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- Herausgeber: John Wiley & Sons
- Kategorie: Gesellschafts- und Liebesromane
- Sprache: Englisch
Get started with the powerful visual language and storytelling medium that is manga
Manga is a unique style of drawing. It's also a great way to make topics like history and politics appealing to a wide audience. Manga For Dummies teaches you the basics of drawing in the manga style. This step-by-step guide shows you how to apply the basic rules of manga figure drawing, whether you're a complete beginner or a professional artist. You'll learn how to create manga characters, from rough sketch through final rendering. Simple drawing exercises help you build and develop your skills. Plus, you can add interest and depth to your drawings with ideas and techniques from a manga pro. This book also covers how to create scripts and storyboards, so you can tell a great manga story from start to finish.
- Gather the tools you'll need—including the latest digital illustration tools
- Learn what makes manga drawing different from other illustration styles
- Create compelling characters, storylines, and visual settings
- Share your creations and be a part of the manga community on social media
If you're a fan of manga and other graphic arts and would like to start drawing your own characters and stories, this is the Dummies guide for you. Designers, artists, and writers of all skill levels are welcome!
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Seitenzahl: 517
Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2024
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Manga For Dummies®
To view this book's Cheat Sheet, simply go to www.dummies.com and search for “Manga For Dummies Cheat Sheet” in the Search box.
Table of Contents
Cover
Title Page
Copyright
Introduction
About This Book
Conventions Used in This Book
What You’re Not to Read
Foolish Assumptions
How This Book Is Organized
Icons Used in This Book
Where to Go from Here
Part 1: Manga 101
Chapter 1: Welcome to Manga World
Tracing the Rise of Manga’s Popularity
All Manga Is Not Created Equal: Looking at the Different Genres
The Key Components of Manga
Manga versus American Comics
“Making It” in the Manga World
Chapter 2: Gearing Up and Getting Ready
Looking at the Materials You Need to Get Started
Setting Up Your Studio
Chapter 3: Drawing: Starting with the Basics
Making Your First Moves with the Pencil
Using Your Ruler
Creating Patterns
Fixing Mistakes
Part 2: To the Drawing Board
Chapter 4: Taking It from the Top with the Head
Heading Out on a Manga Mission
The Eyes Have It!
Filling in the Features
The Emotions Tell All
Chapter 5: Nice Bod: Manga Body Basics
How Many Heads? Setting Up Your Character’s Proportions
Drawing a Wire Frame
Getting in Shape with Geometry
Growing Pains
Chapter 6: Customize and Accessorize Your Manga Character
Know When to Fold ’Em: Drawing Fabric Folds
Dressing Up for the Occasion
Equipped to Make a Positive Impression
Part 3: Calling All Cast Members!
Chapter 7: The Main Protagonists
Drawing Male Lead Characters
Drawing Female Lead Characters
Chapter 8: Those Loveable Sidekicks
Drawing Male Sidekick Characters
Drawing Female Sidekick Characters
Chapter 9: The Dreaded Villains
The Cunning Prince of Darkness
The Formidable Henchman
The Tiny Time Bomb
The Slender Beauty
Chapter 10: Elder Figures
Enter the Grandmasters
The Sage Grandmaster
Chapter 11: Damsels in Distress
The Tiny Firecracker
The Elf Princess
Miss Priss
Chapter 12: Girl Power! Shōjo Manga
Drawing the Modern Shōjo Manga Faces and Hair
Drawing the Rest of the Body
Art Nouveau Backgrounds in Shōjo Manga
Part 4: Time to Go Hi-Tech
Chapter 13: Designing Mechas
Creating Simple and Cute Mechas
Drawing Pilot-Operated Mechas
Chapter 14: Gadgets and Weapons
Small Gadgets
Battle Arms
Part 5: An Advanced Case of Manga
Chapter 15: Putting Manga into Perspective
Creating Buildings and Backgrounds with Basic Perspective
Adding People to the Environment
Using Perspective and Camera Angle to Tell the Story
Chapter 16: Thumbnails and Scenery
Creating Effective Thumbnails
Sketching Scenic Backgrounds
Chapter 17: Writing a Good Story
Deciding Who Your Audience Is
Establishing a Synopsis and Plot
Seeking Inspiration
Part 6: The Part of Tens
Chapter 18: Ten (or More) Manga Artists
Osamu Tezuka (1928–1989)
Fujiko Fujio: Hiroshi Fujimoto (1933–1996) and Motoo Abiko (1934–1988)
Rumiko Takahashi (1957–)
Leiji Matsumoto (1938–2023)
Takehiko Inoue (1967–)
Tite Kubo (1977–)
Eiichiro Oda (1975–)
Katsuhiro Otomo (1954–)
Yoshiyuki Okamura (1947–) and Tetsuo Hara (1961–)
Akira Toriyama (1955–)
Karuho Shiina (1975–)
Chapter 19: (Nearly) Ten Places to Strut Your Stuff
Animé/Manga Conventions
Art Schools
Manga Competitions
Self-Publishing
Small Press
Self Promoting
Small Galleries and Art Shows
Friends
Online Portfolio
Index
About the Author
Supplemental Images
Connect with Dummies
End User License Agreement
List of Tables
Chapter 1
TABLE 1-1 First-Glance Differences between Manga and American Comics
List of Illustrations
Chapter 3
FIGURE 3-1: Warming up by drawing loose swirls using different types of leads.
FIGURE 3-2: Warming up by drawing circular “ring” marks around a smaller circle...
FIGURE 3-3: Loosening the wrist using a rapid back and forth motion.
FIGURE 3-4: Make sure the tip of the pencil rests securely against the edge of ...
FIGURE 3-5: Avoid ink seeping under your ruler by flipping it upside down.
FIGURE 3-6: Some helpful tips to prevent the ruler from slipping.
FIGURE 3-7: Drawing lines for practice.
FIGURE 3-8: Inking over your pencil lines.
FIGURE 3-9: “Feeding” your pen.
FIGURE 3-10: Using the G-Pen nib to draw thin-to-thick-to-thin lines.
FIGURE 3-11: Dipping a brush into black or white ink.
FIGURE 3-12: Splattering a black panel to create the start of a galaxy.
FIGURE 3-13: Starting off the weaving pattern with parallel lines.
FIGURE 3-14: Alternating the direction of lines to complete the overall weaving...
FIGURE 3-15: Starting the hito-keta pattern.
FIGURE 3-16: Adding the next sets of lines to the hito-keta pattern.
FIGURE 3-17: Completing the rest of the hito-keta pattern.
FIGURE 3-18: Starting the futa-keta based upon the hito-keta pattern.
FIGURE 3-19: Completing the futa-keta pattern.
FIGURE 3-20: Just a few examples among many typical inking mistakes.
FIGURE 3-21: Inking mistakes corrected with white correction fluid.
FIGURE 3-22: Drawing the image to be used as a replacement.
FIGURE 3-23: Applying stick glue to the back of the replacement image and cover...
Chapter 4
FIGURE 4-1: These ovals represent the front, side and ¾ views of your character...
FIGURE 4-2: Mapping out the basic head shape for a young adult or teen female.
FIGURE 4-3: Drawing the basic male head shapes.
FIGURE 4-4: Drawing the two separate views of the eyeball, pupil, and iris.
FIGURE 4-5: The bottom and top lids wrap over the eyeball.
FIGURE 4-6: Drawing the eyebrow.
FIGURE 4-7: Picturing an imaginary eye to measure the distance between two mang...
FIGURE 4-8: Check out the popular big eyes.
FIGURE 4-9: Can the eyes get any bigger? Sure!
FIGURE 4-10: Smaller eyes, with the same manga structure.
FIGURE 4-11: Some eyelids are angled rather than smooth.
FIGURE 4-12: These eyebrows are so detailed that they come close to being reali...
FIGURE 4-13: Simplicity gets the job done in the yonkoma manga style.
FIGURE 4-14: Ski jump noses are simple and cute.
FIGURE 4-15: The vertical shadow nose.
FIGURE 4-16: The wider shadow nose.
FIGURE 4-17: The realistic nose has more detail than other manga noses.
FIGURE 4-18: Drawing the side view of two types of the figure-6 ear.
FIGURE 4-19: Drawing the front view of the figure-6 ear.
FIGURE 4-20: The shadow shape resembles the head of a monkey wrench from the si...
FIGURE 4-21: The shadow ear from the front.
FIGURE 4-22: The inside of the realistic ear — the more detailed the better.
FIGURE 4-23: Constructing the front of the realistic ear, shape by shape.
FIGURE 4-24: Demonstrating how to construct the lips.
FIGURE 4-25: The profile of the lips shows that they aren’t flat.
FIGURE 4-26: Adding lipstick and creating thicker lips to boost the sex appeal.
FIGURE 4-27: Having fun mouthing off with simplified manga mouth expressions.
FIGURE 4-28: Different types of androgynous hairstyles.
FIGURE 4-29: Drawing the jagged yaoi style; working along the outsides of the h...
FIGURE 4-30: Drawing the “Smooth Yaoi” hairstyle.
FIGURE 4-31: Drawing the neutral face.
FIGURE 4-32: Drawing the serious face.
FIGURE 4-33: Drawing the mad face.
FIGURE 4-34: Drawing the psycho mad face.
FIGURE 4-35: Drawing the sad face.
FIGURE 4-36: Drawing the even sadder face.
FIGURE 4-37: Drawing the total devastation face.
FIGURE 4-38: Drawing the surprised or shocked face.
FIGURE 4-39: Drawing the happy face.
FIGURE 4-40: Drawing the super happy face.
Chapter 5
FIGURE 5-1: Simple manga and action manga use different head-proportion scales.
FIGURE 5-2: An example of a character design sheet.
FIGURE 5-3: Drawing the head and neck of the wire frame figure.
FIGURE 5-4: Drawing the shoulders and spine of the wire frame figure.
FIGURE 5-5: Creating the hips and legs for the wire frame figure.
FIGURE 5-6: Completing the legs and drawing the arms and hands for the wire fra...
FIGURE 5-7: Cylinders, cubes, spheres, and cones are your best friends!
FIGURE 5-8: Exploring the form and cast shadows.
FIGURE 5-9: Drawing the sphere for the head — front, side, and ¾ views.
FIGURE 5-10: The tilting of the torso from different angles — front, ¾, and sid...
FIGURE 5-11: Cutting into the torso from the front, ¾, and side views.
FIGURE 5-12: Creating the opening for the arms to fit in.
FIGURE 5-13: Fitting the stomach sphere snuggly into the torso opening.
FIGURE 5-14: Constructing the hips using the half-sphere.
FIGURE 5-15: Constructing the biceps using the cylinder.
FIGURE 5-16: Building and connecting the forearm to the biceps.
FIGURE 5-17: Building and connecting the upper leg to the hip.
FIGURE 5-18: Building and connecting the lower leg to the upper leg.
FIGURE 5-19: The hand divided into sections A, B, and C.
FIGURE 5-20: Drawing the hand, sections A through C.
FIGURE 5-21: Tracking the finger movements.
FIGURE 5-22: Connecting the fingers to the palm.
FIGURE 5-23: Attaching the front view of the foot to the lower leg.
FIGURE 5-24: Attaching the side view of the foot to the lower leg.
FIGURE 5-25: Drawing the opposite side of the foot.
FIGURE 5-26: A standard pose for the wire frame figure.
FIGURE 5-27: Attaching the neck and torso/stomach.
FIGURE 5-28: Adding the lower body.
FIGURE 5-29: Including the left and right arms and hands.
FIGURE 5-30: Drawing the sternomastoid and the trapezius.
FIGURE 5-31: Stretching the pectoralis muscles over the torso.
FIGURE 5-32: Stretching the rectus abdominis over the stomach.
FIGURE 5-33: Defining the hips.
FIGURE 5-34: Defining the legs.
FIGURE 5-35: Observe the curving flow, resembling an “S.”
FIGURE 5-36: Defining structure in the arm.
FIGURE 5-37: Comparing the male versus the female.
FIGURE 5-38: Observing characters at different ages and stages.
Chapter 6
FIGURE 6-1: Rounder and sharper folds tell readers the quality of the material.
FIGURE 6-2: Folds point toward the center of tension.
FIGURE 6-3: Overlapping folds show more movement.
FIGURE 6-4: Looser clothing has wider, softer edges.
FIGURE 6-5: Tighter clothing has narrower edges.
FIGURE 6-6: Interesting nesting folds happen when folds overlap.
FIGURE 6-7: Adjusting the rim width to show different material thicknesses.
FIGURE 6-8: Using soft and hard edges to create hardness/softness of the clothi...
FIGURE 6-9: Creating a mock drapery fold out of paper.
FIGURE 6-10: Generic, unisex tops common for manga characters.
FIGURE 6-11: Unisex collar tops worn by manga characters.
FIGURE 6-12: Drawing the sleeve of the sweatshirt.
FIGURE 6-13: Drawing the sleeve of the tighter dress shirt.
FIGURE 6-14: The “X” and “Y” fold patterns on a tight shirt or blouse.
FIGURE 6-15: Drawing the folds to complete the waist of a tight shirt or blouse...
FIGURE 6-16: Converting the tight shirt into a tank top.
FIGURE 6-17: Aerobics class comes to life as you bend your character in all dir...
FIGURE 6-18: Starting off with the central collar lines of the uniform.
FIGURE 6-19: Drawing the sides of the uniform.
FIGURE 6-20: Finishing off the karate uniform to get an hourglass shape.
FIGURE 6-21: Drawing the waist section of the classic-fit jeans for women.
FIGURE 6-22: Adding the folds to complete the classic-fit jeans for women.
FIGURE 6-23: Comparing male classic jeans to female classic jeans.
FIGURE 6-24: Drawing and comparing two types of loose jeans (Goth versus regula...
FIGURE 6-25: Adding the folds to two types of loose jeans.
FIGURE 6-26: Adding décor to the Goth and regular loose jeans.
FIGURE 6-27: Drawing a bow tie with polka dots.
FIGURE 6-28: Other types of bow-tie ribbons that enhance cuteness.
FIGURE 6-29: Headbands are simple accessories that take care of long hair.
FIGURE 6-30: Headbands create a great way to personalize your character.
FIGURE 6-31: Creating a dynamic scarf for your action character.
FIGURE 6-32: The shape and size of glasses tell a lot about your character.
FIGURE 6-33: Common front- and side-view mistakes that beginners make with glas...
FIGURE 6-34: Round glasses create an innocent character appearance.
FIGURE 6-35: Goggles take some time to get used to, but they look great on your...
FIGURE 6-36: Adding the shadows and highlights to get a finished, dimensional l...
Chapter 7
FIGURE 7-1: Setting up the wire figure for your lead character.
FIGURE 7-2: Sketching the geometric shapes and drawing the basic muscle definit...
FIGURE 7-3: Sketching in the face and clothes.
FIGURE 7-4: Add finishing touches on his outfit with accessories and effects.
FIGURE 7-5: A wire frame figure dribbling a soccer ball.
FIGURE 7-6: The rookie evolves.
FIGURE 7-7: Drawing the sleek soccer uniform.
FIGURE 7-8: Finishing up the character’s uniform and adding in details to his h...
FIGURE 7-9: Setting the wide stance for the wire frame figure.
FIGURE 7-10: Making the character look more realistic.
FIGURE 7-11: Sketching in the head and facial features and snapping on ornament...
FIGURE 7-12: Drawing the energy field and adding the detail along his accessori...
FIGURE 7-13: Drawing a more conservative, narrow stance for the wire frame figu...
FIGURE 7-14: Keeping the overall definition down to a minimum.
FIGURE 7-15: Dressing the character to match the conservative style.
FIGURE 7-16: Adding the final bells and whistles.
FIGURE 7-17: Setting up a dynamic character’s pose.
FIGURE 7-18: Building a slender yet curved definition to the character.
FIGURE 7-19: Drawing the clothing to complete the brave compassionate princess.
FIGURE 7-20: Setting up a shy pose using the wire frame figure.
FIGURE 7-21: Building minimal definition to the character.
FIGURE 7-22: Finishing a sketch of the shōjo romantic.
Chapter 8
FIGURE 8-1: Setting up the wire figure for my sidekick character, Mr. Muscle.
FIGURE 8-2: Sketching muscle definition over geometric shapes and loosely block...
FIGURE 8-3: Sketching in the top, shorts, and shoes.
FIGURE 8-4: Adding the finishing touches to Mr. Muscle.
FIGURE 8-5: The wire frame figure that will eventually become the good little s...
FIGURE 8-6: Beginning to develop muscles and facial features.
FIGURE 8-7: Drawing the loose martial arts uniform and tightening up the featur...
FIGURE 8-8: Setting the cocky narrow stance for the wire frame figure.
FIGURE 8-9: Sketching in the muscle definition over the geometric shapes.
FIGURE 8-10: Fitting the coat and tie uniform over the figure and tightening up...
FIGURE 8-11: Cleaning up the pencil marks and adding the details to the suit.
FIGURE 8-12: Drawing the short wire frame figure for the underrated tactician.
FIGURE 8-13: Keeping the overall definition down to a minimum.
FIGURE 8-14: Dressing the character to match her cute quirky style.
FIGURE 8-15: Adding the final bells and whistles.
FIGURE 8-16: Drawing a narrow and elongated frame.
FIGURE 8-17: Fleshing out the strong and caring character.
FIGURE 8-18: Adding the smaller clothing wrinkles and shoes.
Chapter 9
FIGURE 9-1: Setting up the wide shoulders in the wire frame figure.
FIGURE 9-2: Defining the head and sketching in the muscle definition over the g...
FIGURE 9-3: Sketching in the robe for the prince of darkness.
FIGURE 9-4: Adding the belt, sword, and other finishing touches.
FIGURE 9-5: Setting up the wire frame figure with wide, muscular shoulders.
FIGURE 9-6: The henchman bulks up.
FIGURE 9-7: Drawing the basic clothing folds and blocking in the facial feature...
FIGURE 9-8: Adding facial details and clothing to the henchman’s appearance.
FIGURE 9-9: Draw the details and special effects to complete the henchman.
FIGURE 9-10: Setting the short pose for the wire frame figure.
FIGURE 9-11: Adding geometric shapes and adding on to them.
FIGURE 9-12: Drawing the goth costume over the figure and defining the features...
FIGURE 9-13: Cleaning up the pencil marks and adding the details to the charact...
FIGURE 9-14: Drawing tall proportions for the slender beauty.
FIGURE 9-15: Sketching in the basic shapes and muscle structure for my slender ...
FIGURE 9-16: Dressing the character to match her fashion sense.
FIGURE 9-17: The smaller articles of clothing, jewelry, and accessories complet...
Chapter 10
FIGURE 10-1: Setting up the wire figure for my thin grandmaster.
FIGURE 10-2: Adding basic geometric shapes, muscle structure, and facial featur...
FIGURE 10-3: Lightly sketching the grandmaster’s clothes and tightening up the ...
FIGURE 10-4: Adding the finishing touches and accessories to the thin grandmast...
FIGURE 10-5: Setting the broad-shouldered wire frame figure for the huge grandm...
FIGURE 10-6: The huge grandmaster begins to come to life.
FIGURE 10-7: Drawing the huge grandmaster’s loose, classic clothing.
FIGURE 10-8: Adding the finishing touches to the huge grandmaster’s appearance.
FIGURE 10-9: Setting the stance for the sage master.
FIGURE 10-10: Drawing lean muscles over the geometric shapes and sketching in t...
FIGURE 10-11: Adding a robe and details to make the sage grandmaster come alive...
FIGURE 10-12: Cleaning up the pencil marks and adding the details to complete t...
Chapter 11
FIGURE 11-1: Setting up the wire figure for my little firecracker.
FIGURE 11-2: Sketching geometrical shapes over the wire frame.
FIGURE 11-3: Drawing the definition and body structure over the geometric shape...
FIGURE 11-4: Refining the facial features and sketching in the jacket, shirt, s...
FIGURE 11-5: Finalizing her clothing and accessories.
FIGURE 11-6: Setting up the wire figure for my elf princess.
FIGURE 11-7: Loosely defining the head and sketching geometric shapes over the ...
FIGURE 11-8: Lightly sketching the body’s definition.
FIGURE 11-9: Sketching in the fantasy costume and refining her facial features.
FIGURE 11-10: Finalizing the facial features and adding in her accessories.
FIGURE 11-11: Setting up my wire figure for my Little Miss Priss.
FIGURE 11-12: Drawing the slender geometric shape onto the wire frame figure.
FIGURE 11-13: Adding the curves and definition over the geometric structure.
FIGURE 11-14: Sketching in the shapes of her dress.
FIGURE 11-15: Finalizing the facial features and adding her accessories.
Chapter 12
FIGURE 12-1: A quick glance at the classic stylized shōjo manga faces.
FIGURE 12-2: Blocking in the basic eye shapes for the female and male.
FIGURE 12-3: Drawing the super-large eyeballs.
FIGURE 12-4: Sketching in the top eyelashes, eyebrows, and irises.
FIGURE 12-5: Shading in the shadows of the eyeballs and “pulling out” the highl...
FIGURE 12-6: Adding the simplified, elongated noses.
FIGURE 12-7: Drawing the blush effects and slightly open mouth shape closer to ...
FIGURE 12-8: Drawing in the smooth and jagged bangs on the shōjo manga head.
FIGURE 12-9: Completing the hair behind the large bangs.
FIGURE 12-10: Adding detail to the hair to complete the shōjo head.
FIGURE 12-11: Drawing the contemporary shōjo shoulder length hairstyle.
FIGURE 12-12: Drawing the basic hair shapes for the long shōjo hairstyle.
FIGURE 12-13: Completing the long shōjo hairstyle.
FIGURE 12-14: So many deep emotional shōjo expressions.
FIGURE 12-15: Posing the wire frame figure for a female shōjo character.
FIGURE 12-16: Fitting the slender geometric shape onto the wire frame figure.
FIGURE 12-17: Adding the curves and definition over the geometric structure.
FIGURE 12-18: Drawing the basic shōjo high school uniform shape and refining th...
FIGURE 12-19: Finalizing my shōjo lead character.
FIGURE 12-20: Setting up the wire frame figure for my shōjo male character.
FIGURE 12-21: Filling in the character’s shape with long, narrow geometric shap...
FIGURE 12-22: Further defining the shōjo male character and loosely blocking in...
FIGURE 12-23: Drawing in the suit shapes and tightening up the head.
FIGURE 12-24: Finalizing my shōjo male character.
FIGURE 12-25: Starting the background stars.
FIGURE 12-26: Finalizing my shōjo background.
FIGURE 12-27: Using other shapes for your shōjo background.
Chapter 13
FIGURE 13-1: Starting off my simple mecha with a cylinder.
FIGURE 13-2: Drawing the mecha’s simplified features.
FIGURE 13-3: Adding the wings as well as the tasers.
FIGURE 13-4: Completing my Braid Maid with shading and cat ears.
FIGURE 13-5: Creating my mecha’s head by slicing a squashed sphere in half.
FIGURE 13-6: Giving the head a neck to lean on.
FIGURE 13-7: Adding your mecha’s body.
FIGURE 13-8: Drawing the bottom, which transports your mecha.
FIGURE 13-9: Drawing the final details and design marks on your mecha.
FIGURE 13-10: Become familiar with drawing common mecha shapes.
FIGURE 13-11: Comparing the “X” and “A” default stances.
FIGURE 13-12: Setting my classic mecha’s wire frame figure.
FIGURE 13-13: Adding loose shapes over the wire frame figure.
FIGURE 13-14: Lightly drawing the armor and other specific shapes over the geom...
FIGURE 13-15: Tightening and defining the edges of the mecha.
FIGURE 13-16: Finishing off the mecha with details and decoration.
FIGURE 13-17: Setting my sidekick mecha at 10 heads tall.
FIGURE 13-18: Beginning to fill in the mecha’s shape.
FIGURE 13-19: The backup mecha’s simple organic shapes over the geometric human...
FIGURE 13-20: Adding final details to my sleek humanoid mecha.
FIGURE 13-21: The base for my heavyweight combat mecha.
FIGURE 13-22: Adding the basic shapes that will become thick armor.
FIGURE 13-23: Lightly drawing the armor to protect the shoulders, waist, and le...
FIGURE 13-24: Drawing the backpack thruster accessory of the mecha and more det...
FIGURE 13-25: Giving the evil mecha what he deserves: more details.
FIGURE 13-26: Setting my heavyweight mecha to 12 heads tall and about 5 heads w...
FIGURE 13-27: Adding the loose shapes over the wire frame figure.
FIGURE 13-28: Lightly drawing the armor and other specific shapes over the geom...
FIGURE 13-29: Tightening and defining the edges of the mecha.
FIGURE 13-30: Finishing off the mecha with shadows and bolts.
Chapter 14
FIGURE 14-1: Sketch in the basic ear cushion/cup and headband shape.
FIGURE 14-2: Draw in the smaller supporting shapes for the head gear.
FIGURE 14-3: Drawing the details to the head gear.
FIGURE 14-4: Adding the finishing touches to the head gear.
FIGURE 14-5: Drawing the body and guidelines for the mystic orb.
FIGURE 14-6: Adding more guidelines and an outline of the orb’s eye.
FIGURE 14-7: Making a space for the eye of the orb.
FIGURE 14-8: Finalizing the lines and details on the ladybug orb.
FIGURE 14-9: Drawing the guidelines for the samurai sword.
FIGURE 14-10: Adding the basic shapes for the sword.
FIGURE 14-11: Sharpening the definition of the sword.
FIGURE 14-12: Swords from different angles and
tsuba
designs.
FIGURE 14-13: Drawing the main body of the phaser.
FIGURE 14-14: Drawing the grip section of the phaser.
FIGURE 14-15: Drawing the trigger guard at the front of the grip.
FIGURE 14-16: Completing the phaser.
FIGURE 14-17: Drawing the guidelines and basic shapes of the upper casing of th...
FIGURE 14-18: Sketching in the muzzle, stock, and scope of the rifle.
FIGURE 14-19: Completing the beam rifle.
FIGURE 14-20: Drawing the guideline and main body shape of the rocket launcher/...
FIGURE 14-21: Adding the lower grip system including the main grip (fused with ...
FIGURE 14-22: Fixing the muzzle and rocket magazine to the launcher.
FIGURE 14-23: Completing the rocket launcher/bazooka.
Chapter 15
FIGURE 15-1: Drawing the horizon line and establishing the vanishing point.
FIGURE 15-2: Drawing a one-point perspective cube.
FIGURE 15-3: All these buildings are created using one-point perspective.
FIGURE 15-4: It’s a whole fleet of cubes … no, wait — spaceships!
FIGURE 15-5: Drawing a two-point perspective cube.
FIGURE 15-6: Drawing multiple cubes in two-point perspective.
FIGURE 15-7: Drawing multiple buildings using the two-point perspective.
FIGURE 15-8: Drawing a bird’s-eye view.
FIGURE 15-9: A building from a bird’s-eye view.
FIGURE 15-10: Drawing shapes from a worm’s-eye view.
FIGURE 15-11: Drawing a tall building from a worm’s-eye view.
FIGURE 15-12: Constructing two figures based on one-point perspective.
FIGURE 15-13: You get a lot of depth perception with these two-point perspectiv...
FIGURE 15-14: Examples of the floating vanishing point’s nearness to the buildi...
FIGURE 15-15: Drawing a worm’s-eye view for the characters without the third va...
FIGURE 15-16: Using perspective to create establishing shots in Neo Seattle.
FIGURE 15-17: The difference changing the camera angle makes.
Chapter 16
FIGURE 16-1: Examples of typical rough thumbnails.
FIGURE 16-2: Starting with a one-point perspective downtown shot.
FIGURE 16-3: Adding the middle ground layer behind the foreground buildings.
FIGURE 16-4: Adding the background to the scene.
FIGURE 16-5: Drawing a single circle tree.
FIGURE 16-6: Adding multiple circle shapes to the tree.
FIGURE 16-7: Starting off with a basic circle to draw a tear-shaped leaf.
FIGURE 16-8: Exploring some different types of branches.
FIGURE 16-9: Deciding on the placement of my leaves by drawing the circle guide...
FIGURE 16-10: Finishing off the leaves on my branches.
FIGURE 16-11: Drawing horizon grass lines and little hedgehog grass patches.
FIGURE 16-12: Drawing bushes behind my grass line.
FIGURE 16-13: Pulling everything together to create a foreground, middle ground...
FIGURE 16-14: Drawing a calm water surface.
FIGURE 16-15: Adding some action to the water surface.
FIGURE 16-16: Drawing smooth boulders.
FIGURE 16-17: Drawing the pillar of jagged slabs of rock.
Chapter 17
FIGURE 17-1: The opening introduction section taken from a prelude in
JAVA!
#1.
FIGURE 17-2: The development section taken from a short prelude in
JAVA!
#1.
FIGURE 17-3: The climax of a short prelude in
JAVA!
#1.
FIGURE 17-4: The resolution section taken from a short prelude in
JAVA!
#1.
FIGURE 17-5: An overview graph of a manga storyline flow.
Guide
Cover
Table of Contents
Title Page
Copyright
Begin Reading
Index
About the Author
Pages
i
ii
1
2
3
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Manga For Dummies®, 2nd Edition
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Introduction
Yōkoso (welcome) to Manga For Dummies, Second Edition. Manga is a cultural phenomenon that continues to grow in popularity not only in the United States, but also worldwide. Throughout this book, I focus on the basic skills you need to create your first manga characters for your own creator-owned manga series. Whether you’re an aspiring artist or a professional illustrator wanting to explore a different style of drawing, this book is a great place to start.
About This Book
As you see throughout this book, more than 50 percent of the content is devoted to illustrations. I show you examples in the illustrations, and I tell you how to replicate them (or create your own examples) in the step-by-step instructions that accompany them.
All tips, advice, and drawings that I provide are based upon my own experience, both as a professional illustrator/sequential artist and as a former art student. I designed this book to take you through various drawing techniques and popular styles of drawing manga. Although you draw some manga characters realistically, others are more exaggerated. I encourage you to try out these different styles and find out which ones you like drawing most. As you become familiar with different faces and body types, you may want to combine different elements to come up with your own individual style.
Throughout this book, I cover a variety of popular manga topics. I introduce basic proportions and anatomy to demonstrate how to draw your first manga character from start to finish. I also cover different must-know character archetypes, including popular main protagonists, their supporting sidekicks, evil villains, wise ones, damsels in distress, and shōjo characters. In addition to characters, I show you how to create cool effects to apply motion and emotion to tell a story. For mecha fans, I also show you how to create your own mecha. Finally, I talk about some tips for self-publishing your first manga works and preparing to exhibit your works at your first manga convention.
Conventions Used in This Book
While writing this book, I used a few conventions that you should be aware of:
Numbered steps and keywords appear in
boldface.
Whenever I introduce a new term, I
italicize
it and define it.
What You’re Not to Read
Now, I didn’t spend hours upon hours writing this book and drawing all the illustrations because I want you to skip over them. However, to be honest, you can skip over certain elements in this book and still get the gist of what’s being covered. The sidebars (the gray boxes) throughout the book contain information that’s interesting yet nonessential, so if you’re pressed for time or just not into anything that isn’t essential, feel free to skip them. Also, feel free to skip any information that has the Technical Stuff icon attached, because that info goes beyond what you absolutely need to know. You won’t hurt my feelings (much).
Foolish Assumptions
When I sat down to write this book, I made a few assumptions about you, dear reader. This book is for you if
You’re really into manga, and you want to draw your own manga characters and come up with your own stories.
You’ve never sketched anything other than a stick figure before, but you want to try your hand at this style of art because it seems pretty fun and easy to pick up.
You’re a fan of one kind of manga (maybe kodomo manga), and you want to know more about other kinds of manga (like shōnen or shōjo manga).
You know very little about manga, but you want to know how it got started and what it’s all about.
You’re an aspiring manga artist who hopes to be published someday.
You’re not afraid of trying digital software and social media platforms to create and promote your artwork.
You don’t care whether you’re published or not. You just like to draw, and you like manga. So there!
While we’re on the subject of foolish assumptions, allow me to take a moment to dispel a few foolish assumptions I’ve heard over the years:
After reading this book from cover to cover, I will become a successful manga artist.
One misconception of most reference books is that you should be able to master the art of manga by reading through the book from front to back. Drawing isn’t an overnight phenomenon. Unlike those final exams in high school, you can’t cram good art. My strong advice is not to be dissuaded if your drawings don’t come out the way you want on your first try. Like many skills, practice is essential to getting good results.
I’m not as talented as my other friends — I may as well give it all up!
Nonsense! One of the glories of manga rests in its simplicity in line and form. Although having drawing skills or drawing lessons certainly helps, they aren’t required. In my opinion, the key to achieving success isn’t raw talent or even hard work, but passion. If you’re not passionate about what you draw, no amount of talent or long hours you work will help you in the long run.
Like other comics, manga is for kids — people will make fun of me for taking this art form seriously (even more so if I pursue it as a career).
If this is your first time experiencing manga, this is an understandable false assumption. As I explain in the first chapter of this book, manga has a tremendous diversity of topics and genres (ranging from sports to politics to romance). It’s no surprise manga is a multi-billion-dollar entertainment industry enjoyed by all ages and sexes.
How This Book Is Organized
This book is broken up into six different parts. Following is a summary of each of these parts, so that you can decide what appeals to you.
Part 1: Manga 101
Think of this part as your first day in a class for your favorite subject. This part provides an overview of manga’s history and different genres; it tells you what tools you need to get started; and it wraps up with some basic drawing exercises to get your brain and your hand moving.
Part 2: To the Drawing Board
Even though this book is set up to be modular (meaning that you can start anywhere you like), unless you’ve drawn manga before, you don’t want to skip this part. Here I show you how to draw the essential components of any manga character: the head, eyes, body, and basic clothing. These chapters are the foundation for the rest of the book, especially Part 3, where I show you how to draw specific types of characters.
Part 3: Calling All Cast Members!
This is where things get juicy. Although you can find thousands of storylines and characters in today’s popular manga world, most stories use certain archetypes as their protagonist or lead characters, sidekicks, antagonists, and so on. For whatever reason, this method has been a winning formula that’s stood the test of time.
In this part, you take the basics and apply them to draw various types of characters, such as heroes, villains, and elders.
Part 4: Time to Go Hi-Tech
Like drawing those cool robots, machines, and weapons? How about those small sophisticated electronic devices? In this part, I cover the basics to get you started on drawing your own machines (referred to as mecha).
Part 5: An Advanced Case of Manga
In this part, I go over the more advanced topics and manga subject matter. I start off with basic principles of perspective that allow you to add depth and interest to your drawings. I then show you how to create the illusion of motion and emotion by using different types of lines. Next, I cover backgrounds and storyboards. Finally, I tell you what goes into a good manga story and how to get your work noticed if you’re looking to break into the biz someday.
Part 6: The Part of Tens
As a new manga creator, it’s important to keep a look out for what other hot manga artists are drawing. As part of this section, I include ten of the most influential manga artists who continue to inspire the manga community worldwide. I also list ten places where you can present your work to the public.
Icons Used in This Book
Throughout this book, you see various icons in the left margins. These icons serve as flags to draw your attention toward important or helpful information. Each specific icon carries its own meaning, as listed here:
As you may have guessed, this icon points out concepts or other information that you don’t want to forget.
This icon points out information that goes a bit beyond what you absolutely need to know. If you’re a thorough type of person, you’ll likely enjoy these tidbits; however, feel free to skip them if you prefer.
Look for this icon to provide you with helpful tricks and shortcuts to make your drawing life easier.
Don’t skip this icon. It alerts you to various mistakes and pitfalls that you want to avoid.
Where to Go from Here
Going from cover to cover in a strict sequential order isn’t required. Based on your interests, you can visit chapters in any order, and you’ll find that each section takes you step by step through accomplishing an objective. For those with drawing experience, the beauty of this format is that you can select whichever topic you want to know more about and dive into it.
However, for those of you who are new to manga or don’t have prior drawing experience, I recommend starting with Part 1 and working your way through this book in order. Even if you’re an experienced artist but new to manga, it’s not a bad idea to brush up on your knowledge by starting with Part 1 and then choosing the section you’re interested in.
Regardless of where you start, I recommend reading all the way through the chapter you choose before sitting down at the drawing table and working through its steps. Give yourself time to first digest different kinds of characters and techniques that are used in today’s manga world. After that, go back and draw to your heart’s content.
Finally, as if you don’t have enough to keep you busy here in this book, be sure to check out some great bonus content online. For example, going to www.dummies.com and searching for Manga For Dummies cheat sheet will send you right to a handy cheat sheet I worked up for this edition of Manga For Dummies.
Part 1
Manga 101
IN THIS PART …
Explore a whole new world — the world of Manga
Set up your drawing toolbox
Create your own artist’s studio
Familiarize yourself with the (drawing) tools of the trade
Tackle drawing basics
Chapter 1
Welcome to Manga World
IN THIS CHAPTER
Discovering the origins and history of manga
Exploring the different types of manga
Evaluating the differences between American comics and Japanese manga
Welcome to the wonderful world of manga. From its humble beginnings after World War II, manga has grown to become an international phenomenon in the entertainment industry. Prestigious Japanese publishing houses (including the top three: Kodansha, Shueisha, and Shogakukan) release hundreds of titles translated into a multitude of foreign languages worldwide to promote the multi-billion-dollar industry.
Whether you’re new to manga or a professional artist looking to try something different, this book is a great place to get your feet wet. Throughout this book, I take you step by step through exercises in drawing all sorts of characters, backgrounds, and useful special effects. I also give tips and pointers, most of which are based on my own experience. Although I recommend that beginners go through this book in sequential order, I designed the subject matter to be flexible so that you can navigate freely from chapter to chapter, depending on your interests.
In this chapter, I explore the history of manga, the various popular manga genres, and what makes manga so successful.
Tracing the Rise of Manga’s Popularity
Humorous and satirical illustrations trace back to 12th-century Japan. Although now understood to mean “comics originating from Japan,” manga (pronounced MAHN-gah or MANG-ah) is literally translated as “whimsical pictorial.” Katsushika Hokusai, a wood engraver and painter who lived from 1760 to 1849, coined the phrase in Hokusai Manga, one of his many publications. In a 15-volume series of sketches published in 1814, he covered various topics ranging from the informative to the comical aspects of the Edo period.
Despite the rapid growth and prosperity displayed in today’s manga world, in truth, manga didn’t see significant growth until World War II. Under the influence of the great manga artist Tezuka Osamu (1928–1989), manga began to gain not only national but also international recognition with works such as Astro Boy, Black Jack, Buddha, and many more. In the midst of a post-war economic struggle, Tezuka’s manga adaptation of Robert Louis Stevenson’s Treasure Island sold 400,000 copies to become the nation’s top-seller.
During the 1960s, the generation that enjoyed reading manga as children grew up and brought their manga books and interests with them. People no longer viewed manga as something to be enjoyed only by children — it was now acceptable for adults, too. American comics at the time primarily had a huge audience of young boys idolizing superheroes whose sole mission was to defeat crime, but the Japanese community developed its own audience of both male and female groups, ranging from children to adults.
From 1980 to 2000, manga saw not only an evolution in terms of genre and style, but also the introduction of sophisticated techniques specifically geared toward enhancing manga’s looks and effects. Techniques like screen tones (a series of adhesive design patterns used to suggest color) gave new sleek looks to the finished pages. Story lines became more complex and widespread to include more audience interests, such as science fiction (mostly for males), sports, politics, religion, sex, and romance (pulling in more female readers and artists). Thanks to professional computer graphics software, such as Clip Studio Paint, PaintTool SAI, Affinity Photo, Adobe Photoshop and Illustrator, manga artists (referred to as manga-ka) throughout Japan can put in more detail and all sorts of cool effects in less time. Along with the growing market appeal, scores of new artists are coming up with original ideas of their own in hopes of making it big in Japan and worldwide. At the same time, the number of talented female artists has skyrocketed; many of these artists are housewives who saw the opportunity of launching their manga career in drawing manga catering to female readers. This manga is now referred to as shōjo (young girl) manga.
Today, many successful artists, such as Fujiko Fujio (Doraemon), Matsumoto Leiji (Starblazers), Toriyama Akira (Dragon Ball), Rumiko Takahashi (Ranma½), Takehiko Inoue (Slam Dunk), and Masashi Kishimoto (Naruto), have followed in the footsteps of Tezuka to contribute to the lucrative and popular entertainment industry.
All Manga Is Not Created Equal: Looking at the Different Genres
Just how diverse is the manga world? Any major publisher has at least three types of manga magazines catering to different groups of people. Following is a list of the recognized types of manga being published in Japan:
Kodomo manga:
Comics for little kids
Shōnen manga:
Comics for teenage boys
Shōjo manga:
Comics for teenage girls
Seinen manga:
Comics for young adult males
Shōjo-ai manga:
Romantic comics for teenage girls
Shōjo-ai yuri manga:
Romantic comics for lesbians
Shōnen-ai manga:
Romantic comics for men
Seijin manga:
Comics for adult males
Redikomi manga:
Comics written by women for late teen to adult women, depicting more realistic, everyday accounts; literal translation: “lady’s comics”
Dōjinshi manga:
Comics written and illustrated by amateurs (usually circulated among a close group of other manga amateurs)
Yonkoma manga:
Four-panel comics, usually published in newspapers
Ecchi manga:
Comics focusing on heterosexual/lesbian erotic themes (softcore pornography) read by men
Hentai manga:
Comics focusing on hardcore pornography
For those of you who are already seasoned manga fans, some of these genres may be unfamiliar to you because publishers have a tendency to simplify everything into either the boy (shōnen) manga or girl (shōjo) manga category, regardless of the specific subcontents. With the exception of the yonkoma, redisu, and redikomi manga genres, most of the genres are available in the United States. For the purpose of this book, I base my example characters mostly on the shōnen and shōjo manga genres.
This long list testifies to the immense and diverse popularity, interests, and tastes of Japanese manga readers. As time progresses, no doubt the genre will shift to include other topics.
Looking over this list, you may notice the number of comics that are geared toward the female audience. A large number of girls read comics in Japan, and a large number of publishers specialize in comics geared toward women readers only. (In comparison, the number of females who casually read American comics is, to say the least, small.)
The Key Components of Manga
You find several key components in most popular manga. For example, weekly magazines are restricted to 19 pages. These titles are designed to quickly satisfy the reader’s short attention span, because many readers are busy commuters who don’t have time to sit down for hours to read through a long book. Those magazines are eventually compiled into books that can be collected as a multivolume series.
Not all magazines have those crazy weekly deadlines. Some magazines release their titles on a biweekly or monthly schedule.
Most mainstream manga feature certain archetypes. For example, you’ll see the main lead character (who is often androgynous), a sidekick, a single attractive female character (who is either a lover or nurturer), and a wise old man (depending on whether the manga is action oriented). The villains usually have the charmingly evil leader accompanied by his strong henchman.
Manga versus American Comics
When you pick up and open a manga book for the first time, you’re no doubt confused. “Wait a minute,” you say, “I’m looking at the end of this book?” Exactly. In Japan, you open and read manga (as well as all books in the country) from right to left and back to front. Reversed reading isn’t the only difference between manga and American comics, though. In Table 1-1, I list some additional differences between the two.
TABLE 1-1 First-Glance Differences between Manga and American Comics
Manga
American Comics
Most manga is printed in black and white (occasionally the first several pages are in color, depending on the success of the title).
Most comics are printed in full color. Comic book retailers often fail to receive black-and-white titles well.
All weekly manga magazines and compiled titles are printed on economical recycled paper.
More and more printers are now using recycled paper. However, until the recent past, elaborate variant issues used high-cost paper for covers and interiors (which attracted retailers and collectors).
Manga is first published in thick weekly or monthly magazines before finally being compiled into a single series of issues.
American publishers publish titles as stand-alone issues. Depending on the sales, the publisher may opt to compile the single issues to form a “graphic novel.”
Most competitive publishers release manga magazines on a weekly basis — deadlines are never, never, neeeeeeever missed. Publishers would never want to upset their 1 million plus regular weekly readers.
American publishers try to release titles on a monthly basis. Occasionally, some titles miss deadlines, upsetting retailers and readers who must order them through distribution catalogues. Best titles average 40,000 to 50,000 copies in monthly sales.
Manga and manga magazines can be bought at newsstands, bookstores, candy shops, gift shops, train stations, and almost anywhere else. If you miss out on those weekly issues, the compiled series (usually 180 pages) appears on your local bookstore shelf, and you can easily order it if you don’t see it.
If you want to find your favorite title selection and it isn’t a superhero title, you have to visit your “local” comic bookstore where they might have it. If they don’t, good luck getting the store to re-order the issue listed in last month’s distribution catalogue. Time to test your luck on eBay.
Besides these at-a-glance differences (like physical look and accessibility), do these two forms of comics have other big differences? You may be thinking, comics are comics, right? Not really. Both forms share a sequential format and have a story to tell. However, if you examine not only the national but also the international impact, you definitely find differences.
In the following sections, I compare American comics’ and manga’s demography and distribution.
Broader readership than American comics
Popular mainstream American comics have traditionally been geared toward children (mostly teenage boys) and collectors. Mention you’re a comic book artist at any social gathering, and you’re guaranteed to get a weird look (especially from the women) that says, “Excuse me, how old are you?” Chances are good that the general public doesn’t take your job seriously. Although the genre has expanded (thanks to the independent and manga publishers), comics in America are still dominated by Marvel, DC, and Image Comics, which still rely upon their superhero titles to survive. At major comic book conventions, these top three publishers usually take center stage among the smaller independent publishers. Smaller publishers put up a good fight to present the readers with their own original, independent titles, but many of them usually last no longer than a few seasons due to either poor management or the harsh market.
In contrast, manga has a wider genre and audience. Being a comic book artist, or manga-ka, in Japan is no laughing matter! If you ever visit Japan, you see manga pretty much everywhere you go. For example, if you’re riding the subway to work, you commonly see a lot of people (a diverse range in age, sex, and occupation) engrossed in reading their favorite title in the latest manga magazine. From waiting rooms at doctors’ offices to small cafés, you’re guaranteed to see a stack of these manga magazines. Picture a high school student on their way to school reading the latest Shōnen Jump while a business professional next to them in their 40s is totally engrossed in the latest Business Jump magazine.
Availability differences
As I mention in Table 1-1, major differences between American comics and manga are the distribution and availability. Currently, you can find American comics mostly in comic bookstores. Depending on where you live, you may have to drive miles and miles before finally getting to your “local” comic bookstore to buy your favorite book. Then, depending on how large that store is, the selection or choices you see may be very disappointingly limited. Sure, you may see comic titles in the form of graphic novels at major bookstores, but they usually consist of mainstream superhero comics. The space they occupy may be only a shelf or two.
In contrast, the Japanese market for manga grosses a whopping $4.7 billion a year. For those of you manga fans thinking that the manga market is huge in America, it amounts only to a $100 million industry. While manga artists and their teams of skilled assistants (ranging from 5 to 15 artists per title) constantly struggle to meet weekly deadlines, the publishers are using their much larger budgets to promote to a large, diverse audience. Unlike American comics, you rarely see manga published in book format without first being serialized in chapters or segments in weekly or monthly manga magazines. Among the many magazines, some claim 1 million readers per week.
But that’s not the end. After a certain number of publications, the works of manga artists are compiled and sold at bookstores nationwide. Seeing up to one-third of any bookstore’s sections devoted to manga titles isn’t unusual (compared to maybe a shelf or two in bookstores in the United States). In addition, larger distributors, such as VIZ Media, Dark Horse Comics, and Kodansha Comics, have contributed to the increased sales of manga and animé (Japanese animation) products in the United States.
The guts and glory: Differences in workload and credit for artists
Many comic book artists and manga-ka go into the market for the love of the sequential art rather than for the money. However, the two have different processes by which they execute their work, and they’re glorified in different ways.
