Essential Tools to Draw Manga Characters and Comics Easily

Create dynamic manga illustrations and get ahead in your drawing journey by finding the right artist's drawing tools from the start

Manga, the Japanese drawing style that has taken the world by storm in the last 50 years or so, is known for its expressive characters, page-turning plots, and exaggerated gestures. For artists, creating manga means using distinctive shapes, composition, and line weights to communicate emotion.

Here, discover the traditional tools that manga creators (or mangaka) use to draw illustrations and full comics, before polishing their work digitally. Discover the five key types of art supplies, and which brands and models to get, all recommended by artist Natalia Batista (@nataliasmanga).

Getting started with manga drawing tools

Here’s a quick introduction to the five tool types you need to draw manga:

1. Paper: copy paper and inking paper.

2. Inking tools: steel nibs and a pen holder.

3. Ink and whiteout.

4. Fineliners.

5. Sketching tools.

Natalia, known for her manga comics Sword Princess Amaltea and Mjau!, recommends getting your tools in order before you start drawing, so you can get confident right away. They’re generally inexpensive and available online, so as long as you’re excited to start drawing manga they’re a good investment.

Find more details below on which brands and types of tool you can look out for, to ensure a professional finish.

1. Paper

Normal copy paper can be used for sketching and also for some ink illustration, as long as you work with a light touch. However, for a professional project you’ll want to take things to the next level.

A pad of inking paper will make a huge difference, because your nibs can glide smoothly over it. Aim for a heavyweight, like 250gsm, from a brand such as Bristol.

Pro tip: It’s worth noting that greasy or smudged ink paper won’t take your ink as well: so you might want to wear a cotton glove to prevent any oils from your skin transferring onto the paper. Natalia cuts her cotton glove so it only covers the fingers that might cause smudging, and she can still hold her pen effectively.

Finally, you can also look for comic paper, such as the brand Deleter. This comes in the right size with grids to create professional comics.

2. Steel nibs

For manga, it’s great to work with the following three nib sizes, all of which are consistently popular in the professional manga industry in Japan (and worldwide).

- Maru pen nib. This is a small, rounded nib used for thin lines (maru is the Japanese word for round).

- G pen nib, for thicker lines and shading.

- School pen nib, also for thicker lines.

To use the nibs, you’ll also need a pen holder, which functions as the barrel and grip of the pen while you’re illustrating.

Pro tip: to keep grease off your nibs before you start drawing, a lighter can be carefully held underneath for a couple of seconds to clean them (remember to watch your fingers!).

3. Ink and whiteout

Natalia prefers Pilot Ink, which comes in small pots. It’s worth also getting sticky tabs to place under your ink pot, so there’s never a risk of knocking over the pot and spilling ink all over your prized work!

Remember to also get some whiteout in liquid form which can be used to cover ink mistakes. To use it, dot some whiteout onto the page on or near your mistake, and carefully spread it to cover all of the areas required.

4. Fineliner pens

These are black ink pens with fine nibs, which are used to create light, slim lines with a consistent weight. They may be used in conjunction with ink, but you won’t normally use them alone — without proper steel ink nibs, you won’t get the same variety of line weights and styles that create dynamism in your manga.

5. Tools for sketching and planning

You’ll want to find the pencils and erasers that allow you to work cleanly. Natalia recommends a mechanical pencil (which will come with replaceable leads) and Mono brand eraser.

It’s common to see blue and green leads being used by professional comic artists, and Natalia uses green lead. Using green means there’s no need to erase all of it when you’re done inking: in editing, the computer can pick up and remove your green sketches.

Lastly, have a ruler handy to help you keep track of proportions and sizing within your comic panels or illustration: a simple 30cm ruler will work.

Once you have collected these materials together, you’re ready to go. And if you're looking for more guidance, don't forget to check out Natalia's full course on drawing unique manga characters.

Start creating your own manga stories with these resources

1. Practice character illustration by going step-by-step through Natalia’s tutorial on drawing Princess Mononoke.

2. Explore further with seven free manga and sumi-e drawing tutorials.

3. Get inspired by the distinctive and iconic styles of these 13 great manga artists.

4. Expand your tools to include color and dynamism with this course on colorful marker techniques for manga by Taniidraw.