The Complete Guide to Drawing Manga: Step-by-step techniques, characters and effects
By Marc Powell and David Neal
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About this ebook
From cute chibi characters to fearsome mecha, this book will teach readers of all abilities how to create authentic manga figures.
As popular as when it first appeared in the 1950s, manga offers adults and children endless opportunities to create dynamic characters, imaginative stories and fantastical locations. Using step-by-step drawing projects, readers will learn an array of techniques, including:
• The basics of different manga drawing styles
• Creating perspective and foreshortening
• How to draw faces and convey emotion
• Adding movement and poses to your figures
Finally, readers will learn to place their characters within a setting, enabling them to build worlds and bring their creations to life.
Marc Powell
Marc Powell's love of comics and animation grew initially out of his work as a games tester and developed when he launched and edited the world's first Playstation 3 magazine.
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The Complete Guide to Drawing Manga - Marc Powell
THE COMPLETE GUIDE TO
DRAWING MANGA
Marc Powell and David Neal
This edition published in 2014 by Arcturus Publishing Limited
26/27 Bickels Yard,
151–153 Bermondsey Street,
London SE1 3HA
Copyright © Arcturus Holdings Limited
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without prior written permission in accordance with the provisions of the Copyright Act 1956 (as amended). Any person or persons who do any unauthorised act in relation to this publication may be liable to criminal prosecution and civil claims for damages.
ISBN: 978-1-78428-100-7
WITH THANKS TO ODA, STEVE, AILIN AND PAT
CONTENTS
INTRODUCTION
HOW TO USE THIS BOOK
BASIC TOOLS
MANGA STYLES
SCALE: DRAWING FIGURES
BASIC STICK POSES
BASIC ANATOMY
MONSTERIZATION
EYES
HAIR
EXPRESSIONS
PERSPECTIVE & FORESHORTENING
ADDING EXCITEMENT
ADDING MOVEMENT
POWER KICKS
ADVENTURE
TIPS AND TRICKS
MUSCLE THUG
THE GUNFIGHTER
FEMALE HERO
THE ADVENTURER
YAKUZA ENFORCER
MARTIAL ARTIST
PIRATE
FANTASY
TIPS AND TRICKS
CRAZY WIZARD
DEMON
MUTATED BOSS
DRAGON
WARRIOR MONK
CUTE
TIPS AND TRICKS
DARK FAIRY
KIGURUMI KID
BUBBLEGUM GIRL
GOTH GIRL
MINI MONSTER
ACTION
TIPS AND TRICKS
HEROIC BOY
BIKER GANG GUY
FEMALE COP
HEROINE MAID
CYBORG ASSASSIN
ROMANCE
TIPS AND TRICKS
ANGEL
HANDSOME SUITOR
KIMONO MAIDEN
LOVESTRUCK TEEN
MECHA
TIPS AND TRICKS
SKID-ROW MECH
HARD-EDGED MECH
CORPORATE MECH
MECHA TEAM
GOLIATH SAMURAI
BACKGROUND CHARACTERS
SALARY MAN
OLD LADY
ARMY GENERAL
SHOPKEEPER
SHARP-SUITED GANGSTER
POWERFUL PUNCHES
COLOUR AND TONE
COLOURING STYLES
COMPOSITON
PLACING YOUR CHARACTER INTO A WORLD
BUILDING BETTER BACKGROUNDS
PANELS AND LAYOUT
FROM PICTURES TO WORDS
THE FINISHED PAGE
In this book, you’ll find everything you need to know in order to draw manga characters successfully. Using a simple step-by-step system, we’ll walk you from the start of a basic stick figure right through to fully coloured, dynamic pieces of art that you can be proud of.
We don’t just stop at characters, though – we’ll show you how to do everything, from creating amazing locations for your characters through to mastering panel layouts for your comic pages and composing perfect scenes. Throughout the book, we’ll also give you specific tips related to different genres, along with handy mini-tips from our artists to make life easier as you move through the amazing world of manga.
So, pick up your pens and pencils and get ready to enter a world of mutated monsters, manic martial artists and all manner of characters in between!
HOW TO USE THIS BOOK
This book has been organized using a simple step-by-step system with seven stages from start to finish. Each step is layered over the previous one in a different colour, so you can easily see the new pieces that have been added at each stage. Of course, you don’t have to use different-coloured pencils for each stage.
Stage 1
The basic stick figure of your character.
Stage 2
Fleshing out the basic stick figure.
Stage 3
The completion of fleshing out and the addition of extra details.
Stage 4
The completion of clothing and any accessories.
Stage 5
The inking stage, which will give you a final line drawing.
Stage 6
‘Flat’ colouring, using lighter shades to set the base colours of your character.
Stage 7
Adding shadows for light sources, using darker colours to add depth to your character.
BASIC TOOLS
You don’t need lots of complicated, expensive tools for your manga images – many of them are available from a good stationery shop. The others can be found in any art supplies store, either on the high street or online.
Pencils
These are probably the most important tool for any artist. It’s important to find a type of pencil you are comfortable with, since you will be spending a lot of time using it.
Graphite
You will be accustomed to using graphite pencils – they are the familiar wood-encased ‘lead’ pencils. They are available in a variety of densities from the softest, 9B, right up to the hard 9H. Hard pencils last longer and are less likely to smudge on the paper. Most artists use an HB pencil, which falls in the middle of the density scale.
Mechanical pencils
Also known as propelling pencils, these contain a length of lead that can be replaced. The leads are available in the same densities as graphite pencils. The great advantage of mechanical pencils over graphite is that you never have to sharpen them – you simply extend more lead as it wears down.
Inking pens
After you have pencilled your piece of artwork, you will need to ink the line to give a sharp, solid image.
Ballpoint pens
Standard ballpoint pens are ideal for lining your piece. However, their quality varies, as does their delivery of ink. A good-quality ballpoint pen will serve you much better than a collection of cheap ones for delivery of a consistent quality of line-work.
Marker pens
Standard marker pens of varying thicknesses are ideal for colouring and shading your artworks as they provide a steady, uniform supply of ink and can be used to build layers of colour by re-inking the same area. They are the tools most frequently used for manga colouring.
Erasers
Everyone makes mistakes, even the world’s greatest manga artists! That’s why a good eraser is essential. You can buy soft, kneadable putty rubbers that you can shape to erase either small or large areas and, of course, the traditional all-purpose hard eraser is still available. A good eraser is one known as a white vinyl, which provides the right balance of gentle erasing with minimal crumbling of the eraser and without damaging your paper.
Templates
Very few people can draw a perfect circle freehand, so a set of circle templates is a good buy. If you don’t have any templates, you can draw round various everyday items such as coins, cups and bottle lids to create your circles.
TYPES OF PAPER
The array of paper that is available can seem confusing when you’re choosing a surface for your art. Your paper selection will depend on how you want your final piece to be used. Thicker papers are best for presentation pieces and posters and add a high-quality finish to your piece.
Try feeling the thickness of papers by taking the corner between your thumb and middle finger and gently flicking your forefinger across the corner of the paper. If you do this with different papers, you will soon develop a feel for the various weights.