Inking and sneezing...

 After the pencil work was accepted, bar one small change, I took a short break. I was tired and I kinda let the break extend to an entire week. I wasn't worried as the planning had been laid out in graphite. Using a light box and ink was the fun bit. Although I had left myself only a week to finish it...

Then I couldn't find the light box cable. Spent most of a day looking everywhere I might have put it until finally I found it plugged into the junction box at my worktable. It's now clearly labelled.

The only irritating part is drawing the boxes. However I choose pen & ruler over freehand. A comic strip I'd done previously looked better with straight lines to contain or burst out of:

ILLUSTRATING WORDS AND PHRASES

BY SINEAD O'DONNELL 2016

Using a variety of pens the inking began. Ideas came to me of how to differentiate between land and sea and between characters. 

I work old school, ink on paper so if I make a mistake I begin again. Working for an hour at a time helps before breaking and continuing. This minimises mistakes. I noticed the speed at which I worked had changed, I'd slowed up. And I noticed I felt very cold, my throat hurt and I was sneezing. Wrong time to catch a bug. Sipping hot drinks I worked on.

It took me until 5am on the morning of the final day to finish. I stopped at 3am for some Stilton and pear. Food of the arty gods. I made the decision to physically cut-and-paste a small box on the final page, inserting an improved version. Should be ok as these pages are being videotaped. It was done.

Now, on Christmas eve, I've found a pencilled comic strip from a while back. And I'm itching to ink and colour it...sniffle...