Vikings Demo with pen & Ink and Charcoal

For the month Inktober I have been designing studies inspired by History Channel's "Vikings." I created many storyboards for Vikings trailers and commercial spots, and it's been one of the most rewarding campaigns in my experience as a storyboard artist. It's hard not to love the show which is ambitious and compelling in story and character arcs. I start this demo with charcoal, sketching out the shapes of my drawing before introducing ink with a crow-quill dipping pen. There was little planning in this and my other Inktober posts. I merely started with an idea of a character posing in front of a bleak landscape, based on a photo of Helga I had seen. There are many artists who carefully plan their ink drawings, and that's something I hope to practice in the future. Meanwhile, working freehand in ink has long been my favorite method of working when thumbnailing, sketching, and brainstorming new ideas. If you like my demo, feel free to tell me about what worked best for you. I hope to see everyone's Inktober posts.