How to Get Started Illustrating Manga (and How to Bring Them to Life). Manga is much more than a drawing style: it is a visual language capable of conveying intense emotions, complex worlds and memorable characters with just a few strokes. Its narrative strength and recognizable aesthetics make it an ideal gateway for those who want to practice character illustration, anatomy, facial expressions and visual storytelling. Starting to illustrate manga does not require having a great written story or absolute technical mastery. In fact, many artists develop their style from base characters, exploring poses, emotions and relationships between them. This article proposes seven archetypal characters that will help you practice the basics of manga while you take your first steps and start building your own visual universe. Preliminary tips to start drawing manga characters. Before you start, it's a good idea to keep in mind some key aspects of manga drawing: - Eyes and expressions: they are usually big and expressive, especially in shojo and kawaii styles. Changing their shape completely alters the character's emotion. - Proportions: vary according to genre. The shonen tends to go for more athletic bodies, while shojo tends to more stylized figures. - Styles: shonen, shojo, seinen or josei have different codes, but all share a common anatomical base. - Tools: you can start with pencil and paper or directly in digital. Visual references and expression sheets are great allies. The most important thing: draw without fear of making mistakes. Each sketch is part of the learning process.
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By Aarón Martínez
Design & Illustration
