anime-style drawing
artstudent
>2. It is my firm belief that drawing is one of those things in life which
>requires an iota of talent. I guess you can manage to draw if you don't
>have any talent, but it will be a lot more difficult to.
nope. _anyone_ can learn to draw. it just take time. some learn quicker
than others, i feel you contradict yourself in your next point:
>3. The best way to draw any style, whether it be anime, super-hero, or cute,
> is to just study it's features and practice like crazy. In time, you
> will develop your own style and be able to draw any pose you want.
--
-Sjd...@xmission.com "Life is short, Art is forever."
Lionel Lum
artstudent <sjd...@xmission.xmission.com> wrote:
>JL...@CENTER.COLGATE.EDU writes:
>
>>2. It is my firm belief that drawing is one of those things in life which
>>requires an iota of talent. I guess you can manage to draw if you don't
>>have any talent, but it will be a lot more difficult to.
>
>nope. _anyone_ can learn to draw. it just take time. some learn quicker
>than others, i feel you contradict yourself in your next point:
>
You gotta love it and hate it to truly acquire your talent. Even masters
of graphics get bored or go through "artists" block once in a while.
So, don't feel bad if when you start, you can't figure out what to draw
or can't draw something right.
Time is another factor that an artists must take full advantage of.
You don't need talent to stay up late at night and practice, practice,
practice sketching, drawing, and even crumpling up tons of paper.
Of course, it's gonna be hard. What's life without the seemingly impossible
challenges? ;)
- Lionel "Kyousuke" Lum
--
***************** USAGICHAN COMPANY SEARCH AND RESCUE **********************
IRCnicks: Kyousuke and KyoSukebe; Manga artist; Ikkokukan Times contributor;
Virtual Reality programmer; SJSU Industrial Design; ASUCLA Graphics Designer
Fatally contracted with AWOL syndrome: Anime as a Way Of Life :)
Keeper of delicious freshly baked Ayukawa *POWER* cookies!
****************************************************************************
Christopher Robato
You're telling me! I myself has been doing it for fifteen years at
least, when I was a boy in class and needed to complement my own mecha
designs with characters. Now I just droll babes in business letterheads
in ballpen (kind of embarrassing for business associates and customers to
see this), and I give them away to my young daughter and friends. I also
pretty much lost the ability and style to draw anything else.
It really helps to understand the drawing basics, particularly on the
body and poses. You can use any drawing book on that. The head, face
and hair, however, as all have noticed, are totally unique. For me, that
part, however, is the easiest. It's like drawing a doll.
My own advice to those who are trying to practice; be relaxed, do it for
fun, and do it to enjoy. For a reason, the more you enjoy it, the
lighter you feel, the better you draw. Don't be tense. And, draw it out
of love and appreciation. Make your characters come to life. I don't
trace or copy existing characters in detail; I prefer to draw totally
imaginary characters from scratch, although I lean heavily on inspiration
and stereotypes, particularly stereotypes. I find it fun to design your own
clothes, hair style, body suit armor.
1.) Stereotype one---The Schoolgirl in sailor fuku.
tip: learning to draw ribbons help.
2.) Stereotype two---Leggy, kawaii girl in high tech body armor.
tip: Don't forget the rabbit ear sensors.
tip2: Learning to draw jet intakes and exhaust blasters helps.
tip3: Learning to draw high tech weapons and helmet designs helps.
tip4: Learn to draw metal reflections and shading.
3.) Stereotype three---Girl in kimono or yukata (summer kimono)
tip: this is good in hiding figures if you are not good at that.
4.) Stereotype four---Girl in Chinese dress, the body fitting ching pao
or chu san.
tip: Leggy girls with good tight figures helps
5.) Stereotype five---Girl in bunny suit.
tip: This one says it all.
6.) Stereotype six---Girl in Bavarian costume.
tip: Take cute to the max.
tip: Drawing ribbons, ponytails, and ruffles helps.
tip: It helps to have freckles.
7.) Stereotype seven---Girl in bikini or swimsuit
tip: Nothing to be embarassed about, this is the one stereotype I
most recommend to draw because of the discipline in drawing figures and
poses. Practice this best before moving to the others.
8.) Stereotype eight---Barbarian girl with big sword
tip: Learn how to draw big swords
tip: Learn how to draw ornate jewelry
9.) Stereotype nine---The Princess
tip: This will take your formal costume design skills to the
max. Sadly, I am not fashion designer.
tip: It helps to draw jewelry and crowns.
10.) Stereotype ten---Mahoujin or Fairies
tip: try to draw insect wings
tip: figure design helps.
I like to share more. If anyone is interested, please reply me on my email.
Don't forget to practice those BIG GLAZY SPARKLING EYES!
Rgds,
Lionel Lum
Christopher Robato <cro...@kuentos.guam.net> wrote:
>: Practice.. practice.. practice... o/~
>
>You're telling me! I myself has been doing it for fifteen years at
>least, when I was a boy in class and needed to complement my own mecha
>designs with characters. Now I just droll babes in business letterheads
>in ballpen (kind of embarrassing for business associates and customers to
>see this), and I give them away to my young daughter and friends. I also
>pretty much lost the ability and style to draw anything else.
>
>It really helps to understand the drawing basics, particularly on the
>body and poses. You can use any drawing book on that. The head, face
>and hair, however, as all have noticed, are totally unique. For me, that
>part, however, is the easiest. It's like drawing a doll.
>
a Barbie face persay. ^_^
>My own advice to those who are trying to practice; be relaxed, do it for
>fun, and do it to enjoy. For a reason, the more you enjoy it, the
>lighter you feel, the better you draw. Don't be tense. And, draw it out
>of love and appreciation. Make your characters come to life. I don't
>trace or copy existing characters in detail; I prefer to draw totally
>imaginary characters from scratch, although I lean heavily on inspiration
>and stereotypes, particularly stereotypes. I find it fun to design your own
>clothes, hair style, body suit armor.
>
The fun part is all in the creative design. You want to draw baseball
figures: go out at see a ballgame! You want to draw fashionable girls
in swimsuits: go out to a swimming pool or read Sport Illustrated Swimsuit!
You want to draw hot cars: go out to some auto show! Or at least use
references at your public library. I never copy what I see, so what
I mean to say is: your characters can only come to life if YOU come to life. :)
Tracing is okay for real beginnnings; sorta like training wheels. B)
But as one gets more advanced, it really helps to "hone" the creative design
talents inside every mind to start drawing more original pictures. A real
master will NEVER do the same pose twice, whether the picture is related to
another one or not. The power of art is in admiring what's so DIFFERENT
about it from everything else. :)
You don't need natural-born talent to be an artist, because EVERYONE is
an artist; they only have to "hone" their skills long enough like some of
us to truly be graphic. It's all in really liking and wanting to draw
anime; to get out and LOOK LOOK LOOK at lotsa stuff and draw it down! :)
>1.) Stereotype one---The Schoolgirl in sailor fuku.
>
> tip: learning to draw ribbons help.
>
It's especially concerning to draw ribbons well across a bust. ;) B)
>2.) Stereotype two---Leggy, kawaii girl in high tech body armor.
>
> tip: Don't forget the rabbit ear sensors.
> tip2: Learning to draw jet intakes and exhaust blasters helps.
> tip3: Learning to draw high tech weapons and helmet designs helps.
> tip4: Learn to draw metal reflections and shading.
>
Metal is perhaps the hardest "texture" there is to interpret onto paper
in pen or pencil. But if you PRACTICE, hey, you'll do it. :)
Mecha gals are great 'cause you can learn hardware at the same time you
learn software... ^_^
>3.) Stereotype three---Girl in kimono or yukata (summer kimono)
>
> tip: this is good in hiding figures if you are not good at that.
>
If you can draw a VERY CUTE-looking girl in a kimono, and people like
what you've drawn, then you're on the road to success. Don't stop! :)
>4.) Stereotype four---Girl in Chinese dress, the body fitting ching pao
>or chu san.
>
> tip: Leggy girls with good tight figures helps
>
You can get references for these types of girls from Victoria's Secret
catalogs, J. Crew, Tweeds, Avon Fashions, Newport Fashions, Mademoiselle,
Elle, Vogue, Seventeen, and plenty more. Hey, cheap women's magazines for
art references is nothing to be ashamed about. I do it for a living. B)
>5.) Stereotype five---Girl in bunny suit.
>
> tip: This one says it all.
>
Gads, I wish I had a girl in a bunny suit give me a massage... ^_^
>6.) Stereotype six---Girl in Bavarian costume.
>
> tip: Take cute to the max.
> tip: Drawing ribbons, ponytails, and ruffles helps.
> tip: It helps to have freckles.
>
For some, ponytails are hard because of the perspective containing the
head, ponytail bow, and hair tail at the end. It's gotta look like it's
coming directly from the back, and not the sides (easy beginniner's mistake).
>7.) Stereotype seven---Girl in bikini or
swimsuit
>
> tip: Nothing to be embarassed about, this is the one stereotype I
>most recommend to draw because of the discipline in drawing figures and
>poses. Practice this best before moving to the others.
>
Like I said about the fashion magazines, don't be ashamed to use them
if you REALLY want to improve your style. All Japanese manga artists do
it, so why shouldn't you? :)
>8.) Stereotype eight---Barbarian girl with big
sword >
> tip: Learn how to draw big swords
> tip: Learn how to draw ornate jewelry
>
Jewelry is a MUST on any girl... you know how they like to show off
their wares.. B)
>9.) Stereotype nine---The Princess
>
> tip: This will take your formal costume design skills to the
>max. Sadly, I am not fashion designer.
> tip: It helps to draw jewelry and crowns.
>
For princess references, GO TO THE LIBRARY! :) They're lotsa cool
medieval stuff you can get access to and draw from there. :)
>10.) Stereotype ten---Mahoujin or Fairies
>
> tip: try to draw insect wings
> tip: figure design helps.
>
Insect wings must be very precise and if you draw two, they shuold be
extremely symmetrical. Practice your "precision" with this exercise.
It's just as fun as drawing upside down! 8) (8
You want to really be a master? Draw everything UPSIDE-DOWN and see
if you can impress yourself. I still have difficulty doing this. :)
Remember: you CAN do it. There's no such thing as in-born talents.
You really have to want to draw anime to draw it effectively. And the
same goes for having a life: your picture is only as boring as you are. :)
Go out and enjoy life, and then come back in and start drawing. You'll
see the difference real fast. :)
>I like to share more. If anyone is interested, please reply me on my email.
>
>
>Don't forget to practice those BIG GLAZY SPARKLING EYES!
>
>Rgds,
>
>Chris
>cro...@kuentos.guam.net
>
Same here! You can e-mail at ryo...@netcom.com for whatever advice or
"pep-talks"... :)
Don't be nervous about how your art turns out. I've been there. ;)
Good luck to all.
Vivian W Cheng
First of all, don't try to start to draw with an anime/manga style if you
haven't drawn before (or not a lot, ie. doodling in class). I keep
telling people who ask me how to draw is to learn the human anatomy first!
Learn how to draw realistically/representatively before you go off and
copy someone else's artistic style (see that too much in the American
comics especially the newbie Marvel/Image comic artists :P).
Secondly, you can get art books from you local art supply store. One of
the best anatomy books for artists is the anatomy series books by Burne
Hogarthe (yes, the same guy who did the Tarzan comic strip years ago).
There are also books with models posing in various poses (cheaper than
hiring your own models ;)). You can also use the mail-order catalogs
(ie, Sears, Victoria Secret ;)) or magazines to use the models their as a
good sources of references.
Tip#1: Start drawing the human body with basic geometric shapes, ie.
circles, ovals, polygons, to represent the various parts of the body
(head, elbows, legs, torso). This is only a guide when you sketch the
body's position.
Tip#2: Go to your local art supply store and buy some non-repro blue
pencils or 2H (or lower) pencils. The non-repro blue pencils will not
show up on Xerox of scanner, thus ideal for sketching (this what
animation and comic artists use :)).
Contrary to what others have suggested so far, I think IMHO that one has
to be born an artist like one has to be born a musician or a dancer. You
can learn how to draw, play the guitar or dance steps but to be great one
has to have talent. I've been drawing since I was four, I knew since I
was in kindergarden that I wanted to become an artist. But hey, I know
many people in the Fine Arts program here at U of Ottawa who can't draw...
(emphasis away from the technical and towards the ideal).
What I can't stress enough is PRACTICE PRACTICE PRACTICE. I can show
you drawings I did months ago and now I look back at it and released I
have improved a lot...
Again, there's no real anime/manga style as there is an American comic
style (although there are often heavy influenes/inspirations by major comic
artists).
Well, hopefully I'll be ready when I start on the BGC dojinshi, Black
Hunter (based upon Ping Lin's BGC fanfic of the same name), this summer! ;)
Eric "another cold..." Cheng
s56...@aix2.uottawa.ca
UofO Anime Club Founder and President
http://aix2.uottawa.ca:8880
Lionel Lum
Vivian W Cheng <s56...@aix2.uottawa.ca> wrote:
>Ok, I'm going to throw in my two cents here (again)...
>
>First of all, don't try to start to draw with an anime/manga style if you
>haven't drawn before (or not a lot, ie. doodling in class). I keep
>telling people who ask me how to draw is to learn the human anatomy first!
>Learn how to draw realistically/representatively before you go off and
>copy someone else's artistic style (see that too much in the American
>comics especially the newbie Marvel/Image comic artists :P).
>
in order to define the best style, american or anime. If you don't have
the basics down, how can you expect to draw like the masters? :)
Artistic prowess also demands PATIENCE. :)
>Secondly, you can get art books from you local art supply store. One of
>the best anatomy books for artists is the anatomy series books by Burne
>Hogarthe (yes, the same guy who did the Tarzan comic strip years ago).
>There are also books with models posing in various poses (cheaper than
>hiring your own models ;)). You can also use the mail-order catalogs
>(ie, Sears, Victoria Secret ;)) or magazines to use the models their as a
>good sources of references.
>
List of cheap sources I use: Victoria's Secret, Elle, Vogue,
Seventeen, Mademoiselle, and tons of fashion catalogs. Get those that
are REALLY fashionable since the models are really good at a variety of
poses which are most useful.
>Tip#1: Start drawing the human body with basic geometric shapes, ie.
>circles, ovals, polygons, to represent the various parts of the body
>(head, elbows, legs, torso). This is only a guide when you sketch the
>body's position.
>
Yes, start with basic "stick-figures" first. Try to get a feel for
how and arm should look like at a certain angle. How a leg should look
like when bent. And most importantly, proportions: where the heck the
eyes, ears, nose, and mouth are according to the rest of the body.
After tackling "function" then you tackle "form." You must learn
proper muscle placement and notice all the bulges and sags the body parts
go through when bent or relaxed in various positions.
>Tip#2: Go to your local art supply store and buy some non-repro blue
>pencils or 2H (or lower) pencils. The non-repro blue pencils will not
>show up on Xerox of scanner, thus ideal for sketching (this what
>animation and comic artists use :)).
>
Yep yep.
>Contrary to what others have suggested so far, I think IMHO that one has
>to be born an artist like one has to be born a musician or a dancer. You
>can learn how to draw, play the guitar or dance steps but to be great one
>has to have talent. I've been drawing since I was four, I knew since I
>was in kindergarden that I wanted to become an artist. But hey, I know
>many people in the Fine Arts program here at U of Ottawa who can't draw...
>(emphasis away from the technical and towards the ideal).
>
I cannot agree with this. I know everyone is an artist inside. It
just depends on hjow they were raised, what was provided for them by
their parents, and how peer relationships. It's all psychological and
very simple: you either like it or you don't. Saying it takes natural
talent to be an artist means locking out those who wish they could draw
and I think that's pathetic (but not on a personal level :) :) ).
Your drawings are only dumb and boring if you are dumb and boring. :)
Of course, it takes a little arrogance to become an artist. The same
applies to being a dancer, a pianist, or whatever. It's all in how your
parents brought you up, and thus, what you were exposed to the most.
>What I can't stress enough is PRACTICE PRACTICE PRACTICE. I can show
>you drawings I did months ago and now I look back at it and released I
>have improved a lot...
>
TRUE. VERY TRUE. If you don't practice, how can you expect to be
like the masters? The same thing (again) applies to ANY hobby or function.
We all do homework as pracctice to master Calculus, right? :)
Say you hafta learn a Sturm-Louiville equation, but you don't know what
the HECK is is. You'd have to study it and practice doing lotsa
second-order equations to perfect your knowledge, right? That's how you
should look at disciplining yourself to draw art. :)
Learning to draw is just like learning math, learning to play piano,
learning to swim or whatever. You won't learn unless you start studying its
forms and functions, and THEN you'll see something you'll be proud of. :)
>Again, there's no real anime/manga style as there is an American comic
>style (although there are often heavy influenes/inspirations by major comic
>artists).
>
That is correct. Mikimoto is one a different wavelength than say Kenichi
Sonoda. Batman looks far different than Spawn. And so on... To learn
a real anime style, focus on ONE kind of character first. Learn to draw
him/her lots, then proceed to learn more after you've "studied" that
exercise. Look at it the same way when you do homework. You're a student,
and smart. Figure it out. :)
>Well, hopefully I'll be ready when I start on the BGC dojinshi, Black
>Hunter (based upon Ping Lin's BGC fanfic of the same name), this summer! ;)
>
Still cranking out them KOC pages.
Geir Friestad
: Ummm.. This question may be kinda stupid, but do you get embarrased when
: drawing women? I like to draw little comics which I release in my home
: town, and none of them have any female characters because of this.
Absolutely not. I *prefer* by far to draw female characters. Gee, I
wonder why? :)
venice.tcp.com, /anime-manga/manga-creators/friestad for examples... :)
--
Greenwood member | >> Mustela putorius furo << | AMG FAQ maintainer
Mail: gei...@hsr.no / emo...@gribb.hsr.no / g...@stud.unit.no
IRC: Keiichi / Koneko | WWW: http://www.hsr.no/~geir-f/
"If you want the job done right, hire a professional"
Dae-Kyu Lee
>>Ummm.. This question may be kinda stupid, but do you get embarrased when
>>drawing women? I like to draw little comics which I release in my home
>>town, and none of them have any female characters because of this.
nope.. as a matter of fact, when i draw humans i almost ALWAYS
exclusively draw women. yea i can do men, but women are
more interesting to draw. especially their eyes and you can
do a lot more w/their hair. if you try to do that w/a man,
for me at least, more often then not, they look too femine.
Daniel J. Isaac
>>Chris
>>cro...@kuentos.guam.net
>>
>Same here! You can e-mail at ryo...@netcom.com for whatever advice or
>"pep-talks"... :)
>Don't be nervous about how your art turns out. I've been there. ;)
I have some drawings I would like to scan in and mail to people for
constructive advice. Would any one be interested?
isa
--
i...@philabs.philips.com Daniel Isaac (the Madhatter)
"How do you know I'm mad?"-Alice
"You must be or you wouldn't have come here."-Cheshire cat
John Mellon
>
> >>>2. It is my firm belief that drawing is one of those things in life which
> >>>requires an iota of talent. I guess you can manage to draw if you don't
> >>>have any talent, but it will be a lot more difficult to.
> >>
> >>nope. _anyone_ can learn to draw. it just take time. some learn quicker
> >>than others, i feel you contradict yourself in your next point:
> >>
> > I totally agree here. Anyone can do it if they set their mind to it.
> >You gotta love it and hate it to truly acquire your talent. Even masters
> >of graphics get bored or go through "artists" block once in a while.
> >So, don't feel bad if when you start, you can't figure out what to draw
> >or can't draw something right.
>
> can draw well that didn't have some sort of inbred natural talent. You either
> have or you don't, thats a fact. You are constantly developing and honing
your
> skills, always practicing and experimenting. This takes years. You can't
> expect to draw faces or figures or complex mech designs anytime soon starting
> from stick figures, a least I never came across anyone who could.
>
> Art schools are not there to teach those with no talent to be good, they are
> there to make good artists to become great artists.
>
> Flames to e-mail. :) My LM111E03 "GUN EZ" will be waiting for you. :)
>
> >
> > Time is another factor that an artists must take full advantage of.
> >You don't need talent to stay up late at night and practice, practice,
> >practice sketching, drawing, and even crumpling up tons of paper.
> >
> >Of course, it's gonna be hard. What's life without the seemingly impossible
> >challenges? ;)
> >
> >- Lionel "Kyousuke" Lum
>
beautiful handwriting. Somebody takes more time to learn, somebody has the
classical "gift" and just need a sprinkle of discipline to develop his artistic
skills. You can see it at school too, I've always been the wild one who never
studied but always passed because I had a natural talent to talk around matters
and though the professor knew I didn't study he couldn't "D" me because I coul
actually talk about the subject. Useless to say that scums like me are HATED
by the respectable students, but what can you do. Kill us?
sorry for the diversion
M.A.D.
sorry also for any mistake, my elm is going nuts today
JHC...@acs.tamu.edu
>over 6 years now, and have an extensive portfolio--if I can find it. I've
>never seriously thought about sending it to a company or anything...because
>drawing has been a way for me to release stress, and if I have a deadline to
>meet, it will undermine my entire love of drawing. And just because I've been
>drawing for 6 years doesn't mean I have my own style yet...I'm always trying
>something new and different, taking things I like and deleting things I don't.
>To tell you the truth, I think I know the entire muscle structure of a man
>because I've been drawing them so much, but now I have to work on women (and
>working on them I am...).
>
>Jimmie
"Jim Lee" that's quite a coincidence!(i.e.-Jim Lee of Marvel and Image
Comics fame) I myself have been drawing for quite a while and found it
difficult at first to adapt to the so-called "anime/manga" style. I used to
be a Jim Lee/American-style artist, but I now find anime characters' faces
not only easier and less time consuming to draw, but more fun also.
American-style is generally more serious. I started out copying the styles
of Jim Lee and then Masamune Shirow. My own style grew out of these
influences as I continued to draw them out of memory and add my own little
touches. I think I'm the complete opposite of you. I have a good
understanding of female artistic anatomy and have to work at drawing male
bodies. I also am considering sending my stuff to companies such as Image(my
American-style stuff) or a Japanese company if I can ever get any foreign
connections.I am currently working on a picture of an off-duty SWAT team
woman(i.e.-tight casual clothes with a short-cropped jacket and a snub-nosed
pistol.) I'm very happy with the pencil prelim and was considering selling
or showing a further developed ink or color at cons or on the net. If you
would like, I can send you a copy of the pencil prelim via mail or e-mail. I
would greatly appreciate any comments or suggestions someone of your
experience would have. Maybe we could trade drawing tips or something.
Thanks.
Hope to hear from you soon,
CHENHAUS
Vivian W Cheng
: I have some drawings I would like to scan in and mail to people for
Sure, send them to me and I'll give you a crit on your pics.
Eric "I hate crits" Cheng
UofO Anime Club Founder and President
)
>sorry for the diversion
>M.A.D.
Okay, here's what I think.
ANYONE can be a good artist. It just takes time and a desire to be one.
The way I did it was when I was real young I took a book of animals and
traced everything in there.
sure it took time, but it was kinda fun, plus it got my hand used to
drawing arcs and straights and what have you.
So if you want to be a artist just start practicing.
You'll get it eventually.
One problem I have though...I can't draw out of my head.
I can have ideas, and apply them to existing drawings.
for instance I have to copy a characters pose, but I can put different
outfits or hair or other accessories to it.
kinda sucks coz I've been wanting to draw my own comic. I have the
character an everything but I wouldn't be able to draw all the poses and
wouldn't be able to have the character keep the same face.
just have to keep trying.
Oh by the way I am a graphic design major...so this is coming from a
aspiring artist.
--
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________/__/\ \/ /_____________ . . . . . . . ........(*)/ (*)____
/ _\ __|_| \ / \
| / | /__/ \/ Yut yun yau yut goh mong seung... Li Sui Yun. |
| \_/__\ \ _|\/___________________________________________________m_m_/
\ \ \ \ \ ( : )
\ \__\/ Martin Shih Wai Loo - ML...@vms1.cc.uop.edu \ (-^@)
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\ d8b d8b ,"Y88b d88 888,8, " Y8b Y8Y \
\ e Y8b Y8b "8" 888 d88888 888 " 888 Y8b Y \
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/ \ | |o__ d888b Y8b Y8b "88 888 888 888 888 d8b Y8b | _/>
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\__/______________________________________________________________/
Christopher Robato
: As an example, several years ago I sat down and accurately sketch the face of
: Winona Ryder, not having ever done a portrait before. My brother instantly
: knew who it was. My strenth is in mechanical and vehicle designs, both real
That was how I started, drawing cars, planes and robots, back in my
boyhood days.
I started drawing anime characters, particularly girls, just to have some
characters to pose with my designs. Sooner or later, I dropped the
mechanical stuff and just draw characters exclusively. Once in a while
though I enjoy drawing a girl in a mecha suit of my own design.
Why did I did I use manga style characters? Because it was easy. It
does have a unique style that you have to intuitively internalize, which
means that you have to divulge yourself away from the "Western" style of
cartooning. It works better if you draw in terms of strokes and in a
highly stylized style and away from realism. I have a theory that it has
something to do with the writing style of the Chinese and Japanese
languages, which are based on strokes and very stylistic.
: and not, and I could not have create it if I did not have the *talent* and
: patience to start with.
: I can't do anime characters either. I know if I start now It will take me
: several months to do them really well.
It seems to me, doing mechanical designs already gives you a headstart.
Remove that concept in your mind that you can't do anime characters. YOU
CAN. You take another step when you believe that you could.
: Art schools are not there to teach those with no talent to be good, they are
: there to make good artists to become great artists.
: Flames to e-mail. :) My LM111E03 "GUN EZ" will be waiting for you. :)
EZ is the operational word.
: >
: > Time is another factor that an artists must take full advantage of.
: >You don't need talent to stay up late at night and practice, practice,
: >practice sketching, drawing, and even crumpling up tons of paper.
: >
: >Of course, it's gonna be hard. What's life without the seemingly impossible
: >challenges? ;)
It is not impossible; it is not even seemingly impossible. It's getting
into the habit.
: >
: >- Lionel "Kyousuke" Lum
: --
: DirtyPair*ProjectA-ko*PlasticLittle|ser...@ssnet.com
: CuteyHoney*Ranma1/2*BubbleGumCrisis|*A N I M E*A N I M E*A N I M E*
: *GunBuster*BlueSonnet*SolBianca* | // __
: "Even a puppy can nibble an asshole| ///\ |\ /| | / _ /\ OS/2 WARP
: like you to death." -Leon BGC |\X//--\| \/ | | \_| /--\ AmigaDOS 3.1
Ah, I see a kindred spirit on this newsgroup. I used to have an Amiga,
and now I am a devoted OS/2 Warp disciple.
P.S. I have been noting that there are many people who are interested in
drawing manga style. Next time, I may post some pointers.
Clue #1---Manga and Anime art is not the same, believe it or not. They
are in fact, drawn much differently.
Tsunami
technique for drawing your characters? You know, just like in American
drawing, where you draw a basic stick figure, then flesh it out with
details...
I use it for my anime drawings, since I used to perform my American drawings
in the same way. However, I've noticed that most anime and manga are
*NOT* drawn using the stick figure technique.
Does anyone have any comments on the subject matter?
--
Wil Reply to: cl...@delphi.com
Danville, IL jav...@prairienet.org
"A sick thirst darkens my veins..." -- The Crow
Tsunami
>"Jim Lee" that's quite a coincidence!(i.e.-Jim Lee of Marvel and Image
>Comics fame) I myself have been drawing for quite a while and found it
>difficult at first to adapt to the so-called "anime/manga" style. I used to
>be a Jim Lee/American-style artist, but I now find anime characters' faces
>not only easier and less time consuming to draw, but more fun also.
since preschool, and it's mostly been American style. There was a time
when I avidly collected Marvel and Image comics, and I adopted a drawing
style similar to those of Jim Lee, Erik Larsen, and Todd McFarlane.
It was just recently (about 4-5 months ago) that I became *HEAVILY*
involved with anime. And because of that, I decided to change my
drawing style to that of anime/manga. So far, I've been able to adopt
the head/facial features that Dragonball Z characters have.
But you're right -- anime characters' faces are much more fun to draw.
I like to draw one of my characters having an angry face, gritting teeth,
etc. So how does one handle drawing the bodies of anime characters?
Like I mentioned before, I'm used to drawing American comic book
characters -- usually the super-hero type with exploding muscles and
lots of detail. I'm not used to drawing characters with respect to
anime "proportions..."
Eric Tang Williamson
>I have a theory that it has something to do with the writing style of the
>Chinese and Japanese languages, which are based on strokes and very
>stylistic.
Interesting... Sounds like a good idea though.. Considering that the
characters are actually simplified glyphs already, going backwards a
little might be easier for a disciple of that language.. Which makes one
wonder if the Ancient Egyptians might've made *great* anime/manga
artists?? ^_^
>Clue #1---Manga and Anime art is not the same, believe it or not. They
>are in fact, drawn much differently.
AMEN!
--
Disclaimer: I don't represent the official views of any associated parties!
||Eric Tang Williamson|| Ph#@ FDIC (703) 516-1387 || Post Office Box 522 ||
||ewill...@fdic.gov|| 3501 Fairfax Dr 4107-S39 || (7726 Baggins Road) ||
||||ewi...@umbc.edu|||| Arlington, VA 22226-3500 | Hanover, MD 21076-1606|
Eric Tang Williamson
Yeah.. it's more fun is the first reason.. but then again, to draw
something well you generally have to observe it in real life a lot, ne?
Well, as a guy, I'd feel a leeettle bit more uncomfortable drawing other
guys well (and exclusively) because then I'm observing them a bit much...
etc. ^_-
Nytefyre!
Daryel M. Bush
> This all might seem like a lot, but it really only takes but a few
> minutes to simply plan it out. Look at fashion design books; they tell
> you LOTS on how to draw clothes right. Everything you see in the fashion
> world should apply to your anime-drawing, so don't feel ashamed to use
> them, because Mikimoto and Sonoda sure do. :)
Very true! I was looking at some Caster Knott (department store) clothing
ads in the Nashville Banner (midday paper) and thought, "Wow, if only these
people had drawn with big eyes, then they'd be ready for prime-time anime."
Almost everything else in the drawings had the distinct simple line and
slender look with detailed clothes style that I associate with Mikimoto and
Sonada. Even the faces and hair, just with smaller eyes!
Many American comic book styles just draw oversized muscular bodies and
color it in a non-flesh tone (of course obsuring certain body parts). This
is not how the "anime look" is achived as far as I can tell. Maybe I'll go
to a fashion college to learn how to draw anime style! ---Daryel
Lionel Lum
immensly more versatile than men in form and function, they tend to be
the hardest (and thus the most interesting) to draw. Women are great to
start with when drawing anime because you can tackle the basics of human
anatomy real fast than if you did with a male (gawd, that sounded weird).
The only reason why your men would tend to look female (a common problem)
is because you're concentrating too hard on form than function. Men are
sticks; nothing but cold machines (or so we say :), so you don't need to
pack in all that detail all at once. Now, gay men.. that's a different
story.. ^_^
One good exercise to really accentuate the differences between male and
female anatomy (most don't get it until months later) is the study of
soft and hard shadows on their bodies. Males tend to have harsh shadows
because of their sharp and coarse muscles and build. Females tend to
have soft shadows and ambient lighting around them. This is, of course,
only a primer (you'll learn later the subtle differences) but it's good
to keep in mind when trying to draw males apart from females.
Always try to draw "beautiful" people; they have the perfect form and
build to learn the basics in which you can start refining yourself and
drawing other things in the future. Female artists (IMHO) do quite a
better job at perceiving and expressing the "beautiful" qualities in
anime guys and girls in their artwork, so if you know someone like that,
then ask them for advice on eyes, hair, mouths, folds, and textures. :)
- Lionel "Kyousuke" Lum
--
Vivian W Cheng
alt.binaries.pictures.anime? I occassionally post my drawings there (the
last ones were of Video Girl Ai, Ranma-chan, and Sasami-chan). You can
also check out my other drawings in my homepage at
http://aix2.uottawa.ca:8880/art.html
I'm more than willing help out with advice or e-mail uuencoded samples
of basic drawing techniques (realistic and anime/manga-based).
Eric "illiterate" Cheng
UofO Anime Club Founder and President
s56...@aix2.uottawa.ca
http://aix2.uottawa.ca:8880 (my own homepage)
http://aix2.uottawa.ca:8880/animeclub.html (UofO Anime Club homepage)
http://aix2.uottawa.ca:8880/adp.html (ADP Files homepage)
Lionel Lum
>ge...@freenet.edmonton.ab.ca wrote:
>: Ummm.. This question may be kinda stupid, but do you get embarrased when
>: drawing women? I like to draw little comics which I release in my home
>: town, and none of them have any female characters because of this.
>
>Absolutely not. I *prefer* by far to draw female characters. Gee, I
>wonder why? :)
>
>venice.tcp.com, /anime-manga/manga-creators/friestad for examples... :)
Gawd, if there's one person on this earth whose artistic skills should rival
with mine, it has to be yours, Geir. :) Check his stuff out, people. :)
Seeya on irc.... o/~
- Lionel "* Kyousuke pokels Keiichi.. " Lum
Lionel Lum
Lionel Lum <ryo...@netcom.com> wrote:
>In article <3it0is$8...@marton.hsr.no>, Geir Friestad <gei...@hsr.no> wrote:
>>
>>Absolutely not. I *prefer* by far to draw female characters. Gee, I
>>wonder why? :)
>>
>>venice.tcp.com, /anime-manga/manga-creators/friestad for examples... :)
>
>Gawd, if there's one person on this earth whose artistic skills should rival
>with mine, it has to be yours, Geir. :) Check his stuff out, people. :)
>
mention at this time... oh well, I made a separate post about it.. :)
- Lionel "Kyousuke" Lum
John D. Evans
[stuff sacrificed to the net.gods]
|> Because the female is more physically agile, angular, curvier, and
|> immensly more versatile than men in form and function, they tend to be
|> the hardest (and thus the most interesting) to draw. Women are great to
|> start with when drawing anime because you can tackle the basics of human
|> anatomy real fast than if you did with a male (gawd, that sounded weird).
You're right, it did. But if you think about it, it makes sense...:)
|> The only reason why your men would tend to look female (a common problem)
|> is because you're concentrating too hard on form than function. Men are
|> sticks; nothing but cold machines (or so we say :), so you don't need to
|> pack in all that detail all at once. Now, gay men.. that's a different
|> story.. ^_^
Sounds like it might be difficult to draw attractive men. Unless you just do
shoujo. :) From "They Were 11": "I'm not a woman!" Sometimes the characters
themselves can't even tell. :)
Funny, you could look at it from an evolutionary/biological point of view, with
exactly why males and females look the way they do...
|> One good exercise to really accentuate the differences between male and
|> female anatomy (most don't get it until months later) is the study of
|> soft and hard shadows on their bodies. Males tend to have harsh shadows
|> because of their sharp and coarse muscles and build. Females tend to
|> have soft shadows and ambient lighting around them. This is, of course,
|> only a primer (you'll learn later the subtle differences) but it's good
|> to keep in mind when trying to draw males apart from females.
Of course, quite often it can be difficult to tell the difference, especially
in anime...just look at Project A-Ko...:) Perhaps this is because it seems
like very few shadows are actually drawn in anime, especially on the faces,
which seem to be uniform flesh-tone...(for the record, I have just come back
from seeing Irresponsible Cpt. Tyler and ADPolice...)
|> Always try to draw "beautiful" people; they have the perfect form and
|> build to learn the basics in which you can start refining yourself and
|> drawing other things in the future. Female artists (IMHO) do quite a
|> better job at perceiving and expressing the "beautiful" qualities in
|> anime guys and girls in their artwork, so if you know someone like that,
|> then ask them for advice on eyes, hair, mouths, folds, and textures. :)
Beautiful people are easy...mediocre people are difficult...:)
Here's my contribution: It always seems like the eyes give away the gender
of the character. Give men smaller eyes, short eyelashes, and accented
eyebrows. Also, make sure that men never have full lips. Women don't have to
have full lips, but it makes a face look feminine. And if all else fails, try
the chin...just look at the Inspector from Lupin...:)
So the basic point is that male features are harsher, sharper, more angular,
more accented and maybe even "rugged", if you want to go that far. And female
features are softer, understated, "curvier" ^_^, full, etc....better stop before
I have to have a cold shower...^_^
Also bear in mind that you should use any combination of these suggestions you
want. A male character doesn't have to look completely masculine...as long as
you know the character is male (and sometimes not even then!) it's all right.
I know I, myself, probably don't look like a role model of masculinity...:)
ERAUQSSIDLROWEHT "No, really, this'll be our last battle. Trust me!" - Ultros,
John "Obscure Reference" D. Evans --JOR-- jev...@mit.edu FFIII
Founder Loyal Order of the Ribbon (LOR) @}-'-,--- Gosunkugi@OmniMUSH
MK & Ranma Fan Fiction ^_^ Ki@RanmaMUCK Conductor@AnimeMUCK
Web Pages Newly Updated!
My WWW home page...http://www.mit.edu:8001/people/jevans/home.html
Mortal Kombat WWW home page...http://www.mit.edu:8001/people/jevans/mk/mk.html
MIT Anime Club home page...http://www.mit.edu:8001/activities/anime/Anime.html
Neil Bow Kee Choy
do alot of them when ever you can.
\
___\_| \_
N.CHOY -/ / \ \
nc...@uhunix.uhcc.hawaii.edu / |
Ni hoa ma pang-you / / |
/ / / _| \||
| / \| | \ \|
| /\ \| /\/
\ | I I /||-|
/ | /-/_
\ / -|-
\_____/ |\
Ranma!!
Christopher Robato
: Well, why don't people send samples of their anime/manga drawings to
My provider does not support that newsgroup either.
: last ones were of Video Girl Ai, Ranma-chan, and Sasami-chan). You can
: also check out my other drawings in my homepage at
: http://aix2.uottawa.ca:8880/art.html
: I'm more than willing help out with advice or e-mail uuencoded samples
: of basic drawing techniques (realistic and anime/manga-based).
: Eric "illiterate" Cheng
: UofO Anime Club Founder and President
: s56...@aix2.uottawa.ca
: http://aix2.uottawa.ca:8880 (my own homepage)
: http://aix2.uottawa.ca:8880/animeclub.html (UofO Anime Club homepage)
: http://aix2.uottawa.ca:8880/adp.html (ADP Files homepage)
The web is also too expensive from where I am sitting, especially since I
only droll manga characters out of sheer fun.
One Man Anime Club, Library and Self Importer (here's a guy who does
everything the hard way for the sake of his anime.)
Christopher Robato
That's because I don't have a scanner, and I don't need one, and I'm not
buying a scanner just because of this. And there are many who out there
who don't have scanners either.
Snail mail does fine with me.
Gerald Leung
>That's because I don't have a scanner, and I don't need one, and I'm not
>buying a scanner just because of this. And there are many who out there
>who don't have scanners either.
Hmm. I guess people tend to know what they want and don't want.
But even better than scanners is video frame capturing!!
G
L
Gerald "Of course, it looks real! It IS real!!!" Leung
Lionel Lum
Gerald Leung <ger...@parker.EECS.Berkeley.EDU> wrote:
>Christopher Robato <cro...@kuentos.guam.net> wrote:
>
>>That's because I don't have a scanner, and I don't need one, and I'm not
>>buying a scanner just because of this. And there are many who out there
>>who don't have scanners either.
>
>Hmm. I guess people tend to know what they want and don't want.
>
>But even better than scanners is video frame capturing!!
>
stuff.. @_@ ) to exchange grayscale images across the net, but it often
crashes my system... :/ Reboot, scan another. Reboot, scan another. :/
After a while, it just gets so monotonous, I hafta use snail mail. :)
Lionel Lum
>I was wondering, do any of you anime artists use the "stick-figure"
>technique for drawing your characters? You know, just like in American
>drawing, where you draw a basic stick figure, then flesh it out with
>details...
>
>I use it for my anime drawings, since I used to perform my American drawings
>in the same way. However, I've noticed that most anime and manga are
>*NOT* drawn using the stick figure technique.
>
>Does anyone have any comments on the subject matter?
>
lines. I can say that was the pinnacle of my learning experience. After
years of doing that, I can draw freehand with no "training wheels." :)
That's the point where style preceeds functional art, which is where the
stick-figure diagram apples in only an abstract sense (Mikimoto, for
example).
My methods of construction are:
1. stick figure (bones)
2. muscles
3. flesh refinement (body fat)
4. clothes (rough placement)
5. clothes (refined folds and texture placement lines)
6. clothes (textures)
This all might seem like a lot, but it really only takes but a few
minutes to simply plan it out. Look at fashion design books; they tell
you LOTS on how to draw clothes right. Everything you see in the fashion
world should apply to your anime-drawing, so don't feel ashamed to use
them, because Mikimoto and Sonoda sure do. :)
Dae-Kyu Lee
>*anyone* who
>can draw well that didn't have some sort of inbred natural talent. You
>either
>have or you don't, thats a fact. You are constantly developing and
>honing your
>skills, always practicing and experimenting. This takes years.
>You can't
>expect to draw faces or figures or complex mech designs anytime soon
>starting
>from stick figures, a least I never came across anyone who could.
eh, i'd have to disagree. I've yet to see anyone who CAN'T ... IF
they spend a LOT of time on it because they've never tried. mainly
the people w/the inborn talent get separated imho from the rest
of the group who can't draw as well w/o guidance. then they just
give up and never try again to draw or if they do they don't bother
trying to make it look good. putting time into it = at least 100 hrs.
>Art schools are not there to teach those with no talent to be good,
>they are
>there to make good artists to become great artists.
and land jobs. =)
James Leek
draw crap 3 years ago. The an artist freind of mine convinced me I could
I still sucked. A month later he introduced me to manga. Something
tweaked and told me this is how I want to draw. Three years later I can
draw manga style, reletivly well. I'm moving on to other styles now,
but my main focus is still on the manga style. You can't convince me
that you cannot draw, with or without practice. He just need to work at
it.
Eric Lanier
In article <ryoohkiD...@netcom.com> ryo...@netcom.com (Lionel Lum) writes:
>In article <ryoohkiD...@netcom.com>,
>Lionel Lum <ryo...@netcom.com> wrote:
>>In article <3it0is$8...@marton.hsr.no>, Geir Friestad <gei...@hsr.no> wrote:
>>>
>>>Absolutely not. I *prefer* by far to draw female characters. Gee, I
>>>wonder why? :)
>>>
>>>venice.tcp.com, /anime-manga/manga-creators/friestad for examples... :)
>>
>>Gawd, if there's one person on this earth whose artistic skills should rival
>>with mine, it has to be yours, Geir. :) Check his stuff out, people. :)
>>
> And pomru's, and hardsuit's, and others I always seem to forget to
>mention at this time... oh well, I made a separate post about it.. :)
I've started on a possible 'hardsuit'/ship design for an upcoming CGI project.
It is just a simple rough sketch for now. You'll probaly recognize the design
from some movie.:) A couple of days ago my brother cobbled together a Web page
for you to see it.
If you have a Web browser, goto http://ssnet.com/~serpent/home.html
There is also other pictures on this page I've done. A few are anime, but are
mostly vehicles that are done rather well. I have other anime characters, but
they are to big for my dinky hand scanner even with stitch. I've labored for
over an hour just to get the M8 BattleSuit image anywhere near decent. Hope
you all will enjoy them. :)
>- Lionel "Kyousuke" Lum
Errol
--
DirtyPair*ProjectA-ko*PlasticLittle|Eric Lanier ser...@ssnet.com
CuteyHoney*Ranma1/2*BubbleGumCrisis|WWW: http://ssnet.com/~serpent/home.html
GunBuster*BurnUp*3X3-Eyes*SolBianca|*A N I M E*A N I M E*A N I M E*A N I M E*
BlackMagicMario66*PatLabor*ADPolice|-----------------------------------------
Gunnm*BlueSeed*BlueSonnet*GallForce| // __
"Even a puppy can nibble an asshole| ///\ |\ /| | / _ /\ ADOS3.1/NetBSD
like you to death." -Leon BGC |\X//--\| \/ | | \_| /--\ OS/2 WARP
Ka-Ping Yee
with interest. Here's a question: will i develop better learning habits
if i begin to draw with something permanent (like a pen) or something
erasable (like a pencil, which i can go back and keep erasing until it
looks the way i want)?
Right now all i can do is carefully look at an existing drawing and try to
copy it freehand. Should i restrict myself to only trying to create new
drawings from my head? (This is difficult, wow! I realized recently that
a large part [most?] of the work in drawing is visualizing exactly what
you want to draw -- i can't hold and construct a visual image in my mind
with any stability, and i think i'll have to practice this more.)
Thanks!
Ping (Ka-Ping Yee): Computing and Intelligent Systems, Canadian Space Agency
kr...@csclub.uwaterloo.ca, pi...@cais.dsm.sp-agency.ca | Brossard 514 6725852
CWSF 89, 90, 92; LIYSF 90, 91; Shad Valley 92; DOE 93; IMO 91, 93; ACMIPC 94
Skuld ! Tendou Akane ! Amano Ai ! Belldandy ! Hayakawa Moemi ! Hiyama Hikaru
Eric T. Cheng
: I'm a complete beginner, and i've read some of your (collective) advice
: with interest. Here's a question: will i develop better learning habits
: if i begin to draw with something permanent (like a pen) or something
: erasable (like a pencil, which i can go back and keep erasing until it
: looks the way i want)?
have been drawing for years and years could draw characters/mechas
freehand with a pen/ink brush (I have yet to reach that stage yet...).
Keep practicing with the pencil and not just one sheet of paper. If the
initial drawing doesn't look right throw it out -- I have a recycling bin
next to my drafting table for such a reason.
: Right now all i can do is carefully look at an existing drawing and try to
: copy it freehand. Should i restrict myself to only trying to create new
: drawings from my head? (This is difficult, wow! I realized recently that
Before you walk learn to crawl first. I keep on stressing that before
you start to develop a specific style, be it manga, anime, Disney or
whatever, learn the proper human proportions, anatomy and perspective first.
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
I often see fanart that aren't that great because the fanartist hasn't
gotten the grasp of the human body yet. Get hold of the catalogs like
Sears, Eatons, or Victoria Secret ^o^ or athletic magazines as good and
cheap sources of human body references. Once you get the hang of the
human body, proportions and perspective then you should start working
away from realistic/representational drawing to a more defined drawing
style, ie. manga/anime.
If a certain manga artist or anime character designer's style interest
you. Start off by copy his/her works so you can get the hang of his/her
drawing style. This is what I do myself when I draw characters from
different mangas and anime -- I have to learn to adapt to draw _others'_
drawing styles (preparing myself to become an animator! :)).
: a large part [most?] of the work in drawing is visualizing exactly what
: you want to draw -- i can't hold and construct a visual image in my mind
: with any stability, and i think i'll have to practice this more.)
Thisis why you do a sketch first. I do a rough sketch of the positition of
the body with various positions of the legs and arms sketched in. Once I
like a certain pose I redo it again.
I highly suggest to go to your local art supply store and buy either a
very light pencil (2H or 3H) or a nonrepro pencil (the light blue lead
doesn't photocopy or scans) for your sketches. Also, buy the soft white
gum eraser and a hard eraser as well.
Before you start inking, master the pencil first. At the art supply
stores are art books on the human anatomy, basic drawing techniques and
how-to draw a certain style (no manga/anime but there are comic ones though).
--
Eric "BFA" Cheng
UofO Anime Club's Founder and President
s56...@aix2.uottawa.ca
(613)562-5800 ext.3740
http://aix2.uottawa.ca:8880 (my homepage)
http://aix2.uottawa.ca:8880/animeclub.html (UofO Anime Club's homepage)
http://aix2.uottawa.ca:8880/adp.html (AD Police homepage)
Lionel Lum
Ka-Ping Yee <kr...@calum.csclub.uwaterloo.ca> wrote:
>I'm a complete beginner, and i've read some of your (collective) advice
>with interest. Here's a question: will i develop better learning habits
>if i begin to draw with something permanent (like a pen) or something
>erasable (like a pencil, which i can go back and keep erasing until it
>looks the way i want)?
>
BUT, hear out this intersting compartison first:
If you use a pencil first, you'll end up drawing great and all, but
your output would be less (more time spent on fine details).
If you use a pen first, you'l end up drawing just as great, but in LESS
time because you'll realize your mistakes more and be careful not to do
them again when you re-draw. The only problem with this method of
pen-refinment is that too much redrawing takes patience, and most don't
have it (even I didn't). BUt it works both ways, so see what suits your
fancy.
The thing is, using pencil, you learn all the details and you can erase
your errors and produce works to show off later. That's great for anyone
who wants to show off their newfound skills.
BUT, if you learn with a non-erasable pen, you can easily see your
mistakes like a sore thumb and you're more likely to learn not to repeat
them faster. You also learn to do "quick draw" which in a really pleases
anyone when you can draw anime characters instantly without needing sa
night's worth to draw one up to show off. Pen drawing exercises your
spontaneous skills, so you memorize the forms and shapes better than
using pencil.
Of course, you can always just use pencil, it's all up to you to find
out what method works best for you. BOTH are gauranteed to work if you
put the required amount of patience and care into it. :)
>Right now all i can do is carefully look at an existing drawing and try to
>copy it freehand. Should i restrict myself to only trying to create new
>drawings from my head? (This is difficult, wow! I realized recently that
>a large part [most?] of the work in drawing is visualizing exactly what
>you want to draw -- i can't hold and construct a visual image in my mind
>with any stability, and i think i'll have to practice this more.)
>
Copying is fine. Just draw LOTS of different characters. Don't just
stick to one and be proud of it. Finish it FAST and go onto to next.
And the next. And the next.. . Don't stop until you're damn tired. :)
The method WILL work. And it will help you learn how to draw more
freehand later...
You're right about the visualization, but if you haven;t gotten down the
basic anatomical skills yet, what does it matter? Learn shape and form
first and then go on to higher plains. Like I said, take it
step-by-step, draw LOTS, and advance SLOWLY. I can't say this enough
times, but I hope you'll understand. Like ANY hobby, it takes time to be
good. Good luck! :)
- Lionel "Kyousuke" Lum
--
Mark Mark
kr...@calum.csclub.uwaterloo.ca (Ka-Ping Yee) says:
>I'm a complete beginner, and i've read some of your (collective) advice
>with interest. Here's a question: will i develop better learning habits
>if i begin to draw with something permanent (like a pen) or something
>erasable (like a pencil, which i can go back and keep erasing until it
>looks the way i want)?
Pencil, by all means. Pens are such a pain to use.
>Right now all i can do is carefully look at an existing drawing and try to
>copy it freehand. Should i restrict myself to only trying to create new
>drawings from my head? (This is difficult, wow! I realized recently that
>a large part [most?] of the work in drawing is visualizing exactly what
>you want to draw -- i can't hold and construct a visual image in my mind
>with any stability, and i think i'll have to practice this more.)
Nei, nei! Copying is in fact a great way to get started. You can start
by copying directly... then when you make up your own characters, you
can use whichever manga and comics as guides to show how to do any
particular difficult pose.
It takes a while to get proficient at drawing without something nearby
to copy off of, but on the other hand it's not like you won't enjoy
the practicing!
--
<*> mbs...@psuvm.psu.edu: Mark Sachs, Itinerant Graphicist and Webmaster <*>
I've gone to build the Supercollider.
"Fraid so infinity!" "Fraid not infinity plus one!" "D'oh!"
donald TAKESHI mcfall
>Ka-Ping Yee (kr...@calum.csclub.uwaterloo.ca) on Sat, 11 Mar 1995 23:46:43 GMT wrote:
>: I'm a complete beginner, and i've read some of your (collective) advice
>: with interest. Here's a question: will i develop better learning habits
>: if i begin to draw with something permanent (like a pen) or something
>: erasable (like a pencil, which i can go back and keep erasing until it
>: looks the way i want)?
>Start with a pencil and eraser first. As far as I know, only pros who
>have been drawing for years and years could draw characters/mechas
>freehand with a pen/ink brush (I have yet to reach that stage yet...).
>Keep practicing with the pencil and not just one sheet of paper. If the
>initial drawing doesn't look right throw it out -- I have a recycling bin
>next to my drafting table for such a reason.
IMO, I'd stay away from an eraser -- go with a pencil and draw. Don't bother
with cleaning it up or anything else like that (this is, if you're just now
starting to draw). Too many people worry about making their drawings
"clean". When you first begin to draw, you want to work on form, proportion,
and so on. Then move on to rendering, developing your own style and cleaning
up your art...
>Before you walk learn to crawl first. I keep on stressing that before
>you start to develop a specific style, be it manga, anime, Disney or
>whatever, learn the proper human proportions, anatomy and perspective first.
> ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
Not only that, but you need to know how to "frame" the drawing, how to capture
motion with the desired effect, etc...
__,__ Donald T. McFall
/ \ st...@jetson.uh.edu
vvvvvvv /|__/| ------------------------------------------
I /O,O | |"Man, I bet it must have been hard getting|
I /_____ | /|/| | the lugs off the wheels of one of those |
J|/^ ^ ^ \ | /00 | _//| | heavy German tanks. It would be really |
|^ ^ ^ ^ |W| |/^^\ | /oo | | really awful if, to top it all off, there|
\m___m__|_| \m_m_| \mm_| | was sleet falling and you were knee deep |
| in mud and shells started exploding all |
| all around you." -Hayao Miyazaki |
------------------------------------------
Jack Kim
<advice with interest. Here's a question: will i develop better
<learning habits if i begin to draw with something permanent
<(like a pen) or something erasable (like a pencil, which i can
<go back and keep erasing until it looks the way i want)?
I've been drawing anime style for as long as I can remember.
In fact, I can't even look at an American comic, because I'll get
a headache from the clustered mess of lines.
About 90% of my drawings are done with pen. You should try
drawing with pen. Go out and get a pack of ink-roller pens, a
pencil for shading, and a couple hundred sheets of typing paper,
and just draw. If you mess up on something, then put a clean
sheet of paper on top of the old one, and trace over, correcting
the errors. Yeah, it seems like a waste of paper and effort, but
it works. It forces you to visualize whatever you're drawing in
your head before you actually start drawing, and that's a good
thing.
Of course, it can get a bit frustrating at times. For example,
I wouldn't recommend this technique if you're starting out on
extremely complicated mecha. But if you're drawing people, I do
recommend it. Anime style drawing of people is fairly
streamlined, so you shouldn't feel much frustration at all.
Valente (Techno2) Espinosa
><advice with interest. Here's a question: will i develop better
><learning habits if i begin to draw with something permanent
><(like a pen) or something erasable (like a pencil, which i can
><go back and keep erasing until it looks the way i want)?
I work with blue pencils, first I used the wood ones, from
"Eberhard Faber Copy Not" Non Photo Blue, but then I discovered
that there were far more cheap 0.5 mm mines Staedtler Mars
Michrochrom for these practical and refilleable mecanical pencils
(bear with me, I don't recall them in english) but they are quite
cheap, here the Japanese Pilot brand are sold on 5 pesos (less
than a dollar).
Working with blue pencils gives you freedom of trace and retrace
(instant experimentation of form and sketching)
with no need of eracing, then when your cute character is done
(as most of my female crations are) then I took the Ink pen and
start drawing the permanent lines, following the blue traces that
fits best to. Use whatever pen you have at hand until you find
more confortable with some specific technique.
Once the last line of ink has dried, you can take your drawing to
a photocopier, and voila! a nice clean looking original, and
(often the guy at the photocopier machine asks me if he can
get aditional copy of the drawing).
I understand that exists a textbook written by an american artist
oriented to japanese "wanna-bes" manga artists, I woul love to
have a copy of it.
Regards from Mexico, where anime also exists.
regardless our adverse situation of
peso-dollar devalation and dollar - yen devaluation
Valente Espinosa - Club ANIME Mexico ------------------------------
vesp...@mvax1.red.cinvestav.mx -----------------------------------
-----------------------------------------------------ANIME FOR EVER
-----------------------------OR AT LEAST UNTILL NEXT VCR/LD FAILURE
Ukyou
you'll soon develop a style. Definitly start out with pencil, so you can
earase mistakes. Then the little cheat method. Outline it with pen and
after the ink settles, earase the pencil, and voila! It takes a while to
perfect your style.
Ukyou