Hart - Manga Mania Occult & Horror: How to Draw the Elegant and Seductive Characters of the Dark

Executive Editor: Candace Raney
Senior Development Editor: Alisa Palazzo
Designer: Bob Fillie, Graphiti Design, Inc.
Production Director: Alyn Evans
Cover design by Kapo Ng@A-Men Project
Cover art by Anzu

First published in 2007 by
Watson-Guptill Publications
Nielsen Business Media
a division of The Nielsen Company
770 Broadway
New York, NY 10003
www.watsonguptill.com

Copyright 2007 Star Fire LLC

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Hart, Christopher.
Manga mania occult and horror : how to draw the elegant and seductive characters of the dark / Christopher Hart.
p. cm.
Includes index.
eBook ISBN: 978-0-7704-3483-0
Trade Paperback ISBN: 978-0-8230-1422-4
1. Comic books, strips, etc.JapanTechnique. 2. CartooningTechnique. 3. Occultism in art. 4. Horror in art. I. Title.
NC1764.5.J3H36935 2007
741.53164--dc22

2007020131

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or used in any form or by any meansgraphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or information storage-and-retrieval systemswithout the written permission of the publisher.

CONTRIBUTING ARTISTS:

Akemi Kobayashi
Kazuhiro Soeta
Anzu
Vanessa Duran
Cristina Francisco
Stephen Segovia
Regina

v3.1

VERY MANGA FAN IS reading occult and horror graphic novels. One visit to the Graphic Novels section of the bookstore will bring you to a universe of elegant occult and horror stories packed with amazing artwork from the best illustrators Japan has to offer.

The occult-and-horror style of manga is unlike any other. In American comics, the horror genre features ugly and repulsive characters, but the manga version is a highly attractive style, where evil never looked so good. In manga, occult and horror are often combined into one form in which the occult characters, such as glamorous male and female vampires, are cast in the same story as horror characters, such as beasts and demons. Its a darkly graceful world, a breathless roller-coaster ride.

Its also in a category entirely its own. Artistically speaking, the look is strikingly different from anything else. The proportions of the characters are long, like models, yet at the same time, the figures exude a powerful presence. The faces are somewhat androgynous, and its an ambiguity that is also expressed in the very nature of the characters, who hover between two worldsone of light and one of darkness.

The cast of characters, the costumes, the supernatural powers, and the haunting environments are unique to this genre. All of these elements conspire to makes this one of the most compelling, complex, and alluring styles in all of mangaand one of my personal favorites.

This book strives to show you, in-depth and step-by-step, how to draw the faces of all of the popular occult and horror character types, as well as their detailed expressions. Lest you think vampires are all there is to this genre, included are tarot card readers, dragon worshippers, wizards, dark angels, demon children, and the other mysterious denizens of the night. Beyond faces, youll learn about bodies and action poses. Then there are the details: vampire wings of all varieties and sizes, vampire-to-bat transformations, human-to-beast transformations, the secrets of costume design, how to use light and shadow to create intense moments, and how to use the colors of evil. This is the cutting edge of manga.

The world of occult and horror is filled with strikingly cool characters. The dangerous and seductive quality of the occult genre makes it a slightly more mature style. It is the ultimate combustible combination of evil and romance. The magnetic characters require special proportions and special flourishes to bring out their wickedness, so the art techniques included here are specially designed to create these alluring creatures of the darkness.

Its one thing to describe the differences between occult/horror and the other genres of manga. Its another to actually see them compared, side by side. For the comparisons on the next few pages, the occult-and-horror style is juxtaposed with the shoujo (pronounced show-joe) style, since shoujo (famous for its young characters with big eyes) is the most popular manga style in the West. As you can see, there are significant stylistic differences.

Elegant Occult & Horror Characters Are

more mature than shoujo characters.

alluring.

tall.

fully grown. (Theyre often in their twenties.)

broad in the shoulders. (This adds impressive stature to otherwise lanky builds.)

sharp dressers, with a European flair. (They dont shop at discount storesplus, they dress for night.)

well-coiffed. (These are expensive salon haircuts.)

Can you sense the power of the occult character as his piercing eyes look right through to your soul? The typical manga (i.e., shoujo) mana boy reallywould be no match for the occult guy, who just oozes physical and mental power. (Again, for the purpose of comparison, Im using shoujo manga, so I may refer to the shoujo style as typical manga.)