Draw Your Own Manga: All the Basics (Draw Your Own Manga Series) [Paperback]

Haruno Nagatomo (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 7, 2003 | Series: Draw Your Own Manga Series

American Library Association's 2005 Best List - Quick Pick for Reluctant Young Adult Readers


Ever wanted to draw manga but didn't know where to start?
Ever felt there's something not quite right with your drawing but not sure what?

Draw Your Own Manga: All the Basics is the book for you! The textbook of choice at Tokyo Animation College-the leading school for manga artists in Japan, it covers all the basic information you need to get started on drawing manga with clear and easy-to-understand instructions.

* Which materials and tools are essential and how to use them.
* How to draw characters, and what proportions to use for dodies and faces.
* Techniques for creating simple but effective special effects in ink and screen tone.
* Easy-to-follow rules for drawing in different types of perspective.
* How to use photographic material for backgrounds.

Draw Your Own Manga: All The Basics also features interviews with two famous mang artists, Takao Yaguchi and Toru Fujisawa, who share their thoughts on the important features of manga and what it takes to become a manga artist.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"... Just the right pick for anyone who secretly draws Pokemon and Yu-Gi-Oh! characters on notepads in office meetings ... This easy-to-use guide discusses all the important ingredients of the wide-eyed manga universe." -Animation Magazine

"Avid fans of manga and aspiring artists will love taking a peek behind the scenes and learning to create their own manga artwork from this book." -VOYA (Voice of Youth Advocates)

"What makes this book stand out from the numerous other manga and anime how-to books are the great interviews with professionals ... highly recommended." -Hawaii Herald

"Ever wanted to draw manga but didn't know where to start? Do you feel there's something not quite right with your drawing but not sure what? [This book] is the book for you" -Japan Today

"Any youngster unable to resist the Japanese animation wonders of Pokemon, Digimon or Sailor Moon will love learning how to draw their favorite characters. This easy to understand book teaches kids and budding artists the ins and outs of drawing this popular style of animation. Great illustrations and clear instructions make this a great guide for creative projects." -New Idea Magazine (Australia)

"The book moves into very complete instructions, delivered by a manga character and supplemented by photos of the necessary materials and equipment, for starting up as a manga artist yourself. ..if you want to become a manga artist, this is a very good place to start." -The Daily Yomiuri

From the Publisher

Ever wanted to draw manga but didn't know where to start?

Ever felt there's something not quite right with your drawing but not sure what?

Draw Your Own Manga: All The Basics is the book for you! The textbook of choice at Tokyo Animation College--the leading school for mango artists in Japan, it covers all the basic information you need to get started on drawing manga with clear and easy-to-understand instructions.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 128 pages
• Publisher: Kodansha USA (November 7, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 4770029519
• ISBN-13: 978-4770029515
• Product Dimensions: 10.5 x 7.6 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.9 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (13 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #233,030 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

29 of 29 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Fits the title!, January 29, 2004

By 

"barracudaman232" (St.Paul, MN, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Draw Your Own Manga: All the Basics (Draw Your Own Manga Series) (Paperback)

While this book has " All the Basics" in it's title, it still could be VERY useful to more mature artists. This book covers any kind of drawing tool you'd ever want: templates, rulers, inks,pencils,erasers, cutting tools, screen tone, mechanical pencils, tape, correction fluid, manuscript cards, light box tracer, manikins, tone tools, photo collections, manuscript paper, pen nibs, pen holders and much more. It tells you how to use them, and lots of tips. It has a section on Perspective, something VERY nifty. No "wrong" stuff, and has a section on drawing people,( of course ) which is pretty good. And 2 Interviews with manga artists Takao Yaguchi and Toru Fujisawa. The only reason I gave it a 4 is 'cause it could have had more variety. Dogs, cats, older people.

Overall, though, very good.

19 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Excellent for any emerging manga artist!, May 4, 2006

A Kid's Review

This review is from: Draw Your Own Manga: All the Basics (Draw Your Own Manga Series) (Paperback)

This book taught me so many things! Before I read this book, I thought I was going to have to make all those screentones myself! Boy, was I wrong! :D This book tells you what materials you'll need to write and draw your own manga, and describes them in great detail! However, I only gave this book 4 stars because...

-It doesn't describe how to draw people very well. If you've mastered that (which I haven't), the book's fine.
-It barely has any information on paneling.
-The first few pages are colored digitally. A bit ironic that there are pages colored digitally in a book that gives instructions on how to draw traditionally, don't you think?

Overall, if you're still a beginner, this book is not for you. But if you've gotten pretty good at drawing people and are ready to move on to publishing your own manga, buy this book immediately!

Tip for you all: Ignore page 73. It doesn't know what it's talking about.

27 of 34 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars No, no, no..., October 9, 2006

By 

Delamaine "Formerly Belacane" (Seattle Eastside) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Draw Your Own Manga: All the Basics (Draw Your Own Manga Series) (Paperback)

This book spends far more time telling us what kind of materials are needed and where to buy them/how to use them, than it does "how" to draw manga. I want to learn what characteristics make a successful manga figure, not how to produce a manga comic book. I did not feel this book was very useful - there is only one useful page, for example, discussing eyes, and it simply has 4 sets of "boys' eyes" and 4 of "girls' eyes."

I don't consider this a "how to draw" book but rather a "how to get started making manga books with all the appropriate materials." Give me a black marker and some colored pencils and I'm happy. This book isn't worth it.