Manga For Dummies
by Kensuke Okabayashi
Manga For Dummies
Published by
Wiley Publishing, Inc.
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Copyright 2007 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Indianapolis, Indiana
Published simultaneously in Canada
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Library of Congress Control Number: 2006939589
ISBN: 978-0-470-08025-2
Manufactured in the United States of America
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About the Author
Kensuke Okabayashi is a professional freelance illustrator/sequential artist. Born and raised in Princeton, New Jersey, Kensuke has been inspired by manga artists such as Fujiko Fukio, Osamu Tezuka, and Rumiko Takahashi since childhood. While shopping his manga portfolio in Japan, he visited various animation and comic book studios to hone his skills. There Kensuke met with Matsumoto Leiji and Akazuka Fujio and interned with other manga artists.
After studying music and psychology at Wheaton College in Illinois, Kensuke shifted his focus from playing the piano to honing his art skills. He earned his BFA in Illustration at the School of Visual Arts in New York City after studying traditional painting and further developing his drawing skills. Upon graduating, he began picking up illustration and storyboard clients. His works eventually caught the eyes of several illustration agencies that currently represent him. His recent storyboard clients include Diesel Clothing, Diet Coke, Diet Pepsi, Dr. Pepper, Absolut Vodka, Wendys, Allstate, State Farm, Canon Digital, All Nippon Airways, and Camel.
In addition to storyboards, Kensuke also actively illustrates for mainstream entertainment industry clients, including Wizards of the Coast, Takara Toys U.S.A., Kensington Books, Skyzone Entertainment, and Carl Fisher Music.
Inspired by his past experience of working long hours at a well-known coffee shop corporation, Kensuke developed and illustrated his creator-owned comic book series titled JAVA!, which portrays the quirky futuristic society of Neo Seattle, where mankind must consume coffee in order to live. The title attracted attention and was picked up by Committed Comics and published as a miniseries. His main character, Java (a high-power caffeine girl fighting crime), received positive reviews from major comic book review sites as well as from readers and distribution. Kensuke continues to work on creator-owned projects with other established colleagues and writers in the industry. His upcoming publication projects include Image Comics, Arcana Publications, and Archaia Press. His online portfolio is posted at his studio Web site at www.piggybackstudios.com.
On the side, Kensuke continues to draw from life and teaches art. He taught illustration courses at Mercer College of New Jersey for several years. He currently teaches studio art classes at the Education Alliance Art School in New York City. When not drawing or painting in his studio, Kensuke still enjoys playing the piano from time to time and honing his martial arts skills regularly at a local Tae Kwon Do club.
Dedication
This book is dedicated to my parents, Dr. Michio and Sahoko Okabayashi, for their unconditional love and support.
Authors Acknowledgments
I would like to thank my acquisitions editor, Michael Lewis, my project editor, Chrissy Guthrie, and my copy editor, Sarah Faulkner, at Wiley for all their hard work, advice, and support while I was writing this book. Big thanks to Wileys composition department for scanning the illustrations and laying out the book. In addition, I want to thank my colleague, Takeshi Miyazawa, for his role as technical editor. My biggest thanks goes to my family, Michio, Sahoko, Yusuke, and Saichan, who have been my greatest supporters and fans. None of this would have been remotely possible without their help. Thank you and God bless you!
Publishers Acknowledgments
Were proud of this book; please send us your comments through our Dummies online registration form located at www.dummies.com/register/.
Some of the people who helped bring this book to market include the following:
Acquisitions, Editorial, and Media Development
Senior Project Editor: Christina Guthrie
Acquisitions Editor: Michael Lewis
Copy Editor: Sarah Faulkner