We live in an age for technology... everyone has smartphones or tablets on their person at all times, and so if you're stuck in an artistic bind... can't remember how far apart to space manga eyes? ... you google it, and BOOM! A million pictures and tutorials will pop up from all over the world. That is pretty amazing, right?
And, it's just easier most of the time to keep all of your reference/art ideas stored on your smartphone or device. Most of these are pocket size, or can be carried in your purse or art tote. I'm guilty of this myself... I have a huge folder on my tablet that I use for saving art inspiration ideas, pose references, color schemes, etc... So I'm not against it. But I was sketching out some ideas for fifties themed girls this past week, and I happened to pull out one of my favorite Manga reference books for a reference on drawing sweater texture. I keep most of these books right by my desk, in a drawer for easy access, but I don't use them as much as I should!! I've kept that book on my desk the rest of the week, just looking over some of the poses and texture ideas again, and so I thought it might make an interesting blog post to share some of the tutorial books and authors I have used and enjoyed learning from over the years!!!
By the way, I am a VERY big fan of teaching yourself to draw just by looking at your favorite manga or anime characters. That's exactly how I started out! But, you need to get a little more in depth in your study and progression of the manga art style. It's unique for a reason, and just drawing your favorite characters, while it will help you get started, won't teach you everything you need to know. I'm just throwing out a list of the top three artists whose tutorial books have helped me (and you probably will be familiar with at least one or two of these!), but if you go to the art section in Barnes and Noble, you can now find dozens of manga art teaching books, whereas before, they were few and far between. So if you don't like one artist's style or way of teaching, find one that works for you!! Manga art is about VARIETY!! =-)
1. ) Chris Hart is the artist whose tutorial books I first started checking out from the library. He has several different ones available!! Now, this is a side note, but I've learned over the last few years that a lot of artists don't care for Hart's work anymore. It's hard to figure out the reasons why, but my understanding is that people don't like that the art styles in his books are not consistent with each other. This is because Hart does not do all the tutorials and poses himself, but with a team of other artists. That's never bothered me, because, as I said before... manga art is about variety!! Not every style of manga art has to have the same style to be manga. And the genres are always changing! But anyway... when I first started really getting into this art style, I checked out tons of his books from the library and just did my best to follow along with the guided drawings. I own a few of his books as well! And he's always coming out with more!! =-)
I'm always looking for good romantic poses to use, and this book has a lot of helpful references.
Above is an example of one of the "Moe" tutorials in the Kawaii book. How cute!!! ^^
I can't remember what book this is from, but I know it's one of his female character centered books. A lot of variety in poses to try!!
2.) Mark Crilley. If you are in the manga art world at all and haven't heard his name come up, you must be living under a rock. Considered the #1 manga artist and YouTube guru in America, Crilley had success with a few of his own manga series before putting out his first tutorial book, "Mastering Manga with Mark Crilley". He also has a YouTube channel and is faithful in uploading a new tutorial video once a week, which is impressive, considering that he's got to be one busy guy! Mark's approach to manga art is fantastic, and while the pictures in his tutorial book might look daunting at first, the approach he takes with giving the guidelines is easy for anyone to follow and practice!
I own the first book, "Mastering Manga". It has many helpful references inside!!! Here are a few below..
A year or so ago, he also put out a second book, simply titled, "Mastering Manga 2". It's a step up from the first book, and a helpful reference as well!
3. ) Irene Flores may not be as well known as the first two, but she's put out several books already and all of them are very helpful! Her first two books are titled "Shojo Fashion: Year One" and "Year Two". I've checked out "Year One" from the library several times, and bought "Year Two" a few years ago for my birthday. I LOVE using these as a reference, especially when referencing fabrics and textures. In following her books, you're surprised to find how easy she makes things look!
By the way, she draws children ADORABLY.
I recently borrowed her latest books, "Shojo Fashion Boys" from the library, and this is a GREAT reference book if, like me, drawing guys is still intimidating to you. Lots of great guidelines to follow here, and this is a book I am definitely interested in purchasing for more reference use!
So, these are the artists whose reference/tutorial books have been the greatest help to me, and I am always learning!! Have you heard of these artists? Do you keep up with their work? If not, I hope I've given you some new reference ideas to choose from!! =-)
-Stasia-Chan '15
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