Category: ink drawing

Inktober Fun: Ash and Pikachu in Quick Ink Sketch

Ink Sketch of Ash Ketchum and Pikachu by Ralph Contreras

Capturing the Joy of Ash Ketchum and Pikachu in a Lightning-Fast Ink Sketch

Here’s a quick ink drawing I did for the prompt of Ash for Inktober. It’s Ash Ketchum from the Pokémon anime with his best buddy, Pikachu. I did this one really fast with my Pentel ink brush. So it didn’t come out as refined as I usually try to draw. I approached this like I have most of this year’s ink illustrations, I went straight to inking without a pencil sketch drawing.

For this illustration, I tried to have a more cartoony feel. Ash has large, exaggerated eyes, and I have thick and simple contour lines.  This is the 1st time I’ve drawn Pikachu, he looks a little off, more like a teddy bear than an electric squirrel. I had fun with this one though, it was a great inking exercise with a fun subject.

Embracing the Majesty of Overgrown Realms with Inktober

Ink illustration of a silhouette figure confronting overgrown plants by Ralph Contreras

Inktober Adventure: Confronting the Overgrown with a Character Silhouette

Continuing my Inktober catch-ups, here’s my illustration for the prompt Overgrown. I immediately imagined a crazy bean stalk wall that was impossible to see through. I decided to create a silhouette of a character looking at the towering, overgrown wall. By doing this, I was able to keep the focus on the character while still being able to show the immense amount of the plants. It was a fun challenge.

I used my new LePen Technical Drawing Pen for this illustration. So the contour ink lines are all the same thickness, but the plants in the illustration were still diverse, with a lot of different shapes and sizes. This helped to create a sense of depth and made the inking feel more alive. I think the variety of plants also helped to create a more interesting composition, rather than having everything look the same.

Colorful Creativity: Drawing a Dragon with a Multi-Color Ballpoint Pen

Dragon Ballpoint Pen Illustration by Ralph Contreras

Exploring Depth and Detail with a Multi-Color Ballpoint Pen and Hatching

For the Inktober prompt of Dragon, I wanted to try something very different for me. I wanted to try drawing the ink illustration with a ballpoint pen. That’s with no pencil sketch to start with, just a ballpoint pen. But not just any ordinary pen, I used a multi-color ballpoint pen I bought at Dollar Tree. It had four colors, black, red, blue, and green.

The whole illustration was done with hatching and crosshatching. I started with a base shape of green hatching marks. This formed the bust, wings, head, and horns. Then I switched to black ink and added the face structure with shadow-hatching lines. This really gave the illustration some nice depth. Then I used the red and blue for the Dragon’s eyes.

I’m very happy with the way this ballpoint ink illustration turned out.

Game of Thrones Art: Jon Snow Inktober Adventure

Jon Snow Ink Illustration by Ralph Contreras

Letting Loose: Embracing Imperfect Proportions with Jon Snow Illustration

Ok, I’ve fallen a little behind on Inktober again this year, it seems like that’s as much of my yearly tradition with Inktober too. I’m playing a little catch-up. Here’s my inking illustrator for the prompt of Snow.

For Snow, I wanted to do something fun. Being a huge fan of Game of Thrones, I decided to ink Jon Snow. I went straight to inking on this illustration using a 102 Hunts nib with no pencil sketch. The proportions are a little off. Jon Snow looks a little older, a little chubbier, and in deep thought. But I had fun getting the fuzzy look of the fur with hatching.

I’ve been having a good time with this year’s Inktober. It’s great to just let loose and not worry about being perfect. That’s how I approached this ink illustration of Jon Snow for the Snow prompt.

Live Long and Pattern: Inking Spock with a Splash of Color

Spock Blue Pattern Uniform India Ink Illustration by Ralph Contreras

Bringing Leonard Nimoy Spock to Life with Pattern Color Ink

Ok for the prompt of pattern I really just wanted to let loose and do the ink illustration different. I decided to use color ink. This might actually be the first time I’ve ever used any color ink other than black for an ink drawing. For pattern I did the pattern that can be found in the reboot Kelvinverse Star Trek uniforms. When I think Star Trek I think of Spock.

I really tried to capture the likeness of Leonard Nimoy in this illustration. Although I did put him in the uniform from the reboot Star Trek film franchise. The fun thing about the new uniforms is the subtle repeated pattern of the Star Fleet insignia. I used blue ink to show the repeating pattern. I did get a little sloppy, I think I was a little impatient with the pattern. I still had fun illustrating it though. 

For the star fleet badge I used yellow ink. I feel it really helps to pop it out from the pattern. Even though the pattern is based of the badge shape. The rest of the illustration was done with black India ink. For this ink drawing I did draw a pencil sketch first, then inked over the sketch what a Hunt 102 nib. The 102 nib is my preferred method of inking.

I had a good time with this pattern inked illustration, it was fun to draw a Star Trek character too. I usually draw Star Wars characters for prompted challenges. But in truth I’m probably just as much a Star Trek nerd/fan as I am for Star Wars. Live Long and Prosper.

Knocking Out Inktober: A Boxer’s Swing in Ink Wash

A Boxer’s Swing Ink Illustration by Ralph Contreras

The Power of Grey: Enhancing Swing with Ink Wash for Inktober

Every day working on an Inktober drawing is both fun and a challenge. For this day’s prompt of Swing, I knew I wanted to do something with movement. Then it hit me, comics can have action, which is usually a fight. In fights, characters take swings at each other. So I decided to draw a boxer throwing a punch in mid-swing.

For this ink drawing, I approached it very loosely. No sketch, just inks. I’ve drawn so many figure characters that I felt confident I would be able to draw an action pose without the sketch.

I used a pentel brush pen to give the illustration thick ink lines. I really like the energy I was able to get from this. I wanted to give the boxer a determined face caught in the moment. I added action lines off the glove to show the swing.

I’ve been trying to ink with an ink wash this year. So I added a gray ink wash to the boxing figure to try to bring out highlights and show shadows. I also used the ink wash in the background. I think it helps to show the movement of the swing jumping right out to us the views.

I’m pleased with the way this ink illustration of Swing came out. And I feel like I’m getting much better at using ink washes.

Capturing the Delicacy of a Frail Dry Leaf in an Ink Illustration

Dry Leaf Ink Illustration by Ralph Contreras

Inktober Frail Beauty: Inking a Delicate Dry Leaf

For the Inktober prompt of Frail, I decided to ink draw a dry leaf. A dry leaf is very delicate and frail. It can scrumble very easily underfoot or in hand. I just imagined the crunching sound of dry leaves during autumn while I drew it.

I enjoyed drawing all the veins in the dry leaf. Like a glass mosaic or a spider web, the veining of the dry leaf can have both a pattern and great randomness.

I used a micron pen for this ink drawing. No cketch just straight to inking. Working on this took me back to my drawing classes in college when we did contour ink drawings of everyday items.

Enchanted Inktober: The Lady of the Lake and Excalibur Illustration

Enchanted Excalibur and The Lady of the Lake Ink Illustration by Ralph Contreras

Exploring Legends with Ink: The Enchanted Sword of Excalibur

I got a little behind on my inktober illustrations this year. Here’s the illustration for the prompt Enchanted. There are so many great ideas that come to mind with this prompt. I was inspired to draw the famous enchanted sword of Excalibur.

Growing up one of my favorite movies was the 1981 film Excalibur. I always remember the scene where the lady of the lake both gives and takes back Excalibur. So for this ink illustration, I wanted to draw that: Excalibur and a magical enchanted scene with the lady of the lake.

This year I’ve been both drawing a sketch first or going straight to inks. For this one, I did draw a sketch first. Then I went over the illustration with an ink pen. I wanted the illustration to be simple and clear. So I didn’t draw that much in the way of background or foreground. I added ripples to show her hand reaching through the water. I also put a spark of enchanted energy as the center point of the ink drawing.

Video of Ralph Contreras inking Illustration

I’m pleased with the way my ink illustration of Enchanted came out. I’ve also added a video of my inking it with a drawing pen.

Inking the Spirit: Exploring the Energetic Husky in Ink

Hungry Husky, Husky Ink Illustration by Ralph Contreras

Embracing Inktober: Capturing the Energy of a Hungry Husky

For the Inktober prompt of Husky, I decided to illustrate a husky dog. This might be the first dog I’ve drawn in years. The funny thing is I actually drew a husky, husky. He’s even eagerly waiting for food with his bowl. I had fun with this illustration.

I went straight to inking with this one too, with no sketching whatsoever. I used my new LePen Technical Drawing Pen. I’m really enjoying inking with this new pen. The LePen pen gave me contour lines that are all the same thickness. I tried to ink this husky, husky with a lot of hatching to give the appearance of thick fur.

This was a quick ink drawing, I wanted to capture the energy of a hungry husky, husky.

Embracing the Imperfections of My Ink Wash Illustration

Freeze Ink Illustration by Ralph Contreras

From Captain America to Cosmic Horror: Diving into an Ink Wash Illustration

Here’s my Inktober illustration for the prompt “Freeze”. This one is kinda all over the place, lol. Approaching this illustration I knew I wanted to try the ink wash technique. I’ve seen so many great Inktober illustrations done with ink wash I knew I wanted to do one too. It’s a cool technique that adds different tones of grey by adding more or less water to the ink.

I’ve done a few ink-wash illustrations in the past. But for this illustration, I kinda feel like I lost myself in it. I tried to compensate by adding a solid black background and foreground. I added hatching with both thin and thick brush strokes.

The illustration was done with a pentel brush pen and a LePen Technical pen. For the subject of Freeze, I illustrated a figure frozen in ice and discovered by a mountain climber. I was trying to evoke a cosmic horror feel to the piece. like something out of At the Mountains of Madness being discovered in the ice, but I think it might actually look like Captain America when he frozen in ice.

The ink illustration is a bit of a mess, but I did have fun with it and the inking does have a lot of energy. So I feel like it’s a success in my inking progress.