Manga Comics for Beginners: From Concept to Creation

Manga Comics for Beginners: From Concept to Creation

“Well done. You have reached the end of this Domestika course. Congratulations on finishing and thank you for joining me! I hope my lessons have given you guidance and inspiration to make your own manga comics. Before saying goodbye, I’m going to review the necessary steps to complete your final project. Your task will be to create your own manga or at least one page of it! Here are some main tips to guide you:

• First, you will need to decide on a story and write your script. Choose something that is personal to you; something that you can relate to. Ask yourself: What's the conflict and the resolution? Who will be the characters? And what’s the timeline? Using references at this stage can be a great source of inspiration. Keep manga books close by and each time you get stuck, flip through them. This is especially advisable when storyboarding your manga, which leads me to the next phase of your project.

• Now, create your storyboard. Think about the layout and the margins. Refer to references if needed. But, don’t forget to experiment a little. As long as you make the manga readable and not too confusing. Your art style and storytelling will both benefit from you trying new things rather than simply following your influences. Once you have a clear idea of what you want your story to look like, start sketching your panels.

• Then, it’s time to move to the inking stage. Once this is complete, choose to add screentones or not. Use the tools and materials I mentioned in Unit 2. This will help to make your manga look more authentic. It’s all about that pasta recipe, remember? Have the right ingredients and follow the steps, and the result will match your expectations!

A final note: remember that making manga takes time. Set up a schedule and get a routine going. A manga page takes about 5-15 hours on average, depending on how experienced the artist is. If you want to make a longer manga, drawing daily is vital. Not only in order to finish, but also to keep it consistent. But, don’t forget to also have fun. Avoid comparing yourself to others. Don’t be afraid to stand out from the crowd and do something unique! Just like you, I started drawing out of the sheer will and drive to put my creative energy on paper. The stories are like spirits that haunt me and I need to drive them out of my body. Thus, making manga has become a kind of therapy for me. I hope you can find your own motivation to keep drawing your manga. And that’s all! Thanks again for taking part. This course has been so fun to make. I hope it’s been useful to you and you feel inspired. Now, share your final project by clicking on "Create your project". Remember to share both the final result and the steps that led you to it. It would be great if you could show a picture of each step and add a brief explanation, so I can give you feedback. I will be in the forum to answer your questions and take a look at your posts, so meet me there. You will also have the chance to talk to the other students taking this course, a great opportunity to learn from each other. See you there!”

Partial transcription of the video

“Final Project Now we've reached the end of this course. I want to review with you the most important steps that you need to follow to finalize this project. The first thing you need is a story. This is the hard part, but this is where everything begins. Follow your ideas and identify the one that is very personal to you. It's always easier to tell stories that you can relate to. You need to ask yourself which is your conflict or dilemma. Who are your characters? What is the timeline for your story? Once you know all this information, you'll be ready to write your script. Pay attention to th...”

This transcript is automatically generated, so it may contain mistakes.

Course summary for: Manga Comics for Beginners: From Concept to Creation

• Level: Beginner
• 99% positive reviews (163)
• 9841 students
• 5 units
• 21 lessons (4h 54m)
• 16 downloads

• Category

  Illustration

• Software

  Clip Studio Paint

• Areas

  Comic, Digital Illustration, Drawing, Ink Illustration, Manga, Narrative, Storyboard, Traditional illustration