Instead of finishing one page at a time, Miller revolutionized his workflow by batching tasks: all layouts, then all pencils, then all inks. This seemingly rigid, assembly-line process sped up production and, counterintuitively, resulted in more spontaneous and fluid final line work.
Miller credits his contemporary, Alan Moore (*Watchmen*), for making him a better creator. Knowing Moore was producing groundbreaking work at the same time forced Miller to push his own boundaries, especially as a writer, demonstrating the powerful, positive impact of having a high-caliber rival.
The disappointing reception of his experimental work *Ronin* was a "broken nose" for Miller. This failure forced him to analyze why the story didn't connect, leading him to develop the intensely structured, multi-act framework for his commercially successful follow-up, *The Dark Knight Returns*.
Comics legend Neil Adams told a young Frank Miller his art was "awful" and he should "pump gas." Miller's immediate reply, "Can I fix it and show you again tomorrow?", passed an unspoken test of resilience. The harsh feedback was a filter for true dedication, not a final judgment.
Miller applies liquid frisket (a type of glue) before inking, then wipes it away to reveal sparkling, unpredictable highlights. This intentional introduction of chaos adds a dynamic and organic quality to his meticulously crafted work, a technique applicable to any creative field seeking controlled randomness.
Miller refutes the idea that alcohol aided his creativity. In hindsight, he states it did him "nothing" good. Sobriety helped him realize that what he perceived as creative fuel was simply misdirected anger, and that clear-headed focus is a far more productive and powerful state for creating art.
A fellow artist suggested Miller try a new workflow: lay in all the black shapes and areas on the page *before* adding any line work. This inverted process was the key to *Sin City's* minimalist, high-contrast style, as Miller realized he could convey more with negative space and fewer lines.
To combat the industry's cost-cutting trend of smaller art boards, Miller drew *Sin City* at "twice up" scale (four times the published size). This old-school technique allowed him to imbue the pages with more detail, physicality, and emotional intensity, which he felt had been lost over time.