Manga For Dummies
by Kensuke Okabayashi
List Price:
Our Price: $6.86
You Save: $13.13 (66%)
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Buy Used: from $3.09 (click here)
Category: Book
See more book details and other editions
Book Summary Information
Author: Kensuke OkabayashiBrand: Wiley Publishing
Edition: Paperback
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language); English (Published)
Published: 2007-02-05
ISBN: 0470080256
Number of pages: 440
Publisher: For Dummies
Product features:
- WIL-08025
- 9780470080252
- Brand New Item / Unopened Product
- Wiley Publishing
Book Reviews of Manga For Dummies
Book Review: not that great... especially for mecha enthusiasts. read this review for valuable art theory
Summary: 2 Stars
the book is tempting, but offers little in the way of actual drawing physics that explain why a design works, and therefore NOT a dummies guide to drawing manga.
if i may be biased for a second... the drawings in the book are your typical oddly proportioned American manga, and therefore inaccurate. if this does not bother you, then that's good. but in sheer honesty, i would rather spend my money on a book that has the correct traditional anime/manga proportioning because it just looks far more aesthetically pleasing and would inspire me to draw... not to mention accurate.
if your a Mecha junkie like me, you will NOT find your holy grail here. the book vaguely goes over MINOR and BASIC mecha theory, but NOT deep enough to actually make any difference WHAT-SO-EVER to your robot drawing skill. i do not know where you can find a decent book for this... i my self have spent the last 3 years studying mecha theory by trying to find patterns in the robots from famous mecha creators. studying the shape relations in Mamoru Nagano's Five Star Stories is both mind boggling, but if you survive you will learn the tricks of the trade that many of us die for... and what people like him get paid for.
while there is a mountain of "how to draw manga" books, i have seen few that really grasp the concepts. "How to Draw Manga" by Hikaru Hayashi seems to have MUCH more substance to his teachings, and the drawings are authentic anime; not this sloppy newbie-american stuff; (yes i'm caucasian, but i know my anime.)
the truth is with mecha theory is that it's immensely extensive. it would easily be a book on it's own. so if you buy a slim mecha design book, or a book that doesn't have a decent sized chapter, then your not going to learn the fundamentals. i would love to explain them all but doing so would create MANY "review" pages.
i will give you this hint for drawing: all angles, edges, lines and shapes are repeated through out a mecha. similar shapes that are close by become nearly un-notice able. curves a beautiful and difficult to see, while triangles/points/corners will catch the eye; and you must control those to prevent the eye from darting everywhere. the area of focus is at the head, chest, waist, and shoulders, therefore the design must be catchy. the top of the head, relates to the length of the foot. evry shape has 3 properties: solid, negative, and detailed. the detailed shape acts as a negative shape and helps divert the eye... or catch it. negative space must reflect the leading theme shape. theme is what makes a design sell. and always separate similar shapes with un-similar shapes to create a triangle. lastly... all of these properties apply to color, and be concious of the "stereotypes" for color, because they will help you mecha. remember color represents weight, mood, skill level, ethnicity (occasionally), and general visibility. parallel lines also create control, you will find this property EVERYWHERE (especially for gundam), it's in tree limbs, in anime faces, in cars... everywhere... it is a governing principle for design control. look for where lines end, because they lead to the next important area to study. shapes may be different, but similar thickness will greatly help. and figure = function can ruin your elaborate design, so don't get too hung up in it.
for mecha: Hajime Katoki, Mamoru Nagano, Kazumi Fujita, Izubuchi, Kunio Okawara are the pros (not so much for Izubuchi. he's a worth mention because of his Char Counter Attack mecha.) study them WELL. if you think you see a pattern, study it HARDER. lastly, to solve proportion problems, flip the image over. use "Borden and Riley" semi-transparent paper (it's GODLY). and NEVER be afraid to trace your fav design, and if you need to rip off a design just to get it out of your head... DO IT.
well.. i think i've uncovered enough drawing-physics secrets. it's up to you to experiment with them
Summary of Manga For Dummies
If you love Manga, you?ll eat Manga For Dummies, right up. This step-by-step guide shows you how to create all of your favorite Manga characters from rough sketch through final full-color renderings. You?ll build your skills as you draw animals, mythical creatures, superheroes, teenagers, and villains?along with their weapons, cars, and homes. Soon you?ll be inventing your own characters and placing them in stylish poses and stirring action scenes. Before you know it you?ll be knocking out storyboards and plotlines for you own Manga book. Find out how to:- Gear up for drawing with all the right tools and materials
- Develop the basic skills of Manga figure drawing
- Customize and accessorize your Manga characters
- Design spectacular weapons, gadgets, mechas, and vehicles
- Create 3-D drawings and give characters motion and emotion
- Write an exciting Manga Story
Complete with a stunning, full-color 8 page insert, Manga for Dummies is your real-life guide to the ultimate fantasy world.
Graphic Design Books
Book Subjects
- Arts & Photography
- Biographies & Memoirs
- Business & Investing
- Children's Books
- Comics & Graphic Novels
- Computers & Internet
- Cooking, Food & Wine
- Entertainment
- Gay & Lesbian
- Health, Mind & Body
- History
- Home & Garden
- Horror
- Law
- Literature & Fiction
- Mystery & Thrillers
- Nonfiction
- Outdoors & Nature
- Parenting & Families
- Professional & Technical
- Reference
- Religion & Spirituality
- Romance
- Science
- Science Fiction & Fantasy
- Sports
- Teens
- Travel
Most talked about in Graphic Design Books
Rendering Fashion, Fabric and Prints with Adobe Illustratorby M. Kathleen Colussy, Steve Greenberg
Prentice Hall; Published: 2006-09-25; Paperback; Book
Best price: $59.98
Price in other shops:
Inside Fashion Design, 5th Editionby Sharon Lee Tate, Mona S. Edwards
Prentice Hall; Published: 2003-08-14; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $59.95
Price in other shops:
Graphic Design: Vision, Process Productby Louis Ocepek
Prentice Hall; Published: 2002-12-19; Paperback; Book
Best price: $22.75
Price in other shops:
Designer's Guide to Print Productionby Kayanna Pace
Prentice Hall; Published: 2001-09-17; Paperback; Book
Best price: $6.42
Price in other shops:
Instructor's Manual Set for All Wordperfect 5.1 Texts: Text and 5 1/ 4" IBM Data Diskby Gonzalez
McGraw Hill Higher Education; Published: 1991-05-01; Paperback; Book
Talking with Artistsby Pat Cummings
Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing; Published: 1992-03-31; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $5.35
Price in other shops:
American Picturebooks from Noah's Ark to the Beast Withinby Barbara Bader
Macmillan Pub Co; Published: 1976-05; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $112.12
Art of the Hobbitby J R R Tolkien
Harpercollins; Published: 2011-10-27; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $30.07
Comics (Learn to Draw)by John Byrne
Trafalgar Square; Published: 2001-03; Paperback; Book
Price in other shops:
Printmaking: History and Processby Donald Saff, Deli Sacilotto
Wadsworth Publishing; Published: 1978-01-02; Paperback; Book
Best price: $99.67
Price in other shops:
Similar Books and other products
Drawing Cartoons and Comics For Dummiesby Brian Fairrington
Wiley Publishing; For Dummies; Published: 2009-08-03; Paperback; Book
Best price: $3.81
Price in other shops:
The Manga Artist's Workbook: Easy-to-Follow Lessons for Creating Your Own Charactersby Christopher Hart
Potter Style; Published: 2009-10-13; Spiral-bound; Book
Best price: $8.86
Price in other shops:
PITT Artist Pens- Manga Set of Eight Assorted PensFaber Castell; Faber Castell; Faber Castell; Office Product; Office Product
Best price: $8.98
Price in other shops:
Manga Studio Debut 4 (Win/ Mac)Smith Micro Software Inc.; Smith Micro Software Inc.; Release date: 2008-12-22; Windows Vista; Software
Best price: $37.00
Price in other shops:
The Complete Idiot's Guide to Drawing Manga, Illustratedby John Layman, David Hutchison
Alpha; Published: 2005-05-03; Mass Market Paperback; Book
Best price: $7.99
Price in other shops:
Figure Drawing For Dummiesby Kensuke Okabayashi
Wiley Publishing; For Dummies; Published: 2009-01-09; Paperback; Book
Best price: $12.06
Price in other shops:
Manga Studio For Dummiesby Doug Hills
For Dummies; Published: 2008-01-10; Paperback; Book
Best price: $12.46
Price in other shops:
The Monster Book of Manga: Draw Like the Expertsby Fernando Casaus
HarperCollins Publishers; Published: 2006-01-03; Paperback; Book
Best price: $13.91
Price in other shops:
The Complete Idiot's Guide to Drawing Manga Illustrated, 2nd Editionby John Layman, David Hutchison
Brady Games; Alpha; Published: 2008-12-02; Paperback; Book
Best price: $9.99
Price in other shops:
Manga for the Beginner: Everything you Need to Start Drawing Right Away!by Christopher Hart
Watson-Guptil; Watson-Guptill; Published: 2008-08-05; Paperback; Book
Best price: $13.90
Price in other shops: