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Which program/brushes/art supplies do you use?

I don't have any specific preferences. For digital I use Clip Studio Paint EX with standard presets. For traditional I use any mechanical pen and cheap paper. If I draw my name/storyboard, I use pre-printed paper though.

I do experiment a lot to make my life easier. For people trying to just find a shortcut because they can't draw XYZ, I recommend learning the basics:

  • perspective
  • anatomy
  • composition
  • storytelling

However if you want directions on things to try out, I recommend digging into:

  • photobashing
  • SketchUp
  • Blender
  • Unreal Engine
  • the Clip Studio Asset store

In the end I do a lot of research, take photos and create my own brushes/models rather than taking someone else's because you can adjust it to your own needs and style and you learn a lot on the way. But it is always a good idea to see how other people do it (and you'll most likely come to the conclusion that the best shortcut is proficiency)

Do you take commissions? Can you draw my Manga?

I'm not open for commissions or projects. It might change in the future, so if you are interested, check my Twitter for recent updates on that matter.

Can you teach me how to draw?

I'm happy to answer questions you have, but due to time constraints I'm not able to mentor or make detailed explanations.

Can you recommend me resources to learn drawing?

Anatomy, poses:

Figure drawing (it's an exercise you should do on a daily basis for at least 15min to achieve best results)

How to draw manga:

Scott McCloud's books are entertaining and a good starting point

Perspective:

How to draw (Scott Robertson)

 

But to be honest, don't expect results from just reading or watching tutorials. The best results you will get from actually practicing and drawing. My experience is that the more you know, the more you get afraid of starting your drawing/story/project. So before investing money and time into resources, just start without thinking too much and have fun.

How to start drawing Manga?

The easiest way is to just start drawing without thinking too much. Be an ignorant kid who just doesn't care if it turns out good or bad as long as you have fun.

Begin with really short strips like 4koma or just one page. Get a feeling of how to tell a story with sequential pictures. But above all have fun with it.

If you get used to it make your stories longer, 4 pages, 8 pages... Look for competitions like the Silent Manga Award. Even if you don't win anything, it is a good motivation and the most important thing is to finish a story from start to end.

Over the years my personal general workflow of making a story looks like this:

  • a basic idea
  • make the idea as simple as possible. a simple phrase, feeling or citation
  • write the outline of the story
    • I begin from the climax and work my way backwards
    • this step takes really long because sometimes it's not easy to find the thing you want to tell
  • with a basic outline I wing the details while writing the script and name
  • script/name thingy (basically the dialogue with stick figures)
  • sketch
  • ink

To meet my deadlines I start with the most important panels first which take the most time. The left over panels are done quickly or they get simplified (instead of a complicated perspective I use an easier composition)

Find me online:

twitch
youtube

Genji Otori: Living in Japan, constructing robots to enslave humankind and bring back piece to this world. Also a notorious overexagerator

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