How to Draw Manga Characters: A Beginner's Guide

Established how-to-draw author and artist J.C. Amberlyn's guide to drawing adorable Japanese-style characters and their chibi sidekicks in all the popular manga genres - shojo; shounen; magical girls; fantasy; mecha; school life; and horror.

Bring your imagination to life. In her second manga book, best-selling author J.C. Amberlyn focuses on favorite manga archetype characters, with a fun and lively how-to-draw book aimed at beginners.

Every genre of manga has its typical characters - plucky hero and heroine; school boys and girls; funny friend/sidekick; serious warrior; young innocent; bishounen; genki girls; chibis; chibi animals; cat girls/cat boys; magical girls; adorable animals; strong/scary animals; gothic characters; fantasy characters - and they are all here along with the step-by-step drawing instructions needed to give even beginners the direction they need to create the favorite characters they can’t get enough of. A final chapter on backgrounds, scenery, and the environment will further give readers the information they need to pull everything together and create their own manga characters and the worlds they live in.

Includes 23 step-by-step demonstrations and exercises. J.C. Amberlyn takes you through everything you need to know to create your favorite manga characters from Japanese comics or design your own. Includes in-depth instruction on character types, drawing the head and face, expressions, bodies and gestures, settings, scenes and samples.

J.C. Amberlyn is an artist, book author, photographer, and animator. She is the author of Drawing Wildlife; Drawing Manga Animals, Chibis, and Other Adorable Creatures; and The Artist’s Guide to Drawing Animals: How to Draw Cats, Dogs, and Other Favorite Pets. J.C. loves art, animation, animals, and adventure in the great outdoors. She seeks to create visual and written works of art that strike a chord with her audience, whether they celebrate the life that shares the planet with us or the rich inner workings of the human mind and experience. With her books, she shares techniques for creating epic stories, engaging characters, and appealing art for readers of all skill levels. Her work has received recognition and a number of awards and has been published in various media. She lives in Arizona.