Sonia Leong is a professional Manga artist and illustrator with over 80 publications across magazines, comics/ graphic novels, art books, and film/TV projects to her credit. Since becoming a Winner of the first Tokyopop Rising Stars of Manga (UK & Ireland) competition in 2005, her best-selling debut graphic novel Manga Shakespeare: Romeo and Juliet (SelfMadeHero) has made it into recommended reading lists worldwide and has been translated into various global editions. She is the Company Secretary of Sweatdrop Studios, a UK-based Manga collective and independent publisher. Sonia has been teaching Manga workshops since 2004, where she began by giving lectures at the Artist & Illustrators Magazine Exhibition. Her UK appearances include the Guardian Hay Festival, the Victoria & Albert Museum and London County Hall. She frequently represents UK creators overseas, working with the British Council and invited as a special guest at events and conventions across Europe, America, and Asia.

Prelims (5 pp) Introduction (6 pp) Manga is a dynamic and diverse comic art form originating from Japan. Its popularity is not only down to its looks, but also due to the wide range of its audience - there are characters and storylines for people of all ages and backgrounds. Perhaps you want a cute children's story featuring adorable animals? Or would you prefer an intense political thriller, with darker, more realistic drawings? Manga is not just a style, it is a medium through which to tell stories and express yourself. What is Manga? Origins, history, and development Current meaning, styles, and global reach About this book Chapter One / Drawing figures (58 pp) All Manga artists need to start by learning how to draw characters based on real-life proportions and anatomy. This first section provides essential groundwork for drawing figures, from first principles through to keeping them consistent through different poses. Head and facial structure Front Side Other angles Other shapes, gender, age Facial features Eyes, brows Noses Mouths Ears, fantasy ears Expressions Hair Basic principles (coverage, origin points, direction, styles, finish) Textures (straight, waves, curls, thick, frizz, afro) Lengths (short, mid, long, very long, how to get ends and styling right) Complex styling (plaits, braids, buns, combinations) Tying it all together (movement, angles, shading, character traits) Bodies Summary of differences in style, head-to-body proportions Body and limb distribution, real life lengths/measurements Flesh and muscle focus Weighting and action lines Interaction and multiple figures Perspective and foreshortening Depicting differences in age, gender, build, body types Hands Feet Chibi proportion focus RPG/semi-Chibi focus Action/Shounen hero focus Chapter Two / Creating Characters (22 pp) Character development is the next step - design appropriate costumes, props, and settings. Learn how to create realistic folds in clothing, draw fancy weaponry, and gain the fundamental skills in drawing backgrounds. Costumes Body coverage and layering Folds, draping, and movement Fastenings and embellishments Footwear Accessories Extraordinary elements Anthropomorphism (animal features) Sci-fi/fantasy features (markings, wings, cybernetics) Mecha robots Props and accompanying items Close combat weaponry (swords, knives, sticks) Projectile weaponry (guns, bows) Other props Vehicles Mounts/pets Chapter Three / Settings (10 pp) Environments Choosing and researching Perspective Theory Putting into practice Placing characters in environments Interiors Exteriors Natural world Chapter Four / Rendering Techniques and Processes ( 60 pp ) Once you've mastered your drawing skills, it is time to bring your characters to life with different mediums and shading. Learn how to use watercolors, markers, and other affordable materials to create a pleasing finish. Use your computer to create beautiful images. Pencils Rough drawing to prepare for inks Finishing as pencil piece Inks Inking over pencils to prepare for colours/shading Finishing as inked piece Colours and shading Choosing colours and palette Basic shading principles (light, shadow, highlights) Intermediate techniques (coloured shadows, backlighting, gradients, sharpness) Advanced techniques (subsurface scatter, saturation drop-off, different materials) Traditional media Colour pencils Watercolours Markers Screen tone Mixed media combinations Digital media Tools/software required Core skills for digital manga: Selection tools; Colouring tools; Layering Preparation for digital colouring Vector style line art and fills Cel-art shading Airbrush shading Digital painting Screen tone Mixed media combinations Chapter Five / Character Library (56 pp) To provide inspiration, here are a variety of characters shown step-by-step from beginning to end in a mixture of traditional and digital styles. Contemporary characters Primary school (male and female) Secondary school (male and female) Young footballer boy Young equestrian girl Punk musician teenage male Gothic/rockabilly teenage girl Casual adult male (graphic designer) Casual adult female (romance novelist) Formal adult male (banker) Formal adult female (editor) Pensioner couple (male and female) Historical characters Medieval knight Medieval princess Renaissance artist (Leonardo Da Vinci) Tudor noblewoman (Henry VIII's wives) Elizabethan pirate (Captain Jack Sparrow) Georgian lady-in-waiting (Marie Antoinette-style) Regency gentleman (Mr. Darcy) Victorian lady (Lily Langtry or Sarah Bernhardt) Japanese-specific characters School kids in Japanese uniform (male & female) EGL girl (Elegant Gothic Lolita) EGA guy (Elegant Gothic Aristocrat) Decora girl Visual Kei guy Ninja Geisha Samurai Kimono (male and female) Sci-fi and fantasy characters Mecha pilot Space marine Steampunk explorer Bionic agent Vampire lord Elven archer Catgirl dancer Beastmaster Cleric Sorceress Chapter Six / Making Manga (30 pp) You can draw the characters and their settings but how do you make a comic out of it all? This section is the culmination of all the skills you have built up throughout the book - it teaches you how to lay out your panels and pages to tell your stories in an exciting and intuitive way. Preparation Recommended tools, materials, and practices Page setup and guidelines Writing/directing scenes for Manga Drawing comic pages Reading direction and page flow Intuitive panel order Speech bubbles focus (size, shape, placement, fonts) Sound effects and other devices Panel shapes to influence pacing/understanding Example layouts and uses 4-panel gag strips focus Publishing comic pages Traditional and digital considerations Sizing and quality Page 6 Copyright A(c) 2012 Quarto Publishing plc Screen tone focus Cover and logo design Web publishing How to market your Manga Resources (2 pp) Glossary (2 pp) Index and Credits (5 pp)

Artists of any ability will be able to master manga with this accessible book and video guide.