Sunday, October 11, 2015

Drawing Manga: A Tutorial Book Well Written and Drawn

Art has been around since the dawn of man, as a means of recreation or telling a message. It has been done many ways, but the most common one being on paper or canvas. Manga is, in a way, an extension of that art combined with the printed book. It's become a popular medium starting with the turn of the millennium, but fans want to learn to draw in that style because of it. In a way, it's become a passion to those fans.

In response, publishing companies have been hiring writers and artists to craft how-to books for those interested. One of those companies, Penguin Group, stepped up to the plate with their Idiot's Guides line-up of books (and no, I'm not making that name up). Published in 2008, The Complete Idiot's Guide to Drawing Manga teaches newbies and aspiring artists the ropes of the Manga style of art. The book was written by John Layman, while David Hutchinson provided the illustrations.

The book in question is pretty straightforward. It starts out with the basic shape making techniques, then evolves to piecing them together to make a figure, and goes on to making the faces of each character. Speaking of characters, the book explains how to make characters young and old; male and female; and even human or animal. Eventually, the book even teaches how to make Manga of their own via panels; props and speech bubbles.

The book is well illustrated and thought out, and is listed in a step-by-step fashion making it easy for those that want to follow along. It also details everything readers need to know about the Manga style without over complicating the process. This book even helped me with the creation of character art for my upcoming novel, Animator's Dream.

Overall, if you want to be a Manga artist yourself and are seeking a quality book then this is the one for you. With quality illustrations and simple instructions, this book will help those seeking to do art in the Manga style and craft works of their own.

Buy the book on Amazon here: http://www.amazon.com/Complete-Idiots-Drawing-Illustrated-Edition/dp/1592578233/ref=dp_ob_title_bk

There's also an updated variant of the book on Amazon here: http://www.amazon.com/Idiots-Guides-Drawing-Manga-DK/dp/1615644156/ref=pd_sim_14_1?ie=UTF8&refRID=1HR0BZ8RYJGMTZDHCTMT

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