Introduction to Bernie Wrightson Techniques for Rendering with Dip Pen and Ink
Watch 2 mini-studies of Bernie Wrightson pieces from "Cycle of the Werewolf" while I talk about his signature rendering techniques.
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Wrightson’s Cycle of the Werewolf by S. King (Kindle): amzn.to/3TzF8QS
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⏰ TIMING
00:14 - Wrightson Rendering Techniques
01:59 - Mini-Studies of Wrightson Pieces
I am old enough to have watched Wrightson's work develop over many years..starting with 12 cent comics, House of Mystery, Swamp Thing and onto the Warren magazines, Creepy and Eerie. It has been an honor to watch his work progress over so many years and the thing is, he just got better and better. A true master on so many levels.
I'm envious that you knew his works from the beginning, and agree 100% - a true master.
Man I could watch these videos all day
Glad to hear! More to come :)
Wrightson! I haven't heard that name in a while. I have his Frankenstein and some more of his comics. You're absolutely right to choose him for ink work. I told a professor about him in art college and I got a less than enthused reaction. Then I showed him Frankenstein. That shut him up. Thanks for your video!
I'd never heard of Wrightson until I watched this video just now. Absolutely awe-inspiring genius, his work is so incredibly vibrant, what an inspiration.
You cant go wrong with Wrightson he was a genius. His sense of line if unmatched. It is a shame he isn't more famous than he is. Its a IYKYK kind of thing. His work belongs in a museum.
I've been practicing dip pen for years now, but only came across his work recently. He instantly became my primary source for technique study. His work is like a freehand version of the old engraved prints from 18th and 19th century.
Another thing to note is is pencil work was also great. I have seen scans of his pencils and they are fantastic. He didn't just do a rough layout, he fully penciled and then inked it. They were so tight you could scan it and they would be as good as most peoples finished work. He was a master illustrator. He could do photo real and also exaggerated caricatures with equal expertise, and his composition was a masterclass.
Great demo. I have a "master" to suggest who I don't think you've ever mentioned: Virgil Finlay, one of the great sci-fi and horror pulp artists.
Not mentioned, but not forgotten! He is on my list and will be featured (eventually 😅) Thank you 😀
I'd never even heard of Wrightson before seeing this video in my feed. Your explanations are clear and interesting (a much more attractive format than a 50 minute-1 hr+ video for me); I hope to put them to good use, and to watch some of the others on your channel.
Great to hear - thank you!
Fantastic studies. Wrightson never fails to inspire. One of my favorite inkers along with Booth and Frazetta. I had a House of Secrets, 1st appearance of Swamp Thing signed by Wrightson that I regret having sold about 25 years ago. Looking forward to more.
Love this! Thank you so much for introducing me to Wrightson's work!
Bernie Wrightson is amazing - thx for your studies
Stunning ! Thank you so much for sharing
Stellar! love these mini studies
Beautiful , great work, 5hanks for teaching us about him
Thanks Chloe that was instructive and inspiring!
Wrightson was a master of his craft ❤
Awesome work, Chloe. Congrats!
Thank you. This was very helpful.
What a great analysis of Wrightson's technique. To me, a lot of Franklin Booth's style comes through in Wrightsons work. But where Booth created large epic scenes, Wrightson was a master of moody, intense and foreboding compositions. Just amazing artists, I love them both. Thank you also for talking about the nibs you are using. I have a G-nib at the moment and will definitely try the others that you mentioned.
Thank you 😀 Glad that you enjoyed the video.
Thank you so much for all your work and amazing videos Chole !!
You are so welcome!
That was excellent! Keep them coming, Wrightson is the best there is. Thank you for a glimpse into his technique.
More to come!
This was amazing! Wrightson is one of my all-time favorite artists. I would love to see more studies on his work and techniques. Thank you so much for taking the time to do this! ❤
More to come!
I've never heard of Wrightson before but I immediately thought of Frank Patterson, an English illustrator who was prolific in the early 1900s. I have two of his books, and I believe his technique to be unmatched. It's very loose but his ability to portray value, texture and detail seemingly effortlessly is quite a sight to behold. You did a great job of these studies - illustrations of this calibre are extremely difficult to reproduce. :)
Thank you, I appreciate that. And yes, very cool to learn about Frank Patterson. His use of "shadow shapes" is inspiring as well.
Thanks for another great video Chloe! Your channel is so incredibly helpful 🖤
I'm so glad! Thanks for being here.
Your videos are great learning tools and presented in a perfect calm and pleasing manner. I really enjoy the master review elements, especially the Frank Frazetta video.
Glad you like them! I have such a long list of masters suggested by everyone, and so there will be more of these studies for sure.
I stumbled across your video quite by mistake and couldn't be happier that I did. Beautiful work. Thanks for sharing!
Glad you enjoyed it!
I enjoy your videos so much. Wrightson is my favorite!
Glad you like them!
What a wonderful video !
If you haven't already, I would also check out the works of Franklin Booth, Joseph Clement Coll and Will Pogany, who all used many of these techniques in rendering their ink illustrations. Booth is a particularly strong influence with the likes of Wrightson and later artists like Gary Gianni, and did all of the insane linework with a brush! I do appreciate spotlighting Bernie's work, the man was a genius of linework, detail, mood, and volume.
Oh I wasn't familiar with Gianni, very beautiful - thank you!
this is such a beautiful way of creating 🥰
Thank you so much!
This is really cool, I want to try some of this out
Banger knowledge. the people need to know
I enjoyed this very much
That seems like a lot of fun to try out. Thank you ✍️
Sketching a small section of a larger illustration goes quicker and is less intimidating than a full-epic Wrighston piece, very fun indeed
Amazing artist
The illustration from Cycle of the Werewolf with the kites is one of my favourites from Wrightson. Thanks for this video and explaining his techniques.👍
It's great to hear from Wrightson fans and I'm happy to that you like that story as well.
For quick studies these look really good, especially the grass in the last one. Wrightson's work was and is a continual inspiration for me. I remember reading Cycle of the Werewolf as a young teen and being absolutely floored by the illustrations. Then later I saw his Frankenstein work and was changed forever. He had a level of craft few ever achieve in their fields, and I strive for that level in my own humble work.
Thank you for saying that my studies turned out good. I feel the same about Wrightson's work as you described.
Beautiful !
The way he does white lines in the darkest parts, but still in harmony with the rest of the other lines, boggles my mind. I feel I have to "decode" or reverse engineer his drawing technique when I look at his art. If I try to replicate just a tiny part of his drawings, I feel I have to plan it all out very well before I start. I imagine it was easy for him. His mind was probably working in that fashion because he was so used to his method. A bit like how computer programmers are used to thinking directly in code, if that makes any sense. I have always been in such awe of his art. :)
You said exactly what I was thinking.
@@longstrideillustration :) You got a pretty good feel for his technique. Nice video.
Thank you for sharing. I love Wrightson a lot aswel. Same amount of love for Franklin Booth though. Love your study, makes me want to pick up the dippen again.
That's great to hear, the Great Masters inspire us to create 😀🖋
Fantastic video!! Thank you :)
You’re my hero I’m doing a college project in wrightsons style and this video is so helpful :3
I'm so glad! A college project on Wrightson sounds dreamy!
Reminds me of the works of Alfredo Alcala. A former artist of DC and Marvel who rendered beautifully like his own graphic novel Voltar, with similar tools.
Very cool. Alfredo Alcala has come up a few times in the suggestions and is definitely on my list 👍
@@longstrideillustration Yup. You can also research his contemporaries like Nestor Redondo. The only one who is active right now from that era is Alex Nino.
That's one steady hand.!
When I get the chance to practice this more the work is less muddy, less soupy. Somehow I need to get myself Ito a position where I can actually make my comics at a less hurried pace. Not to be a complainer though. Thank you for your videos, they spell it all out.
Fantastic !!!
Excellent video thank you!
You are welcome!
A lovely master study. So insightful to see how you broke down the elements of his style in such a clear way. Would love to see you do an ink breakdown like this for Bill Watterson an often overlooked master due to the subject matter but he's confessed nearly all of his Calvin and Hobbes work was with a sable brush and a dip pen.
Thank you for the kind words. Bill Watterson would be fun! I'll add it to the list 👍
❤❤❤ much love ❤️ 🙏 beautiful pen work
Thank you so much 😀
@@longstrideillustration you're welcome 😊
great for literary illustration, there are also more techniques such as stamping for composition in illustration techniques
I have his Frankenstein book and his artwork is mind blowing!
I'm very envious!
@@longstrideillustration You should definitely get a copy 🙂
Thanks!
At first I thought this was gonna be one of those channels that would pad everything to 30 minutes and was pleasantly surprised at the quick and practical explanation instead :)
Glad to hear! Practical tips is what I was going for - so thank you!
Awesome work!
Thanks a lot!
very useful!
This was a very nice insight! Really love how it could still be seen how you did this study with your own drawing habit and consciousness in mind, making it into your own art style in the end. I would love to practice with the same example picture, but I don't have any dipping ink at hand. Wonder if I can substitute this with regular drawing pens? XD
Glad you enjoyed it! I have a dip pen class that just came out, in it I demonstrate how to render with a fine liner pen to reach similar effects to a dip pen. You can watch the trailer here: kzhead.info/sun/jK6pk7mGnGSGep8/bejne.html
Nice to see someone describe g nibs as stiff and rigid! I tried them on advice of people recommending them as flexible and was disappointed to find them absolute nails. Beautiful drawing too.
Ah yes, G-Nibs get recommended a lot. The thing is that a G-Nib from Niko or Zebra will behave differently than a G-Nib from Tachikawa, or other brands. To my knowledge, there isn't an industry standard for flex-elasticity ratings on the same shape of nibs so you'll experience a wide range depending on who made it. G-Nibs are typically bouncy though and best for dynamic lines.
A nice surprise to see someone celebrating Wrightson indeed.
Glad to hear 😊
You rock, Chloe.
Subscribed! Wrightson is one of my favorites, whenever I want to feel like I have no skills and should throw out my art supplies, I just look at his Frankenstein prints. 😅
I feel the same 😅
@@longstrideillustration I was talking with a former Wildstorm inker about the Frankenstein prints, and from what he said, the thing that makes them so remarkable is the amount of time Bernie lavished on them. It's obvious when you look at them that he took no shortcuts, but apparently they also took as long as we might imagine. This is of course leaving aside his supreme brush skills and excellent drawing ability. The thing that may be keeping you from getting closer to the look of his work (your cross hatching is amazing, and your drawing skill is excellent) would be mastering brush inking. It feels like a dying art, but many of the greats found their way into that pantheon with their brush skills. Dave Stevens and Bernie Wrightson are the two that inspire me to learn brush inking most.
Always loved Wrightson’s work - very stylistically similar to Franklin Booth, another favorite. I did get to see a few originals from his Frankenstein at a World Con (priced at $1100 at the time, if I recall correctly) - great stuff. All I understand is that he used ink and pen and brush, but not always sure which was used where without the original.
Wow, I would very much to see one of his pieces in person!
@@longstrideillustration comic publisher IDW is going to be coming out with an Artist Edition of his Frankenstein book. if you are not familar with AE's the photograph the Original pages in color, so you can see correction marks, pencils underneath. Then Print it out at the same size the Artwork is done. They are amazing books and the closet you can get to owning the originals. Have at least 10 of the books myself. they do slightly smaller versions of the books that they call Artisan Editons that are more affordable. But get the big ones if you can. Some to look into are Al Williamsons adaption of The Empire Strikes back, Daredevil Born Again, Mike Mignolas Screw on head because it has close to 30 coves in the back.
Wow, first Frazetta, then Gustave Dore, and now Wrightson. All fantastic B&W artists. Who's next??
I first 'met' Berni with his original work on Swamp Thing. His work evolved into genuien genius black and white pen and ink. I have several of his 'drawing' books. He was a wonderful artist. You could stare at an image for minutes and pick up new interesting details.
True, the more I learn about pen and ink, the more I enjoy his genius.
Justin Sweet did this style of illustration in the game Icewind Dale. I didn't know what the style was until now. Great storytelling method.
I wouldn't have made that connection, very cool. I only knew of Justin's concept designs for characters and his paintings.
I hope Richard Friend is shouted out in this video had the o.g video and coined "render like wrightson" has great video(s) with very detailed information instruction breaking down Bernie and what kind of nibs to use. Bernie used a gillot i think a 291 for Frankenstein pieces
I’m a fan of Richard Friend’s channel and have given him a mention in several of my videos for sure.
This guy really is a wizard
I seem to recall watching an interview with Wrightson where he said that he sees the finished work on the page in his mind's eye and just draws over it. Amazing if true. Or maybe I just dreamt that.
He was a genius for sure, I would love to know more about his process.
Just discovered your channel…I will be bingeing on your content this weekend. Great stuff!
I appreciate that, thank you 😊
Beatiful ❤thank you ,I also like to see similar study on Franklin Booth
For sure!
Chloe, u also look for franklin booth. I always admired franklin's and bernie's pen and ink works. They are so good in techniques and illustration ❤️
For sure, Booth is my biggest influence - you'll find little clips of his work here and there sprinkled throughout my videos. Though I'll do a proper study featuring his work with a dedicated video soon.
@@longstrideillustrationthen we will wait for sure🙌
Is it my last comment on one of your previous video that gave you the idea to do a video on Wrightson 😅 great video btw 👍🔥
Great job with this. I aspire to be even half as good as Wrightson one day. Also Arthur Rackham.
Me too! And I also like Arthur Rackham - he's on the list :)
Great video, Chloe. I hope you make a dedicated master study video of Franklin Booth even though Wrightson was heavily influenced by him
I really look forward to doing a Booth piece, it's been on my list!
Good vid. Those works are insane! I want to create an artwork in black and white like those two. So detailed. So beautiful. Maybe I will. Is this line work called anything, is this something everyone in art uni learns, or is it a specific art style that has a name and is separated from others? Those pieces of art seem like they utilize basic...cross(hatching)?
Bernie Wrightson learned these techniques from studying the masters before him, such as Dürer and Doré, though some of the Art Fundamentals (shape, form, lighting & shading) would be taught as the academic standard in art schools. Most art schools these days place little focus on traditional pen and ink, so you'd be better off self-educating by setting up your own learning plan, then look for instructional resources from there. You'll find resources to get you started on my Blog: longstrideillustration.com/blog/
@longstrideillustration I see. Thank you for the information.
A beautiful study. I have a quick sketch of a sinister-looking owl that Wrightson drew for me at a convention in 1971 (when he was going by "Berni" instead of "Bernie"). Wish I could post it here.
Wow! That would be awesome to see, if you're on IG and you tag me, I can share it there
@@longstrideillustration I'm not on IG, but I just messaged it to you on FB.
I have copies of all of Wrightson's Eerie and Creepy magazine work if you want them. I could google drive it and link it. I got them for the Wrightson and Corben art. I'd skip through all the lesser (but still decent) artists and be able to spot either of the aforementioned artists' stuff.... it's so recognizable. I'd be very interested in learning how long it took Wrightson to complete one of his pieces. It also would have been quite a bucketlist moment had I been able to watch him work. Like watching Kim Jung Gi sit down and compose similar works of art with ink straight from his imagination. Wrightson's stuff seemed more deliberate and pre-meditated. Kim's work is more stream of consciousness, so it loses some of its luster despite its magnificent execution. Wrightson was a god.
I agree 100%, Wrightson was a genius and calculated in his approach. And wow would love some of his magazine work. Awesome! Most of the artwork that I have of his is not high-resolution and more challenging to study.
Superbe technique avec laquelle il faut être très patient, me semble-t-il...J'en profite pour te dire que tu es très talentueuse!
Ah merci, c'est gentil.
Could you do a series on rendering like Gustave Dore? Kus holy shit this was amazing to watch but you definitely have the skillset to break down Dore!
Thank you, Dore is quite a time consuming challenge, though on my list for sure. Thank you for the encouragement 😀
@longstrideillustration I'm working on master studies but I'm not an artist. I found your videos and was just inspired to buy a fountain pen and ink and learn. Dore is my absolute pinnacle of skill mastery. I've done tracing of his works and I still cannot comprehend how he made such majestic shapes and tones with just precision hatching. Miura is also top tier but his style as you pointed out it not as concise. Thank you again. You made my day responding!
Great work! For about how long does a pen nib usually last before you replace it with a new one, beginner asking.
A well maintained nib can last hundreds of hours if not more. More info on dip pens on my blog: longstrideillustration.com/a-beginners-guide-to-dip-pens-for-drawing/
@@longstrideillustration Many thanks! I happen to have already purchased your favourite pen holder T-40, that's of to a good start! I am used to work with fountain pens, the pen nib thing is still fairly new to me. Went through my first couple of nibs in no time, maybe also a question of technique.
Hes style makes me feel stressed and unease, maybe because it seems to be drama and movement everywhere. Great video thou 💚
Also, a lot of his illustrations have a horror theme ... he would probably smile knowing that his work makes us feel "unease" 😊
Wrightson used different thickness pens/nibs using single lines technique and no cross hatching unless going to darkness., bloody good artist though, do wonder what he threw out😬
I bought some of the Guillot nibs he used for Frankenstein. Oh holy wow are they soft! I'm an artist, and know all about hand pressure, and I _still_ bent three of them before I decided they were too soft for me. I do love the G and Maru nibs though. Oh, Osprey makes a fountain pen called the Madison that comes with a titanium G nib in it. It's very nice. And Wrightson was heavily influenced by Franklin Booth. I get lost looking at their work.
Good to know about the Guillot, I had been meaning to try them. Thanks for watching ☺️
tasteful
it came out great!! was he using the same tools??
He used a combination of dip pens and brushes
👍
Well-done. Have you ever looked at Joseph Clement Coll? Another master of line and layout, and an influential predecessor of Frazetta, Williamson and Wrightson.
Coll has had a few mentions in my videos and is on the list for a future feature, along with Gibson :)
Outstanding, tysm for these studies. You would also like the artwork of Kentaro Miura, author of a dark fantasy manga called Berserk. His hatching pattern is very similar to those from Wrightson 😄 I suggest you take a look.
For sure, thanks for the suggestion. I'm a fan of Miura's 30-year masterpiece (I own the deluxe collection). Here's a Guts piece I did a few months ago you might enjoy: kzhead.info/sun/odWvfJV_kaKkYIE/bejne.htmlsi=KXf63oupiXByntPE
@@longstrideillustration Omg, your work is outstanding! I'm so jealous of your absolute control over the lines, when I try to hatch I shake a lot, It's so frustrating! I'm also secretly envious of your Berserk Deluxe Edition 😂that's so expensive. Have you ever considered making your own comic/manga? Your skills far surpass many of current world renown authors out there!
Alfredo Alcala was a fantastic inker, too !
Many have suggested I do a study on Alfredo Alcala, so he is high on my list.
Wait! Back in the day I was a crow quill and sable brush freak. What is that fabulous pen you are using?
Oh I'd say a Crow quill + Sable brush combo is pretty ideal (the goat). A g-nib would feel like a compromise (in my opinion) for rendering with finesse and precision work. Though, the g-nib has merit when it comes to elasticity, it's very springy and good for quick line weight changes, dynamic stuff. Though if you're referring to the Blue Pumpkin, that nib is super versatile - a reliable multi-purpose generalist, easy to tame from beginning to expert.
hal foster is my favorite inker
Such a classic! Yes, on my list as well.
Can it be done with fineliners?
You can vary line weight by either switching to a larger tip pen (example from an 01 to an 05) however the gradual fade is better achieved by going over the line in a "cone" shape to mimic the line quality of dip pens using fine liners. I have a dip pen course launching on Skillshare in April that demonstrates this, keep an eye on the Community Tab here or subscribe to my Newsletter for more details.
Fascinated by your penholder, quite far up the holder.
My rendering improved when I switched from the "death grip" to this looser hold, higher up the shaft. I learned this tip from watching Kim Jung Gi, Takehiko Inoue and other masters I admire.
What kind of dip pen do you use ? Thanks !
Hi there, if you wouldn't mind navigating to the description - I mention these tools directly in the video plus they are linked in the description so that you can easily find them.
You would want something like a Gillott 290 or a Hunt 100 and 103, those were the type of nibs he used.
That makes sense that he would use highly flexible nibs. Difficult to control for mere mortals but he made them sing.
@@longstrideillustration I think smooth paper is the most important tool for this look, those nibs I would say are simply not suitable for any texture. The vintage Esterbrook 355 might be a bit easier to control but I definitely insist in giving those pen nibs a try, check here on youtube for Richard Friend he did an inking demo with the 355 and I think he got pretty close to Wrightson.
🙏🙏🙏🙏👏👏👏
Gustav Doré!
On my list 😀
Não entendi nada do que você falou dona mas os desenhos são bacana.
Wrightson was influenced by the work of Frank Frazetta. I suggest you look into him.
Frazetta was influential indeed, thanks for the tip. I did a study on one of his works not too long ago you might enjoy: kzhead.info/sun/dN2hld58q2eXYI0/bejne.htmlsi=Vgum0OPCjTEGCixL
@@longstrideillustration I watched your Frazetta video and loved it. I am an amateur who loves fantasy art. You are really good. I own about 5 books of Frazetta collections and other artists as well, and wish I could make art that good. But some of us are destined to be huge fans and appreciators. You are on my radar now.
I'll teach you. It's called intuition.
Sometimes knowledge with practice help fill the gaps where natural gifts need more time to bloom.
Don't forget pointillism.
She admits she doesn't know how to 'render like Wrightson' but proceeds with the clickbait-titled video anyway.
Yes, the "how" was said in an exploratory context ;)