[test] traditional ink VS digital ink (on the same image!)

[mg78]

have u ever tried to realize the same image with traditional ink and digital???
i did it today.

im a total newbie in the digital ink and i was quite curious to see the difference between these 2 ways.
so, i did a sketch. i did the scan. then, the sketch was inked in the traditional way and i did again the same on pc as digital ink...

the final score it's, imho, strange... the digital version look more "dense" and gummy.
but it was quite funny to see the same image how it end with 2 different techniques. oh yes, there s also another point: time spent. it was the same, 20 min each :\ . strange, my idea was to be faster on digital... instead..............

[Doubtcent]

The big difference is cost vs having a physical copy

If you work all out in digital, it doesn't cost you anything in the long run, unless you want to print. Also there's quality for the picture and such things like pixel sizes bla-de-bla. But for the most part it's free.

Then if you can do the same work traditionally, you have it already in your hand, which can be a very satisfying feeling. Just a thought.

[KreativeConfusion]

in terms of it looking more "gummy" that really depends on your brush. The fun thing about digital art is that you have so many options at your finger tips and most of them tend to be free (especially if you take the time to learn how to make brushes) or at least cheaper compared to traditional.

Personally I always found I did faster with traditional since I normally just use microns and I draw on a smaller scale.

I will say the traditional does look better though I would maybe bump up the contrast to make the inks pop.

[elixiadragmire]

Drawing is drawing no matter the medium, the utility of digital is no mess, easier reproduction for multiple uses of the same art without redrawing, though with larger upfront costs and at times limited access (Pc users,if you have a tablets your just as mobile BUT again large upfront costs)

As others have said there are hundreds of different digital brushes for choosing, each to fit a style or need. I recommend kyle t Webster, I love those brushes

[shazzbaa]

I agree with the others -- how the finished product looks depends a lot on brushes. I see people bemoan that digital can look too perfect and slick, but with some good brushes and textures that's much less of an issue. It also depends on practice!! If you're not used to inking digitally, it's going to be slower than inking the way you're used to!!

I tried inking digitally for a couple of pages of my comic and I found there wasn't a noticeable difference from my normal ballpoint inking when I used this stumpy pencil brush, which is already what I was using to make digital corrections:

(different scenes, so not quite the same image, but same character at least!)

when you zoom in you can definitely see a difference! But for the finished product, it didn't make a WHOLE lot of difference, and it took me about the same amount of time (digital sliiiiiiightly longer, but made corrections and straight lines much cleaner, so it was a trade-off). The biggest difference was that inking digitally seemed a little rougher on my wrist, so I ended up going back to traditional after a few pages.

[phen]

Ah, I did a traditional versus digital project in one of my foundations drawing courses! Completing the same piece twice -- once with entirely traditional media, and again entirely on the computer with Photoshop 7. I worked medium sized on a colour pencil and ink illustration (32" x 40"). The traditional piece was finished in no time at all, probably took me 12 hours total. Whereas the digital piece was about three days straight.

The biggest issue I had was UNDO! I could not stop hitting undo to try and fix mistakes. My confidence traditionally wasn't held up by such a magic button, hah! So, with that, I always make an effort not to be hovering around the undo handicaps while I work digitally. It helps tons and brings a more organic feel to a piece. That and turning off any stabilizers that might be running in the programme. -^^

[camillabluejay]

I don't know if you were interested in votes, but I do like the traditional better. It looks more alive to me. You have a really steady hand either way though, that's awesome.

[myung]

I agree with most posters. Time spent should be the same whether digital or traditional since you're making the same physical strokes. Final looks depends greatly on your tools for both. Pen, paper, and ink quality matter for traditional, software, pen settings, and hardware matter for digital.

Aside from saving cost on paper, where digital really shines though is in the experimentation department. When you really get into storytelling techniques, pacing, layout, composition and flow, you're going to be iterating on your pages to get it just right. You can't beat working digitally when it comes to the freedom of editing your work and the amount of time saved doing it. Even if you ink traditional, I would highly recommend working digitally on your thumbs and pencils.

[whovianandwriting]

But the cost for a scanner, computer, Photoshop, and drawing tablet...

[Doubtcent]

Well, it's either software and a drawing tablet or the cost of a scanner, paper and supplies. True, paper and ink ain't that expensive, but you have to have a quality computer if you're gonna go digital or traditional.

[Mane]

It's an interesting experiment, it'd have to try it at some point with the same image . For me , it's not so much about how it looks but about how to feels. I just love the feel of pen or pencil against paper. To hold that paper at arms length and look at your work. It's satisfaction different from that of creating something purely on screen.

[Shanny8]

Cant really say much. I'm just starting out in digital, so I dont have as much control as I'd like to. At this point, I like my traditional ink better than my digital but I've been having issues just basically setting up to do traditional inks- with digital, I just turn on the laptop and go. Besides I cant get better at doing digital inks if I dont practice/execute..?