Scanning Pencil?

[Bean Bunny]

I work in pencil. I've been playing with how to get a good contrast, since I read in How Not To Make a Comic (see? I research!) that poor contrast is a no no. However, I've since decided that I like some of the fuzz and gray that comes with pencil.

So, exactly where/how do I strike the balance? I use Gimp, so does anyone have any suggestions?

[Faub]

Your best bet with pencil lines is to use levels to get rid of (most of) the smudges and to darken your lines.

GIMP 1.2: Image -> Colors -> Levels
GIMP 2.0: Layer -> Colors -> Levels

Usually there is a hump on the right side of the graph. Just move the white slider to the left side of the hump and the gray background and smudges go away. Move the gray slider to the right until the lines darken up. Move it too far and the pencil lines start to look like sloppy ink. It depends on what you want to accomplish.

The thing about pencil is that it always looks sketchy. Ink is very clean with a well defined edge that you can't reproduce with pencil. Pencil allows you to create gradients with the lines. If you darken too much, the gradients get lost.

In GIMP 1.2, the dodge tool set to about 50% will clean off the dark smudges without seriously impacting your lines. If you have GIMP 2.0 you'll have to mess with the settings a bit for this to work right. GIMP 2.0 dodge is just short of an erase tool.

[Platypus]

Mixing pencils and inks produces interesting if not amiable results most of the time

[Phalanx]

I work in pencil. I've been playing with how to get a good contrast, since I read in How Not To Make a Comic (see? I research!) that poor contrast is a no no. However, I've since decided that I like some of the fuzz and gray that comes with pencil.

So, exactly where/how do I strike the balance? I use Gimp, so does anyone have any suggestions?

I'm so happy... I think I might cry.

Seriously, like Faub says, levels are my favourite way to up the contrast. Unfortunately I'm a Photoshop Fiend, so I can't help you there.

[Toxic]

My scanner can't pick up pencil very well. If you use pencil, I guess use dark ones.

[Mercury Hat]

I'd say if you don't want to ink, the best thing to do would be go over the final lines and make them darker than the rest. If you want to keep the sketchy feel, I guess that's fine, but personally, I think it'd be better to then erase all the random lines that you don't need to make it look neater.

On the rare occasions where I scan a pencil drawing it's what I do (then darken the hell out of it in PSP).

[Bean Bunny]

If anyone's still reading -- I want to try an experiment. Where might I buy a non-repo pencil? I've been to two art stores, and I've gotten funny looks. Do they sell them online as well?

[Faub]

I've heard that some people use light blue colored pencils to some effect.

[Brockway]

Yeah, I sometimes use non-photo blue pencils, then ink over it. The advantage is the blue isn't picked up when you scan in black and white, and you don't have to erase your guidlines. Lately I've just been using art pencils then erasing after inking.

[K-Dawg]

I use that horrible method where you do it in pencil, scan it, then go over it with the pen tool in Photoshop. It used to take me hours to do this but I'm able to do it very quickly now.

[Brockway]

Dear god, that is such a pain in the ass to do... I had to do it for one update while I was at home, and I will never (if given a choice) do it again.

[KittyKatBlack]

I always work in pencil because I have no good pens. Simple #2 mechanical pencil. What I generally do is what Mercury Hat suggested. When I finish a drawing, right before I scan I go over the drawing again once with solid, dark lines, then in photoshop use the levels tool to get rid of all the grey around the drawing. After that I either use the curves tool, or the contrast tool to darken the lines enough so that they look inked, and then go in with the eraser tool and get rid of any stray marks/smudges that still remain.

I've had some pretty decent results, if you wanna take a look: http://teacherslounge.keenspace.com

And, if you don't want to click, you can just look at my Avatar for an example. It was scanned in pencil.

[K-Dawg]

I think I'll try out the doing things in pencil then using the levels stuff. If it turns out good it'll save me about an hour or so in the comic production.