a selection of his comic book illustrations.
“Everything here is made entirely with ink,” he explained.
The workshop is called “Mastering the Art of Ink” and Rodriguez describes inking as “the art form of solidifying pencil illustrations for artistic expression, reproduction, or simply to touch and solidify the work.”
The experience of the participants varied, but everyone began the two-hour workshop with the same tools and a blank canvas. They began with a drawing that was intended to resemble what a comic book pencil artist would draw. In the world of comics, pencil artists and inkers are usually different people.
“We start with the same foundation. What I really like about this medium is that everyone shows a little individuality in their approach to the process,” Rodriguez said.
Rodriguez divides inking into four basics: line drawing, rendering, black/white and gray.
“When we start with our line within the outline of the piece and understand where to put thick and thin lines, we determine the mass and your light source,” he said.
Rendering involves understanding the marks tools can make and deciding where to use black and white ink. This sets the mood and emotion of a scene.
“With gray, you can add more detail and context,” Rodriguez said.
Rodriquez spent the two hours alternating between teaching and walking around and talking with participants about her own work.
“For me, it’s inspiring because it makes me want to create more,” he said. “I think it’s like a feedback loop: You see someone’s creativity and you get inspired, and then maybe your creativity inspires someone else. To me, that’s just great.”
This ink workshop is one of many workshops and special events that the Imagine Museum offers in addition to its exhibitions.
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