006 4 I personally love this book . It taught me many different styles that I can use , and how to draw different personalities and poses . I love drawing from this . Also , the pictures it shows you are great .
The only problem I would say is that you already need to know HOW to draw people or manga before you can use this , because it doesn't really give you the DIRECTIONS on how to draw it as if you don't really know how to , it just shows pictures and gives you a few tips along the way . You need to know the basics before you use this book .
023 4 This will not teach you to draw or create manga . I agree with many other reviewers when they say this book is not for beginners , but I'm experienced and I'll tell you , it's not for illustrators , either . It's just not a good book for the intended purpose . Not only does it lack anything remotely tutorial like , these drawings aren't themselves expert . They are nice comic pin-ups , yes , don't get me wrong , I'm not saying they're not , but it's important for cartoonists and illustrators to learn how a real person's weight would shift , how they would balance with their hands , and so forth . Many pictures in this book aren't displaying those solid basics . This means that by copying these pictures you might achieve okay pin-up practice , but not learn the movement needed to create great cartoons or sequential art , which is what manga is and what people want to see from experts ( the book never goes into sequential art technique , by the way ) .
Copying other people's drawings is very useful practice , but I'd suggest that , instead of this book , you pick up the work of your favorite mangaka and copy THAT over and over . Study an actual series where you love the illustration . That will serve you much better . Or , if not , just buy an artist's mannequin and pose it . That'll give you almost the same amount of help as this book .
In addition to what other reviewers have pointed out about the lack of verbal instruction , while we see various supposed stages of a sketch we're not shown any in-betweens . There will be a gestural circle in one phase , then a detailed face the next , but no method as to how or why figural detail was created , which is not only important to the style but the area of most difficulty for many people . Lines will appear in one phase then disappear the next when it would have been more useful to show the lightened work lines underneath each version . We get totally different pictures , too , where in one shot the sketch will be in underwear , then in the next , fully clothed . Why even draw the underwear ? No one would actually do that . I can see why the artist might have chosen to do so thinking the unclothed figure inappropriate , but having drawn many figures myself , I know that you don't have to draw nudity in detail to give the body muscular weight , and that is the point behind sketching a body before drawing the final clothed figure .
I have many art technique books and many books on style . I was hoping this might have been a good addition to my manga style library . All the copies in my local bookstore were shrink-wrapped so I bought this sight unseen . Poor choice . A good style book needs to be a good art technique book first , style expression second .
I think it worth a two-star rating because it is somewhat good at one thing ; listing the character types you might need to learn . It is in fact the only explanation given on any drawing - - These characters have these because in Japan / the Japanese audience yadayadayada .
001 4 This is a wonderful book period . But wonderful for whom ?
I am not a beginner in manga art but I am far from advanced . I found this book to be helpful AFTER I read other How to Draw Manga Books .
This is not a book for a beginner . The following are some pros and cons I have with this book .
First the Pros
PROS
1 . The book is 377 pages long .
2 . The artwork is incredible !
3 . The Variety of characters examples it contains.The index is as follows , each is met with a brief explanation of what is in each chapter .
Introduction : Just as it says .
Girls : The girls shown are : The Shy School Girl , Sporty , Static Movement , Cat Girl , Fighter , Gothic Lolita ( my favorite ) , Cybergirl , Pinup girl , and friends .
Fantasy : Male Elf , Female Elf , Knight , Explorer , Orc , Dwarf , Amazons , Goblin , Devil
Monsters : Succubus Dragon , Ghost , Worm , Werewolf , Mummmy , Monster from the Deep , and the every popular Vampire
Science Fiction : Demon , Bionic Girl , Cyberpet , Android , Combat Mecha , Octopus , star pilot , princess nebula , and reflections .
Music : Is my fave section in the book . It covers characters in all the different styles of music from Hip-hop to traditional to children's music .
The samurai section is amazing as well . It has witches , geisha , princesses , ninja , ronin , wanderer , samurai , and Sakura ( is a samurai that can fuse their body and spirit with their surroundings .
The final chapter is Drawing Digitally . This covers so much that I really can't type out the chapter titles .
4 . For each character there is a page each of the following :
A summary of the character , shape , anatomy , clothes , ink and lighting , and color .
Now for the cons of this book .
CONS :
1 . There aren't enough detailed descriptions on how to draw them although there are diagrams that you can look at .
2 . No angels , faries or anything like that in the fantasy section or anywhere in the book . That is a downfall to me .
3 . There is not a section particularly for boys . Just girls .
4 . The digital tutorial is only for adobe photoshop .
All in all I say if you like manga then pick this book up . I think you will enjoy it very much .
002 4 I got my One chan , ( Japanese for big sister ) , who is my best friend , to by this book for me for my B-Day . This book is huge ! ! ! Now , I wouldn't really say that it shows you the steps to drawing your manga like the experts , but it does give you the basic steps to drawing the character shown for that example . Which is cool , if you already know how to draw ! This book is filled with different characters and it shows you how to draw that specific charcter by using shapes to help you give the charcter correct balance and proportion . Another thing I found interesting to me was that they had a little section towards the back of the book for coloring tutorials . It gives you examples on using photoshop and another type of software that I can't think of right now . ( gomen ! ) Anyway , I gave it 5 stars because I already know how to draw , and I found the tutorial pretty interesting . On the other hand , I would give it 3 stars for those who are beginners . This book wont be very useful to those who are trying to learn how to draw at this level that's in this book . All in all , I do recommend this book for intermediate and beyond artists ' , but I do not recommend it for beginners . You would be sorely disappointed since the title does say draw like the experts , and it really doesn't teach you how to draw so you can draw like the experts ; unlike the 60 how to draw series that I own . So if you are a beginner , don't buy this book ! It wouldn't be very instrumental to you at this point . I do recommend these following books :
How to draw manga ultimate techniques Vols 1 - 6
More how to draw manga vols 1 - 4
How to draw manga getting started ( my very first book that I purchased ! )
and how to draw manga vol 3 compiling application and practice .
003 4 I'll start by saying that this book is huge . At nearly four hundred pages and more than fifty models , there is quite a bit to digest . To go along with that , there is also a section on digital manga production and all the required tools needed to produce manga on the computer . Another good thing about this book is that the models actually look as if they were taken out of manga and not some Americanized version of manga ( I bought three how to dram manga books over the years and everyone disappointed me for this reason ) . And to add , the book itself is just beautifully made , with glossy pages and colorful artwork .
But it's not exactly a how to draw book but more of a draw this book . It presents a model , shows the steps in creating that model , and then moves on to the next . It never goes into the detailed anatomy of a manga character , it doesn't give variations on the models , and the steps aren't as detailed as I'd like ( six for each model ) . Though you can learn some from this book , it won't be much since you're very limited to what you can draw . It left me disappointed in the end . I want to learn a craft on my own , yet it seems this isn't the book to start me in that direction .
As for recommendations , this book still isn't bad enough to be ignored . If you just enjoy manga art and want to learn the absolute basics , then this would be a good book for you . It has some interesting , stylized techniques that would be good to learn . If you know the basics , however , then I'd recommend skipping this and moving on to the superior , Japanese produced How to Draw Manga line of books .
004 4 This book is EXACTLY what I needed . . .
there are already TONS of books on ananomy and details
available . .
What I like a lot about this book is that , while it doesnt
teach you the basics , it gives you hundreds of poses and
characters to practice .
While I dont recommend it as a book for starting off
on your quest to becoming a better manga / anime artist . . .
I DO highly recommend it for practicing .
If you've gone through and already studied all the basics with all those How to Draw Manga books already and just need something to help you practice and get you going on applying those basics then this book is the BEST I've seen and is a MUST for any drawing book collection .
005 4 First of all : this book has great production values . However , it is darn near worthless for teaching ANYONE how to draw like the experts . I'm sorry but you're not going to draw a fully realized character in four skimpy steps . If you want to trace or steal elements from the final rendered version , it might have some value in that but certainly not on how to construct them .
The Photoshop section in the back , however , is very good and very simple allowing even the novice to get a grasp on digital coloring techniques . This section almost makes the book worth its price . So , all in all , I can't recommend this book unless you've got the money to burn and you're a bit more advanced in drawing .
007 4 This review is from :
The Monster Book of Manga : Draw Like the Experts ( Paperback )
Although this book has 300 pages , it does not go into great detail when it comes to sketching out each character that is depicted . To some , that might throw them off if they're just learning , but for me , the images were good examples to use as references .
Each chapter deals with different genre's , such as Girls , Fantasy , Monsters , etc . Several of the illustrations are good in detail , but they lack any major guidance for beginners . Vague captions are inserted here and there around the images , but that's about it . I suppose the author assumes that you have some knowledge of drawing and digital coloring , which is probably why he doesn't go into great detail .
For me , this book is great to use to form ideas for character concepts . My favorite portion of the book is towards the end , where you're given a better idea on how to digitally color your drawings and how to utilize Adobe Photoshop . It's a shame it's one of the shortest chapters .
Overall , if you have a good grip on drawing and you don't need a great deal of guidance , then this book is for you . Every page shows a step by step progression of a character .
However , if you're just learning how to tackle this style and you're looking for in-depth detail on how to make things look right , then this book may not be for you .
Great illustrations throughout and they're all in color , too .
008 4 Although this book has 300 pages , it does not go into great detail when it comes to sketching out each character that is depicted . To some , that might throw them off if they're just learning , but for me , the images were good examples to use as references .
Each chapter deals with different genre's , such as Girls , Fantasy , Monsters , etc . Several of the illustrations are good in detail , but they lack any major guidance for beginners . Vague captions are inserted here and there around the images , but that's about it . I suppose the author assumes that you have some knowledge of drawing and digital coloring , which is probably why he doesn't go into great detail .
For me , this book is great to use to form ideas for character concepts . My favorite portion of the book is towards the end , where you're given a better idea on how to digitally color your drawings and how to utilize Adobe Photoshop . It's a shame it's one of the shortest chapters .
Overall , if you have a good grip on drawing and you don't need a great deal of guidance , then this book is for you . Every page shows a step by step progression of a character .
However , if you're just learning how to tackle this style and you're looking for in-depth detail on how to make things look right , then this book may not be for you .
Great illustrations throughout and they're all in color , too .
009 4 The majority of this book contains well done artwork both in end sketch and fully finished form . There is little here in the way of instruction so buying this book won't help you Draw Like the Experts . This book would be great as reference material for ideas to use in your own artwork .
The few pages ( less than 4 I believe ) near the end of the book about using a computer to color your drawings seem thrown in to keep this from being just a picture book . There are better books with more in depth detail on coloring art with a computer than what you'll find here .
010 4 This how to book , I must say is one of the best I've
had a chance to get my hands on , over 300 pages of
astuonding instruction on drawing figures in
various poses , from stick person to mannequin to
clothes and accessories .
And if that's not enough , the last chapter is a
introduction to photoshop , how to get started
and sections on creating various effets . . .
A comprehense opios of how to create inspiring art !
014 4 This book is about many projects . Drawing girls , robots , heroes and everything else that is in manga . Every project is 4 - 8 pages long , in which each page is one step of the whole process . Beginning with very easy out-linings and sketches , and ending with the finished image .
Every page is art . The lines are very elegant , precise and beautiful . The pages are glossy . When it comes to a tutorial , this one and the others in the Monster book of Manga outshines anything else .
A must have for everyone who wants to learn how to draw .
015 4 While the art is great and it provides step by step instructions , the instructions are difficult to follow at a beginner or intermediate level . It's called ' draw like the experts ' because you have to already be an expert to get much use out of it . It's a nice edition to by how to draw collection , but its more ' pretty to look at ' that helpful .
016 4 I'm familiar with manga illustrations , but certainly not an expert , and this is the main reason I found The Monster Book of Manga very useful . It's not a how-to-draw book , but rather a draw-like-this manual , with step by step examples of how a finished piece is done . Here is , briefly , a list of what I consider to be its strong and weak points .
STRONG POINTS :
- Over fifty , very detailed , illustrations , each broken down into six stages , from sketch to full colour . It's relatively easy to see through the process if you already know the basics of drawing the human figure .
- Six major categories ( girls , fantasy , monsters , science fiction , music and samurai ) that will help you become familiarized with many popular types of manga characters , from school girls to androids .
- All lessons and tips aside , the artwork is gorgeous .
- Each character is drawn in a different pose , so the book also works as a pose reference manual at some point
- The costumes are drawn in detail and work as inspiration to create your own
- It's a very good practice manual and can inspire your own original characters based on the types included .
WEAK POINTS :
- Don't mistake this book for a beginner's how-to book , some of the illustrations included are quite difficult to draw , even if you're just copying them . Furthermore , I feel they should have perhaps broken down each drawing into more stages , so as to make the process easier to understand .
- Being a draw-this type of book , it tends to limit your creativity a bit .
- Some of the tips and explanations are really not necessary . What's the use of putting ' In this case , we have chosen violets and blues ' next to a violet and blue dragon ?
- The introduction to each character type could have been expanded a bit , perhaps with examples from actual manga series .
- The chapter on digital manga is a bit disappointing , in that it's mostly an outline of Photoshop's tools and functions , and seems to focus less on tips directly useful to manga artists .
CONCLUSION
The Monster Book of Manga is overall very useful for artists who already have some basic knowledge of drawing the human figure and a more-than-basic knowledge of manga specifics . Buy it if you want to improve and experiment . It's wonderful for practice , reference and inspiration , but it will not teach you how to draw .
018 4 I would first like to say that this book and The Monster Book of MORE Manga are outstanding books to add to any reference library for budding / aspiring mangaka .
Both books are 344 and 370 pages and give simple examples of form and understructure as well as a detailed example of each genre from witches to volleyball players , samurai to geisha princesses . the real gem of this book is the Photoshop tutorial on coloring , as an artist and writer I cannot recommend these books enough and should be the cornerstone and foundation for any art library .
019 4 This review is from :
The Monster Book of Manga : Draw Like the Experts ( Paperback )
This Book is an excellent book if you like to look at pictures other people have drawn , but not if you are just starting out . it doesnt really give any in depth ways to draw . Sure , the artist gives you how he did the drawing but it doesnt give any real advice it . For instance it will say make sure to give a shy look on her face and show how he did it , but never really gives any suggestions on ways to do so . The book also didnt contain nearly enough pictures to be considered monster . About the only useful section I found in this book was the very small Photoshop section in the back .
020 4 This Book is an excellent book if you like to look at pictures other people have drawn , but not if you are just starting out . it doesnt really give any in depth ways to draw . Sure , the artist gives you how he did the drawing but it doesnt give any real advice it . For instance it will say make sure to give a shy look on her face and show how he did it , but never really gives any suggestions on ways to do so . The book also didnt contain nearly enough pictures to be considered monster . About the only useful section I found in this book was the very small Photoshop section in the back .
021 4 This review is from :
The Monster Book of Manga : Draw Like the Experts ( Paperback )
I give it an OK rating ( 3 out of 5 ) . The book is thick , colorful , and full of different characters and monsters . It's also very cheap and made out of good materials .
However , this is not what I would call authentic manga . The artists are great , don't get me wrong , but the artwork is simply not authentic Japanese comic style . Ever watched The Boondocks ? Totally Spies ? Though they may look anime ( Japanese cartoon ) style , it's simply not anime . Same goes with this book .
I don't know about anybody else , but if I want to learn something , I want to learn from the real thing . However , if you just want to look at different styles to make your own , then this book is pretty decent . It's not a real how to book , but more of an illustrator with little comments on the sides .
022 4 I give it an OK rating ( 3 out of 5 ) . The book is thick , colorful , and full of different characters and monsters . It's also very cheap and made out of good materials .
However , this is not what I would call authentic manga . The artists are great , don't get me wrong , but the artwork is simply not authentic Japanese comic style . Ever watched The Boondocks ? Totally Spies ? Though they may look anime ( Japanese cartoon ) style , it's simply not anime . Same goes with this book .
I don't know about anybody else , but if I want to learn something , I want to learn from the real thing . However , if you just want to look at different styles to make your own , then this book is pretty decent . It's not a real how to book , but more of an illustrator with little comments on the sides .
024 4 This review is from :
The Monster Book of Manga : Draw Like the Experts ( Paperback )
The bad news :
Only the extremely motivated beginner will Draw Like the Experts using this book . The bulk of this book ( aprox . 325 pages ) gives the reader an illustrated process of building each character . However , it assumes that the reader understands perspective , scale , proportion ect . If you don't already have an understanding of the basics of drawing you may struggle through the process ( unless you're gifted ) . If a beginner would like to take instruction from this book , I'd suggest getting a ream of tracing paper and a soft pencil and start tracing the examples to at least get a feel for how to build the designs given .
The ONLY plus this book :
This book dedicates the last 50 pages to digitally publishing drawings , coloring , rendering , ect . using Corel and Photoshop programs on Mac and PC . Here you will find the true value of the book .
In conclusion , this book teaches drawing by example with very little leadership . Think of it as looking over the shoulder of an introverted metiocre artist as he / she starts and finishes each character illustration . . . with few spuratic notes aside . If you must have this book spend no more than $15 . In my opinion the final 50 pages are what makes this book worth a respectable $15 .
025 4 The bad news :
Only the extremely motivated beginner will Draw Like the Experts using this book . The bulk of this book ( aprox . 325 pages ) gives the reader an illustrated process of building each character . However , it assumes that the reader understands perspective , scale , proportion ect . If you don't already have an understanding of the basics of drawing you may struggle through the process ( unless you're gifted ) . If a beginner would like to take instruction from this book , I'd suggest getting a ream of tracing paper and a soft pencil and start tracing the examples to at least get a feel for how to build the designs given .
The ONLY plus this book :
This book dedicates the last 50 pages to digitally publishing drawings , coloring , rendering , ect . using Corel and Photoshop programs on Mac and PC . Here you will find the true value of the book .
In conclusion , this book teaches drawing by example with very little leadership . Think of it as looking over the shoulder of an introverted metiocre artist as he / she starts and finishes each character illustration . . . with few spuratic notes aside . If you must have this book spend no more than $15 . In my opinion the final 50 pages are what makes this book worth a respectable $15 .
026 4 This review is from :
The Monster Book of Manga : Draw Like the Experts ( Paperback )
I bought this gift for my younger sister because she loves manga . Ever since she received her gift , she hasn't set it down . Delivery was on time and the product is great . I suggest this book to anyone who loves manga and wants to draw several characters and their accessories .
027 4 I bought this gift for my younger sister because she loves manga . Ever since she received her gift , she hasn't set it down . Delivery was on time and the product is great . I suggest this book to anyone who loves manga and wants to draw several characters and their accessories .
028 4 This review is from :
The Monster Book of Manga : Draw Like the Experts ( Paperback )
Are you interested in being able to draw ALOT of different types of anime characters step by step ? if yes this book can help it works for beginners or advanced artists , shows you 6 steps per character , points out various details which you can use to make your own unique characters , LOTS of different characters that span a few categories like girls , fantasy , music , Monsters , Science Fiction , Samurai , and drawing manga digitally . In each category theres several different types of characters . If your wanting to learn to draw manga , this book is sure to have you satisfied .
031 4 I mentioned to a friend I wanted to start drawing comics and manga and this is the book that was recommended to me ( my friend has been drawing them for years ) and I didn't find it very helpful .
In its defense , there are a lot of nice full-color photographs and it shows step-by-step how each character in the book was designed and drawn , but on the other hand , it doesn't offer much in the way of tips on technique or any basic information on drawing manga . This book is not good for beginners though I suspect it is probably useful maybe as a resource for someone who has been drawing for a while and is just looking to expand their knowledge of character design . It does not go into anything like drawing backgrounds or doing sequential art either , it is just a selection of character designs and they are all drawn in the same art style more or less , there is not much diversity .
I'm giving this book a two because it is very limited in scope ( character gallery of a particular style ) and while it says draw like the experts on the cover , it doesn't really tell you how to do that very well .
032 4 This review is from :
The Monster Book of Manga : Draw Like the Experts ( Paperback )
My daughter of 14 absolutley loves this book . It great to learn how to draw . She has spent hours improving her drawing skills .
033 4 My daughter of 14 absolutley loves this book . It great to learn how to draw . She has spent hours improving her drawing skills .
034 4 This is one in a series of three books .
This book is filled with awesome designs , which area a great resource of inspiration and learning .
Highly recommended .
036 4 This book really isnt bad persay - however I HEAVILY recommend it's cousins
Moster Book of More Manga : How to Draw Like the Experts and
Monster Book of Manga : Fairies and Mystical Creatures edition .
I own the entire series along with roughly 8 other how to draw manga books and I am most impressed by the REST of this series . Not necessarily this book . The other three books are put out by Ikari Studios and you can REALLY tell the difference in the artwork . Its rich and colorful where the artwork in this book is good . . . however . . . it's not the best in the group .
My personal opinon is all . Overall the book is helpful but not a beginner book . More of a supplement .
037 4 I bought this book a few months ago , and I have really seen my manga art improve . Some of the art in it is kinda lame , while other ones are amazing ! If you look over the details of each character and how to draw part , you can really teach yourself how to improve your drawing . The key to making this book worth while is to look at each detail and learn that way , and not at the overall picture .
038 4 If looking for a few ideas to vary your work this is a good thought provoker . It has illustration from sketch to final and some of the steps in between . This is not a how to so dont purchase it looking for steps on how to draw this is more of a I already draw and want to see different styles . I have looked through it and have gotten alot of good ideas from it .
040 4 The Monster Book of Manga is really helpful to me . Before this book , I could never do shadows or shades on my drawings . But thanks to this book , I am gettng better at it . If you want to draw Manga better , I reccomend the Monster Book of Manga . Its worth it . ^ - ^
041 4 I am quite disappointed for this book because the drawings are more like westernized manga i.e . shy high school girl has punky hair style , with colorful nail and weird sock . The illustrator is not japanese after all . Moreover , there are not much explanations in the drawing . Book is too thick and heavy so it's hard to hold in one hand while another hand is drawing .
Only useful part is the last chapter which show you how to do the digital work by photoshop .
For those who like to draw Marvel comic style , you may want to consider this book . For those who want to draw real manga , this is not the book .
042 4 I thought that a book entitled the Monster Book of Manga would have a lot more art in it . I was disappointed .
043 4 Book does have alot of visuals but it's not very informative . It's not for beginners but more advanced artists .
039 4 This book has a great deal of information on how to draw , which is one part of the manga experience . For the creative / motivational stuff , try the manga story sites for inspiration ( I go to www.JustExpressing.com , there are others ) . Combine the great drawing ability with the examples of well written story lines on these web sites , based on Japanese characters , and you'll be well on your way on experiencing manga .
The Monster Book of Manga : Draw Like the Experts ( Paperback )
I bought this book for my 11 - year-old daughter and was sadly disspointed . I probably should have done more in-depth research . This item is DEFINITELY NOT for younger viewers / drawers . There are MANY inappropriate images in here including everything from blood and gore to sexual parts . Also , my daughter says it does not really teach anything about drawing , it just shows a lot of pictures . I would not reccommend this as an instruction tool for young children .
011 4 This review is from :
The Monster Book of Manga : Draw Like the Experts ( Paperback )
I bought this book for my 11 - year-old daughter and was sadly disspointed . I probably should have done more in-depth research . This item is DEFINITELY NOT for younger viewers / drawers . There are MANY inappropriate images in here including everything from blood and gore to sexual parts . Also , my daughter says it does not really teach anything about drawing , it just shows a lot of pictures . I would not reccommend this as an instruction tool for young children .
017 4 This book is amazing . I was looking at in a store contemplating buying it cause it was a tad bit expensive , when a stranger came up and told me it was a great book . I bought it and it really was worth all the money . It has such detailed instructions on how to draw some amazing manga . I have to admit there are a few pieces of art in it that are a bit inappropriate for little kids but it's still a great book and worth the money . BUY IT !
