An inker, also known as an embellisher or finisher, is an important part of the comic book and graphic novel production process. Many inkers collaborate with a penciler, who creates the image’s initial outlines. An inker is a graphic artist who is in charge of the finished outlines of a graphic image. He or she may also be involved in the creation of the story that is visually represented on the page.
The penciler in a traditional comic book artist team creates the initial outlines of each image with the artist’s pencils. While this gives him or her a lot of control over the overall design, an inker can also use ink to subtly enhance and define areas that penciling can’t. Because most printing presses cannot pick up the lighter outlines created by pencil, an inker is essential in hand-drawn comics. Much of the shading and outlining would be lost in the reproduction process if there wasn’t an inker.
Inkers usually have a background in art and may even have a college degree in one of the arts. Despite being chastised for not being artistic, many comic book experts believe that an inker’s job requires just as much artistic skill and speed as a penciler’s. The reputation of inker as a low-wage job stems from the fact that it is frequently assigned to an apprentice or assistant who is not yet ready to create his or her own designs. Even apprentices, however, are typically skilled professionals with years of training and artistic experience.
Some inking is now done on computers as the digital age has taken over the world. Digital inkers use comic book-specific software to do the same job as hand-drawing inkers, but at a much faster and more consistent pace. A computer inker also has the advantage of being able to quickly and easily erase mistakes, which is a problem that many hand-drawing finishers face.
Because many well-known comic book artists started as embellishers, some prefer to ink their own work rather than entrusting it to a second artist to finish. This can take a long time, but it allows the original artist to have a lot more control over the final image. The ability to draw and ink images is often reserved for the best in the field; it can be viewed as a sign of status and superior ability.
Many comic book artists advise that learning art skills is essential before starting a career in inking. Many fine arts schools offer courses that could be useful to a comic book artist, such as figure drawing and computer classes that teach artists how to use the most up-to-date art software. Some comic book artists have no formal training and instead self-taught through reading and hands-on experience.