How to Draw Manga Guides


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michikodesu

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This is total venting here.....I'd also like to see if anyone else feels the same way or am I just a head case about this.

I've noticed that there are many "How to Draw Manga" books in the bookstores recently. I've also noticed that many of the 'characters' drawn on the cover do not look like standard-issue manga style characters. I then proceed to look at who authored the book and lo and behold it's a western style name. Now, maybe I'm just a "manga authenticity snob" but that really irks me.

Why? Because it's not in the true style of manga. The characters look like a cross between western style characters with maybe a little bit of manga influence. Now I know that there are different styles when it comes to manga, but these books do not fall into any of those styles.

In my mind and how I rationalize it, I feel that if we are going to call something manga over here and have guides on how to draw it, then it should pretty much fall completely in line with how it looks over there in Japan. They have a standard and I feel that we should too. Because when I think of manga, I already have preconceived notions about what it should look like (be it shojo or shonen).

There are a few out there (one series, actually) that is commendable but I can't think of the name of it. I do remember that all the books have a white jacket.

Okay, now I'm I just really a nut job over this or are there others who feel the same way?
 
Actually, some drawings like those in japan are similar to the western look too. Such titles include Pixie Pop, that manga about the witch girl and her friend, and such other titles. They are also not done by the western group. Not everyone can have amazing drawing skills. Besides, I think they do a good job on drawing. Have you saw the How to Draw Manga Guide the future of manga characters yet? Seems like they're getting to the point of japanitizing their drawings to me. Oh yes, you should also check out S-style magazine. It will show you the japanese are just like us. They draw in their own way and rather not copy anyone else for that matter. They are also not perfect.
 
Many of the artists are truly gifted, not to put down their gifts, but I do feel that if they say that they are teaching or guiding others on how to draw manga, then it should be closer to the style they are claiming they're teaching. It's kinda like someone saying they're gonna teach you how to paint like Michaelangelo using Picasso's style.

For instance, one book, not to mention any names (mostly because I can't remember the name) has some characters on the front and they look like our regular cartoon characters. The only difference is that they have really big eyes. I flipped through the book and it was exactly as I thought: cartoony characters with the characteristically HUGE eyes that we've become accustomed to when we think of shojo manga.

I'm not saying that they have to be perfect. Even the greatest manga artists are not perfect. They all had to start from somewhere and I'm sure most of their first drawings (and even some of the ones they are doing recently) aren't up to par. And of course they're doing it in a different style. Naoko Takeuchi's style is different from Masashi Kishimoto who is different from Tomoko Hayakawa, etc... They're styles are different, yet they have the same elements in their work. And all looks totally different from what's in the aforementioned books. I just find it hard to spend $15-30 dollars on a book like that.

There are a few European manga-kas as well and the art looks more like the Japanese style.
 
QUOTE
There are a few European manga-kas as well and the art looks more like the Japanese style.

If I may add, there's a lot more European comicbooks authors that have been influenced by japanese manga (for the graphical design and the storytelling).
They still stick to a more classical model (hardcover, 96 pages, full-colored)


By the way, I do think that establishing a standard manga style is a non-sense. You would take the risk of excluding some famous authors ; it would be rather foolish.

Just read the book, learn from it (proportions, perspective, composition are useful fundamental skills). And then work on some mangas of upir favorite author to have a better grasp of the style.
 
I can understand where the original post is coming from. When I first saw the books, I thought the same thing. There are actually some other books by other companies I see which claim to teach you "manga" but are even more Westernized that the 'How To Draw' series.

But when you look at most Western graphic novels (such as the ones produced by TokyoPop) they're not the typical shoujo/moe/cute art style. They have characteristics of manga, but they are distinct. Like other people have already said, each artist will develop their own style, and I think that is more evident outside Japan.

So in my opinion, the books are basically teaching you the basics and from there you can learn to mimic and create a more "Japanese" style. I've looked through them before, and their basic sketches seem to be in line with sketches of popular anime.
 
I think it's hard to define a general manga style, there are so many different styles. Personally I don't really like Naoko Takeuchi's style, I think her characters look like fashion models with their sharp snappy sort of look: I much prefer the look of the Sailor Moon anime to the original manga. I tend to like the detailed styles best, where a lot of attention is lavished on hair etc. (e.g. Oh My Goddess, or Psychic Academy), but this isn't something that's unique to manga, in fact browsing through the manga I've got the visual style of a lot of it doesn't really have anything obvious that distinguishes it from western black & white comics. The big eyes look is probably the most characteristic thing, but it's not used in quite a few of the best manga I've read, e.g. Akira.
 
It's kinda obvious that there are different styles in Japan (hint: doujinshi). Many other artists like to draw out their own storyline using the same characters that another artist had created......I kinda like them. It gives you a different look to that manga and the characters. If you read some of the manga-ka's interviews most of them would draw their favorite characters when they were in junior/high school and just went from there. More often than not, that's what happens. Sometimes they enter contests for new manga-kas and if they win, then they get published in a tankoubon like Shonen Jump, Hana to Yume, Nakayoshi, etc....

I'm well aware of that fact and all the other facts that many of you have posted. And I also have noted that there are a few guides out there that are more than decent. I'm growling at the ones that are blatantly NOT in the style of manga, but claim they are. When I hear or see the word 'manga' I already have an idea (or standard) about what it would be. Not a specific artist or character but, as a whole there are certain elements that many, if not all, manga possess. When I typed "style" I meant those elements. I guess I should have worded that differently.

Maybe this would help clarify what I meant: If someone had made a guide on how to draw in the style that we find in Marvel today yet the characters looked similar to the characters from the old Archie comics except with stronger lines and bolder colors....wouldn't that strike you as odd. Yes, they are both western (or American) comics and yes, they both are comics drawn in different styles; but when one thinks of Marvel (DC and Dark Horse also for that matter), they think of certain elements that are found in each comic that is published under Marvel. But this example book is claiming to teach you how to draw Marvel comics or characters; not just how to draw fundamentally. They are putting THAT specific name (not individual artists' names) and THOSE specific elements without using them. That's what I"m getting at about some of the books that are out there.
 
let me start off first a little about why i will say what i will say.

i tried drawing "manga" for about... 5-6 years.

i sucked. the entire time.

for one year. one year only. my drawings improved about 20fold.

how? why?



because i got a body sized mirror, and looked at my face, and my body proportions, and studied MYSELF, than a manga.

(bias statement) THE BEST WAY TO LEARN HOW TO DRAW BETTER, SOPHISTICATED, MANGA, IS TO DRAW PEOPLE FIRST.

pretty people. or skinny.

if you wanna waste 5-6 years sucking ass like i did, then keep on drawing manga.
but chances are, (VERY HIGH CHANCES) you will NOT get better until you start drawing people first. a lot of people say this and it's true. you learn the basics first, THEN you start drawing manga. the basics being- drawing people, and realistically.

so do yourself a favor. and trust me, since i've already beat myself over and over, for trying to beat around the bush, and not drawing realistically, wasting about 5-6 years of time. cause with manga i could slack off on hands and eyes and pretty much everything, and always hide hands behind my characters backs, or stick them in pockets.

although some people might disagree with what i just said, i bet more will say i'm right.

do not stick with manga cause it's easier, and avoid drawing realistically and studying people. you go from realistic to manga, not manga to realistic.
avoid the temptation of the fact that "since it's manga it's easier, and i can slack off"

cause that's whats holding you back. besides, if manga characters are based off of people, what better example than looking at real people anyway?

when you study yourself or a picture though.. make sure you take note of everything, down to the smallest detail. cause that's what makes a drawing good. detail. kirisheye or something in the general art thread, is a good example of why detail is what makes a drawing amazing.

details when studying yourself are like: general pecs are 1 head down, arms reach mid thigh, shoulders are about 2 1/2 heads long for women and 3 heads long (horizontally) for men. the collarbone starts around where the armpit is. the length between the eyes is one eye (horizontally) long. generally for mugshots, however far down the eyes are from where the tip top of the ears are, the nose is the same distance down. realistic proportions are where the nose is about three eyes long, and the distance between the mouth and the nose is one eye (vertically) long, and the mouth to the bottom of the chin is about 1 1/2 - 2 eyes (vertically) long.

stuff like that is what you need to take note of. (bias opinion, but i think it's true.)

anyway if you read all the crap i just wrote, believe me. im not lying to you, or trying to troll or start up a flamewar of bias opinions. im serious.

my skill in drawing really did increase 20fold after studying people and myself using a mirror, for only 1 year.

Threads merged
 
Honestly, I don't believe in those "How To Draw Manga" books. Actually, the best place to learn to draw manga is by looking at manga themselves. I think most of who would like to draw manga would be better off copying eyes, features, everything from an actual manga. That would probably the only time you'll be able to develop a drawing style of your own.

QUOTE (michikodesu @ Dec 02 2007, 01:53 AM)Maybe this would help clarify what I meant: If someone had made a guide on how to draw in the style that we find in Marvel today yet the characters looked similar to the characters from the old Archie comics except with stronger lines and bolder colors....wouldn't that strike you as odd. Yes, they are both western (or American) comics and yes, they both are comics drawn in different styles;
Now that I think about it, I actually realize that I prefer reading manga in black and white better than with color. As opposed to reading western comicbooks/strips where I really prefer to have it in color than black & white. Otherwise, I'd get bored with it.
 
QUOTE (michikodesu @ Nov 26 2007, 04:50 PM) This is total venting here.....I'd also like to see if anyone else feels the same way or am I just a head case about this.

I've noticed that there are many "How to Draw Manga" books in the bookstores recently. I've also noticed that many of the 'characters' drawn on the cover do not look like standard-issue manga style characters. I then proceed to look at who authored the book and lo and behold it's a western style name. Now, maybe I'm just a "manga authenticity snob" but that really irks me.

Why? Because it's not in the true style of manga. The characters look like a cross between western style characters with maybe a little bit of manga influence. Now I know that there are different styles when it comes to manga, but these books do not fall into any of those styles.

In my mind and how I rationalize it, I feel that if we are going to call something manga over here and have guides on how to draw it, then it should pretty much fall completely in line with how it looks over there in Japan. They have a standard and I feel that we should too. Because when I think of manga, I already have preconceived notions about what it should look like (be it shojo or shonen).

There are a few out there (one series, actually) that is commendable but I can't think of the name of it. I do remember that all the books have a white jacket.

Okay, now I'm I just really a nut job over this or are there others who feel the same way?
The fact is, every artist has their own style. You can even see them in authentic manga from Asia. For instance, the recently concluded series Dennou Coil. The artist has a very distinct style that does not conform with standard manga/anime but it is still considered manga/anime because of certain aspects of the drawings. Another one which doesn't really conform is Gigantic Formula. Most of it is standard style but the eyes are unique, and a bit creepy imo
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. Just because they don't conform with what you think manga should look like does not mean they are not manga. If you don't like the way it looks, the simple thing to do is not buy it.
 
QUOTE (biankita @ Dec 11 2007, 09:35 AM)Honestly, I don't believe in those "How To Draw Manga" books. Actually, the best place to learn to draw manga is by looking at manga themselves. I think most of who would like to draw manga would be better off copying eyes, features, everything from an actual manga.
I agree with you completely on that note. I started from looking at the manga that I had and would try to copy what I saw. Sailor Moon (Takeuchi's style) was the first manga that I bought so I copied that, then went to Fuushigi Yuugi (Watase's style), then I tried drawing Kenshin, Pokemon, and different manga-ka's that appeared in Ribon and Nakayoshi. Basically whatever I got my hands on.


QUOTE (Mowerman @ Dec 11 2007, 10:24 AM)
The fact is, every artist has their own style. You can even see them in authentic manga from Asia. For instance, the recently concluded series Dennou Coil. The artist has a very distinct style that does not conform with standard manga/anime but it is still considered manga/anime because of certain aspects of the drawings. Another one which doesn't really conform is Gigantic Formula. Most of it is standard style but the eyes are unique, and a bit creepy imo . Just because they don't conform with what you think manga should look like does not mean they are not manga. If you don't like the way it looks, the simple thing to do is not buy it.

The fact that there are different styles has already been made clear. It's quite obvious that there are different styles, I shouldn't have to type that again. And the whole idea to not buy it. BTW I have not bought one yet and have never wanted to buy one. But most people, (MOST, not all, but MOST) when they start dabbling with manga, they normally choose what we think of as manga. Dennou Coil and Gigantic Formula both do not have the entire "big-eyed" motif as most (MOST) shoujo manga......but one can still tell that it is manga from Japan. Just like Witch Hunter Robin, FLCL, Basilisk, and pretty much any kind of shonen manga.

You said "authentic manga", right? well, look at those books and tell me if what you see looks like "authentic manga".

If anything it should say on the title Learn how to draw characters INSPIRED by manga
 
Having purchased "how to draw manga" books in both Japan and the US for my 11 and now 12-year-old-girl, the books have their place in showing beginners the basics of drawing, not just how manga are drawn. Common stances, features, and details commonly found in Manga are highlighted, especially as to the fact that such characteristics are completely lacking in West-oriented characters. For someone new to drawing, these books are very helpful. For the artist with some years experience in drawing who is suddenly interested in Mange, yea, the books are pretty worthless.

Teri Li
 
I only have 1 (HTDM)- How to Draw Manga book and i was thinkin that it was gonna help me but i was wrong, so instead i use the actual MANGA books to read and draw from.
 
I bought me a Shojo Beat's Manga Artist Academy book by Viz Media. I already can draw and do computer stuff so all im going to learn from this book is it drawing style that it. Manga can be drawn in many ways so it basicly what you trying to learn from how to draw manga books.
 
I totally agree junesue1205. I didn't use myself, though, but I did buy one of those cute little mannequin figures that you can pose and found that to be very helpful when it comes to proportions. I also started drawing ballet dancers because their body types as well as their positions helped me out a lot....especially when it comes to drawing in perspective. I could really see the difference.

To Kansatasusha-sama: Is that the same one that they used to run in the actual Shojo Beat magazine? Because if it is, that guide is very on point. They are running a guide now that features Yuu Watase and it goes into more detail. It first talked about how to draw a figure and then goes on to talk about what to do for story lines, plot, etc...... That's the one thing that would come to my mind as a good guide to help people out who are starting.

I still think the best way is to just copy from other mangas (and not just one manga-kas, but those who are substantially different.....aka Miwa Ueda and then Tomoka Hayakawa just to contrast). Once you feel comfortable, then branch out and try to draw still life and actual bodies.
 
Well I didnt actually look through the whole book yet so im not sure yet lol... I did look at the first few page though and it like show the process on how they do it.

btw I can already draw still life and real people but I pick anime and manga XD
 
I can actually draw anime/manga-style people. Because of my obsession with that sub-culture when I was in high school, I suck at still life and real people. So generally, when I first saw these How To Draw Manga books, I thought that they were gonna teach the actual way of constructing a manga from spreads, boxes, etc. I was disappointed that it's just another one of those "this is how to draw people good" books.
 
I recently asked my niece about those books (she learned to draw from copying anime and manga characters) and she told me

"No, I don't like those."

I just wanted to get a kid's opinion on those books. My niece is in the 7th grade and is very good. And I'm not saying that just because I'm her aunt
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BTW--- earlier I mentioned that there are a few books out there that are top notch and I couldn't remember the name or who wrote them.....well, I finally had time to sit down and try to find them. The books How to Draw Manga by K's Art has a series of books that work on not just characters, but, also the details that go into manga like backgrounds, costumes, story lines, mecha, etc....... And then there's Manga University that goes into more detail about tones, backgrounds, working with textures and other things. If you go to http://www.howtodrawmanga.com it's not bad.
 
Oh yea I actually look through some of the pages and the book even said something similar. It said something like find an artist that you like his or her drawing style and try to copy it exactly but dont stop there because all it will be a copy it went on to said get bit and piece from other style you like to make it into your own. Most likely a few more pages If I had look through them it would have said something about hwo to do the manga haha...
 
They even have two guides on how to draw military weaponry and equipment....I thought that was pretty cool. That's pretty far out from the usual "how to draw the hair", "how to draw the body", and most importantly "how to draw an elf or a wizard".

They need one for how to draw ninjas
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