Archive for category Subject: Manga
Manga – the mega guide || Samantha Gorel
Posted by Henry in Author: Samantha Gorel, Medium: Drawing, Publisher: Search Press, Subject: Figure, Subject: Manga on Aug 3, 2016
I know nothing of Manga, but I do know a well laid- and thought-out book when I see one and this is first class.
It’s the usual big-eyed kids, which are a bit cutesy for me, but the book seems a lot more solidly grounded in the practical aspects of drawing than many. I often remark that this kind of book is usually handy if you want to draw figures – I think the authors are somehow less hung up on the artistic side of things and therefore simplify the practical aspects. Samantha is particularly sound on the basic shapes of bodies, hands, feet and so on. If it’s clothed figures you’re interested in, there’s plenty here too. I also like the fact that there’s a lot of discussion of the properties of materials – inks, markers, watercolours, acrylics and their practical uses.
As long as you can get past the very particular style, this is a really good primer on figure drawing.
Click the picture to view on Amazon
How to Draw Monsters & Mecha! || Keith Sparrow
Posted by Henry in Author: Keith Sparrow, Medium: Drawing, Publisher: Search Press, Subject: Manga on Feb 15, 2016
“Classic kaiju meet mighty mecha in this action-packed guide to drawing monsters and giant robots, suitable for all abilities.”
If you understand a word of that, which is from the cover blurb, this may well be the book for you. As the cover also splashes “Manga Now!”, I’m going to assume it’s that and also that the exclamation marks are essential. Honestly, I have no idea. There’s lot here, though.
Click the picture to view on Amazon
Draw Manga Now! || Christopher Hart
Posted by Henry in Author: Christopher Hart, Medium: Drawing, Publisher: Watson Guptill, Subject: Figure, Subject: Manga, Subject: People on Aug 7, 2013
Manga not being totally my thing, I’m going to review the six titles in this series as one.
The thing about Manga drawing is that it’s a style in its own right and it has very specific conventions, one of them being that the figures have a very simple, comic-book structure. This has a lot of advantages for figure drawing, because all the books come with a simplified guide to anatomy which is aimed at both keeping it easy for the artist and also at paring it down for the drawing itself. It also features a lot of action, so you get figures in all kinds of poses and making, or preparing to make, all kinds of moves. Not all of them involve fighting.
So, if you want a very basic guide to get you started in figure drawing, I’ve always maintained that a Manga book is going to be really helpful. Christopher Hart is an established author in the literature of figure drawing and I’d have to say that he makes a pretty good fist of this particular style. There’s a lot of material here, so you’re spoilt for choice, too.
Massive Manga || Yishan Li
Posted by Henry in Author: Yishan Li, Medium: Drawing, Publisher: Search Press, Subject: Figure, Subject: Manga on Aug 17, 2011
I’ve had this a while, and I’m trying to work out whether or not it’s a larger-format, one- volume version of the Mini Manga series that’s previously appeared. If it is, and you have any of them, then there’s going to be some duplication going on. You’ll also be annoyed that you can now get what you’ve previously been peering at in a more manageable format.
Moving quickly on from that, and my reservations about it, let’s say that this is a very handy guide to drawing Manga characters and artefacts and that it has quite a lot that carries over into general art – some nicely simplified ways of drawing figures, animals and clothing that will answer a lot of questions without going into greater detail than necessary.
As a basic guide to the main elements of Manga drawing, the book is nicely comprehensive and excellent value. I do with they hadn’t printed it on a paper that dulls the colours, though.
Basic Anatomy for the Manga Artist || Christopher Hart
Posted by Henry in Author: Christopher Hart, Medium: Drawing, Publisher: Watson Guptill, Subject: Figure, Subject: Manga on Aug 17, 2011
This is a nice, simple guide to anatomy which is perfectly suited to the Manga artist, who has very specific requirements about what they want to draw and how they want to draw it. Its content is absolutely summed up in its title.
And that’s all I really need to say, except that, if you’re not a Manga artist, it’s also worth more than a cursory glance because Christopher provides a basic guide to drawing figures for people who don’t want to draw figures. How so? Well, let’s assume that you’re not looking to produce muscle-accurate representations of the human form, but rather to include figures in a painting and have them not look like statues or waxworks. As long as they’re convincing, they’ll pass muster.
If that’s you, then this has much to recommend it. True, you’ll have to get past the big-eyed kids that are the staple of Manga, so you may need to do a bit of work of your own on faces, but, apart from that, you get nice simple instructions and demonstrations of male and female figures in a variety of poses and moves that you should be able to adapt for more general purposes. It’s important to emphasise “adapt”, because, if you don’t think you’re capable of a little lateral thinking, you may struggle. If you think you’re up for it, though, you’re quids in.
Super-Cute Chibis to draw & paint || Joanna Zhou
Posted by Henry in Author: Joanna Zhou, Medium: Drawing, Publisher: Search Press, Subject: Cartoons, Subject: Figure, Subject: Manga, Subject: People on Jun 13, 2011
Personally, I can’t stand this book. I don’t like the style and I can’t help feeling there’s something just slightly wrong about the whole thing.
However, it’s a well-established form and it’s very popular so, is this book any good and will it help the budding practitioner of the style? Well, yes and yes. Joanna gives you forty different demonstrations of both children and animals. Each is presented in a double-page spread with the outline shapes and a series of development drawings that show you the build-up as well as a variety of poses and facial expressions. It’s neatly done without over-complication and, if this is what you aspire to draw, there’s no doubt this forms an excellent primer.
Draw Shojo Girls and Bishie Boys || Inga Semisow
Posted by Henry in Author: Inga Semisow, Medium: Drawing, Publisher: Search Press, Subject: Figure, Subject: Manga, Subject: People on Oct 26, 2010
OK, this is definitely one for the Manga specialists, but it’s worth observing that it’s as well done as these books so often tend to be and contains much that anyone wanting to draw the clothed figure might benefit from. I can’t tell you what you might get from it because this is not my area of expertise, but do give it a look.
http://rcm-uk.amazon.co.uk/e/cm?lt1=_blank&bc1=000000&IS2=1&bg1=FFFFFF&fc1=000000&lc1=0000FF&t=artbookreview-21&o=2&p=8&l=as1&m=amazon&f=ifr&md=0M5A6TN3AXP2JHJBWT02&asins=1844485293
Mini Manga series
Posted by Henry in Author: Yishan Li, Publisher: Search Press, Series: Mini Manga, Subject: Figure, Subject: Manga on Feb 1, 2010
Regular readers of ABR will know of my allergy to pocket-size books. This is art, fer goodness sake, make it big so we can see it, will you! Small is NOT beautiful, it’s hard to see and you have to force the pages back till your hands hurt in order to see them. The pages, not your hands, don’t get smart with me when I’m having a rant, it makes me angry.
However, just once in a while something comes along that doesn’t just float my boat, it launches a whole navy, kersplash, all at once. And these little books are one of those things. No, they shouldn’t work and, yes, at a fiver a pop, they are expensive, but what they do, really rather neatly, is offer you a single idea on a spread. Nothing so very unusual in that, I’ll grant you, but this is minimalism taken to its absolute limit and it really is just one thing, not even a whole concept. I like that. I like that you can have just Men’s Jeans or The Female Mouth just on their own. In fact, I’d recommend Manga Tips to anyone who wants to draw the human figure because it’s full of basic ideas (like the more comprehensive and better value Mega Manga). The other one that comes at the same time is Mecha Manga, which is more specialised, concentrating on that I take to be robot figures you can’t do without. Both books are arranged by category, so finding things is very easy, though flicking through and trusting to serendipity is a good approach too.
Like I said, a fiver’s a lot for a tiny book, but it’s not a fiver wasted, I’d also say. And I don’t say it often.
Mega Manga || Keith Sparrow
Posted by Henry in Author: Keith Sparrow, Medium: Drawing, Publisher: Search Press, Subject: Manga, Subject: People on Nov 6, 2008
Once again, Search Press have managed to come up with a book that’s a great deal more than it first appears. This may or may not be any good as a guide to drawing Manga; I can’t tell you because I’m just not qualified but, on the basis of its layout and presentation, I’d be prepared to guess that it is.
However, almost accidentally, what you also get is a near perfect primer in drawing people. Leave aside the stylised hair and big eyes that are (this much I do know) characteristic of Manga and what you have is very easy to follow and laid out to show you how figures are built up from a starting point of basic shapes. All the different parts of the body are covered and you get figures that are both static and in motion, as well as wearing a variety of clothes (including the inevitable martial arts but, hey, you never know…). The additional sections on vehicles and weapons are going to be superfluous for the general reader, but some of the animal drawings can be easily adapted to more domestic creatures.
I think the reason this works so well in the way that it does is because it’s not trying. Its prime aim is to introduce the more general reader to Manga drawing and it therefore operates for the most part on a basic level. By doing this, it becomes an absolutely invaluable primer for anyone looking for a basic guide to figure drawing and is a lot easier to follow than many more specialised guides. You just have to be able to see past the big-eyed kids.
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