here are the pencils. the process is always the same. You simply draw in the darkest spots- and then sort of hatch the mid-tones. Some comics use hatch lines for the mediumgreay- other comics will only use 100% black or white- and then depend on color to fill in the greys. This makes it much harder on the colorist- because he has to know what the penciler/inkers wanted as dark. Sadly, I don't have that rpoblem is I am a one-man team. :-)

I suppose shading is a much better name for this step. The phase of conceptual thumbnails, to blue pencil, to outline to shading is all done by the 'Penciler'.

now comes the inking- really my favorite step... but its a bitch... 2 hours+ for a comic this size.

45 min concepts
1 hour blue pencils
2 hours pencil and shading

Total: 3 hours 45 min... this time is too slow for professinal pencilers. Like I would need to 1/2 this and increase my ability expnentially. Basically if the drawing isnt utterly jaw dropping at this point- you arent good enough. It is a viscious industry- afterall, who wouldnt want to draw aliens all day?! So I have to persevere and continue to improve improve improve.