You begged for it, so here it is—10 more inking tips to crank your gritty, retro line art into overdrive. This is the sequel your sketchbook’s been waiting for. If you're trying to ink like it’s 1974 and your hand’s powered by caffeine and sheer willpower, we got you.
This ain't Inking 101. It's Inking 201 with extra crust.
In this video, our guest artist, Matt, uses our Inferno Ink pack of inking brushes in Procreate. You can use any inking brushes or software you like, and these tips will still apply. The point is to find what works best for you so that you can incorporate these tips in a way that will spell success.
You're going to spend a lot of time with your brushes. Make sure you've got the right ones.
A brush isn’t just a tool—it’s your sidekick. We swear by the Variable Inker from the Inferno Ink Pack. It's like a jazz musician that only plays crunchy licks. From chunky contours to whisper-thin hatching, this brush knows the assignment.
What makes this brush a champ is its balance between control and texture. The line quality feels like you’re dragging ink across toothy paper, not glass. You’ll notice it responds to pressure like a dream, giving you bold strokes when you need 'em and feather-light flicks when you don’t.
Also worth trying:
1957 Atomic Ink – Clean lines with personality.
College Strip Pen – Great for comic borders and captions.
Jaggy Old Brush – Looks like it’s been through a war (in a good way).
💡But Wait There's More: If you're looking for more tips on how to better familiarize yourself with your tools, check out our article on using new tools more confidently.
Filling everything manually is massively time consuming. Use fill features in your favorite software to work smarter and faster.
Still coloring in black shapes by hand? Bro. That’s like using dial-up in 2025. Just close your outlines, tap to fill, and move on with your life. Bonus move: Drop the opacity to around 90%—nobody wants pitch-black ink unless you're printing on obsidian.
Here's the breakdown: ink the shape, make sure your line is closed (no gaps!), then use the fill tool to flood it. Done. Clean, fast, and looks pro. Pro tip? If your fill floods the whole canvas, that’s your drawing telling you it’s got leaks. Patch those gaps and try again.
Want to go even more vintage? Lowering the opacity of your fills mimics the natural fading of old comics—it's a tiny detail that adds tons of charm.
Restrain yourself from doing everything at once. Start with large shapes and then move on to details.
Stop inking like you're following a coloring book. Lay the foundation first. Big shapes. Outer contours. THEN go nuts with eyelids and jacket folds. It’s like making a sandwich—don’t start with the condiments.
Start with the overall silhouette. Think of your character like a paper doll—block in the outer shell first. Once that’s solid, zoom in and add the structure underneath: faces, folds, accessories. Big to small keeps your work unified and prevents getting stuck in detail traps.
This approach helps you stay loose and focused. You’ll also avoid spending 30 minutes detailing something you later decide to scrap.
People's brains will fill in many details. Don't let it get too busy.
Yes, you heard that right. Sometimes the best lines are the ones you don’t draw. Let the white space breathe. Don’t make your viewer’s eyeballs work overtime trying to decode a visual novel in a single panel.
Your brain is wired to fill in gaps—use that. By leaving parts of your drawing uninked, you give your viewer something to mentally engage with. It’s the visual equivalent of a pause in music. Strategic silence.
Look at vintage comics or old newspaper illustrations—they rarely ink every detail. The absence of line is what creates contrast and energy. Know when to say more with less.
Line weight can add weight and depth when done thoughtfully.
Same line thickness for everything? That’s not a style. That’s a flat tire. Thick lines up front, medium lines for midground stuff, and thin-as-a-hipster’s-mustache lines for the tiny details. Tip: Chart your weights. 10px, 5px, 2px. Stay consistent. Stay sane.
Line weight adds hierarchy. It tells the viewer what to focus on and what to ignore. Think of it like a movie soundtrack—loud where it matters, subtle where it doesn’t.
Draw thick around the outline of your character, moderate on key features like clothing folds or weapon edges, and thin on texturing or facial details. Your work will look richer, more dynamic, and a lot less like spaghetti.
Use the brush your inking with to erase for consistency in line and style.
Erasing with a soft round after inking with texture? That’s like eating soup with a fork. Use the same brush to erase—keeps your strokes consistent. In Procreate, hold the eraser icon to auto-match your current brush. Do it. Every. Time.
This trick makes your edits invisible. You can carve into shadows, clean up stray strokes, or even sculpt highlights right into black shapes. No mismatched edges. No weird fade-outs. Just buttery continuity.
Whether you're correcting a curve or carving out a little reflective glint, using your inker as the eraser keeps everything cohesive. It’s the difference between “almost pro” and “oh damn, who inked this?”
Hard shadows can be jarring. Use feathering to create a more classic shading effect.
Hard shadows work great on cubes. But for curves? You need feathering. It’s just fat-to-thin strokes stacked for that smooth 3D pop. Press heavy, then lighten up. It’s like playing bass with a jazz trio—subtle, but it moves.
Feathering mimics how light wraps around soft forms. You see it all over classic comic art. The trick is to taper your strokes naturally. Start strong, lift gently.
Feathering can be used on cheekbones, shoulder curves, folds in fabric—basically anything round. Get in the habit of stacking your strokes rhythmically, and suddenly your flat skull has cheekbones that sing.
Black is not always black. Experiment with dark unsatured colors instead of pure black.
Black ink lines = classic. But sometimes you need a little spice. Lock alpha, pick a deep navy or dusty brown, and fill those suckers. Suddenly, your digital piece looks like it’s been aging in a flat file since 1963.
Colored lines soften the harshness of pure black. It’s one of those quiet upgrades that make a huge impact. A deep red can warm up a portrait. A cool gray can push something into the background. It’s all about setting the mood.
And if you're doing print-style art, coloring your lines can make it feel even more authentic. Real ink on paper isn’t always black. So give your lines some soul.
Hand selected by veteran cartoonist Ed Vill, Inferno Ink is a one stop shop for all your new favorite inking brushes. Includes dozens of unqiue brushes for any style or situation.
Print defect can go a long way in giving your work more style and panache.
If your ink looks too clean, it’s boring. Add halftone specks, misprints, and paper fuzz. Use RetroSupply’s ColorLab or Edge & Fold brushes—just slap them on a mask layer. Adjustable, non-destructive, chef’s kiss.
These defects add story. Your piece stops looking like it was born on an iPad yesterday and starts looking like it came out of a forgotten long box from 1977.
Try smudging the edges. Add some misaligned halftones. Maybe even a fold line across the middle. It doesn’t need to be perfect—that’s the point. Let the flaws shine.
Go easy on yourself. Don't expect too much too soon.
Your early inking will look like a caffeinated squirrel did it. That’s okay. Even legends started with shaky lines. Chill. Breathe. Scroll memes. Then get back to it. Progress is messy, but the sauce is in the repetition.
Inking is a craft. It’s repetition, rhythm, and muscle memory. It’s knowing when to let your wrist flick and when to pull slow and steady. You won’t get that overnight.
So if today’s lines suck? Cool. You’re one stroke closer to the ones that won’t. Keep grinding. Your future self is already better because of it.
Inking isn’t just about lines—it’s about rhythm, restraint, and letting your weird, wonderful brain leave a mark. Whether you’re just getting into it or refining a style you’ve been cooking for years, these tips are here to help you ink smarter, not harder.
You don’t need a $1,000 setup or a ten-step course. You just need a good brush, a steady(ish) hand, and a willingness to get a little messy. The rest? That’s just practice, patience, and maybe a playlist of 70s punk in the background.
So take these tips, break a few rules, and make some damn cool art. We’ll be here when you’re ready for round three.
Watch the full process of creating an illustration from sketch to inking to coloring and texture work in this 90 minute live drawing recording.
Learn how to use clipping masks, layer masks, and alpha lock in this easy to understand tutorial for Procreate. This article includes plenty of visual examples and animated GIFS to demonstrate concepts.
Whether you’re already familiar with Procreate or opening it for the first time, we’ll be looking at our top20 features and gestures to help you move around the Procreate interface like a pro!
