How to Draw Month: Ryan Winn

For How to Draw month, PREVIEWSworld talks with artist Ryan Winn! Ryan has worked as an inker for almost every major publisher, including a run on Batman. He currently inks for Valiant Entertainment, and has worked on Ninjak and Divinity II (JUL162084).

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PREVIEWSworld: Who were your favorite artists growing up?

Ryan Winn: Norman Rockwell. John Romita Jr. Arthur Adams. Those are probably the top three I was most influenced by as a kid and going through high school. The list could go on and on but I always gravitaed towards these three for answers and inspiration.

PREVIEWSworld: Were you self-taught, formally educated, or a combination of both?

Ryan Winn: I come from a family of craftsmen and artists so I have been exposed to creating art since birth. Then I took classes all through high school followed by a few drawing classes in junior college. After that it was a combo of reading and studying on my own and apprenticing for artists both in and out of comics.

PREVIEWSworld: Talk about your studio environment. Do you watch or listen to anything while you ink?

Ryan Winn: When I'm writing I like music sometimes, depending on the subject, but mostly quiet. when i'm working on layouts I prefer silence though. I need all faculties focused on the task at hand. But when I'm inking I love too have TV on. Usually comedies, something with a lot of episodes so my brain can focus on that while my body traces away the day. The cadence of good comedy works like music for me. But I usually start my day and do my warm ups to music.

PREVIEWSworld: What tools do you prefer while inking? Pencils, pens, art boards, etc.?

Ryan Winn: For most of my comic work I use the standard nibs and brushes. Either a Hunt 102 or a Deleter fpr the nibs and Raphael 8404 brushes of varying sizes. My prefered ink to sling is Speedball's Pigmeneted Acrylic Ink. It works great for me on nib or brush and seems to have the least lift when I erase. I have been having some success with FW ink lately as well.

When I pencil I like a harder lead as I tend to pencil very lightly and like as little lead on the paper as possible when I go to inks. I prefer mechanical pencils for the bulk of the line work then I go in with a thick lead in a lead holder to fill in shadows and heavier shapes.

As for paper I prefer something with a little tooth. Less surface area to cover and I like to be able to create textured effects with a dry brush or ink wash. 

PREVIEWSworld: Are there any books you would recommend to help with art?

Ryan Winn: As for comic or commercial style art most of my knowlegde comes from old art books by guys like Andrew Loomis. His especially are smart, fun, informative and inspiring.

PREVIEWSworld: Do you prefer inking by hand, digitally, or both?

Ryan Winn: While I do like coloring or paingting digitally but I do not like inking digitally at all right now. I prefer to create originals and I ink fast enough now that there is not really much time saving involved. But this could change at any time. I tend to be fluid as an artist so my opinion could be different in a year. Who knows?

PREVIEWSworld: How long does it normally take to ink a page?

Ryan Winn: The average page takes me 4-6 hours. But as sitting that long is bad for you I tend to work a longer day with more breaks. I work on multiple pages at a time. I will switch between pages as they dry or if I have a really good brush hand going I may go through and do all the brushy stuff while I'm feeling it.

So I work all day and all night but I get to watch TV and I get breaks whenever I want so it ain't too bad.

PREVIEWSworld: What’s your favorite thing to ink?

Ryan Winn: Hair. It was the hardest thing to get good at but the most rewarding to have fun with. 

PREVIEWSworld: What's the most unique thing you've been asked to draw or ink at a convention?

Ryan Winn: So much weird stuff I can't even pick one right now. But the thing that surprised me the most was at NYCC 2015- I put a sign up saying I would draw your favorite character with my neon markers and for some reason everyone wanted me to draw them in neon. So it ended up being a neon marker charcature booth!

PREVIEWSworld: Finally, what’s the best advice you have for beginning artists?

Ryan Winn: Practice techniques. And practice them again. If you wanna be an inker- before attempting to ink full figures or pin ups fill up a page with 100-500 lines each night after work or school. Use a brush a pen or a marker...Anything! Just get good with the tools. Be freinds with them. Get to know them and let them get to know you. Practice practice practice. Then go make some comics.

You can find Ryan on Twitter and on Tumblr.

Check out more How to Draw Month interviews in our special section on PREVIEWSworld!