Graphic novels and comics find its origin in Japan and became popular in China and is popularly known as “Manhua”. Whether you call it Manhua, Manga, Anime or Comics, today it is extremely popular. People of all age have an interest in these comics and some of these comics are animated for the popularity it achieves. Drawing Manga or cartooning is a very lucrative idea for those with artistic tendencies, but even if you are not one of them, you can still dabble in the world of drawing cartoon to test waters. In this article, we will discuss the two parts of making up a manga.
Concept
Start with the concept that you want. You can think or plan of an original storyline or take inspiration from any manga of your choice. You also need to think about the genre of the story, maybe you like action and adventure or you want to make a coming of age comic series. Whatever the genre and the concept, chalk out the story and plan your characters and settings and the entire story. Planning is a huge concept in drawing a manga, so you need to pay attention to detail and also the story line.
Characters
The entire manga experience is based on the character. Draw your manga character’s head. This is the starting point for your manga and this is where the entire character takes foundation. Draw out the hair, it can either be inspired from some of your favourite characters or you can carve out your own complicated or equally unique hairstyle. Add facial expression or make several facial expression concepts for varying moods and depth to the character. Once you are happy with your main character, go a step ahead and make the supporting characters as many as you like. Change the hairstyle and expressions to change genders or you can chalk out entirely new character by following the earlier steps. Once you are set with the tone and sketches of your character, you are ready to draw the entire character. Incorporate the face, body, hairstyles and fashion sense into the sketch. You can make different characters by changing the accessories or fashion style along with the hairstyles and expressions.
Enhancements
You can add up pets and characters like robots. You can also dabble into the setting of the manga and draw out homes or other setting as per your concept.
If you would like to colour your creation, it is the time. Pick up your favourite colouring tools and get to work. Many people like watercolours or even crayon. You can choose whichever you like. In fact so many artists do not colour their manga at all, to prevent the details from washing out. They believe that colouring the manga will dilute the details or take away the attention entirely. Whichever side of the debate you are on, it is your choice to how you want to enhance the manga or not at all. But do enjoy the process and happy cartooning.
