Becoming a mangaka with a good level requires a lot of practice and a desire to always try new techniques in your art. In our guide to the best books for learning to draw manga, we offer you the best learning materials available today. So you can make rapid progress.
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Our selection
"This book is perfect for budding designers. There are detailed explanations, illustrated and explained step by step. Even 8 to 9 year olds can make…"
"Highly recommended for beginning manga artists, David Altram's book is explicit. We like the easy to understand and assimilate instructions. There is nothing complicated in…"
"The collaboration between Tim Seeling and Yishan Li has resulted in this must-have book to perfect your manga drawing technique. Creating your own manga immediately…"
"Children will love this learning workbook by Ta Van Huy. The explanations are step by step, clear and easy to assimilate. There are original drawings…"
This book is perfect for budding designers. There are detailed explanations, illustrated and explained step by step. Even 8 to 9 year olds can make a success of their manga drawings with this book.
See priceThe information given by Aimi Aikawa's book is complete. It is well explained and very well illustrated, which makes it possible to understand without having to read everything! The book is easy and quick to learn, which can be assimilated without difficulty. Each sketch has its own literal explanation, and you can find out how to draw the face, facial expressions, hair, body, clothes...
Beginners will be well served with this book, which makes it easy to learn. In addition to the educational aspect, the Step by Step Manga Drawing Book is a real hobby. You can spend hours on it without realizing it. And interestingly, it is suitable for children from 8 years old, not just adults.
Highly recommended for beginning manga artists, David Altram's book is explicit. We like the easy to understand and assimilate instructions. There is nothing complicated in the explanations.
See priceThis book is filled with representative images. David Altram provides clear and intelligible explanations, even for novices. You will also find exercises to help you master the techniques and understand the subtleties of manga drawing. In addition to being easy, the explanations give confidence to the drawers by pushing them to start.
The author of this book has been able to attract the attention of readers and users of the book with his clear and concise explanations. In order to apply the techniques properly, budding designers are invited to make applications on illustrated examples or on blank pages inserted in the book.
The collaboration between Tim Seeling and Yishan Li has resulted in this must-have book to perfect your manga drawing technique. Creating your own manga immediately becomes a more logical idea after reading it.
See priceBeginners should not be interested. The book Creating your manga: Building a plot, drawing characters, putting your story on the page is mainly aimed at those who have already started drawing but need to perfect their technique. This book was written by Tim Seelng in partnership with Yishan Li. They are nothing less than two of the biggest names in manga drawing!
The authors explain in detail the many techniques to adopt in order to obtain exceptional manga drawings. They clearly explain how to draw the face, the body, the clothes and the facial expressions on the characters to be created. They also explain how to match the story with the color contrasts and the style to adopt. In all, there are 750 illustrations in this book, which will help you to better understand the creation of manga.
Children will love this learning workbook by Ta Van Huy. The explanations are step by step, clear and easy to assimilate. There are original drawings to really discover mangas.
&tag=buyingbetter-21' target='_blank'>See priceThis book should teach you how to draw in 4 steps. The method is simple and you will be able to see all manga characters, including animals, samurai, princesses, kawaii animals, fantasy characters, young girls, adventurers, superheroes, or even sportsmen. You will become a real mangaka in only 365 days, as the title of the book states.
One drawing a day will make you forget the passing of time and will help to sharpen your imagination to create your own mangas after reading. The book is already in French and it is one of the most requested books to learn how to draw, especially for children. Adults can also use it. After all, manga fans are all children!
Any specific needs?
The best book to learn how to draw manga in 2021
The best book to learn how to draw entry-level manga
The best book to learn how to draw high-end manga
The best book to learn how to draw alternative manga
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| OUR SELECTION |
Aimi Aikawa - Learn to draw manga : Step by step manga drawing book for kids and adults
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David Antram - Dessiner les mangas : Une méthode simple pour apprendre à dessiner
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Tim Seeling and Yishan Li - Creating your manga: Building a plot, drawing characters, putting your story on the page
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Ta Van Huy - 365 dessins manga pour toute l'année
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This book is perfect for budding designers. There are detailed explanations, illustrated and explained step by step. Even 8 to 9 year olds can make a success of their manga drawings with this book.
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Highly recommended for beginning manga artists, David Altram's book is explicit. We like the easy to understand and assimilate instructions. There is nothing complicated in the explanations.
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The collaboration between Tim Seeling and Yishan Li has resulted in this must-have book to perfect your manga drawing technique. Creating your own manga immediately becomes a more logical idea after reading it.
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Children will love this learning workbook by Ta Van Huy. The explanations are step by step, clear and easy to assimilate. There are original drawings to really discover mangas.
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Clear, well-designed explanations
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Easy explanations
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Very interesting for those who have already started drawing manga
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Learning workbook for children and adults
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Information followed by illustrations
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Lots of representative images
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Proposes several techniques to apply
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Illustrated book of 368 pages
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A fun, educational book
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Existence of illustrated examples
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Collaboration between two famous manga artists
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Ideal for inspiring a passion for drawing
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Of course, the beauty of a cover does not allow to judge a book. But as it is a book to learn how to draw manga, the cover must be as attractive as possible: it will arouse curiosity, the desire to try and learn to become a mangaka. Indeed, some people may come to a bookstore to choose the most suitable book to learn to draw. But other people come to the bookstores to change their mind. And an interesting cover might help them to do that.
A book to learn how to draw manga is good when you can find all the useful information for your need. This can be noticed with a diagonal reading at the bookstore. Indeed, a book of this kind is a priori good, when you can find instructions illustrated by drawings or examples.
A good book to learn how to draw manga should provide all the necessary information for drawing techniques, but also offer the opportunity to stimulate your imagination and mind. The authors can create the story and leave you free to make the corresponding drawings. Or, they can start the drawing and let you create the rest on your own.
Yes
both dates are important, as they define how old or new the book is. If the book has just come out, it means that the information and drawing techniques used take into account any recent developments in the technique. In other words, the techniques used could be newly found techniques. They could be easy for you or difficult. In any case, it will allow you to choose the style you want to learn.
One of the biggest differences you'll notice right away between a manga and a comic book is the many differences in style and distribution. For starters, most manga is sold as a tankobun (book) or in a weekly magazine. Either way, they are usually printed in black and white and are quite clumsy, almost like a digest.
American comics are distributed and styled differently. American comics are usually sold as magazines (32 pages maximum) with color printing. There are also collected editions (omnibuses: kind of like a manga series) that have a subset of issues from the series, or a special story arc. In short, American comics are generally colorful and come in a variety of different options between individual issues, collections, graphic novels, etc.
Finally, and unlike comics, manga is read from right to left, so the beginning of the story is at the end of the book.
The books for learning to draw manga cover everything you could possibly need to know, including facial expressions, clothing, poses, and quick tips for mastering the manga style. The book really knows how to convey information clearly, regardless of your skill level. It's full of templates and step-by-step guides to help you master the manga art style. If you follow each chapter and do the exercises yourself, you should see your skills improve quickly.
This is the perfect book for anyone with no previous experience who really wants to get good at drawing. As you learn to see and measure, you will become more comfortable. You will learn what materials to start with, how to hold your pencil and how to accurately mark your paper. You will learn to control the movement of your elbow and shoulder to create the most accurate lines on the paper.
If the book to learn how to draw gives you all the necessary instructions on how to hold your pencil and know how to handle it and how to draw in general, the books to learn how to draw manga are devoted exclusively to manga. It therefore offers the opportunity to get familiar with a particular drawing.
Choose according to your needs. If you just want to learn how to draw, take a book to learn how to draw. On the other hand, if you are a fan of manga and anime, and if you dream of becoming a full-fledged mangaka, a book to learn to draw manga will suit you better.
Helps to master the artistic style
Mastering the manga art style is not a simple formula. It requires a lot of practice and a willingness to try new techniques in your art. But with a good book to learn how to draw manga, you can save time on the learning process.
Ideal for beginners
You'll find many different chapters dealing with facial expressions, body poses, costumes and other styles, such as chibi art. With patience, more practice and try! Over time, you will develop the muscle memory to easily reproduce these styles, as the exercises in a book to learn how to draw manga can help you do this. Each step is detailed, from the first sketch to the final painting of the character and the enhancement of its expression. Very simple steps, based on basic shapes, allow you to understand how to draw characters or landscapes. A sheet describes each character, the material, the colours to be used, the rough drawing of the character and then the steps that lead to the final result.
For your pleasure
Learning to draw is one of the great pleasures of life. Especially for drawing manga, not because of its growing popularity, but because of its excellent script. Once you start watching anime or reading manga, you can't go back.
Creating and customizing manga
To create your own manga character, you must first learn to draw characters with one, then only you can frame a manga with interesting characters and a good storyline around your characters.
Helps to have more observation in relation to the details
Having a book to learn how to draw manga would help one to become more observant of the details in their surroundings. The eyes would be trained to look for complex designs and shapes that might have been ignored in the past. Thus, as the brain allows its concentration to improve, an individual can see and appreciate even the most minute details that can be visualized.
Define your needs first
Before you go to online sites or book fairs or a library or whatever, first define what you want. What techniques do you want to learn, what aspirations do you want to have, what designs do you want to refer to?
Leaf through the book if possible
If there is
not a prohibition saying "do not skim" on the book, don't be afraid to skim it! In fact, this type of quick reading will help you know if all the items you are interested in are mentioned. This type of reading will also help you know the author and the release date.
Learn about the latest trends
Yes, even in the book shelves, the latest trends are to be considered. New books can show you new techniques recently applied when making manga drawing. They can advise you on the latest uses of the latest drawing techniques. They can also direct you to other techniques that are not yet in use, but that could be beneficial to your drawings. Nevertheless, you should always take into account that it is not because the techniques are new that it means that they are good.
Always consider known authors
In
fact, whether it's a learning book, a novel, or a psychology book, you should always consider authors who are already known. They always have more experience in their fields. Their tips and tricks will always be able to be supported by concrete examples and their tips could be based on facts.
The best book to learn how to draw manga depends on your needs and your budget. Read our buying guide to find out which products are the best at the moment.
To become the best manga artist, it is not enough to know how to draw. You also have to study anatomy, find reference images, use guidelines, never make copies. Then, you have to be open to criticism. Get out of your comfort zone and avoid looking for shortcuts, it won't help you. Above all, don't be discouraged and dare to draw different types of characters. And most importantly, have fun with your imagination and draw from your heart.
For others this question is easy but for some it is not obvious at all. In fact, at first sight, the two seem the same, but they are not. From the drawing point of view, anime present round figures with different types of body. They are mostly used by Europeans to entertain the gallery. On the other hand, a manga is rather thin and slender on the drawing side. They represent mostly Japanese culture in their stories and even in the way the characters dress. In their story, we do not see different body types or different nationalities, there are only the figures of Asian types that are present.
Yasuji Kitazawa (Rakuten Kitazawa of his artist name) is the first to use the term "manga" to designate his drawings and, as you may have guessed, he is the author of the famous story of the watered sprinkler. And since then, the authors of manga are called mangakas.
The book is good when you find all the elements you need. If you are interested in how to draw the figure for manga and you find it in the book, then the book is good. And if you have already found what you are interested in, but you also find additional tips and tricks, then yes, the book is the one you are looking for.
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