I decided that I should take a break from inking monsters, and try something that has less texture to it. Texture is fun with characters, but I want to challenge myself by working with images that don’t necessarily have a lot of texture in the important areas.
Case in point, this new ink that I’ve now completed. It’s based on Peter Lorre’s character from the film M, and, though there is certainly a lot of texture in the piece, it’s his face that doesn’t have a lot of it.
Inking his face, I had to use very light lines, spaced fairly far apart (relatively). Any more, and his face would take on a different texture, and he wouldn’t look right (or human). The challenge is to still add shadows and depths to his face, without adding a lot of texture that would throw it off.
But, that said, there were all kinds of other textures to play with in the scene. I also used a larger paper than I usually do (9″ x 12″), though still the 140 lb. Cold Press.
Here’s what he looks like, inked. I’ve titled the piece “Mörder”, which is what the film’s title is short for:
Mörder
If you’re guessing all those lines in his coat took some time, you guessed correctly. But I wanted to capture the texture of his coat uniquely, and accurately, so it must be done. It wouldn’t be fair to come all this way talking about accuracy, only to dump it at the end because I was lazy.
I also took pics of the work as I was doing it, and I agree with what a few people have said, it’s interesting to watch the genesis of the work. Here’s that gallery:
[photosmash id=17]
As I sometimes do, I also toyed around with a color version. As always, let me know what you think.
Mörder: Color
