Drawing Dynamic Manga Characters - by Junka Morozumi & Tomomi Mizuna (Paperback)

Book Synopsis

This book provides a revolutionary new 3-step tracing technique that beginning artists can use to quickly learn to draw manga characters just like a pro!

Every page presents a classic manga pose, from walking and running to jumping for joy, in three different steps:

1. A simple outline of the body
2. The defining elements of the character (like clothes, hair and facial expression) highlighted for easy tracing so you can practice placing them onto the basic body outline.
3. The finished drawing (for inspiration).

Popular manga artists Junka Morozumi and Tomomi Mizuna guide you through a series of carefully graded lessons to build up your skills gradually. Each pose and scene has a star skill level, so you can build your way up from 1 to 5!

• Chapter 1 deals with the basic poses of standing, walking, and running.
• Chapter 2 presents signature manga poses such as turning around in surprise and being angry with hands on hips.
• Chapter 3 practices various sitting and lying down poses.
• Chapter 4 deals with drawing perspective, looking at characters from above, below and diagonal viewpoints.
• Chapter 5 focuses on 2-person manga poses including the classic prince with a princess in his arms.
• Chapter 6 lets readers try out the skills they have acquired by tracing and copying a full-page manga illustration containing multiple characters.

These six chapters are supplemented by expert tips and easy exercises for capturing the right facial expressions, drawing the clothes and getting the perspective and body proportions right.

Beginning manga artists are in good hands with Morozumi, who lectures at art academies in Tokyo, and Mizuna, whose work has been exhibited in the U.S., Europe and beyond. If you've been looking for an easy-to-use guide to drawing manga, The Manga Artist's Handbook: Drawing Basic Manga Characters is the perfect place to start!

Review Quotes

"Drawing Dynamic Manga Characters lives up to its title as a guide to drawing characters in the style of Japanese manga and anime, with an emphasis on bringing actions and poses in motion to life....a "must-have" for anyone with an interest in creating manga-style art, whether as a hobby or a profession. Highly recommended!" -- Midwest Book Review

About the Author

Tomomi Mizuna is a popular manga artist best known in Japan for her Fantasy Matrix series. She is known to Western readers for the English-language version of her children's manga series The Big Adventures of Majoko. Her colorful work has been exhibited around the world from California to London.

Junka Morozumi is the author of the Cloud Heaven and Fantasy Matrix manga series. She lectures on illustration at the Amusement Media Academy in Tokyo.