Mega Manga The Complete Reference To Drawing Manga

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· 34 ratings · 5 reviews

Start your review of Mega Manga: The Complete Reference to Drawing Manga

May 27, 2013 Fishtan rated it did not like it

It's a ok book but the anatomy so off on most characters that it's a pain to read. Just look at the girl on the cover. It's a ok book but the anatomy so off on most characters that it's a pain to read. Just look at the girl on the cover. ...more

Dec 29, 2020 Uku rated it did not like it

One of Finnish manga/anime magazine rated book rather generously and marked it as leave it on the shelf. Also fun little fact that for some reason finnish publisher saw more money making option apparently to split book in half. I loaned them because they just happened to be there on Library's shelf and my rating and review bases on that version.

One thing to keep in mind is that these are from early 2000-2007 when there really weren't drawing tutorial books specialized to drawing either manga as

One thing to keep in mind is that these are from early 2000-2007 when there really weren't drawing tutorial books specialized to drawing either manga as in comic or manga as in art style. Also these days people will gonna go want to fight with you if if manga and anime are art styles, some will even wanna claim that they're not even art. ( They are, deal with it. ) it's also from that early of art supply dawn, when there just few of alcohol based markers available. Huge minus point and I hope that it's only by translator making woopsie daisy there but it had been golden to mention difference of alcohol based and waterbased markers. Also there is a whoopsie about when presentating fineliners as "only thing to go", pick whatever thicknesses that suit for your style but thing is that you'll need to know what kinda ink is used in these fineliners so that you can decide what kinda colors are nope. You see, it's best used waterproof waterbased ink with alchohol based marker and wise versa. Needless to say if you go using fineliner that's also acohol based and you go over with another alcohol based marker; it's gonna leave skidmarks and smudge the crap out of your artwork. You also don't need to really worry about waterproofness unless you use waterbased stuff like watercolors, watercolor inks, inks, guache etc to color your work.
And book for absolute beginners.... I would not try to push any beginner to invest on the most expensive things like Copic markers for example. It's basically 5 dollars or 4,5 euros per marker. As you begin, start from small and work your way up while you get more experience. Luckily these days there's lack of plenty when it comes to pick up tools that fit for artist's needs.

Another huge mistake in this book is to mention that digital art is expensive. And it can look dull than traditional one. You know... I laughed. A lot. It wasn't true back then and it's sure as heck isn't true even to the very day. To believe that artist cannot do their job without the most expensive tools is very dangerous mindset for an any artist to have and even more dangerous it is when it's put in a book for beginners. Beginners don't nesessary know better and they'll adopt this thought or start doubting their own artwork or skills if they happen to have tight budjet when it comes to supplies. The whole mark about digital art could have been made something like you can but this book mainly focuses on traditional drawing. -Though looks by the judging the covers of other books by the author that they tried new things.
Book gives the generic and basic step by step tutorials about how to draw some generic poses, how to draw typical shonen-style characters. Though the description of hairstyles and characters styles are quite gringe to read in 2020. It has feel of author trying to reassure reader for that now this, this example here is fit for only this sort of character. To point that it's unnerving and gringy. At some point I simply stopped reading and was just brosing the images. Call it survival instinct if you wish.
Overall how to draw some body parts is simple and easy to undertand. What we are lacking in this book however and is often featured pretty well in various other "how to draw manga whatever-name-here" books is anatomy structure, and as every fellow manga and anime loving reader/wiever knows... there are various of different hairstyles, eye shapes and body types. As well a body types can be stylished to very unique manner just the way artists want to draw them. -And they still follow rules of anatomy.

So, to who is this for... Book itself was targeted for beginners and hobbyists alike. From childalike drawings I would suspect main audience being kids and teens. Hobbyist like myself gains very little from it. The very beginner... maybe. I would still recommend to check out the whole How to Draw Manga series as they are the best there ever possibly can be. You know, those white books with red title as they won't give you just basics but will pull you through the whole thing that manga actually is from learning to draw to draw various things to draw your comics to make anime and game desings and of course digital parts too. Only problem with that one is that it might be difficult to find these days. And I am still talking about that Japanese How to Draw Manga series, not this.

It's fine if you have bought this and I will appalaud to whoever has found this book. -Or Finnish translation somehow helpful. Hopefully you are still drawing and been improving. Style that this book has wasn't really much encouraging kind.

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May 16, 2020 beth f. rated it did not like it

Absolutely would not suggest. Every single drawing is disproportionate. The author needs more practice drawing from real life.

May 15, 2011 Jack rated it liked it

Not the best manga book I've had, bit still a fairly decent one that's good for beginners. I haven't used it for reference loads, but it was good, especially when I got into manga drawing loads last year (or the year before, I'm not sure). There's better manga nooks, but I still found this one ok compared to them.

For more information about this book and others, check out my YouTube channel: http://www.youtube.com/TheDougieowner

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