I sketched something simple to practice inking with a dip pen and mapping nib

Someday I'll work up the courage to butcher some of Mr. Byrne's fine pencils with it.  I apologize in advance. :)

Thank you Didier.  That's exactly the look I'm targeting. Something between the early 20th century faux wood-cut look and what folks like Gary Gianni are also doing in ink today.

The key (I think...still learning!) is focusing on contour inking half-tones and partial shadow in B&W without the advantage or regularity of zip-tone or the like.

My fear with tackling JB's work is that it would distort it in a fundamental way as I inevitably would be putting much more ink down to accentuate the lighting, and I'm not sure it would resonate with the super-clean lines he's laid down.  Odds are, he (and his fans) would not appreciate the heavy-handedness of it all.  He's much, much closer to Neil Adams and the polished photorealism style of the 1960's (which I cannot pull off) than this olde-time, Prince Valiant stuff.  It would likely clash.

Dare I say (without offending) that your excellent style and where I am trying to land have more in common?

It sounds like we are in a similar boat.

Here's an attempt to ink a gal --- something I've cowardly avoided for the most part

The original pencil sketch was on a rough mixed-media paper that I bought on sale and am really regretting.  I could not get the pencils to resolve beyond a smudgy/blurry mess so I thought I'd try the dip pen.  Even then, it then took a lot of digital surgery to fix many features, especially the face.  I don't really much like the result (very amateur looking...I shouldn't post it, burning would be better), but in my defense I'm a babe-in-the-woods when it comes to ink and I've done a whole lot worse in the past.  So...progress?

My "Kirby Krackle" looks like "coco puffs" or some kind of moth infestation. Oy!  Who knew it was so hard to pull off?

I now need to research "Big Nose French Belgian" comics! You aren't talking Moebius, are you? :)

Some sketches I drew recently, to practice drawing women.

It turns out that spending your teen years exclusively drawing male superheroes can breed bad habits in drawing-- like not being able to draw women properly. Who knew!

Out of frustration over that last piece, I regressed to smudgey-pencil photo-copying.  Now I must do penance in ink.

Another attempt --- still off.  Some artist, when asked what the hardest things to draw replied: "The other eye."

Truth.

For a course of care for pediatric patients with pain