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DRAWING BASICS
Good drawing is the foundation of quality digital illustration. Without your drawing, you’ll
have nothing to build upon. If you start with a bad drawing, no amount of digital colouring
can transform it into a good drawing. Only through revision and redrawing can a bad drawing
be fixed. Therefore, it’s important to do everything you can to improve your artwork before
moving it into the digital realm.
There are countless books on the market (some quite good, some not so good) devoted to
drawing, and quite a few focused on the specific topic of drawing manga-style art. This chapter
does not seek to form a substitute for those books (as a single chapter could never hope
to capture all the nuances of this broad topic), but rather serve as a supplemental
refresher course.
With the assumption that you’re already versed in a basic understanding of drawing
– as well as manga-style art – this chapter touches upon specific tips that are geared
towards helping you find new ways to grow and develop as an artist, and
ultimately improve your artwork.
22 DRAWING BASICS GENERAL DRAWING TIPS 23
GENERAL DRAWING TIPS Quick gesture
drawings of a young Qualit y control
boy are rough and
A strong foundation in drawing is important for every artist. Artists often tackle difficult incomplete, but capture
The mirror test
basic movement and
problems by reducing complex objects to basic forms before selectively rebuilding form. These poses and To pinpoint problem areas, try viewing
postures can later be
them. Likewise, fundamental drawing skills give artists the ability to break down and incorporated into a more your drawing in reverse by holding it up
complete work. to a mirror, or shining a light through
understand a subject before moving on to stylized manga characters. it. This fresh look at the drawing helps
previously undetected mistakes to
pop out.
Practice Your sketchbook will also allow you
You’re not going to become a great to monitor your progress as an artist. Second look
artist overnight. It’ll take time, effort, Record dates in your sketchbook as you When you feel that your drawing is
and practice. If you’re serious about would in a journal to keep track of how complete, stand back and look at it
improving your skill as an artist, try to much you've improved over a period with a critical eye. Get your friends and
spend at least an hour a day drawing. of time. family (preferably ones who will be
You should push yourself to produce at truthful with you) to look it over and tell
least one solid sketch during this period Draw e very thing! you what they think are the picture’s
of time. Observe your surroundings. Draw from strengths and weaknesses. Take the time
life. Visit shopping centres, parks, zoos, to correct any problem areas. Over time,
make a Sketchbook etc., and sketch the people, buildings, this re-examination of your artwork
A sketchbook is a place to be landscapes, and everything you see. will greatly improve your drawing skills.
experimental, develop drawing You’ll learn more from your mistakes
skills, sketch possible concepts and Try refining the rough points in your and avoid making the same mistakes on
compositions for pictures, and write artwork. For example, if you have your next picture.
observations, thoughts, and ideas. You difficulty with drawing hands, don’t A trip to a restaurant for breakfast can be an
can also keep magazine clippings in it. hide them behind the character’s back! opportunity to study different objects or environments. Art cl asses
If you put a lot of regular work into your Focus on the hands; make them a part I strongly recommend taking any
sketchbook, it can prove to be a great of the picture. Set aside time to practise available art classes you can. They can
resource later on. When you're in need drawing just the hands. teach the many important fundamentals
of ideas, you’ll be able to return to your of art, such as the visual elements (line,
sketchbook for new inspiration. Get in Likewise, if your figure-drawing skills are shape, mass, texture, light, colour, and
the habit of carrying your sketchbook lacking, don’t let your character hide in space), and the principles of design
with you everywhere, so you’ll always loose, baggy clothing. If you struggle (balance, emphasis, scale, proportion,
have it to jot down ideas. with drawing clothing, practise drawing repetition) and more. Many teachers
all types and textures of fabrics. Study disapprove of manga-style artwork,
how fabrics fold and wrinkle, and how but don’t let that discourage you from
shadows fall upon their form. Observe learning other aspects of art, especially
how clothing bends and contorts since a prerequisite to creating good
around the body. manga art is a strong understanding of
the fundamentals.
In manga-style artwork, line is often stressed over Flipping this drawing reveals a previously
other artistic fundamentals. Studying people and objects undetected lopsidedness, as well as other
through the use of contour line drawings is a useful skill. minor problems.
24 DRAWING BASICS MANGA DRAWING TIPS 25
MANGA DRAWING TIPS Eyes
The eyes are arguably the most
important feature of the face. They tend
Your character’s face is going to be a primary focal point in your manga-style artwork, to grab the attention of your viewer
so attention to proportion and detail is paramount! You will use these basic guidelines first, and help convey the mood and
for producing manga-style faces and features again and again, so it is worth getting the emotion of your characters.
There’s more than one way to draw hair. The first The dotted lines indicate the hairline as well as the
producing a copy of a generic anime – although, here, they do appear dressed. (Urushihara is hallmarks of his heavily detailed style are the athletic and
otherwise known as ‘the master of breasts’.) elongated figures on his characters.
example (bottom left) shows simplified hair that depicts back of the character’s head, over which the hair can face and body in the style of a popular
each portion of the hair as almost a basic outline. The be placed.
second example (bottom middle) is much more involved,
artist you like. Therefore, once you’re Image from Final Fantasy X-2. (Image by Tetsuya
Normura, copyright 2003 Square Enix Co. Ltd.) Tetsuya
using contour lines to define the body of the hair, thus comfortable with the basics, move Nomura creates characters who tend to have more
giving it a more detailed look. The final hairstyle (bottom
beyond that step by critically thinking realistic figures and faces than other manga-style artists.
right) illustrates the latitude you have when creating
manga-style hair – even hair that defies gravity. about why the artist you are mimicking
draws the way they do and why you like
the style so much.
Camera Books
A digital camera comes in handy for Pose books, available in the art section
Books like Dynamic Anatomy, What People Wore,
sketching difficult poses (especially of good bookshops, feature models and even fashion magazines are all fantastic sources
positions that are awkward to hold or posed in various positions (everything for reference material.