Manga Mania Shoujo: How to Draw the Charming and Romantic Characters of Japanese Comics 
asked by redsink on November 13, 2006 2:12 AM
Shoujo manga is one of the most popular styles of Japanese animation, featuring the most recognizable characters in manga-seen everywhere in comics, books, toys, television, film, and video. Since shoujo is based on stories that focus on peer pressure, romance, and friendship, it initially appealed to young females, but today more and more boys are attracted to this genre, which inevitably includes young male heroes. Best-selling author Christopher Hart once again reveals the secrets and techniques that go into building all the basics of the shoujo style-the big eyes, the miniscule noses, and the cute or angst-ridden expressions. Teen body language is explored. In addition, artists learn to draw teen clothing styles and also different character types, from school kids and cuddly creatures and cute pets to heartthrobs.
Reviews
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IT SHOULD BE THREE INSTEAD OF FIVE STARS, MY MISTAKE.
With everything there are always pros and cons this book is no exception.
The pros is that it goes through about every little thing that you can thing of. From facial angles to foreshortening (which I had no idea how to do before I purchased this book. It also helped with shadows and clothing folds.
It contains a section on the beloved chibis and it covers male characters. It even had Bishies(beautifully drawn male characters)
Some of the art work is great!
The cons are that it doesn't go into great detail and a few of the pictures look like they were done by a first grader.
All in all I like this book very much and for a 144 pages it's a steal.
With everything there are always pros and cons this book is no exception.
The pros is that it goes through about every little thing that you can thing of. From facial angles to foreshortening (which I had no idea how to do before I purchased this book. It also helped with shadows and clothing folds.
It contains a section on the beloved chibis and it covers male characters. It even had Bishies(beautifully drawn male characters)
Some of the art work is great!
The cons are that it doesn't go into great detail and a few of the pictures look like they were done by a first grader.
All in all I like this book very much and for a 144 pages it's a steal.
reviewed by john316 on November 21, 2006 5:02 PM
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NOTE: I am this person's teenage daughter writing this review. Just so ya know. ;)
I first borrowed this book from the library (sorry, amazon; but I'll be purchasing it soon since it's such a great book!), but I was wrong about me being 'done with it' after a couple of days.
This book has practically EVERYTHING so i'll list them for you before I give them in detail.
-step by step basic drawing of the female AND male head and body (and their differences)
-LOADS of different hairstyles and eyes
-many different expressions for your own character
-lots and lots of clothing styles, and a section of help with wrinkles, bows, jewelry, flowers, and more!
-tons of poses (including everyday and elegant)
-help on drawing the hand (I suck at that) and 'foreshorting' (making something look closer/farther etc)
-shadowing, highlights (how to give it that realistic touch)
-and how to draw all sorts of shoujo (including bishies (bishies are 'beautiful young boys/men'), magical girls, chibis (those cute, tiny, tons of emotion people!), and adorable mascots!)
Manga Mania Shoujo is an excellent book that kind of tells you a little about everything. Like, different kinds of shoujo, over 5 pages of hairstyles, many different kinds of clothing,(including casual, uniforms, summer clothes, winter clothes...OH, and the best part: how to draw wrinkles *VERY USEFUL AS I HAVE A HARD TIME WITH THAT, and many, MANY costumes for magical people (which I love some of the designs) and more!)
The thing for clothing, is that, it's for people who can look at it and get the idea. It's not a step by step on how to draw a uniform. It just shows people modeling them. This helped me, because if I see it and like it, i'll draw it! So just so you know; for clothing, NOT a step by step kind of thing.
In the beginning of the book, it shows the basics (how to draw male and female bodies and the difference between them) Which I found helpful in the differences, because most books just show how to draw women so I was used to the slender looking bodies. The FYI on the men was helpful.
It also has a section of those cute little mascots! And a small section of Chibis too. It has a section that shows many expressions on people, and can be very useful when stuck on how to draw a face that gives that EXACT expression want. Do you know what I'm saying?
In the end of the book, it shows how to make your character realistic, and not 2-D. It helps with the shadowing, making the hair look shiny (highlights) and such.
I usually just open to a random page, pick a person, pick a hairstyle, pick some clothes, and pick a pose for them. It's quite fun; plus, it helps with drawing skills!
Overall, GET THIS BOOK! It helps with everything, and is inspiring to just flip through the pages and see the different styles! You will be going back to it for references, and has loads of clothing styles you can get ideas from! I am planning on buying this book soon. (and not having to check out over and over and over again from the library) BUT, if you are the type of person who likes the step by step, the 'this is the exact way how to do it' type of thing, this is NOT the book for you! (the only step by step is the heads and bodies) The rest are just inspiring ideas and techniques, that will be VERY HELPFUL, trust me!
I first borrowed this book from the library (sorry, amazon; but I'll be purchasing it soon since it's such a great book!), but I was wrong about me being 'done with it' after a couple of days.
This book has practically EVERYTHING so i'll list them for you before I give them in detail.
-step by step basic drawing of the female AND male head and body (and their differences)
-LOADS of different hairstyles and eyes
-many different expressions for your own character
-lots and lots of clothing styles, and a section of help with wrinkles, bows, jewelry, flowers, and more!
-tons of poses (including everyday and elegant)
-help on drawing the hand (I suck at that) and 'foreshorting' (making something look closer/farther etc)
-shadowing, highlights (how to give it that realistic touch)
-and how to draw all sorts of shoujo (including bishies (bishies are 'beautiful young boys/men'), magical girls, chibis (those cute, tiny, tons of emotion people!), and adorable mascots!)
Manga Mania Shoujo is an excellent book that kind of tells you a little about everything. Like, different kinds of shoujo, over 5 pages of hairstyles, many different kinds of clothing,(including casual, uniforms, summer clothes, winter clothes...OH, and the best part: how to draw wrinkles *VERY USEFUL AS I HAVE A HARD TIME WITH THAT, and many, MANY costumes for magical people (which I love some of the designs) and more!)
The thing for clothing, is that, it's for people who can look at it and get the idea. It's not a step by step on how to draw a uniform. It just shows people modeling them. This helped me, because if I see it and like it, i'll draw it! So just so you know; for clothing, NOT a step by step kind of thing.
In the beginning of the book, it shows the basics (how to draw male and female bodies and the difference between them) Which I found helpful in the differences, because most books just show how to draw women so I was used to the slender looking bodies. The FYI on the men was helpful.
It also has a section of those cute little mascots! And a small section of Chibis too. It has a section that shows many expressions on people, and can be very useful when stuck on how to draw a face that gives that EXACT expression want. Do you know what I'm saying?
In the end of the book, it shows how to make your character realistic, and not 2-D. It helps with the shadowing, making the hair look shiny (highlights) and such.
I usually just open to a random page, pick a person, pick a hairstyle, pick some clothes, and pick a pose for them. It's quite fun; plus, it helps with drawing skills!
Overall, GET THIS BOOK! It helps with everything, and is inspiring to just flip through the pages and see the different styles! You will be going back to it for references, and has loads of clothing styles you can get ideas from! I am planning on buying this book soon. (and not having to check out over and over and over again from the library) BUT, if you are the type of person who likes the step by step, the 'this is the exact way how to do it' type of thing, this is NOT the book for you! (the only step by step is the heads and bodies) The rest are just inspiring ideas and techniques, that will be VERY HELPFUL, trust me!
reviewed by wendi on November 29, 2006 3:26 AM