Step 5 Once you have a complete sketch that matches the final art as closely as possible, scan it in. Tidy up the sketch to get clean lines in Photoshop by first adjusting the Levels (Image > Adjustments > Levels). Use the Dodge tool set to Highlights, and with an Exposure of around 20%. Adjust this value according to how much you need to lighten certain areas.
Step 6 It’s now time to print out your artwork once more and make your final drawing. For this I used a brush pen, available from good art stores or direct from the likes of Faber Castell (faber-castell.co.uk). These have flexible nibs and give a really nice flowing line, perfect for what we are trying to achieve in this illustration.
For some smaller areas of detail – especially around the skeleton’s eyes and in his hair, I used a fine liner as this helped achieve a very controlled pen stroke.
Using both of the pens suggested, go about making a detailed version of the sketch you have printed out. Try and really express some of the lines, especially in those lines that are showing movement.
Step 7 Scan and tidy up your ink drawing, as you did with your pencil sketch in Step 5. This should take a little less work as the contrast between the darkness of the pen and lightness of the paper is greater. Level adjustments (Image > Adjustments > Levels) can prove to be very effective here.