"How to draw manga" series...Does it really help?

[King]

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/b/bd/How_to_draw_manga.jpg

I think everyone know this series. I see it a lot in book stores. I mean, A LOT. And there's a lot of different version out of "How to draw manga". Color, girls, robots.

Now, personally, I think this book series is little pointless. One is, manga/anime don't just have one style. Anime/manga have many, many different styles.

But, I have to say this book series is a good warm-up of getting the idea of the style in manga/anime. But not the whole...General feel.
I mean, the book only gives you one style. Thats it.
But, I could be wrong. I only read one book. It kinda help me. Kinda.

My main question is, does this "How to draw manga" really help?

In my own opinion for ppl that want to draw manga/anime: Fine an anime artist you like and see how they did it or better yet...Be original, make up a style.

[JD08]

No How to draw books are good. Nobody really draws like that my brother tries at them and it never looks right. I only get them to get ideas the one aspect I can say is helpful are the movements of body.

[O-chan]

It depends. The ones like the one pictured are a good reference for how certain techniques can be done but if you're looking at these books to draw specifically in "manga" style then that's where you go wrong. While I draw in "manga" style it's a style that came about by practicing a lot of different styles and just streamlining into what I felt comfortable drawing and these days I'm trying to study the mechanics of art and focus less on hoping on the "what's popular" train.

O-chan

[Dudley]

How to Draw Manga books actually serve as normal How to Draw books. You learn how to draw the human figure in them. Nothing stylized, but not over-realistic. That book at the beginning of the post is the best example in that it shows you how to draw muscles.

[Chazooma]

It may be helpful for some people,
but I think it's a better use of your time just studying photographs of people for anatomy practice,
or taking a trip to the posemaniacs website.

If the book teaches one how to break down the human figure into simple shapes and a simplified skeleton,
it'll maybe be useful, but there are tutorials for that online for free.

I think one shouldn't try to copy a style, but find your own.
Its also recommended to learn the fundamentals and basics of the human figure before stylizing.

[Sparticus]

They're really no more useful or detrimental than any "how do draw" book. The best thing it can teach you is how to break things down into simpler shapes (and after a while that changes as your skill grows and your style develops), maybe give some pointers on shading and line quality, or recommend some art supplies.

I've found watching people draw is far more helpful than books though. Seeing how lines go down as it's happening really answers a lot of questions.

[Ickis]

I think one shouldn't try to copy a style, but find your own.
Its also recommended to learn the fundamentals and basics of the human figure before stylizing. Thats the way to go right there, though I suggest one to copy what they like of other styles, then mold them into their own. I draw the old way and don't even bother with styling, just function and appeal, after all what good is a character if he can't move right?

From experince hardly any how to draw books seemed useful, I've been drawing for years and I'm self-tought for the most part but I should mention I'm not good at drawing the mainstream anime\manga style, I can draw some early anime if you count old anime like Doraemon. If these how to draw manga books don't cover the style why do they mention manga on the cover?

[R-Taco]

I kind of gag every time I see those. Manga isn't a "style", and more importantly, one's best bet is to try and do things their own way.

Really, you're just better off drawing from life or looking at realistic "How To Draw" books before you start stylizing things. Art that's based on another person's non-realistic style tends to be......not so good.

[SpaceCowboy]

I kind of gag every time I see those. Manga isn't a "style", and more importantly, one's best bet is to try and do things their own way.

Really, you're just better off drawing from life or looking at realistic "How To Draw" books before you start stylizing things. Art that's based on another person's non-realistic style tends to be......not so good.
These books seem to be just an English-translated rendition of a Japanese book series. I've seen a few of the Japanese-language volumes at a used Japanese bookstore. Don't know why they'd bother to make such books in Japan to begin with. I could understand it in the US as a cash-in on the anime craze we once had in the early '00s.

[Philmister978]

I have and it is quite hard. I even have a How to Draw Transformers book that was written and Illustrated by two official people involved with the Marvel/Dreamwave/IDW series (Simon Fuman and Guido Guldi *Or however you spell his last name*).

It does give the basic tricks on drawing, but I can't draw like that at all. In fact, I draw in a half Anime/half Cartoonish style. I suck at drawing full Anime style myself.

[Dogasu]

Don't know why they'd bother to make such books in Japan to begin with. I could understand it in the US as a cash-in on the anime craze we once had in the early '00s.

Because in Japan the word "manga" simply means "comic."

We get "How to Draw Comics the Marvel Way," they get "How to Draw Comics ("Manga")."