How to Draw Anime & Game Characters, Vol. 2: Expressing Emotions [Paperback]

Tadashi Ozawa (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

In this series, the author who has helped new talent to develop, including GHIBLI and MAD HOUSE, explains character design step by step using his own expertise and teaching materials. In the second volume, learn to master character's emotions and facial expressions!

Product Details

• Paperback: 158 pages
• Publisher: Graphic-Sha; illustrated edition edition (April 1, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 4766111745
• ISBN-13: 978-4766111743
• Product Dimensions: 9.9 x 7.2 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (20 customer reviews)
• Amazon Bestsellers Rank: #177,697 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

  #42 in

  Books > Arts & Photography > Drawing > Specific Objects

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

38 of 38 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Another top title from Ozawa, June 17, 2001

By	Erik K (Austin, TX United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: How to Draw Anime & Game Characters, Vol. 2: Expressing Emotions (Paperback)

For anyone interested in drawing characters (not just Manga style), the Tadashi Ozawa books are a real find. Volume one of the Anime and Game Characters (Basics for Beginners and Beyond) series was an amazingly useful book on drawing the human figure in many styles. Now he follows it up with Expressing Emotions.

As with the first book, he walks you through the techniques he's featuring for a range of different character types, from the very simple to the very realistic. He also includes extensive annotations with most of the drawings explaining why things work and pointing out the small but important details he's used. He focusses both on facial expressions and using the whole body to effectively convey feeling.

And again, he's included a section of drawings that don't quite work, with full annotations alongside revised drawings that fix the problems. While not as extensive as in volume one, it's still a great resource for the learning illustrator. Once you study these "before and afters", you wonder why more books on drawing don't use this technique. It allows you to spot your own flaws more easily, while encouraging you by showing you how to repair the problems through practice.

This book is definitely a 5 star read if you already have Volume 1 of this series (currently a bit hard to get, but keep checking for the reprint that's scheduled for release sometime). If you're already quite competent at drawing figures, this book will be of great use. If not, you'll still find it useful, but it doesn't cover how to draw figures, only how to give them more life and emotion.

If you're interested in drawing, especially Anime and Manga, grab this book while you can. And watch for the release of volume 3 (Bringing Daily Actions to Life), tentatively scheduled for this Summer 2001.

41 of 42 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Great for a budding anime artist, October 23, 2002

By	Debbie Lee Wesselmann (the Lehigh Valley, PA) - See all my reviews (TOP 50 REVIEWER)    (VINE VOICE)    (2008 HOLIDAY TEAM)    (REAL NAME)

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This review is from: How to Draw Anime & Game Characters, Vol. 2: Expressing Emotions (Paperback)

I bought this book for my teenage daughter, who has become obsessed with drawing manga. It was worth every penny! By demonstrating the particular stylistic quirks of Japanese animation (anime) and graphic novels (manga), it has helped her drawings gain the expressiveness she desires. After just one week of studying the examples, she improved dramatically.

This book does not have extensive text and thus is perfect for middle school children and older to learn by copying the examples. Unlike some of the volumes in this series, the pictures are not risque.

I recommend this book for anyone who has mastered the basics of anime style and is looking for ways to improve facial expressions.

29 of 31 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Expression both face and body, September 28, 2000

By	Stephanie L. Letterson (Madison Hts., MI United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: How to Draw Anime & Game Characters, Vol. 2: Expressing Emotions (Paperback)

I own the Japanese text version of this book, but the language barrier matters little. How to Draw ''Anime'' & ''Game'' Characters: Expressing Emotions, it full of self-explanatory drawings. A series of six different characters (both men and women) are used to show facial expressions of almost every conceivable emotion. The same sets of character are also use to display a wide variety of body language that express emotion. A must have resource for anyone wanting to draw anime/manga. Those interested in drawing superheroes and realistic; this is a great companion book to when pair with a facial anatomy book.