003 4 I feel that I'm a decent manga artist , but unfortunely I am unable to link to my artwork as a demonstration due to guidelines . I have 3 other books which are How to Draw manga for Male Characters , Female Characters , and Bishoujo Around the World . I was impress with all three of them , but with Bodies and Anatomy I was extremely disappointed .
First of all , other than a very few anime pictures , it does not even feel like an manga book at all . Like what someone else mentioned , it doesn't even have manga proportions . The book might as well not have manga in the title and I still wouldn't be able to tell that this was a manga book .
I was completely fooled by the cover of the book . The drawings inside do not even match the quality of the cover . The bodies on the cover are manga , the bodies within the book are not ! Previous How to Draw Manga books had similarities with the cover and the content inside . At the end of the book , there is also no individual drawings from various artist .
The written information provided with the drawings are subpar when compared to the other 3 Manga books that I've mentioned earlier . Sometimes it goes into useless details and other times , it there isn't enough description . For example , it throws a few pictures of the ear and then the nose , but never says a single word about it . I would have liked for it to at least mentioned how it compare and contrast from human to anime form . Again , the other manga books mentioned the difference and similarities .
Also I have to question the source of the book as well . Almost every other How to Draw Manga book has a japanese author , but this one does not . It's source is ' The Society for the Study of Manga Techniques ' . I can only guess that its origin is nonjapanese and it shows just like every other nonjapanese How to Draw Anime type book out there . Something is wrong if an amateur artist like myself can draw equal or better than what is provided in the book .
I would have returned the book the same day I received it if it weren't for the fact that the shipping to return it is almost half the cost of the book . In the end , I feel very cheated and do not want others to be fooled in the same way . An unforunate lesson I learn from this is that you can't judge a book by its cover .
001 4 Skipping past the complaints of nudity ( or not ) between genders , or just how manga the style is , this is a great reference book for bone and muscle structure . I suppose it helps that I'm not seriously into manga ; honestly , most manga characters have about as much muscle definition as a 14 - year-old , and the level of body structure in here is almost geared for superhero comics .
The majority of the book shows a fairly equal amount of males and females in action poses . The overarching lesson is where the muscles and bones connect and overlap , and relatedly how the surface of the body changes during movement , but you also learn a good bit about foreshortening and overlap . Most of the pictures first show a more geometric anatomical view , emphasizing the joints and bones and major muscle groups , and then next to it is the same pose shown as a surface drawing , with only light shading . The artist makes an effort to pick unusual angles and poses , ones most other books don't show - - overhead views , reclining , mid-throw , etc - - so it's decent reference . There is a lot of focus on the back , something very neglected . I will note if you're looking for different body types , not much help here , you've got the usual 36 - 24 - 36 anime hottie and a guy who looks like an olympic swimmer . And the book falls down when it tries to show real facial anatomy using the typical oversized eye / forehead manga face . . . stick with the body lessons .
I must reiterate , it's not for beginners . If you're just learning to draw , go far , far elsewhere . But , this is a good book for someone who is comfortable drawing the body as a whole , and just wants a little tweaking on particularly difficult poses - - especially if you've got a well-built character . Can't get the neck tendons to look right on someone looking up and back ? Try this .
002 4 I currently own five of this series , and continue to be impressed by the amount of detail they contain , but this one truly takes it .
Bodies and Anatomy covers it all , and could be used for any drawing type , not just for use in manga . This book is PACKED with incredibly detailed , accurate drawings of the skeleton , muscular system , etc . , for every part of the body .
To me , this book felt more professionally and maturely presented than the others in the series , and I highly recommend it for any artist looking for some extra help when drawing the human form .
004 4 Having finally received this book after a long drawn out shipping fiasco ( thanks to UPS ) , I was immediately confronted with a problem . As I began to flip though the pages of this book , which I had been so eagerly awaiting , I noticed , like many others have apparently noticed , that this is not a book about drawing manga . As far as that goes , it's probably one of the last books you should buy if you're looking to start drawing manga .
However , with that said it is a good reference tool that can be used to simplify and condense muscle groups and other body parts into nice clean representations . Though the drawings aren't manga , they are somewhat stylized and could possibly work as a bridge for someone accustomed to drawing real life figures who wants to try manga . Of course , they'd have to go buy a real book about drawing manga afterwards , but . . .
Personally I have found the book to be useful in an indirect way . Because I already know a little about manga and have been drawing for quite a while it wasn't too difficult for me to translate the images presented within the book into manga . I would imagine that this would be rather difficult for a novice though , so again , if you're just starting out I would suggest looking elsewhere for a good reference book .
If you have some experience under your belt , it's a good reference for stylized anatomy but that's about it . If you're a beginner and you want to study manga , stay away . I'd suggest saving your money , unless of course you want to draw what the book demonstrates and call it manga , thus destroying the genre .
005 4 People have reviewed this book already , saying that it is not a book for drawing manga . I have to agree with them - - while this book has great drawings , very detailed ( especially the girls , so if nude women bother you , don't buy this book ) , they are more lifelike than manga-like . However , that is the only reason I give this book four , not five , stars . If you're looking for a strictly manga book , this may not be for you . But if you're looking for excellently-drawn bodies to help you with the human form , definitely buy this book .
006 4 i luv this book . . . it was exactly what i needed to improve my already ok sketches . since i am the type of artist who likes things looking life-like , i thought this book was excellent w / proving tips on muscle and bone structure . i now see that my drawings look better and more impressive than b4 . but enough about my drawings . . .
i dont know how helpful a beginning artist might find this book , but i will say that it is a good reference book . it has many drawings of the front and the back . . . a hard to draw side of the human body . they are sitting , standing , throwing , . . . even a small bit on doing splits . . . i enjoy that section when drawing faeries . it has a decent amount of male and female drawings and a lot of poses i havent found in other how to draw books .
i do have a few complaints , though . i was not real happy w / the woman drawings . . . they had detail on there that they ( 4 some odd reason ) omitted when drawing the men . they can cover up the guy parts but they had to show the nipples on the woman , didnt they ? yes , that is all normal and you see that if you are studying a live nude model in a class , but this is a drawing book ! i would have liked them to omit the nipples and do what Tadashi Osawa did . . . just sketch the outline of the chest .
another thing that i didnt like was the section that showed you how to draw the crotch . i got absolutely no help from that section . . . plus i dont know who would draw that part up close ( ew . . . gross ) . all i really got was how not to draw it in the form of a v . . . other than that , i skipped that chapter .
overall , the book was very good and very detailed with the muscles and bones , and how they moved and behave . i encourage people to by this book if they really want to bring life into their drawings . if you like this book i suggest getting others in the How to Draw Manga series . . . it is the ONLY series that i trust when drawing anime characters
happy sketching ! ! ! : - D
007 4 First off , I have to say I was very impressed at the beginning of this book . The starting chapters , covering some perspective and posing , detailed skeletal and later muscular structures were very well done . The skull , hand and feet sections were in depth and very helpful and detailed .
However - when they started into full body poses I was remotely annoyed . Most of the poses and references they gave for men were in action . Throwing something , or starting to run - pictures that neatly expressed the male body in motion . That's all very nice and well , but I would have enjoyed seeing more relaxed forms as well . Not all my work and other people's work with men is drawn in motion ! Quite a bit is still .
And when we move into the woman , there's no action at all . Mainly references draw for woman who are stretching , or reclining and a lot of these poses are from ' suggestive ' views . It's also slightly annoying to find 10 different views from which to draw a female crotch and the male subjects mysteriously elude this area . While we're at it , not all female's breasts are aroused 24 / 7 . It's not truly necessary to draw nipples on every figure .
This whole extra fascination with the female body is perhaps more annoying to me then others since I originally got this book hoping for help on male anatomy - since if I truly need a reference for a female form I can simply go into the bathroom .
It would have also been nice to see more variations in the male / female models . In general a nice reference book , though it could have covered a lot more in some areas and a lot less in others .
008 4 This book is perhaps one of the best books on how to draw Manga ever . . though honestly , the art in here could be used for drawing life-like people in any art form . Over 100 pages showing different muscle positions , skeletal structures , natural body movement patterns . . the list goes on . And yes , there's a little nudity , but let's be grown up here ; those are parts of human anatomy too ( even if the men in here wear underpants and the women don't ) . I have yet to find a book as in-depth or varied as this one . A must-buy for the beginning artist looking for good reference material , or even for the advanced artist looking to keep shart with some difficult positions of the human body .
009 4 - -
I bought this book locally and agree with the 1 - star reviewer that it isn't really a How-to book nor a Why book like Drawing the Living Figure by Mr . Sheppard ( reviewed separately ) . While I am not a professional or fine arts student , the book is useful to people like me who just want to draw cartoon like human characters found in manga , anime and the likes of GI Joe , He-Man and Thundercats .
Yes , there are no significant body drawings in perspective ( but I assume this is not the purpose of this book but of another book in the series - How to Draw Manga : Putting Things in Perspective ) . For this , I suggest Perspective Made Easy by Norling ( reviewed separately ) . There are plenty of foreshortened body shots though .
Yes , the book could have been better ( the English translation - both spelling and grammar are sub-standard ) but if you're looking for a simple , one-stop-shop , clean visual reference , then this book is a-ok . I could also say the same thing for How to Draw Manga , Vol . 4 : Dressing your Characters in Casual Wear .
As such , this book deserves a rating between 3 and 4 objectively but personally I would rate it 4 .
010 4 This is a decent book that shows how to draw the human form . Not necessarily from a cartoony , * manga * perspective but the way the body actually looks . If you don't see how that could improve your skills as an artist , well . . .
The main reason I wanted to post this review was to comment on the juvenile attitude of many of the other reviewers . This is an anatomy reference . That means pictures of the human form in different positions without clothes . I wonder how serious these artists are not to know that . It may shock them to know that life drawing classes often hire nude models to sit around in the middle of class just so the students can get a better understanding of the human form . This is NOT PORNOGRAPHY and is no different that the photo anatomy references you can find in the art section of any major bookstore . The breasts are shown but who cares ? the genitalia is not shown , just a bare patch . For some reason they drew shorts on the guys but not on the girls , but naughty parts are not visible on either so really who cares ? This kind of panicky , knee-jerk conservatism makes me ill .
Sorry for the rant but really , this is an totally decent book that has been much maligned for no good reason .
011 4 I've collected many anatomy books , but what makes this one unique is that it shows both the simple ( shapes ) and finished drawing in several camera viewpoints , and illustrates muscle changes ( like when raising an arm ) , again both in simple ( rough animation ) and finished work . This is perfect for animation so we can study how the body shifts in a clean illustrative format . I particulary like how they illustrate the diffrences in gender proportionately . Made my life much simpler . Once you know how to draw the anatomy correctly yet cleanly , it's easier to adapt it to more complex or more cartoony forms . A must have !
012 4 This book is fantastic ! It gives you a great perspective of all the muscles within the human body . The drawings are much more realistic than manga drawings , but show you exactly where each muscle is located . This helps you get a feel for where you should put the right lines in your characters . If you're looking for how how to draw hands and feet , this isn't for you . There are only about two pages on that subject . There are also various poses which come in handy .
I highly recommend this book to anyone who is serious about their drawings . It's not an easy book . I would suggest you be at least intermediate . Any artist should definetely have this book on their shelf !
013 4 This review is from :
How to Draw Manga : Bodies & Anatomy ( Paperback )
I had read a lot of reviews about this book , and nudity was mentioned quite a bit . If you have ever been to a life drawing class you would have seen some of these views of nude bodies . I can see why some folks were surprised by the poses , but when you sit in a circle around a live model at class you don't get to pick your view , and sometimes you end up drawing some interesting parts in strange perspectives . I really needed a reference book for drawing bodies for manga characters , so this was exactly what I was looking for . The detail really helps me alot .
014 4 I had read a lot of reviews about this book , and nudity was mentioned quite a bit . If you have ever been to a life drawing class you would have seen some of these views of nude bodies . I can see why some folks were surprised by the poses , but when you sit in a circle around a live model at class you don't get to pick your view , and sometimes you end up drawing some interesting parts in strange perspectives . I really needed a reference book for drawing bodies for manga characters , so this was exactly what I was looking for . The detail really helps me alot .
015 4 Ok , so this isn't the best How to Draw Manga book in the series , but I found it very useful . Sure you won't find any fancy tips on inking with your pens , or how to draw costumes . What you will get is some great poses and gestures . It is an Anatomy and Body book . It helps explain the placement of all the major muscle groups , and how they affect the body when in certain stances and poses . This is great for things like action sequenses , building up that tension in the bicep and tricep as the character strikes the opponent . Good reference for drawing that perfect body shape in proportion and in gestures . Perfect for action Manga type artists .
016 4 I'm not really to keen on the How To Draw Manga books . In total I have bought 4 of the How to draw Manga books , and I can honestly say that this is the only one I've ever gotten use of .
But this one is actually quite good in opposition to the others I own . Obviously , it's made to explain the anatomy of the muscles and bones of the human body , from head to toe , and overall it does a pretty good job at this . However it lacks at some points . For example some drawings seem kind of vague ( especially the back views of the torso , which are just utterly obscure ) . Also the use of lines to define shapes instead of shadow make some of the illustrations seem far more complicated then they really are .
If you've been drawing for a while and you want to know more about the structure of the muscles / body then it's a nice book . Don't let the manga thing mislead you though , there is to little difference between the drawing of anatomy in anime and in real life to buy this one over other ( perhaps better and more professional ) anatomy books .
017 4 This review is from :
How to Draw Manga : Bodies & Anatomy ( Paperback )
Good book for basics . After all , to get the form down even if its not anatomically correct comes from basics . Picasso as a child mastered the art of drawing first before he eventually went into abstract . Yes , the women in this book are depicted virtually nude , whereas the men have briefs drawn in . Nevertheless , female characters are more popular and more widely drawn in both manga and anime .
You also probably dont want your characters to all look like the old astro boy ; so as I said , basics are good and this book helps with drawing until you can develop your own style . Good Luck
018 4 Good book for basics . After all , to get the form down even if its not anatomically correct comes from basics . Picasso as a child mastered the art of drawing first before he eventually went into abstract . Yes , the women in this book are depicted virtually nude , whereas the men have briefs drawn in . Nevertheless , female characters are more popular and more widely drawn in both manga and anime .
You also probably dont want your characters to all look like the old astro boy ; so as I said , basics are good and this book helps with drawing until you can develop your own style . Good Luck
019 4 At the time that I purchased the book , the reviews for it were very positive at many of the places I looked . . . . but it is very deceiving . I thought that this book would help me to draw manga ? ? But disappointingly it has little to do with manga , and it has few how to's , so the title is not very fitting .
But , I did find that even though it is not in the manga style , it does show the body parts in great detail , and at different angles , which does in my opinion help with drawing in general . Which is why I gave this book 3 stars . But I would not recommend this book , and would definetly not rely on this book if you are wanting to draw manga .
020 4 This book is a great choice for both beginners and advanced manga artists looking to sharpen their skills . For beginners , it gives you a good idea on what details need to be in the manga-style human body . For advanced artists , it offers great ( and quite accurate ) detail as to muscle definition and placement , and distortion of muscles and flesh in certain poses . An excellent choice for anyone !
023 4 I got this book manily because I thought it give me some referance to my drawings for angles and foreshorting referance which to some point it dose just that only problem I had with was I never thought a human male was so muscular LOL . The women are fine but I would probaly draw the men at well build unless I was doing Thor the god of thunder or something . But it dose give me some ideas how some angles whould look so that not so bad . And the tip on how to handel a scene with more than one character interacting with each other was helpful .
024 4 The entire experience was amazing . Shipped earlier then expected , in pristine condition , no hassles no worry .
The product itself is great . The guide truly helps with the basic structure of drawing characters anatonomically correct . It's always better to learn how to draw something right first and then learn how to break the rules later .
026 4 This book is about Anatomy but specifically tailored for Manga style .
I have read this book & I will say it does show some nudity .
BUT THAT IS WHAT ANATOMY IS ABOUT - BODY SHAPES .
- To show body shapes it has to be done nude .
ALL anatomy , how to books show you NUDE figures ! !
You can't add clothes till you get the general shape done !
( General shape doesn't have to include the underwear lines either , as other review referance , general means basic sketch , or base line ) , ( base lines are drawing term & you erase them later )
There are other books in this series ( as well as many other books just for cloths ) .
If you want cloths buy the costume guide from this series .
If you want Manga Anatomy buy this book ; if you want more realistic Anatomy then get a book about that .
I don't know why people are griping about the fact that everyone is in there underwear .
This book is not about cloths ; as I feel is clear in the title !
027 4 This book is great for beginners or those who want to touch up on their skills for drawing anime figures . The book talks about the measurements , anatomy , and characteristics of the body . Gives details for both male and female body types , and how they should look in every angle . Gives details on how to draw every body part and their size compared to other parts .
I like this book and it's a must have for anyone beginner or none studying to draw anime figures . I'm glad I purchased this book ! ^ _ ^
028 4 I am an artist in Los Angeles , California and found this book to be nothing more than a collection of drawings without any effort to explain stylistic foundations , or processes .
The design of this book was clearly phoned in . The drawings were of standard quality - there were not even any eyes ! There was no attempt to explain the process of drawing the characters . There was no foundation , not explanation of the unique proportions that are Manga .
Also , the book doesn't contain a single drawing with any significant amount of perspective . It is little more than a book showing a bunch of women bent over - I know this is a sub-genre of Manga but that should be covered in other books .
With the information in this book you will only be able to recreate the drawings in the book and not develop your own characters . I know there are quite a few artists that draw like this , but most of us want to be better .
Finally , I returned the book to Amazon . I would rather send it back and loose shipping etc . than sell it and have the guilt of giving this book to another person .
029 4 This review is from :
How to Draw Manga : Bodies & Anatomy ( Paperback )
This is a great book that provides drawing instructions on manga bodies & anatomy . Helpful illustrations .
031 4 I , myself , don't know much about drawing . I purchased this book as a gift for my stepdaughter and she loves it .
032 4 This book is a great anotomical reference , but be warned : some drawing experience is required ( it's not for begginers ) . This book covers eyes , noses , and mouths , but none of them are manga-like at all ! Also , almost every female model is naked ( you will see private parts ) and there is a section on crothes ( I am only telling you this as a warning , not to scare you off ) . If you can look beyond these complaints you will greatly enjoy this book . This book has many great sections , but if you are still unsure wether to buy it or not , you should read this book before you buy it .
033 4 Once again anything female related is mostly used in a sexual position and after being highly dissapointed with the How To Draw Manga Volume 20 : Female Characters I really think the author has lost track , either that or he has a low outlook on females in general . . . Sadly dissapointing once again .
034 4 the artsyle on the cover is Extremely Missleading ~ !
It Will only show how to draw realistic style manga anatomy . The women model is also rather man-ish looking .
So its not what i expected at all and i'm kind of Dissapointed . There is also a very Weird p2 page spread of up-crotch shots that i can only imagine are there for H-manga refrences .
038 4 First off let me say that I got this book at a library . I put the book on hold so I would be next in line to get it . I did that after seeing all the wonderful things they said about it at howtodrawmanga.com . After I put the book on hold a few days passed . Then the person returned the book 2 weeks before it was due . Why did he do that ? I asked . Then after 3 days I went to the library . Yay , yay ! I said . I went over to the desk and waited for my turn in line . Can I help you ? asked a lady at the counter . Thanks ! I said . I told her I put a book on hold and gave my card . Then she said Here you go . and handed me the book . I couldn't wait to get home to read the new book . After I read How to draw manga - Getting Started I thought I could trust howtodrawmanga.com . Boy was I wrong . Wrong , wrong , wrong , wrong , wrong ! I ran to my room with my book in hand and sat down . I looked at the cover . What good artists ! I said aloud . I opened the book and saw the first page . It had great art ! So did the other two . Then I went passed that . I should have closed the book . Or thrown it out the window . The characters had big blots or lines for eyes . It looked like someone dropped white-out on each eye . Er . . . things get better !
I said to myself . They didn't . Nothing was explained right and the pictures just plain stunk . The way they explained things was too long or short . I mean really . I'm a novice artist who has been drawing for about a year and I can draw better than these people . No ! No ! I said . No ! Then I skimmed through the rest of the book to see how it was later . At the end of the book all the pictures were nude . What the . . . ? I asked . I don't recommend this book to anyone under 13 . There were ladies just standing there with there clothes off . Second I don't recommend this book . Trash this and get something by K's Art instead . That's REAL manga . Or if you're just a kid starting out
( like me ) and can't spend any money , skip this garbage and go to PolyKarbon , BakaNeko , or Julie Dillon's tutorials . Those are way
better-and free . ( I personally learned from BakaNeko and Julie Dillon . ) Please take my advice ! Thanks for lending an ear ! Bye !
039 4 i dont agree with the others . it was nude to show muscles on the body .
i found this very usefull because it had alot of strange views and all the normal ones . ill never make my characters this buff though .
lavadisk
041 4 This book really isn't that much of a help . They just show nude figures ! Use Christopher Hart books or something else less pointless . Whatever the book is really about , it focuses more on the main parts . It's a big piece of junk . That's my main point .
042 4 Hi my name is Kathy I soo . . . love . . Marmalade Boy ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! This is the best tokyopop manga book ever ! ! ! ! ( No affence ) . I LOVE IT SO MUCH ! ! ! ! It's really good ! I would recommend this 2 any1 ! I know this has nothing 2 do with the other books oppinion but I just want the whole world 2 know how good is Marmalade Boys ! ! ! It's about a very romantic , funny , and so cute story about 2 people falling in love ! ! ! ! This book is a movie is so touching that I cried ! ! ! I love this story ! ! ! All my friends love it 2 ! ! ! Bye
036 4 I found this book to be helpful only in its images of the human body and skeletal / muscular structures . Through these pictures I was able to improve my ability to accurately depict the human body knowing where certain bones and muscles are located .
HOWEVER , once you turn past the pages depicting the basics of human anatomy , the book goes rotten . I know from reading both manga and ' how to draw manga ' books that often the focus is placed more on the female body in Japanese cartoons . In this volume , I found the focus despicable . My biggest problem with this is that the male body is ALWAYS shown wearing a pair of shorts , whereas the author of this book feels it completely unnecessary to provide images of the female body at all clothed . There is an incredible gap between the amount of female and male depictions in this book , the former being more abundant . If you are looking for pictures of women naked in all positions , including splits and other acrobatic poses , then read away . However I found this book sexist - I don't have a problem with naked people , but if you're going to do that then at least do it with equality and provide images of both the female AND male bodies in the nude . At points it felt like I was reading a pornographic magazine ! I'm even thinking of writing a letter to the Society for the Study of Manga Techniques .
Overall , the book was slightly helpful but mostly disgusting . I'd recommend looking through it at a bookstore before purchasing .
021 4 This review is from :
How to Draw Manga : Bodies & Anatomy ( Paperback )
This How to draw manga book is incredibly detailed , and its very good .
HOWEVER ! ! There is one thing that you need to know before you buy this product !
This book contains NUIDITY , and should be kept away from children at ALL TIMES ! !
022 4 This How to draw manga book is incredibly detailed , and its very good .
HOWEVER ! ! There is one thing that you need to know before you buy this product !
This book contains NUIDITY , and should be kept away from children at ALL TIMES ! !
025 4 This review is from :
How to Draw Manga : Bodies & Anatomy ( Paperback )
This book is about Anatomy but specifically tailored for Manga style .
I have read this book & I will say it does show some nudity .
BUT THAT IS WHAT ANATOMY IS ABOUT - BODY SHAPES .
- To show body shapes it has to be done nude .
ALL anatomy , how to books show you NUDE figures ! !
You can't add clothes till you get the general shape done !
( General shape doesn't have to include the underwear lines either , as other review referance , general means basic sketch , or base line ) , ( base lines are drawing term & you erase them later )
There are other books in this series ( as well as many other books just for cloths ) .
If you want cloths buy the costume guide from this series .
If you want Manga Anatomy buy this book ; if you want more realistic Anatomy then get a book about that .
I don't know why people are griping about the fact that everyone is in there underwear .
This book is not about cloths ; as I feel is clear in the title !
040 4 This book will not teach you how to draw anime characters . Period .
Despite the fact that the cover shows anime-style characters , and the very title includes the words How to Draw Manga , that's not what you get inside . Instead , you get tons of life-like drawings that don't resemble anime at all . Even the eyes shown inside don't resemble the eyes of the girl on the cover .
Oh , and practically all of the girls in the book are drawn topless and in detail . So I wouldn't recommend this book for younger artists . Then again , I wouldn't recommend this book AT ALL to anybody who wants to learn manga-style artistry .
I was extremely disappointed with this book , and it's a waste of money . BEWARE !
