Who here draws manga?

[Guerrera]

I wish! ^-^

It's a wonderful ambition of mine, though. As soon as I get that design degree, I'll probably start working on a serious manga.

My sister and I have come up with original characters in the past, but I've never really had the time to sit down for a few hours and create the panels for the page layouts.

I do have a couple of one-shots in my scraps on DA and one four panel comic-style drawing (that I also uploaded here on AF under my old account).

But they look awful, in my opinion. I want to take the time to practice more before I get started on anything.

Oh, and your drawing is remarkable ^^. I only suggest more practice to perfect your control of the pen (serious manga artists use specific drawing pens when creating manga).

So far so good, though :]

[Gjallarhorn]

Well, it's not a "pen" such as a ball point pen, which is what it looks like you used. Most use fountain pens(usually cheap, though the ink can cost a bit) of various sizes depending on the width of the line. I've also heard of some well known people using things such as Micron pens of various sizes(what I prefer working with...they cost about $2-$3 depending on where you get them). The common coloring utensil is prismacolor markers(I've dropped $50 on 12 of them at one point. They go for $3-$4 each), though others use other markers, oils, oil paints, or watercolor. A lot of white-out is also involved, as well as a specific style of paper. The paper it is originally drawn on is about as large as printing paper, and the pages are then shrunken down when manga is assembled into tankubon. Don't forget measuring tools such as rulers, protractors, and t-squares. Also, an increasing amount of manga is now done using computers; I believe Naruto has been done on computer or partially on computer since its early volumes, for example.

Personally, I don't like fountain pens in less I want to draw in a messier style, with more free-formed lines. Micron are very nice, but they tend to fade a bit into a very dark gray if you go over them with an eraser. The don't fade anymore after the first swipe of the eraser, which is good considering they use archival ink. Prismacolor markers are great, though very expensive as far as markers go. I hate painting, so I've avoided oil paint, oils, and watercolor point. The only measuring tools I use are a ruler and protractor with a spinning ruler attached for focus lines. I also use a mechanical pencil with 0.5mm lead for sketching and the initial layout before inking and/or coloring.

[小美ドクロchan]

You draw manga for a living?!

No no, not yet. I WANT to.

How much time do you devote to your projects?

Hours.....

[OminousCloud]

I draw stick figures, 'cause I'm so awesome

[Konata Izumi]

I merely do fanart, I can't find the money and place to buy screentones, and manga panel layouts. x_x

[Gjallarhorn]

You can draw panels yourself with a thick pen and a t-square or marker, and you don't need screentones if your technique is good enough to shade with just ink. There are also gray-ink pens out there which can substitute for screentones, but, I have yet to find any around here. I have seen screentones before, but they can be a bit pricey, and I don't really have a use for them because I use hatching and crosshatch to shade.

[Konata Izumi]

My parents are misers and proper ink pens usually are pretty expensive. Also I must include that I'm a tad too lazy to bee drawing panels all day. xD

[pyre]

JuicedUp - Hey, you draw well! ^^ I find myself looking for more flow in the lines, although that could be just me. Your style is good as it is, to be honest. Do you do the basic lines thingy, the draw a circle first, then guide lines, etc?

So anyway, the elfen ears (I love elfen ears!) seem a little out of proportion, with the right side smaller, but maybe that's with his posing...?

I love your work with the shading! Bravo! Especially with the hair! And I love that nose! It's good you can do noses without any queasy-ness...I have to content myself with nose-lines, eheh.

Hands need more work...they look kinda stiff. The left thumb seems a tad too point-y.

The horn, too...more depth/volume/whatchamacallit? To make it look more rounded, I mean.

So there, that's all I can say for this piece. ^^

Xero XIII, that's great advice...thanks! I was looking for advice on what drawing pens to get, and I couldn't get any sound advice anywhere near (Mom was the one who handed me the signpen, and since I was still broke, that's what I used...maybe I should stop following ALL her advice...)

It's cool that you guys are serious about doing manga for a living...GO!

[小美ドクロchan]

You can draw panels yourself with a thick pen and a t-square or marker, and you don't need screentones if your technique is good enough to shade with just ink.

Screw that. Photoshopping panels is WAY bettar. XD And you can find computer tones like...EVERYWHARE <---misspelled on purpose lol.

Here is an example I did.



*is very proud of this.*

[Gjallarhorn]

Yes, but I tend to be a bit of a manga purist. I don't like using computers and the like for the actual artwork. For text, sure, but never for the artwork. I'll stick with my hands, utensils, mediums, and tools. If I did use screentones, I'd do them by hand anyway, so I could build up some skill in how to use them.

It is well done, though.

[JuicedUp]

JuicedUp - Hey, you draw well! ^^ I find myself looking for more flow in the lines, although that could be just me. Your style is good as it is, to be honest. Do you do the basic lines thingy, the draw a circle first, then guide lines, etc?

Honestly, I didn't follow any shapes or guidelines for this one, and I don't know why. I guess I was challenging myself to draw things as proportionate as possible without guides. So what I did was I sketched out a head, from beginning point to ending point, then I flipped over the page and put it up to a light to check for accuracy. It turns out I'm actually pretty bad at it. ^^;;;

So anyway, the elfen ears (I love elfen ears!) seem a little out of proportion, with the right side smaller, but maybe that's with his posing...?

No, it's my fault, I drew it smaller... >_<

I love your work with the shading! Bravo! Especially with the hair! And I love that nose! It's good you can do noses without any queasy-ness...I have to content myself with nose-lines, eheh.

Thanks! ^-^ I had to erase the nose just once, and I'm happy that it looked better the second time.

Hands need more work...they look kinda stiff. The left thumb seems a tad too point-y.

The horn, too...more depth/volume/whatchamacallit? To make it look more rounded, I mean.

The hands were supposed to look somewhat stiff in that pose. And the thumb is pointy? O.o Oh well.

Yeah, I should've spent more time on the horn before I showed it to my friend. *kicks self*

So there, that's all I can say for this piece. ^^

Thanks for your advice.

I think I finished 44 pages of my fantasy futuristic manga in total so far, and that's only the first chapter! O_o;;; Introductory chapters take so long...but also, there's also a ton of yummy fight art I stuffed in there as well, so no wonder. ;D I've showed it to my friends countless times, but I'm not sure it's ready to show to you guys yet. Since the main plot didn't even start yet, if you guys saw it now you'd be like ".....I don't get the point of this whole thing -_-" . In fact, I might have to get pretty far into the story before I show it here, or you wouldn't understand the point of the manga.

I'm really not sure...would you all be willing to read a manga that doesn't appear to have an active plot? Because I really don't want you to look at it and just walk off with bewildered looks on your faces.

[小美ドクロchan]

Yes, but I tend to be a bit of a manga purist. I don't like using computers and the like for the actual artwork. For text, sure, but never for the artwork. I'll stick with my hands, utensils, mediums, and tools. If I did use screentones, I'd do them by hand anyway, so I could build up some skill in how to use them.

It is well done, though.

Oh yeah, I'm a purist too but I don't really think of tones being classified as "artwork". Even lots of professional manga-ka use them nowadays. Using real screentones is not only hard to do, it's freakin expensive...

I'm really not sure...would you all be willing to read a manga that doesn't appear to have an active plot? Because I really don't want you to look at it and just walk off with bewildered looks on your faces.

Totally. XD Half the manga I buy is not for the plot. I suck at plots too. Just show us your visual skills!

[Yuuki Kurosu]

I do! < waves hands > lol I am both well at fanart and my own piccys. I just have trouble w/ hands sometimes that and shading xD I'd post some on here but my scanner is broken :P I'll see what I can do about asking to use my friends maybe. I have been drawing Anime like all my life xD But I actually started drawing anime other then Pokemon and such in 2nd grade. I improved ALOT over the Summer going into 4th grade and actually considered myself good in 5th ( I am very picky about my art, bad habit too >>; ), 3 years later...people won't leave me alone TT_TT I admit I have become rather proud of my work, I am somewhat satisfied w/ myself as a perfectionist :3

You guys are really good drawers! I am pretty envious xD

[sa5m]

Totally. XD Half the manga I buy is not for the plot. I suck at plots too. Just show us your visual skills!

Haha, I'm sort of like that too, because I like to buy manga for the art, not the plot... ^^; Yes yes, I'm shallow. =P Basically, if the manga art is good, I'll like it whether or not the plot is terrible or not. XD

[JuicedUp]

Okay, that's a relief. ^^;; My manga is called Supafly! However, don't be surprised if you don't understand what's happening at first. Things will be explained in chapters mostly, but other important info will be put at the end of each chapter, kind of like intermissions. If you like how the manga is going so far, wait until Chapter 2 - that's when things really start rolling. Even I can't wait until Chapter 2! ^^

Here's some random pages from Chapter One...if you don't like them, please don't kill me ^^;;

They're attached. Tell me what you think.

Note: In the early pages, I couldn't make my art distinguish female from male that well. I got better with time.

[sweety knight]

Hey everyone! Sorry i have not been here in a while my computer needed to be fixed. Anyway back on topic, I am a Manga-Ka and I have been so for 9 years!!

[JuicedUp]

Nice. What's your most recent work?

[小美ドクロchan]

Wow Juice, your layouts are so good I'm actually jealous. XD That's my weakest point.

[JuicedUp]

Really? I personally think I'm really bad at it, because oftentimes I don't think it through enough, so it doesn't produce the desired oomph to certain events. ^^;; My friend says I should spend at least ten minutes staring a blank paper to figure out where everything goes first. I like to just jump right in for some reason, which isn't so good...

[sa5m]

Wow, good job! I also agree that your layouts are done very well. =D The only thing I can say is to work on your poses. Although they are very creative, I still think they could be more three-dimensional. It looks kind of flat. XD And work a bit on different angles on different body parts.=P

[JuicedUp]

Yeah, I gotta work on the shading more to make the poses more three-dimensional. I try for very many different angles of body parts.

Thank you for looking. It means a lot to me. ^^

[小美ドクロchan]

I like to just jump right in for some reason, which isn't so good...

I DO THAT ALL THE TIME. OMG. I'm very impatient with stuff. XD My manga sketches don't even HAVE panels...it's just a drawing floating here, one there and so on. But no, I think you're good at it.

[Gizoku]

:o I feel so excluded. Joking.
xD Yes I draw manga. My pathetic attempt at my possible future.
I try to make my characters orginal, but I usually end up throwing the design away because I think it looks too blah, either that or I can't draw them a second time again.

[pyre]

O_o Woah...a lot's been happening.

_sakura-chan_ and sweety knight - May we see some samples? I love looking at manga/anime art. ^^

To l_l_l_l_l_chan (sorry your name won't appear on my computer...I have no foreign language packs installed) - Does one find screentones in bookshops? Or is it in software? Coz I'm having a really hard time with shading...

JuicedUp - Loverly, loverly, loverly! It just needs some cleaning up, know what I mean? A little polishing, and then it's ready to go! ^^ And I love that Mercedes character. ^^ And I suggest you try the guide-lines thingy--before meeting my sensei I didn't do the guide-lines either, but he pressured me to do it, and it's helped a lot. ^^

[JuicedUp]

I trying to use more guidelines now. I love Mercedes too. I can't wait to have some more character development happen.