Learning to Draw Manga ?
Argonaut
basics of drawing in the manga style. If so could you
please contact me..
Soeren Grenzdoerffer
Try the URL on this page:
http://www.informatik.uni-bremen.de/~kiebitz/umleit/sbdraw.html
--
Sören
Member of ANT (Anime no Tomodachi)
http://www.online.de/home/Rumiya/Default.htm
Member of AnimeGer
http://www.informatik.hu-berlin.de/~carow/animeger.html
BDunn
quite a while typing it, so I'm posting it here, too.
Here it is:
-----Original Message-----
From: BDunn <bd...@netmagic.net>
Newsgroups: rec.arts.manga
Date: Friday, February 05, 1999 1:01 AM
Subject: Re: Manga Drawing
>If you want to draw manga, you have to learn to draw first. Manga is just
>comics, or pictures/drawings connected together to form stories. Check out
>Scott McCloud's books, especially "Understanding Comics."
>
>Japanese comics are no different, fundamentally, than American comics, or
>French, etc. There are differences within the products from respective
>countries, though. Just like in movies and music. American movies tend to
>be (not all) big budget and focus on special effects and stunts,
explosions,
>etc. Movies (and anime, etc) from other countries, like France, Italy,
>Japan, China, etc, focus more on story and character development. You can
>see this in comics, too. American comics are usually superheroes and huge
>fights, while a lot of Americans are in to Manga because of the stories and
>characters, not to mention the style. So if you want to "draw manga," you
>have to, first of all, be able to draw, and also be able to tell a story.
>No matter how cool the artwork is, people stick with things (movies,
comics,
>anime) because they are interested in the story and the characters. Get in
>to your English Lit classes and creative writing.
>
>There are a lot of Japanese books on drawing manga, but basically you need
>to be able to draw. Manga use materials not widely available here (no one
>uses tone screen here), so just learn to draw and communicate ideas. Maybe
>you'll become a comics artist, or maybe a storyboard artist for
commercials,
>movies, music videos, video games, or maybe an illustrator or character
>designer or cg artist.
>
>But the MOST IMPORTANT thing is drawing. You have to love drawing more
than
>anything. Don't do it just because you love manga. If that's the only
>reason, learn Japanese and buy the Japanese comics at $5 instead of ten $3
>24-page translated issues or a $15 translated TPB. There are thousands
upon
>thousands of comics in Japan. We only see maybe less than a half of a
>percent here in America, and a lot of it tends to be crap that supposedly
we
>like (not everyone is into aliens raping huge breasted girls). Find
>something you like to do and follow your dream. If you want to draw
comics,
>fine, then do it. But don't do it half-ass. If you like manga, but can't
>draw, be a translator, or learn the business of publishing and publication
>and work for a magazine or publishing company.
>
>There are a ton of books out there on drawing, both Japanese and otherwise
> I list some in the attached message at the bottom, following this post).
>There is a series of Japanese books called "Manga no Kakikata" (How To Draw
>Manga), with atleast 8 books. I have 5, including my favorites, "Karada no
>Kakikata" (How to Draw the Body) and "Onna no Ko no Kakikata" (How to Draw
>Girls). There is a Japanese magazien called "Comickers." It comes out 4
>times a year, and you can get back issues. I like these better than the
>actual books on drawing manga, most of which have the same info over and
>over. But buying these is futile unless you read Japanese. It is a lot of
>advice and techniques. Also, Wizard Magazine (American Comics magazine)
has
>a great drawing section every month. You may be able to find them in your
>local library. Take $10 with you and photo copy the 4-6 page how-to
drawing
>section out of each one. But I suggest learning to draw first. When you
>learn to draw, your own style will come out. Don't try to copy a style.
>It's fine to practice copying a style, but don't make it your own. It'll
>just look like crap to you because it's not as good as the original. Come
>up with your own style. For example, my style (if you look at some
sketches
>on my web page, listed below) has large, but not necessarily manga-esque
>eyes. I also love drawing larger than life lips on girls. I started by
>copying other artists, and also learning to draw from life (the real thing
>or from magazines). Just remember, drawing is drawing.
>
>So take drawing courses. Take photography courses (it'll help with your
>compostion and design, important in every aspect of art - photo, design,
>advertising, illust, comics, movies, etc. ). Take literature courses (most
>movies, comics, anime, etc was inspired by art and literature). Watch a
lot
>of movies (try wathcing w/out sound) and take note of camera angles,
>lighting, etc to see how the mood, etc comes across just from the on-screen
>image. Take Japanese (it's an amazing language) -- don't be the typical
>lame-ass American anime fan that supposedly "loves all things Japanese" --
>manga, anime, games -- (there is more to Japan than this), and yet doesn't
>know any Japanese at all. And even if you end up in the supposed "real
>world" (read: business world, where art supposedly doesn't exist, since you
>supposedly can't make a living at it), knowing Japanese will get you very
>far.
>
>E-mail me if you want to talk more. I am a 21 year old student at an art
>college in San Fran taking illustration and animation to become a character
>designer in Japan. I've been studying Japanese for seven years and am
>pretty fluent, and can read about 1100 chinese characters (out of 3000). I
>would love to talk more and give any more advice.
>
>I am attaching a message I wrote to someone who asked about getting in to
>drawing. It's pretty long and has a lot of tips and insight into drawing.
>I also list materials that I use. Also, check out my site if you want to
>see some of my drawings or photography. As far as drawing goes, I am more
>in to drawing people, and I usually draw from Japanese fashion magazines,
so
>my style kind of has a "Manga" look to it. At least that's what I have
been
>told. I plan on updating soon with more sketches.
>
>Sorry for going off. I'll shut up now. Just draw.
>
>
>Brian
>bd...@netmagic.net
>Home Page - Artwork and Photography:
>http://www2.crosswinds.net/japan/~masakochan/entrance.html
>
>
>
>(Following is copied from a message I sent to someone who asked about
>getting into drawing. Lots more tips, advice, materials I use, books I use
>for ref, and artists I like)
>
>>>>Thanks for the message. I am glad you liked it. Since you said you are
>putting together a portfolio, I am assuming that you have been drawing a
>little bit, at least. But advice about drawing is pretty much the same, no
>matter what level you are at. I'm not sure what you are aiming at being or
>what experience you have, but I'll just keep typing until I run out of time
>or ideas. Anyway, I'll start from basic stuff.
> For drawing, I use Berol Turquoise pencils, 2B and 3B. I find that the
>harder pencils (H's) are too light. If you try to get a dark line, it's
>possible, but it scores (leaves grooves in ) your paper. And besides, the
>2-3B's can go really light or really dark, and they are soft, so they smear
>easily for shading (but this is also a hazard, so I don't use the softer
>ones, like 4-9B, as they smear too much). Always use a knife to sharpen
the
>pencils. Pencil sharpeners eat up the wood, so a $.75 pencil is gone
really
>quick. I also use a mechanical pencil (KOH-I-NOOR Rapidomatic -$6 or $7)
>for sketching in public, so I don't have to worry about sharpening it.
>However, the line is very thin, so it is good to have both kinds, one for
>drawing (KOH-I-NOOR for nice, clean lines, same company and style as
>Rapid-ograph technical inking pens) and the Berol for sketching and shading
>large areas.
> For erasers, I use two kinds: a kneaded eraser that looks like silly
>puddy, and a Japanese hard eraser called MONO. A kneaded eraser is good
>because it doesn't leave shavings. It just lifts lead off, which you can
>use to lighten certain areas of your drawing. Also, all you have to do is
>knead it like dough or silly puddy and the lead disappears. I like the
MONO
>eraser because it is the best eraser I have found for removing things
almost
>completely. Pink erasers are ok, but they don't work very well and they
>sometimes rip your paper. If there is a Japanese book store or something,
>you may be able to find them. I definitely recommend you try to find some.
> Next you need paper. I personally use black hardcover sketchbooks with
>pretty good paper. Cheap sketchbooks have cheap paper that tears easily
and
>sometimes the lines/drawing doesn't take as well. The sketchbooks I use,
>you should be able to find an 8.5x11 for about $7-11 dollars, or an 11x14
>for about $10-15. Books with paper/ cardboard covers get beat up easily,
>especially if you take it with you a lot.
> Next is the actual drawing. There is a saying that "Every artist has
>10,000 bad drawings in him/her," so the more you draw, the better you get.
>I started drawing about two years ago (when I was 19 and entered Art
>Institute of Seattle), and my drawings from that time really sucked. Draw
>on your own. I draw from comics, American and Japanese, from fashion
>magazines (or you can also use swimsuit/ lingerie/ Playboy for the anatomy)
>, muscle/ body building magazines for male anatomy, and of course from
life.
>In Miami, you could probably get a lot of good drawing done at the beach or
>whatever. Things to remember when you draw: if you think you suck, you
>probably do, but every artist sucked at one time or another. You have to
>keep practicing every day, just like playing the guitar, learning a foreign
>language, skateboarding, etc. For practice on faces, just draw pages and
>pages (at least ten) of just eyes, then do noses, then lips, ears, and so
>on. Then do the same with hands. As an artist, you are always learning,
so
>you have to keep practicing. You can never do too much. Don't worry about
>drawing perfect. My drawings didn't start to improve until I let go and
>loosened up and stopped worrying about how it looks. Try holding your
>pencil on the very tip and draw real loose, like with a paint brush. Start
>out with center lines/ bones, and treat it like a sculpture, scribble
around
>building up the form until you have the shape and volume you want.
> I'd say find three or four artists you like/ admire and copy their
style
>of hands, eyes, lips, anatomy, etc. For example, I really dig J. Scott
>Campbell (Danger Girl and Gen 13), Joe Madrueria (sp?, Battle Chasers,
>X-men, etc), Humberto Ramos (Crimson, others), not because the girls are
>sexy or cute, but their styles are very aesthetically pleasing. One artist
>to look at that is one of my favorites is David Mack (Kabuki). His Skin
>Deep series (before he was picked up by Image) is what made me realized
that
>comics are more than superheroes. Not only his art/ painting style, but
>also his story telling and writing are first class. If you can get a hold
>of them, pick up anything by him. He also had b/w stuff before his painted
>stuff, and that was pretty good, too. Frank Miller is an excellent artist,
>too. He has an amazing style. He reminds me a lot of Burne Hogarth
(artist
>who is now dead, but put out amazing books on drawing, I'll list them
later)
>and his book Dynamic Light and Shade (correct title?). And as there are
>hundreds of artists, find ones you like. As far as Japanese artists go, I
>really love Yoshiyuki Sadamoto (character designs for Nadia, Wings of
>Honneamise, and Evangelion - Check out the comic of Neon Genesis
>Evangelion - he has a great style in this comic - I love the hands and the
>kind of angularity of the lines - and it also has great story telling), and
>Hiroaki Samura (Mugen no Juunin - Blade of the Immortal - his work is very
>loose and descriptive, and sometimes he does his scenes in pencil - his
>action scenes are amazing - you could probably find the Japanese books
>cheaper, about $6-7 dollars, than the translated ones from Darkhorse, which
>are $13 for a book, but $3 for a 30 page section -for the Japanese
versions,
>there are seven books, and Darkhorse is about halfway through translating
>them for America). These two, along with David Mack, are my favorite
>artists. Another great artist is Hayao Miyazaki (My Neighbor Totoro,
>Mononoke Hime, Nausicaa, etc). His stuff may seem childish, but most
Disney
>artists look up to him, and his stories, although aimed at a younger
>audience, have a lot to say if you look closely (humans destroying nature,
>etc). I also like Tow Nakazaki (Etcetera - Japanese only, no translations
>,etc.), but you'd have to find the Japanese version somewhere. In a recent
>interview, Sadamoto (Evangelion) said that he started by copying artists he
>likes. I also check out Heavy Metal Magazine. They have comics, but a lot
>of them are painted and done really well. They have more mature content
and
>the artwork is sometimes outstanding. If you can find it, get the Spring
>1998 Sci-Fi Special and the Fall 1997 20 Yr Special. Also look for the
>Frank Frazetta Fantasy Illutrated. It's along the same lines and has some
>great contributors.
> Of course you can't forget the artists before these. I'd say take some
>art history courses at a college, university there. It'd also be a good
>idea to take some basic drawing and painting courses, to learn more about
>color, design, compostion, form, line weight, perspective, etc.
> For storytelling and illustration, these artist's comics are a good
>source, but don't forget about movies. Movies are a great source of
>storytelling. If you turn the volume down, how do you know what's
>happening? Look at the camera angles, composition, distance from camera.
>Everything tells you something, whether it's an down angle shot showing the
>person as weak or powerless, a shot of a person with a sky above his/her
>head showing that he/she is dreaming or hoping for good things, or a shot
>zooming out showing that the character is becoming isolated or lonely, all
>of these tell the emotions and characterizations of the story and
characters
>without saying anything. Some directors have forgotten this, but if you
>look at silent films or black and white films, or films by famous
directors,
>you are sure to find helpful stuff. Think about how certain shots make you
>feel and what you think the character is feeling. The picture tells more
>than their lines do, and that's the sign of a good director.
> I also admire graffiti art. While writing one's name is kind of played
>out, some artists have taken the art form to new levels. I love Twist,
>Neck, Daim, and there are a lot more. I love especially love the
>characters/ people put up by some artists. I should have a links page on
my
>home page soon, so you can link up to some good spots from there. A good
>place to start in that aspect is http://www.graffiti.org if you haven't
>already.
> Remember, art is art, and studying photography will make you a better
>illustrator, studying design will make you a better photographer and
>illustrator. A lot of important art directors know photography, design,
>illustration, etc. because it's all related. Go to art school pages on the
>net and see what kind of work the students and faculty do. Search out art
>gallery pages, fan art pages, comics pages, photography pages, etc. It
will
>all help you and give you inspiration.
> As far as additional aids, besides the magazines and comics, here is a
>list of books I recommend you at least check out (in no particular order):
>
> How to Draw Comics the Marvel Way (Stan Lee and John Buscema) list
price
>$13
>
> The Art of Drawing (Willy Pogany) list price $14.95
>
> Figure Drawing Without a Model (Ron Tiner) list pric$17.95?
>
> Dynamic Figure Drawing
> Dynamic Clothing (?)
> Dynamic Light and Shade (?) (All by Burne Hogarth, or any other of his
>books) list price $19.95
>
> Drawing the Head and Figure (Jack Hamm) list price $9.95
> or any other book by Jack Hamm
>
>The next are Japanese and highly recommended if you can find them:
>
> Karada No Kakikata (Drawing the Body)
> Manga No Kakikata Series #1 Characters (Drawing Manga)
> Onna No Ko No Kakikata (Drawing Girls)
> All from Graphic-sha, approximately Y1300 ($10), but here about
>$15-30, depending on where you purchase them.
>
>I hope I got to everything. The most imortant thing is to keep drawing and
>keep trying. Draw people, buildings, cars, animals. When you draw people,
>draw a little background, like a house or a building or a car or more
>people. Just give it some time and try and take some classes at your
>college around there.
>
>If you have any more specific questions, like about a certain field, let me
>know. Then I can get more specific. Hope this has helped.
>
>Brian Dunn
>bd...@netmagic.net
>http://www2.crosswinds.net/japan/~masakochan/entrance.html
>
>