AnimeSuki Forums

sOnJoOL · 2004-12-14, 19:34

hi, im trying to create manga.
but i donno how to get started.

for example,
inks, toning, supplies. and where to get it.
and how much of an investment ill need to create about 20 pages of manga.
im really serious about creating one. so please help me out.

anime-otaku · 2004-12-15, 22:48

First things first, you need to do some thumbnails of the manga you are trying to make then you need to know how to arrange panels, I suggest you familarize yourself with paneling, I cannot distress how important paneling work is for manga. You should go and look at a few mangas and see how the manga uses their panels to show action,speech and such.

As for the supplies, you don't really need a tones ( as most of todays mangas are digitally toned) if you have a steady hand you can try inking, but be warned inking is a skill to master onto itself. I suggest you get Sakura microns(I recommend you get ".05", "0.1","0.3" and "1.0" thicknesses) they are pretty affordable and good for beginners, if you want manga paper go for BRISTOL type paper, they are great for holding ink. Good luck with your manga.

Kiva128 · 2004-12-16, 13:31

Sonjool, I know you've read my manga so you know that I have at least a bit of knowledge on the subject.

First thing, if you REALLY want to start a manga you have to say this to yourself, like I did "I _will_ finish it no matter what." There's no point in starting a manga and giving up 6 pages into it because it's "too hard." I won't lie when I say there were times I was seriously thinking about stopping half way on mine, but I didn't. Looking back, I'm glad I finished it.

Infact, when I started, I didn't know jack diddly about drawing manga. Hell, I didn't even ink at all. I never draw any backgrounds before either save a few crappy doodles of landscapes...looking back this manga was a bunch of "first time ever" thingies put together.

Anyways about how to start...

Once again I'll have to use examples from me because I don't know how other people start manga. I used 8x11" printer paper to begin with and looking back, that may not have been such a good idea. So you'd probably want to get at least those big sketchbook sized pieces before beginning. It makes working with panels MUCH easier.

As for pens, pretty much what anime-otaku said. Although you really don't need the absolute best pens to ink (though good ones are obviously going to be better than the cheaper ones). I was forced to use a $1 dollar ballpoint pen for the last 6-7 pages of my manga and it still turned out okay (took a hell of a lot longer though).

You don't really _need_ to ink and comic tone your pages but if done right, they end up looker way better than just a cleaned up sketch. But like I said, those things will make the manga take longer.

About sound effects, I personally chose to leave those out of mine due to the hassle it takes to think of english words to describe movements like "hair blowing in the wind" or something like that. Once again, it's up to you to decide if you want them or not. It's not a big deal if they aren't there though.

It took me 1 year and 2 months of on and off work to do 23 pages + a full color last page. But if you focus on it all day and not ink or comic tone, you could most likely get it done in under a month (2 months tops). Don't forget you'll have to type your font onto the pages so it should be neat and big enough to read.

Anyways I think that just about does it. Remember, don't give up no matter what. You'll be much happier knowing you finished than remembering you gave up half way.

If I think of anything else relevant I'll post it. Hope I didn't scare you away but this is how it is. A manga is a lot of work especially when you do it yourself with no help (like me =[). Also, there are a bunch of "how to draw manga" books out there that teach the basics of how to begin. Now that I mentioned that, I believe I used those to begin mine too so they are actually very helpful.

P.S. If anyone here wants to take a look at my manga you can find it here:
http://www.wholesaleautocentre.com/Kiva128Manga.zip

(for the record the art gets better as you go on...it's a perfect example of how practice makes perfect...I mean, just compare the first pages to the last ones! You'd think someone else finished the manga or something.) Oh yeah that reminds me, this is also a REALLY good way to improve your drawing skills since you will be drawing quite a bit.

Anyways, good luck! Hope to see your manga soon.

EDIT: Almost forgot one important one. Reading other peoples mangas and seeing how they panel and all that stuff is also a good way to learn.

EDIT2: Almost for the THE most important thing. And it may sound stupid but it's 100% true. You have to have fun drawing the manga or else it won't end up good. And by fun I don't mean like...laughing when you draw panels or something but something like "It would be cool if this happend here and then he came in and said..." just playing with the story and thinking of cool things. That's where the fun really is. And that way drawing your manga will seem that much easier because it won't seem like a chore anymore.

sOnJoOL · 2004-12-16, 20:06

the problem is, i donno where to buy these pens.
office depot?
im starting over the winter break.

Shoeshefied · 2004-12-16, 23:47

well before the expensive eqipments and all that neo-manga arrose, first came the old school pencil, (commonly orange/yellow with the red eraser) that wouldd...uhh i dont know what im talkin about. Hey i got something that might help start you up...thoughh tell me if its useful or not

Spoiler:

sOnJoOL · 2004-12-17, 00:26

Quote:

Originally Posted by Shoeshefied

well before the expensive eqipments and all that neo-manga arrose, first came the old school pencil, (commonly orange/yellow with the red eraser) that wouldd...uhh i dont know what im talkin about. Hey i got something that might help start you up...thoughh tell me if its useful or not

Spoiler:

thanks. got some idea.
ill try to experiment with different equipment before i start.
but damn 3 finals tomorrow. lousy "before winter specials".......

2004-12-14, 19:34	Link #1
sOnJoOL Senior Member Join Date: Feb 2004	Manga Help hi, im trying to create manga. but i donno how to get started. for example, inks, toning, supplies. and where to get it. and how much of an investment ill need to create about 20 pages of manga. im really serious about creating one. so please help me out.

2004-12-16, 13:31	Link #3
Kiva128 Kairin-chan's #1 Fan Artist Join Date: Jul 2003 Location: Canada	Sonjool, I know you've read my manga so you know that I have at least a bit of knowledge on the subject. First thing, if you REALLY want to start a manga you have to say this to yourself, like I did "I _will_ finish it no matter what." There's no point in starting a manga and giving up 6 pages into it because it's "too hard." I won't lie when I say there were times I was seriously thinking about stopping half way on mine, but I didn't. Looking back, I'm glad I finished it. Infact, when I started, I didn't know jack diddly about drawing manga. Hell, I didn't even ink at all. I never draw any backgrounds before either save a few crappy doodles of landscapes...looking back this manga was a bunch of "first time ever" thingies put together. Anyways about how to start... Once again I'll have to use examples from me because I don't know how other people start manga. I used 8x11" printer paper to begin with and looking back, that may not have been such a good idea. So you'd probably want to get at least those big sketchbook sized pieces before beginning. It makes working with panels MUCH easier. As for pens, pretty much what anime-otaku said. Although you really don't need the absolute best pens to ink (though good ones are obviously going to be better than the cheaper ones). I was forced to use a $1 dollar ballpoint pen for the last 6-7 pages of my manga and it still turned out okay (took a hell of a lot longer though). You don't really _need_ to ink and comic tone your pages but if done right, they end up looker way better than just a cleaned up sketch. But like I said, those things will make the manga take longer. About sound effects, I personally chose to leave those out of mine due to the hassle it takes to think of english words to describe movements like "hair blowing in the wind" or something like that. Once again, it's up to you to decide if you want them or not. It's not a big deal if they aren't there though. It took me 1 year and 2 months of on and off work to do 23 pages + a full color last page. But if you focus on it all day and not ink or comic tone, you could most likely get it done in under a month (2 months tops). Don't forget you'll have to type your font onto the pages so it should be neat and big enough to read. Anyways I think that just about does it. Remember, don't give up no matter what. You'll be much happier knowing you finished than remembering you gave up half way. If I think of anything else relevant I'll post it. Hope I didn't scare you away but this is how it is. A manga is a lot of work especially when you do it yourself with no help (like me =[). Also, there are a bunch of "how to draw manga" books out there that teach the basics of how to begin. Now that I mentioned that, I believe I used those to begin mine too so they are actually very helpful. P.S. If anyone here wants to take a look at my manga you can find it here: http://www.wholesaleautocentre.com/Kiva128Manga.zip (for the record the art gets better as you go on...it's a perfect example of how practice makes perfect...I mean, just compare the first pages to the last ones! You'd think someone else finished the manga or something.) Oh yeah that reminds me, this is also a REALLY good way to improve your drawing skills since you will be drawing quite a bit. Anyways, good luck! Hope to see your manga soon. EDIT: Almost forgot one important one. Reading other peoples mangas and seeing how they panel and all that stuff is also a good way to learn. EDIT2: Almost for the THE most important thing. And it may sound stupid but it's 100% true. You have to have fun drawing the manga or else it won't end up good. And by fun I don't mean like...laughing when you draw panels or something but something like "It would be cool if this happend here and then he came in and said..." just playing with the story and thinking of cool things. That's where the fun really is. And that way drawing your manga will seem that much easier because it won't seem like a chore anymore. __________________ My New Site http://www.azuremidnight.com Summer Kairin Drawing! http://forums.animesuki.com/showthre...44#post3086844

2004-12-16, 23:47	Link #5
Shoeshefied Senior Member Join Date: Aug 2004 Location: EST Age: 38	well before the expensive eqipments and all that neo-manga arrose, first came the old school pencil, (commonly orange/yellow with the red eraser) that wouldd...uhh i dont know what im talkin about. Hey i got something that might help start you up...thoughh tell me if its useful or not Spoiler: these are just samples that you can get buy buying the book called How to Draw Manga. Its very neat though hmhmhm. Looking forward to your manga hey kiva the mangas you drew are very awesome!

2004-12-15, 22:48	Link #2
anime-otaku Lazy Guitarist Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: Brooklyn Age: 39	First things first, you need to do some thumbnails of the manga you are trying to make then you need to know how to arrange panels, I suggest you familarize yourself with paneling, I cannot distress how important paneling work is for manga. You should go and look at a few mangas and see how the manga uses their panels to show action,speech and such. As for the supplies, you don't really need a tones ( as most of todays mangas are digitally toned) if you have a steady hand you can try inking, but be warned inking is a skill to master onto itself. I suggest you get Sakura microns(I recommend you get ".05", "0.1","0.3" and "1.0" thicknesses) they are pretty affordable and good for beginners, if you want manga paper go for BRISTOL type paper, they are great for holding ink. Good luck with your manga.

2004-12-16, 20:06	Link #4
sOnJoOL Senior Member Join Date: Feb 2004	the problem is, i donno where to buy these pens. office depot? im starting over the winter break.