Christopher Hart - Manga Mania Chibi and Furry Characters: How to Draw the Adorable Mini-Characters and Cool Cat-Girls of Manga

Executive Editor: Candace Raney
Editor: Anne McNamara
Designer: Bob Fillie, Graphiti Design, Inc.
Production Manager: Hector Campbell

Published in 2006 by Watson-Guptill Publications, an imprint of the Crown Publishing Group, a division of Random House, Inc., New York
www.crownpublishing.com
www.watsonguptill.com

Copyright 2006 Art Studio, LLC

Library of Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Hart, Christopher

Manga mania Chibi and furry characters: how to draw the adorable mini-people and cool cat-girls of Japanese comics/Christopher Hart.
p. cm.
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN 0-8230-2977-8 (alk. paper)
eBook ISBN: 978-0-7704-3491-5

1. Cartoon characters. 2. CartooningTechnique. 3. Comic books and strips, etc.JapanTechnique.
I. Title.
MC1764.5.J3H369288 2006
741.5dc22
2005023763

All rights reserved.

CONTRIBUTING ARTISTS:
Vanessa Duran:
Chihiro Milley: 2, 3,
Paulo Henrique Rodrigues:
Svetlana Chmnakova:
Roberta Peres Massensini:
Park Sung Pal:
Makiko Kanada:
Yurie Sugiyama:

Color by MADA Design, Inc.

v3.1

For Isabella and Francesca

Thanks to all the chibis at
Watson-Guptill Publications.

W elcome to the fantastic world of chibis and furry characters. Chibis are the adorable tiny people that are the hottest, new sensation of manga. Chibis are cheerful, adorable, naughty, mischievous, excitable, and, in a word, just plain fun. From Japan to America and all across the world, everyone loves chibis!

Chibis have exaggerated proportions that make them squeezable and cute. But chibis arent only for kids. There are chibis of all varieties, in all roles and genres of manga. There are chibi teenagers, fairies, witches, schoolgirls, fantasy fighters, space commanders, mermaids, athletes, evil geniuses, devils, angelsand everything in between! This book will guide you, step-by-step, through the development of all types of chibi characters, and give you the tools to invent your own chibis. You will learn how to infuse your chibis with personality, and how to draw authentic costumes for them.

And as a special feature that youll find only in this book, included is an exclusive look at the newest trend out of Japan: the super-stylized chibi. This eye-catching, authentic Japanese style is a must-have for any manga artist who wants to stay on top of his or her game.

Well also turn our attention to the incredibly popular subject of chibi-style monsters, which are small, yet powerful creatures. These creatures often work with their human pals to defeat the bad guysand in some casesthe good guys! Youll learn how these characters are often based on simple animals and inanimate objects. Youll also learn how to draw the super-powers and special effects that make chibi-style monsters such stars.

This book also features furry characters, which are sometimes known as anthros (short for anthropomorphic). The most popular of these manga characters is the famous cat-girl. Cat-girls are attractive characters who retain their human posture but also have cat-like physical traits. There are several types of cat-girls. Some look more human, while others look more like cats. Youll learn how to draw them in a way that maintains the characters attractiveness and appeal. Cat-girls can also be drawn chibi-style, which is demonstrated in this book. Theyre used in many different genres of manga, including girls comics, boys comics, and science-fiction.

But thats not all! We also cover the popular technique of super-deforming ordinary manga characters into chibis. These super-deformed chibis are used by many of the top Japanese manga artists to make wisecracks about the comic book story from the corners of the comic book panels. This is a hilarious section, filled with jokes that are sure to generate laughs. Dont miss it!

Chibis are like puppy dogspeople melt when they see them. Whether you are drawing them to tug at the heartstrings, or to get some laughs, youll have a great time working with this book.

A chibi is a lot more than a miniature person. If you were to shrink a regular-sized person down to the size of a chibi, it wouldnt work. Chibis have a very specific look. In this chapter, I will introduce you to some of the basic proportions and characteristics of a Chibi. Youll see what makes a chibi character different from a regular manga characterfrom the obvious size difference to more specific features .

Chibi characters vary widelyas widely as characters in any other genre of manga, and yet, all chibis have particular traits that they share in common. Once we recognize these traits, we can begin creating these adorable, high-energy people that have become so popular.

When you think of chibis, think of four things: Think big, think simple, think round, and think chunky.

Think big , because chibi heads are much bigger in relation to the size of their bodies than the standard manga characters head. While a normal-size person is six- to seven-heads tall, and regular comic characters can be as little as four-heads tall, chibis are only two- to three-heads tall. Therefore, their heads look huge on their tiny, little bodies.