The Complete Guide to Anime Techniques: Create Mesmerizing Manga-Style Animation with Pencils, Paint, and Pixels

Art students learn to reproduce the distinctive style and vibrant colors that characterize Japanese movie animation--or anime. The author explains every stage in the creative process, from storyboarding to preparing and distributing the finished movie or video. Step-by-step tutorials demonstrate fundamental skills, such as hand-painting characters and backgrounds on separate cel layers, working with 3D graphics, and using digital pen-and-tone techniques. Separate chapters focus on stylistic techniques, animation basics such as characters' movements and lip synching, application of styles that comprise fundamentals of animated visual grammar, and other vital topics for successful movie animation. This very useful manual features more than 400 instructive color illustrations.

(back cover)
Japanese animation is one of the most exciting and influential media of recent years. With its distinctive style and vibrant colors, this dominant entertainment force has transcended the world of animation to influence movies, video games, graphic design, and even fashion. Discover how to create dynamic anime using traditional or digital media.

Learn the core style elements and visual language of anime. Simplify characters without losing their impact, create exaggerated facial expressions; use shadows and shading for dramatic effects, add lip synching and speed lines to convey movement.

Richly illustrated with screengrabs, stills, and artwork, step-by-step tutorials demonstrate key skills such as hand-painting characters and backgrounds on separate cel layers, working with 3-D graphics, and using digital pen-and-tone techniques.

Every stage of the animation process is explained, from scripting and storyboarding to preparing and distributing your movie. Includes information on storytelling conventions and advice on characterization.

Chi Hang Li is a graphic design graduate who specializes in Contemporary Digital Arts. Born and raised in Hong Kong, he has a natural affinity with Asian cultures and their aesthetic principles. Chi has been a lifelong devotee of Japanese Manga/Anime and has been a dedicated Manga and Anime illustrator for many years, publishing his work online.

Chris Patmore is a London-based writer specializing in creative technology. He is the author of The Complete Animation Course (Barron s) and Movie Making Course (Barron s) and runs a website for animators and comic book artists.

Hayden Scott-Baron is a professional video game artist, focusing on character design. He has produced artwork and scripts for several manga-styled graphic novels and has created character illustrations for books, magazines, and advertisements. He is the author of Digital Manga Techniques (Barron s).