Help support Philadelphia's art community!

Hey guys! I don't usually post stuff like this but this is a great cause! Please help the Philadelphia art and general community by simply signing and sharing this fantastic petition that proposes turning the historic luxury hotel The Divine Lorraine into the Philadelphia Interactive Museum of Contemporary Art. This is a great idea and a great cause and it would be amazing to see it happen! Thank you.


Petition | Declare Eminent Domain on The Divine Lorraine in Philadelphia for an Interactive Museum of Contemporary Art

Rock on,
James

First Ink of the Year

It's been a while since I've posted anything. I've been rather busy with school and life, but I have been trying to find time for my art outside of that.

This is my first comic ink of the year. Still trying to get a handle on using a brush. Oddly enough, I'm finding I'm more comfortable with a Pentel Pocket Brush than I am with W&N Series 7s.

This is a piece I inked as a personal challenge. I did it because I dreaded doing all those bubbles, but I quickly found how fun it was with a brush. Inked with Copic Multi-Liner and Pentel Pocket Brush.

Original pencils by Luís Figueiredo.

For a larger version, click here: http://fav.me/d71ijy1

Hope you enjoy!

Rock on,
James

Many Firsts With This Inking

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This is a piece of firsts for me. This marked the first time I used rapidograph pens. It also marked the first time I inked a sequential page. It was also the first time I used a Hunt 102 nib, and I really enjoyed it. AAAAND it may actually be the first time I've ever drawn Thor. Maybe. But this piece was a lot of fun. Hats off to Mike Bowden for the awesome pencils.

Check out a larger version of this at my Deviant Art page.

Rock on,

James

Inking "The Scourge" by David Finch

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This is my first time digitally inking someone else's pencils. David Finch is a master comic book artist and this was quite the challenge. As fun as it was though, I think I prefer traditional inking.

I created a video as well of the inking process. Feel free to check it out on my YouTube channel.

Pencils by David Finch
Inks by James Porter

To see a larger version, check out my Deviantart page.

Rock on.

Inks #3: Jean Grey by Ed Benes

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Finished this morning, this is my third traditionally inked piece of comic art: a great pin-up of Jean Grey by Ed Benes. It was rather fun having the new challenge of inking flowing hair. I know the more artworks I ink, the more challenges will arise. With every piece I ink I see more and more how much my line quality needs to improve, especially when it comes to women and their curves and hair, etc. With each piece too, I feel myself becoming more comfortable using a crow quill pen and ink. There's lots of progress to continue making, but it's being made bit by bit. I see it in the three pieces I have inked so far, and it is encouraging.

Rock on,

James

First Digital Inking

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So I've really gotten into the art of inking as of late. I have been one who has done a lot of art in past years digitally, but it has been great getting my hands dirty with a traditional medium again. I first started inking comic book art a couple weeks ago and I'm in love. I've seen people online who ink digitally, and it can look great and kudos to them, but I want to learn the old school craft.

So I've done some pieces traditionally, with another work in progress sitting on my table at home, but I was at my fiancé's tonight without my inks, and so I thought I'd give digital inking a whirl. Two months ago I would have been in love with it, but now that I've gotten my hands dirty with the real thing I realize the real thing is much more to my liking. There's an analog warmth to it, a sweet character that you don't quite get with digital. There's a personality that just doesn't come through digitally. Maybe I'm not being fair, because I haven't even finished one full piece yet digitally, but I'm not feeling the connection to it that I do with paper and ink.

Don't get me wrong, I'm not knocking digital inking. I love digital art. I've made some digital pieces of art that I'm very proud of, and I've seen some mind-blowing digital work done by others. But as I was sitting at my Cintiq inking this amazing piece by David Finch, I think I came to realize digital inking is not for me. At least it isn't my preference. I've seen instances where digital inking was how the project was instructed to be done. I'm sure if I got faster at it, I'd maybe use it in certain deadline or project situations. But as much as I love my Cintiq, I don't think it's ever going to be my preference over brushes and nibs, paper and ink, smears and drops, and ink-stained hands.

But to you out there who ink digitally, keep at it. Keep improving at it as you would with any other medium. I'll probably try to bring myself to improve my digital inking along side my traditional inking. It all comes down to telling the story and keeping true to the penciler. They all become lines in a comic book in the end.

Rock on,
James

Create Your Own Comic Art Board Template

So I own a pack of this one brand of comic art boards and I love drawing on these sheets. But it turns out the measurement ratios are slightly incorrect and don't match up with the 6.625" x 10.25" industry comic standard size. I looked all over the place online to see what brand made correctly measured boards. The only ones that I read to be correct, I couldn't find anywhere to buy! So I made my own template and am now printing them on the blank backs of the boards I already own. Here it is!

I made this template black for the purpose of it being visible on here, but everything is really a light cyan in print. Here are the steps I created to make a simple BLT (Bleed, Live, Trim) Board in Adobe Illustrator:

Step 1: Make these three boxes within an 11" x 17" document, all aligned to the center of the document.

            Trim 6.625"  x 10.25"

            Live 6" x 9"

            Bleed 7.125" x 10.75"

Step 2: Group these three boxes together. We will call this Group A.

Step 3: Create a 1" x 11" box and flush it up against the top of the document. Duplicate and flush the second box with the bottom of the document.

Step 4: Free Transform Group A so that the top and bottom lines of the Bleed align with the boxes from Step 3. This should leave 1" margins above and below Group A.

Step 5: Delete boxes from Step 3.

Step 6: Center Group A within the document one more time for good measure.

Step 7: Print and draw.

I hope that's helpful to any of you wanting to make your own template! You can download mine from DeviantArt.

Rock on.