How To Draw Kung Fu Comics (v. 1) (Paperback)

~ Man Wai Cheung (Author), Wai Kit Leung (Illustrator)

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

Gr. 4-8. This artist's guide begins too quickly, listing materials cartoonists need with little explanation of how to use them or why they are necessary. But after Cheung turns to how artists depict characters' features and emotions and moves into a unique discussion of creating foreground and background architecture, would-be comics creators get some welcome help. The most popular part of the book, however, will probably be the black-and-white "character designs," which allow kung fu comics fans to study iconic characters. Script writing is treated only briefly, but Cheung includes useful details on varying perspective. More comprehensive drawing guides are available, such as Christopher Hart's Manga Mania (2003), but this one supplies another interpretation of how to move from mere fan to author. Francisca Goldsmith
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Product Description

How to Draw Kung Fu Comics will be a slightly different take on the How to Draw… phenomenon. While there are a lot of martial art references in other comics and manga, HK kung fu comics bring a very fluid and cinematic style to their titles. The readers can see and follow the movements of the characters as if he or she were watching a Hong Kong cinema. So what makes How to Draw Kung Fu Comics different is how it illustrates the way to make character movements seem as if they flow together and appear believable and fantastic all in one go.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 136 pages
• Publisher: Dr. Master Productions Inc. (November 12, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1588993949
• ISBN-13: 978-1588993946
• Product Dimensions: 9.9 x 7.1 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,147,978 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4.0 out of 5 stars Good Kung Fu Manga resource!, August 31, 2009

By	W "Neko-san" (CA USA) - See all my reviews

I recently rediscovered this book, and finally decided to add it to my collection. This book provides an interesting view into the making of a Kung Fu manga. It briefly covers a wealth of concepts, such as drawing effects, perspective, character creation and character design, but there is only so much it can be fit in 136 pages. However, it is probably one of the most beautiful black and white quick reference resource on how to draw Kung Fu manga style.

This book is divided into 9 Chapters:

Chapter 1 - Birth of a New Comic
Chapter 2 - Drawing Effects
Chapter 3 - Perspective
Chapter 4 - Anatomy and Character Creation
Chapter 5 - Character Design
Chapter 6 - Illustrating Scenario
Chapter 7 - Script Writing for Kung Fu Comics
Chapter 8 - Tutorial
Chapter 9 - Art Gallery

The first chapters in this book provide a brief course on how to draw special effects, perspective and characters. Although Character Creation chapter doesn't provide anything new, it's a good preamble to the chapter that follows, Character Design. This is where this book shines, providing 12 pages full of kung fu style characters in various state of development, rendered in black and white. In this regard, only Chapter 8 and 9 comes close, with images to behold.

For a beginner, this book may be enough to wet your appetite. The more versed on drawing manga may find it too short, but adequate as a quick reference. Personally, I would have loved to see more pages dedicated to character design, tutorial and art gallery. Or perhaps, another book as a follow up to this one.