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[brady kj]

I began practicing use of a brush and India ink for linework. I don't know how to get a consistent line quality. I started by penciling a rough sketch of Superman, and inked it with the brush. Then I practiced drawing lines wherever I had free space. You'll notice that few of the lines are remotely smooth and few are the thickness that I intended them to be. What can I do about that? Is there a particular way I sure be holding the brush?




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[see317]

A lot of it is just practice. It's not a skill that's going to pop up perfect overnight.

Something to consider is the brush quality. Notice by the foot and calf on the left a bit of feathering (errant lines near lines you want), generally that happens with lower quality brushes, or brushes that have been abused causing them to get bushy heads instead of being all lined up.
When not in use, keep the brushes in a cup filled with dry rice or beans (brush end up) to keep them vertical (or get a brush rack to use). The important part is to keep them vertical while they dry after cleaning.
Don't let ink get into the metal part of the brush. It's nearly impossible to clean out and even if you do, cleaning it out will likely have killed the brush.
Here's a link that has some good advice on the care and feeding of brushes, not so much on technique though...
http://sunnyvillestories.com/2011/04/how-to-ink-with-a-brush/

For your picture, I'd suggest working with a smaller brush. You'll be able to blend multiple strokes into a single line easier with a small brush. Doing that with a big brush is near impossible.

Other then that, the "Three P's" are about the best advice I could offer.

...That's "Practice Practice Practice" if you were curious.
In particular, practice on simpler shapes. Cubes, spheres, pyramids. Figure out how much ink on the brush equals how much ink on the page, that way you'll be less likely to run dry in the middle of a line
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[brady kj]

Thanks. This is the first time the brush was ever used, so to avoid feathering, do you think I should buy better quality brushes? There's a dire shortage of art supply stores in my part of the country. Also, this brush was a size 1 round. The store doesn't have anything smaller. Is there something smaller than size 1?
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[see317]

Yeah, there are brushes smaller then 1, you may need to order them online if you don't have art supply stores near you, alternatively the store you use might be willing to order smaller brushes.
http://www.dickblick.com/info/brushpdf/brushsizing.pdf

But even the best equipment is only as good as the hand that uses it. Personally, I'd keep using the brush you have (a size 1 should be a good sized for general thin line inking), maybe use a few different sizes that are available, until you got used to the technique. Then, when you move to a high end brush, it'll be awesome. Like learning to drive in a tiny econo-box import, then getting behind the wheel of a muscle car. You don't want to start out in an expensive muscle car, because you won't know how to use it and probably wind up wrapping it around a tree... I think I was going somewhere with this analogy but I seem to have lost it. Oh well.

Google "Brush Inking Tutorial" and see what pops up.
http://bee-chan.deviantart.com/art/Bee-s-Ink-and-Brush-Tutorial-16628747
I found this one on DA that's pretty good. Shows the tools better then the other one and has a finished example that isn't terrible. Also, that artist uses a #2 brush. Maybe larger brushes will maintain their tips better, or they might just hold more ink. A lot's going to depend on finding what works for you.
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