BOB McLEOD

Tell us about your latest work.

I'm currently inking a Phantom comic over Rod Whigham for Egmont, a Swedish publisher. The Phantom is very popular in Sweden, and I usually pencil and ink a couple 32 page issues a year for them. Because of the release of my SuperHero ABC children's book from HarperCollins, I got behind on my deadline and asked Rod to pencil this one. His pencils are very open to interpretation, so I'm putting a lot of my own style into it. I also have several private commissions to do, and I'm writing my second children's book, featuring one of the characters from SuperHero ABC.

How long have you been inking?

Since Mike Esposito suggested I give it a try, way back in 1974. I was working in production at Marvel, drawing for Crazy magazine and trying to get some penciling work on the color comics. Mike said inking was easier to learn than penciling, and I could earn some money inking while I worked on my penciling.

How did you break into the biz?

I wrote a whole essay on that a few years ago, which you can read on my web site here: www.bobmcleod.com/start.html. Basically, Pat Broderick introduced me to Neal Adams. I showed Neal a sample page I had written, penciled, inked and lettered, and he called Marvel and got me the job in the production dept. I met the editors there and eventually got a chance to do some freelance work from them.

Do you have formal training or are you just naturally talented?

Both. I could draw better than my parents when I was 5, but talent only gets you so far. I studied art at Auburn University and the Art Institute of Ft. Lauderdale, but still had to study and teach myself how to do comic books at a professional level.

Do you work strictly in comics or do you also work in commercial art related fields?

I do whatever comes along. I like to do all sorts of art. In recent years, I've pursued more art jobs outside of comic books.

Who has helped you along the way?

Many people, and I'm very grateful. Pat Broderick, Neal Adams, Mike Esposito, Danny Crespi, Al Milgrom, Klaus Janson, Joe Rubinstein, and Bob Layton all helped me in different ways. I don't know if I could have made it without them.

Do you use assistants?

I have used assistants from time to time, but not currently. Mostly, my assistants would just ink straight lines and fill in blacks.

What job are you most proud of?

My new SuperHero ABC book, because I conceived it, wrote it, penciled it, inked it and colored it.

In comic books, it's much harder to say, because I did so many jobs. I like the work I did on Superman in Action #673, and my Spider-Man #32-34 mini-series.

Is there a title or artist you have always really wanted to work on?

Well, my dream was always to work for Mad magazine, but it's not the magazine it once was now.

I wish I could have inked Neal Adams in his prime.

What other artists inspire you to do your best or to learn something new?

So many…Jean Giraud, Neal Adams, Stan Drake, Tom Palmer, and Mort Drucker mainly.

How long does it take you to ink a page?

It varies a lot depending on the penciler. Anywhere from 3 hours to two days. I'd say an average would be 6-8 hours.

Nib or brush? Or what combination of the two...

Depending on the paper and pencils, mostly nib, but a lot of brush lately due to poor paper quality which makes the nib "bleed".

What tools aside from the brush and or nib do you use as part of your daily arsenal?

I like the refillable Rotring tech pens, Pelikan ink and Magic Rub erasers. I also use an 18" ruler, ellipse guides, an electric eraser, and #3 pencils usually.

What is your favorite ink? If it’s not a specific brand, what mix do you create that works well for you?

It's very tough to find decent ink today. I use Pelikan, but it's not what it used to be.

What is your favorite white out?

Pro White is all I've ever used.

Which aspect of inking should all aspiring inkers work to improve but seldom do?

Drawing. It's a huge part of inking. Everyone focuses on just making clean feathering, but that's just a mechanical skill. Understanding how form is affected by light is what real inking is all about.

Have you gone high tech to work with FTP and/or blueline pencils? If so, do you prefer this method to traditional pencils/shipping methods? Give us some specs about your printer and scanner as well.

I scan my Phantom pages and sometimes fill in blacks and panel borders in Photoshop. Then I email tiff bitmap files to Sweden. I use the common Mustek A3USB scanner.

Do you have anything additional to add?

I love inking. I think it's a wonderful art. But so many inkers today are missing out by focusing on inking rather than the total art, which inking is only a part of. Your drawing affects your inking, and your inking should be a part of your drawing. They should go together, not be totally separate. Few people have done more inking over other pencilers than I have, but I've always also done penciling, lettering, and color. Doing only inking is like just steering the car instead of learning to drive.

Let us check out your website:

Please do: www.bobmcleod.com