Supittha “Annie” Bunyapen - Manga Magic: How to Draw and Color Mythical and Fantasy Characters

Antwerp Blue

Blue Apatite

Brown Madder

Burnt Sienna

Cadmium Orange

Cadmium Red

Cadmium Yellow

Cerulean Blue

Cobalt Blue

Cobalt Turquoise

Green Gold

Indigo

Lilac

Manganese Violet

Mauve

Naples Yellow

Olive Green

Paynes Gray

Peacock Blue

Permanent Carmine

Perylene Green

Perylene Maroon

Perylene Violet

Phthalo Blue

Potter Pink

Quinacridone Rust

Raw Umber

Sap Green

Terra Rosa

Translucent Brown

Van Dyke Brown

Verditer Blue

Viridian

Yellow Ochre

Mythology is as much known for the immortal gods and goddesses who populate the stories as for its fairies, creatures and even spirits. These ancient legends are deeply rooted in the various histories and cultures of the world from East to West. For hundreds of years, these colorful characters and magical stories of myth have been a great source of inspiration for artists.

Whether you wish to create characters directly from the legends or combine elements of many characters into one, the creative possibilities are endless when using mythology as a foundation. The goal of this book is to give you the fundamentals for designing unique mythological characters in a manga style. The basics of anatomy can be varied as much as costumes and accessories to illustrate the personalities and histories of your characters. The primary coloring medium of the demonstrations is watercolor though we will discuss the basics of markers and colored pencils as well. But no matter what you draw and paint, the most important tool is your imagination. So open your mind to the legends of lore, and lets dive in and have fun!

Supittha Annie Bunyapen

Choosing the right tools to work with is the first step toward turning your magical ideas into reality. Many art supplies available have subtle functions that can make a big difference in your artwork. Though some higher-quality art tools are also more expensive, you can find affordable tools that get the job done and fit your budget. The list of tools in this chapter is merely a guide. Try out different tools and practice using different mediums when creating your manga fantasy characters. Sometimes even mistakes can lead to inspiring and unexpected results!

To draw and paint successfully, it helps to have the right tools. Dont worry too much about brand or cost, just aim to use the best supplies you can afford. Rather than wade through thousands of unfamiliar tools at the art store, here is a list of the basics you need to achieve awesome paintings quickly and stress free.

Mechanical pencils are great for creating sharp and consistent pencil lines. They come in a variety of lead colors and thicknesses. The most basic is 0.5mm and can be found in most stores. Also try 0.3mm, 0.7mm and 0.9mm.

Leads can be classified from hard (H) to soft (B). The softer the lead, the darker the mark. Darker leads such as 4B, 6B or 8B are ideal for shading, but difficult to erase and smudge easily should you decide to paint over them. H, HB and 2B leads make better marks in this case.

Blue pencils are good for preliminary sketches. I like Prismacolor Col-Erase pencils because they dont leave a mess when you erase them.