how do you get the variations of thick-to-thin transitions in your lines? are you using illustrator for this?

yeah, i am using Adobe Illustrator to draw these. First I start with a very detailed pencil sketch. And i mean, VERY detailed. The pencil sketch has all the lines thick and thin.

When I sketch the drawing out first, I draw the same lines over and over--much how one would do i a sketch. That's how the thick lines tend to appear. But I also make sure that the sketch is exactly how i would like the final drawing to appear. So that way when i trace it in illustrator, it's just very straight forward. It would just take forever in illustrator if i went back and tweaked the lines. All illustrator does for me is to trace the lines, no line adjusting. You'd be there forever.

Then for the coloring, I make sure all the black lines are one one layer. Then I put the color on another layer underneat the black lines. Then I sloppily put in the color shapes. Nobody will see how rough the color shapes are underneath, because the black lines cover up the edges.

Also adding shadows to the color is another nice idea. I usually put that on another layer in between the black and color layer. It's really just the main color plus 10% black added to the CMYK value.

cool, so you make a detailed hand-drawing first! then you scan it? that's how i've been doing things in my illustration class. so that's the standard procedure.

but how do you get the lines to translate in illustrator? do you use the pen tool? the brush tool? how do you adjust the lines to be thick in some parts, but thin in others? you must have to do that by hand?

thanks!

the black lines in the illustration are actually black shapes in illustrator. I trace over a scan of my drawing. No brush tool. No effects. Just tracing with the illustrator pen tool.

oh, so the black "lines" aren't lines at all, they're filled-in shapes. interesting! these illustrations really come from hand-drawn work from the start. it's refreshing to know that our art training is still very much in use/demand.

I'll tell ya what, this black line illustration style is a TON easier than the Zap2it.com illustration series with no black lines: http://www.spudart.org/blogs/illustration_comments/1235_0_8_0_C/

I love the caraciture you did of me. It has the same great lines.