The Mechanics of Anime and Manga: Drawing an Anime or Manga Character from Concept to Color
by: curvezilla September 06 2006
I received an advanced copy of The Mechanics of Anime and Manga in the mail the other day and figured I would give it a read.
This book is incredibly informative from the types of pencils you should use to character concepts, all the way to using Photoshop for coloring. This book really does have it all! Now I must say that it is for intermediate to advanced artists. So if you are a complete noob like me, don’t expect it to teach you every detail of drawing. The authors assume you already know the basics. Let’s do a chapter breakdown and I’ll tell you what I thought.
Chapter 1: I enjoyed chapter one because I really had no idea of all the different tools an artist used. I am telling you guys again that I knew NOTHING about drawing before this book, even though I have been a comic fan my whole life. I have no talent drawing so I guess that’s why I never paid attention. I digress. Chapter one explains all the pencils and pens, markers, t-squares and French curves. The only thing I didn’t agree with was there explanation of the downside of using a computer. The biggest issue was the expense of the computer and programs. I just think that computers are so pervasive today that everyone has them and I wouldn’t even think of getting into making comics without one.
Chapter 2: The author gives a great description of file formats (vector vs. raster) and which to use in what scenario.
Chapter 3: This is the big daddy of all chapters in this book! It’s over a 100 pages on Concept and it does not disappoint. I learned a lot about anime characters from the descriptions of their concepts. More importantly this chapter really emphasizes how important it is to really put some thought into your character before putting pencil to paper.
Chapter 4: Was all about using your Blue Line pencil. I learned so much about flow and balance and how to draw some sweet stick figures. Even a guy with no talent benefited greatly from the tips on translating a figure into basic shapes. It was great seeing how dynamic you can make a drawing with the right technique.
Chapter 5: This chapter opened my eyes to things in my comics I had never noticed before. Chapter five explained Line of Action and dynamic stances. Now I see S curves or lines of action on all my comic book heroes.
I am going to save the last couple of chapter for you guys to read yourself. If you are interested in drawing Manga or Anime, then you should own this book. If you just want to learn more about the craft of penciling, inking and coloring you should own this book. There is so much in volume one that it should have probably been split into two books. This book is really jammed packed with info. I had a lot of fun learning and even attempted my own anime drawing. Don’t let how bad my drawing is keep you from buying the book. They couldn’t help me with personal tutoring 
