Once I've got all my pages pencilled, it's time to start inking. The first thing I do is ink the pencils line with a Faber-Castell Pitt artist pens XS (Extra Fine) pen. 

After that I erase the pencils really well, and because the pen I used has such a light, thin line this actually erases some of that as well. I use the Staedtler Mars white plastic erasers.

This gives me a guide for coloring that won't bleed into the colors; the pencils can also smudge and muddy the colors. I color using the Faber-Castell Pitt artist brush pens. I have a box of them at various stages of use - some new with very sharp tips, some very used with blunted tips. The fresh pens are good for details, while the more used tips are good for blending, or filling large areas. If you look at these pens, you'll see I've photographed them laying on a drawing. The drawing is actually a large sheet of illustration board is use to test the pens on. Sometimes two pens of the same color may come out as slightly different shades, or other irregularities may occur, so it's good to test them first. I turn these test marks into doodles over time.

Also, pro tip for your pen tips! With the Faber -Castell brush pens (I cannot speak to other brands or pens!), you can actually gently pull out the tip from the pen body and flip it around for a nice, new, fresh tip.You can use pliers to do this gently, or if you don't mind multi-colored fingertips, just do it by hand.

Next time, I'll finish up the explanation of my process with a look at the fully colored page and final inking stage. In the meantime, I'll be at the Small Press Expo in Bethesda, Maryland this weekend, and we should have the first copies of Kids Are Still Weird for sale!