With computers and “digital inking” changing the way comic books are created, The Inkwell Awards pay homage to the often-overlooked art of inking.
OFFICIAL PRESS RELEASE
The Inkwell Awards are an all new, exciting award set up to celebrate the art of inking within the comic book industry. The Inkwell Awards have been established and overseen by a number of professionals from all aspects of the comic book industry, including such artists as...
Adam Hughes (Tomb Raider, Justice League, Wonder Woman), Senior DC Editor Mike Marts (Uncanny X-Men, X-men, Wolverine), award founder Bob Almond (Black Panther, Annihilation: Conquest-Quasar, Warlock), Tim Townsend (Uncanny X-Men, The Amazing Spider-Man, Civil War), James Tournas (Full Moon Craze, Shylock, Epoch), along with Bill Nichols (Sketch) and Daniel Best (Andru & Esposito: Partners For Life).
Voting starts April 1st and ends May 30th. Results will be announced on the web-site InkWellAwards.com with further information on the first of July 2008.
Favorite Inker
A) Retro (golden, silver & bronze age artists)
B) Modern (1990s to present)
Favorite Finisher/Embellisher
(Known for doing finished inkwork over the layouts or
breakdowns of a pencil artist)
A) Retro
B) Modern
Most-adaptable Inker
(Showing exceptional ink style versatility)
Most Prolific Inker
Props Award
(Inker deserving of more attention from
any age; mainstream or small press/indie)
The Call of Duty Award
(Special consideration for an inker for donating
their time and effort to the public and/or the comic community)
MVP
(The go-to, troubleshooter Inker that can save/boost almost any job)
The JOE SINNOTT Award
(A hall of fame designation for a career of
outstanding accomplishment)
Nominees:
Dick Giordano
Tom Palmer
Joe Sinnott
Al Williamson
Wally Wood
What is Inking?
Inking is the craft of enhancing an illustration through the means of redrawing pencil lines with ink and its related tools. This enhancing, or 'ink editing', would elaborate in the areas of, but not limited to, weight, space, depth, definition, contrast, texture, composition and design.
This is not to be confused with Digital Inking, the art of using a computer drawing tablet with a pressure sensitive stylus, to produce the digitally simulated effect of inking or Digital Darkening, often called by the misnomer 'digital inking', which does not emulate inking but simply alters and darkens the already-existing pencil lines within a scanned file with a computer program like Photoshop.