Marc Powell - I Can Draw Manga: Step by Step Techniques, Characters and Effects

In this book, youll find everything you need to know in order to draw manga characters successfully. Using a simple step-by-step system, well walk you from the start of a basic stick figure right through to fully coloured, dynamic pieces of art that you can be proud of.

Throughout the book, well also give you specific tips related to a number of different genres from kodomo to josei, along with handy mini-tips from our artists to make life easier as you move through the amazing world of manga.

So, pick up your pens and pencils and get ready to enter a world of mutated monsters, manic martial artists and all manner of characters in between!

This book has been organized using a simple step-by-step system with seven stages from start to finish. Each step is layered over the previous one in a different colour, so you can easily see the new pieces that have been added at each stage. At the end of each sequence there is a grid with an outline so you can draw up your own figure from scratch and practise your skills.

1. The basic stick figure of your character.

2. Fleshing out the basic stick figure.

3. The completion of fleshing out and the addition of extra details.

4. The completion of clothing and any accessories.

5. The inking stage, which will give you a final line drawing.

6. Flat colouring, using lighter shades to set the base colours of your character.

7. Adding shadows for light sources, using darker colours to add depth to your character.

You dont need lots of complicated, expensive tools for your manga images many of them are available from a good stationery shop. The others can be found in any art supplies store, either on the high street or online.

These are probably the most important tool for any artist. Its important to find a type of pencil you are comfortable with, since you will be spending a lot of time using it.

Graphite pencil

GRAPHITE You will be accustomed to graphite pencils the familiar wood-encased lead pencils. They come in a variety of densities from the softest, 9B, to the hard 9H. Hard pencils last longer and are less likely to smudge on the paper. Most artists use an HB pencil, which falls in the middle of the density scale.

Mechanical pencil

MECHANICAL PENCILS These contain a length of lead that can be replaced. The leads are available in the same densities as graphite pencils. You never have to sharpen them you simply extend more lead as it wears down.

After you have pencilled your piece of artwork, you will need to ink the line to give a sharp, solid image.

Ballpoint pen

BALLPOINT PENS Standard ballpoint pens are ideal for lining your piece. Their quality varies, as does their delivery of ink. A good-quality ballpoint pen will serve you better than a collection of cheap ones for a consistent quality of line-work.

Marker pen

MARKER PENS Standard marker pens of varying thicknesses are ideal for colouring and shading your artworks as they provide a steady, uniform supply of ink and can be used to build layers of colour by re-inking the same area.

You can buy soft, kneadable putty rubbers you can shape to erase small or large areas and the traditional all-purpose hard eraser is still available. A good eraser is one known as a white vinyl, which provides the right balance of gentle erasing with minimal crumbling of the eraser and without damaging your paper.

White vinyl

Standard eraser

Putty rubber

Very few people can draw a perfect circle freehand, so a set of circle templates is a good buy. If you dont have any templates, you can draw round various everyday items such as coins, cups and bottle lids to create your circles.

The following are considered slightly more advanced pieces of equipment and are not necessary for you to start drawing. However, they are worth investing in if you plan to do more advanced work.

BLUE PENCIL These pencils are used by artists for planning out their work, as a light line with a blue pencil wont show up when photocopied or scanned into a computer. It allows the artist to try different poses or change entire body parts as he or she progresses from their rough ideas to the final pencil piece.