Customer Reviews

The Complete Idiot's Guide to Drawing Manga, Illustrated

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

If you're looking for specific instruction on how to draw anything, this really isn't the book to get. I'd recommend it to an artist who already has a basic understanding and the ability to draw figures who is looking for some tips on making them fit into the Manga theme a bit more.

While this book does give you a good overview on many different Manga-styled body forms and facial features, it lacks the more in depth detail that other books on the subject present.

It's definitely not a bad little (ok, fairly large) book to have but someone just starting out in drawing would probably find themselves lost and/or frustrated with the fairly brief tutorials pretty quickly. While more adept artists would likely find them too simplistic to be very useful. Still, it does do a pretty good job of explaining most of the basic aspects of the Manga style.

This book is a great starting place for beginning manga artists such as myself. It gives real in-depth information and photos to give the artist/reader a good idea of what features should ideally look like. It gives an awesome starting point for poses and features, and even a little background information. There are sections for young, teenage, and adult males AND females, including sections on specific features. I'm thrilled to have made this purchase, and I recommend it! Especially to beginners.

This book is okay for beginner, so it was a little to basic for what I was looking for. If you've never been introduced to drawing Manga before, then this book is good for you. It vaguely goes over different nose styles (personally it could've done the same with eyes) and it could have gone over action and poses more, but again, I'd recommend this book for a beginner.

If you're a manga fan thrilled with the Japanese-style comic art which comprises the medium, and wish to know how to draw your own, then The Complete Idiot's Guide To Drawing Manga Illustrated is for you: a survey not just of how to draw, but covering the basic differences between Japanese and Americanized manga. From typical manga characters and their props to using the symbols and sound effects involved in drawing the manga style, this covers all the basics,

First of all, I love the 'Complete IDIOT'S Guide' series. And their guide to drawing Manga has proven to be another winner, in this house.
I looked long and hard to find an exceptional book of 'how to draw manga', for my daughter. This was NOT the first one she's been presented with, but it IS the first one she has totally immersed herself in! Now, she's filling her art pad with loads of lovely manga heroes and heroines with large, sparkling eyes. She's even starting her own story series with them.
So, from all of us 'idiots' out here, thanks to all the talented creators of 'The Complete IDIOT'S Guide to Drawing Manga', for such a complete tutorial - another overall great product!

Since I began to write a graphic novel several months ago, I have looked at a lot of manga guides, and this is one of the better ones. One of the most frustrating things I have found searching for a guide is that most of them show how to draw people, but give no hints on how to draw the backgrounds/environments that really make a manga look professional. This book goes over perspective and other useful topics pretty thoroughly, and has also been a big help as far as making figures more or less anatomically correct. I am also pleased that the figures actually look authentic, because so many guides teach a very Americanized version of manga that is rather lame looking, to say the least. The only thing I wish it had done more of was costuming and drawing hands and (especially) feet, as these are some of the major pitfalls that I have come up against. Otherwise, a good, solid guide.

This is a good manga book if you want to be able to make manga comic books, make proportianal bodies and have basic training in making little creatures! It also explains difference between Japanese and American. By the way if your a beginner its fine for you, but if you want to understand well, you might need little experience.

:.:ROLO:.:

I purchased both editions of this book so i was really disappointed when i realized that it was the exact same book as the second edition. The only thing really different is the cover. As for the book itself. It has a lot of the basics covered but i wouldn't recommend this book to a beginner because it only briefly goes over broad sketching and does not break down the drawings.

The title of the book says it all. This book is incredibly beginner friendly. Manga figures are broken down into fundamental shapes and even further into stick figures. I found this method the best way to learn. Other drawing books barely scratch the surface and feel like an brief summary; this one goes in depth - walking you through each stroke. Tips, tricks, and advice on what to avoid are included. The book also briefly goes into mechas, animals, weapons, perspective, words, word bubbles. I would not recommend this book to intermediate drawers and up. This book moves in pace very slowly and with a lot of detail, but this is what makes it so beginner friendly.

Here is a break down of each chapter:

Part 1: Manga Basics
Introduction
Beginning Body Building
Drawing Males
Drawing Females
Action Poses

Part 2: Making Faces
Drawing Faces
Eyes
Ears, Noses, and Mouths
Hair
Expressions and emotions

Part 3: Character Types
Drawing Leading characters
Drawing supporting characters
Drawing Action Characters
Drawing Villains
Drawing Oddball creatures
Drawing Automatons and outer-space invaders

Part 4: Nuts and Bolts
Perspective
Angles
Speed Lines
Light and Shadow
Drawing Words

Part 5: Round Out Your World
Drawing Mech (Machines)
Drawing Weapons
Drawing vehicles
Drawing backgrounds, cities and landscapes

I bought this book a couple of years ago. It helped me SO MUCH. My drawing skills improved almost overnight, and so did a few friends' of mine (whom I recommended the book to). It gives basic insight on building shapes, and tells you why you draw things the way that you do. It's not confusing at all; it's very clear, and never boring. For the beginning mangaka, or for reviewing body types and how to draw them, it is excellent.