A quick look through the shelves of a bookstore or the inventory of online retailers will turn up tons of guides for how to draw manga. When still getting the hang of the basics of dynamic drawing, a book is the ideal way for many people to learn, since it spares them the embarrassment of having anyone else see their painfully produced yet still subpar early work.
Still, there’s only so much you can learn from on you own through reading and independent practice. That’s why toymaker Takara Tomy is releasing a kit that includes not just the tools of the trade, but demonstrations by a published manga artist and feedback from professional instructors.
Just to be clear, Takara Tomy doesn’t promise that its 14-Day Manga Artist Course will turn you into the next Osamu Tezuka. On its official website, though, it does tout that the set’s 14 lessons will improve your manga-drawing and fundamental illustration skills, and that the videos and feedback buyers have access to will be helpful for those hoping to someday become professional manga artists.
In addition to a battery-powered light table to make tracing easier, the kit includes a 0.1-milimeter-tipped pen, screentone, collection of example drawings, and manga manuscript paper. Of course, there’s also the lesson textbook itself, broken down into topics such as sketching, inking, using screentone, and creating other visual effects.
Buyers of the set will also be able to stream six online video lessons, watching and listening as manga artist Izumi Mido explains and demonstrates. Mido received the Grand Challenge Award from publisher Kodansha’s Monthly Magazine in 2009 before professionally debuting in the same anthology in 2011.
Doing something well doesn’t necessarily mean you’re qualified to teach it. That shouldn’t be a concern here, though, since Mido has also been an instructor at the Nihon Manga Juku comic art school for eight years.
▼ A sample of illustrations by Mido, who also provides the artwork on the 14-Day Manga Artist Course’s packaging
But what makes the kit really special is the chance to get help from Nihon Manga Juku teachers. Each purchaser is entitled to one feedback session. You can submit your artwork electronically or by mailing in a physical copy of your creations using the included Feedback Papers. Once the instructors have taken a look at your work, they’ll send it back to you along with their comments and pointers. There’s not even any pressure to rush through the course, since the feedback offer is good through the end of November 2016.
The 14-Day Manga Artist Course goes on sale November 20 for 4,500 yen (US $41). Granted, it’s going to take a lot more than half a month to make your manga dreams come true, but at least you’ll be in good hands for the first two weeks of the journey.
Source: Takara Tomy
Top image: YouTube
Insert images: Takara Tomy, YouTube