Once the strip has been pencilled, I letter it by hand. Computer lettering is the typical method of lettering comics these days, but I'm not a big fan of it because it doesn't seem to save me much time. To letter on the computer you have to type everything in, print it out, cut it up, and paste it down. While this is probably no more time consuming than what I do, I tend to like the look of hand lettering better, so I just do it by hand. No doubt computer lettering would look "nicer" than my own scribbling, but I like the personal touch that hand lettering gives. I actually enjoy the imperfections and differences in the letter's characteristics when they're done by hand. I'm funny that way (if no other.)

The first tool that I use is called a Rolling Parallel Ruler (I think...) it's that weird looking blue dohickey up there. It's basically a rolling pin with a straight, clear ruler attached to it. I don't use it to measure anything, just to easily draw parallel straight lines by rolling it down the paper. The one that I have is made by Alvin and costs between $19-$25, depending on where ya shop. These things should not be dropped, as they break easy (sez the guy who has dropped 2 of them in the past year... ouch!)

In combination with the Parallel Ruler I use a Lettering Guide, a small piece of clear plastic that has a bunch of holes drilled into a rotating circle which is magically imbedded into the top of the thing. The Guide rests atop the clear ruler on the roller and I stick my tech pencil in some of the holes in the circle (which I marked with a pen so as not to be confused by the other holes that I don't need to use) and run the guide down the length of the comic strip using the ruler as a straight-edge guide. Once I've done 2 rows of lines that produce my lettering guidelines, I roll the ruler down a bit and draw the next 2 sets of guidelines and so on until I've created enough guidelines for each individual panel. This description is a tad cryptic, but if you're interested in hand lettering, someone at the art shop where you buy these tools from will be able to explain the process to you (with any luck!) My lettering guide is also made by Alvin and is dubbed "The Ames Lettering Guide" for some reason. I don't remember what it cost, but I believe it was under $5.

The final step is to ink the pencilled lettering (and the strip's borders while I'm at it.)

I use Koh-I-Noor Rapidographs for this (sizes 2, 3 and 4.) These can be a bit pricey, but I've seen them on sale often enough that cost doesn't have to be a major concern. I've bought six-pen sets for $19.95 from some mail order company that I don't recall, but they're hopefully still out there somewhere. If you can't find a mail order company, you can get these at an art supply store, but expect to pay $10-$20 per pen this way (needless to say, searching for a mail order company will save you some major dough.)

These pens demand maintanence, and I strongly urge you to follow the set of instructions that comes with each pen. If you treat these pens as your friends (and you really should, y'know... cuz they are! You'll spend more time with these things than most people you know once you're doing a daily strip. Frightening thought, eh?) Anyways, if you treat these pens well, they are nigh invulnerable. I've been using the same 2 pens for over a decade now, but in that time I've also ruined a few other sizes by neglecting to clean them properly. I use size 4 to do borders and word balloons, and a size 3 to do lettering. I then use a size 2 to ink small figures and to illustrate the emphasized words in a ballon. Koh-I-Noor makes their own brand of ink for these pens in several varieties and colors. I use the Black Universal stuff. This ink comes in very small bottles that hold 3/4 fl. oz. (22 ml) and it's wicked expensive, but cheaper inks might clog and ruin your pen, so it's worth the cash (and a little goes a long way.)

And viola, the finished lettered and bordered panel: