Learn to Draw Manga and Develop Your Own Style

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Kid or adult, it doesn't matter. It can be very hard to pick up a "How-to-Draw Anime or Manga" book for the first time and not base your entire style on that particular artist's style. Develop your own unique style here. You can create a style which consists of many Anime and Manga things!

Steps

  1. Read real manga and watch real anime. Seriously, although mostly with kids anime drawing books, they are teaching 'poser-anime'. Always look for the Japanese name. There are quite a few very good manga drawing books written by actual Japanese people. Who draws Japanese art the best? Enjoyable Japanese people, most times. Also, if you read real manga, then you will be able to pick up trademark manga and anime things and might even be able to sense "American anime"(watch kidsWB). A lot of it is in the eyes.
  2. Try drawing manga characters and/or animals BEFORE you get a how to draw book. This way, the book's artist's style might not unconsciously sink in while you draw.
  3. If the book has step-by-step drawing, don't simply skip to the last drawing and copy that. That is cheating, and that is the way that drawing like the book's artist starts. Start out with the circle and head and eye lines and things like that, and you can even draw the character in the same pose as in the book, but draw your own character.
  4. Practice drawing your favorite characters. This sounds like a huge contradiction of what's been said, but it helps. It's not terrible to base your style on that of a different artist's but not copy it. If you draw your favorite characters and do it well, and like the style of that artist, then bits of that technique will carry over when you draw your own characters. Do not just draw already made characters. They're a good starting point, but if all you can draw is Rena from dot hack, then it won't be good for anything else you want to do (although you'll probably be a hit on dot hack fan sites).
  5. Don't let other people say your drawings are stupid. Even if they are, if you practice you will trump everyone when you move to Japan and have them say "A! Ii manga-e desu yo!" (Wow! Good manga drawing!"). [Though unless you speak fluent Japanese, understand their culture, etc., moving to Japan would be a bad idea.]

Video

Tips

  • Practice your anatomy. Yeah, it's boring staring at a picture of muscles and skeletons, but if you want to take drawing seriously, anatomy is crucial.
  • Draw real things, and see how they could be manga-tized (if at all. backgrounds and objects really don't have a specific look in manga). Animals, especially, are very different in American animation.
  • You will get better each time you practice, and soon enough your own artistic style will begin to develop.
  • Study real people and how they move in daily life activities, eventually you'll learn from it.
  • How are you going to get better? By practicing. Buy a sketchbook and draw in it everyday. When you fill it up and see how your drawing improved from the first drawing to the last. You're not done! Keep practicing!
  • If your having trouble developing your own style just learn how to draw in multiple pre-existing styles you like and they will eventually merge into your style and don't be afraid to look for inspiration outside of manga and anime styles.
  • Never give up. Remember that you may not have instant success or glorification, and that you may have to wait.
  • Ask people who understand how to draw manga for help, whether if it's in real life or over the Internet. Sometimes, asking for help from someone more experienced can help you improve significantly.
  • Believing in yourself is also crucial. Just believe in your drawings even if you think it is bad because you WILL improve if you believe in yourself and your talent in your drawings!
  • If you do want to draw, look at pictures over the internet and study them. That way you will probably be better at designing your own characters.
  • Study Japanese culture. You will have a better understanding of what you are drawing. This is one way you can tell that you're reading a 'poser-manga' how to book if see tons of American things and stereotypes. (Like the 'ghetto'. That will not be in a 'how to' book by a Japanese person.)
  • Practice makes perfect. You can develop your own style by looking online anime and manga drawings and study and draw them and after studying the style, try to come up with a way to draw anime and manga your style.

Warnings

  • This process takes a long time. You won't become an awesome manga-artist in a week, or a month. If you have a large artistic background, like going to an Art college, or anything like that, it will be easier to grasp this (or harder, it depends). You will probably also improve faster.
  • If you really make it big, and if you start selling your art, be sure not to infringe on any copyright laws by making your characters just like your favorite manga characters, in costume, voice or personality, it doesn't matter. They'll find anything.

Things You'll Need

  • Pencils
  • Erasers
  • Inks
  • Clean, smooth good quality paper. This paper should be grain free. (Copier or printer paper is good, and inexpensive!)
  • How to draw manga book (optional)
  • A computer (if you make digital art)
  • Various real manga volumes and/or knowledge of Japanese culture (optional but very very helpful)

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