Making Manga

Hello,

I have seen in Romania some artists that want to make manga, and when they have the necessary drawing  skills, instead of making an original themed manga, they actually try to copy from the Japanese manga that already exist and are successful. For example, you don’t have to just think  “i liked “Hana Kimi” by Hisaya Nakajo ” so let’s just make one the same: with cross dressing and boy harem! This is just wrong! You have to realize that the original is always better!

In my opinion, their first mistake is that they want to give their characters Japanese names. The location is often Japan and the story – as i already said – is copied from Japanese manga.

If you read manhwa – Korean manga – you will see that they use their own names, their own culture, traditions and have a slight different subjects and styles (they are more into street violence); they even draw differently. It is the same in manhua (Chinese manga). So, just try to do this yourself: try to understand that even if you like the Japanese style very much, it is no use if you make a manga with Japanese people, about Japanese culture and places – these are already made by the natives…so you will not stand a chance!

So, be original! Try to look around you: beautiful places and restaurants that are worth drawing, high school life – that is a slight different from Japanese  one; there are also your own country’s traditions and culture. For example in my country – Romania – there is a unique holiday called mărţişor which i really love and i already made an illustration about it. And there are more customs, traditions, holidays and i’m anxious to do even more illustrations that relate to my culture.

“Originality exercises”

1. As an exercise for you, i propose you look at your news channel and see what are the everyday happenings: this way you will see what is characteristic for your country and you will become aware of your surroundings.

2. Chit chat with you friends and find out what their problems are, what they do, where they go, how do they have fun, what they suffer for. Try to note down the ideas that you find interesting. In the meanwhile you can write down the same things but from your own perspective. This way you will get a glimpse of one or two social categories and also some interesting places, thoughts and personalities.

3. Another exercise is to note down all the names you can think of and then if you don’t know their etymology you can jus search it on the web – note a small idea for every name. This way you will make yourself a great  material when it comes to your characters names.

4. Make a list of some cool characteristics: intelligence, cool headiness etc. Then make one of the uncool ones: clumsiness, air headiness etc.

These exercises will help you build your story and characters without thinking all the time at the mangas you already read and you liked.

I’m telling you again: BE ORIGINAL!

Hariana

The importance of sketching comes from the need of having a starting point. Basically it is a loose version of your idea, and it can be improved or put away for later use. I, for example, have some sketches that i did and that i like, and keep them close for inspiration. They are also good for my moral, when i think that i’m no good. Even when you have to work with a computer, you should make some rough sketches on paper, because it helps you visualize the idea you want to portrait easier and you can draw everything you have in mind quickly. Practically sketching saves you some time.

Also, when you sketch you are not that stressed up as when trying to do a final product, so your creativity will come naturally. Then scan your sketch and import it in your computer software and use it as you like!

It doesn’t actually matter if you know how to draw or not: the sketch is for personal use only, so nobody will criticize. For instance, when i want to do something in a software i make such a loose sketch that only i understand what it represents. So, it doesn’t matter your sketching skills, but your ideas that are put out to light!

As an advice, you should always have a notebook with you – mine is not even a sketching notebook, but a daily agenda, but it works with me!

Below are some sketches of mine – the ones that are my little help – some of them are characters for my future manga !

I hope i’ve helped you even a little,

Hariana

This is my new work…i’ve had some inspiration, but all the elements here are done by myself. The swirls and twirls are made in illustrator and than placed in photoshop where i added some more effects and the text.

I’ll wait for some comments!

Thanks,

Hariana

Today is 1st of March: Martisor. This illustration is made in Illustrator (Adobe Creative Suite 4).

I hope you like it!

For more infos about Martisor and 1st of March click here.

Hariana

I’ve made a new banner today for www.mka.ro; it was made in Adobe Photoshop.

Here it is:

I’m not very satisfied with the outcome, but i think it is ok.

I’ll wait for comments,

Hariana

I have made a banner for an online shop. And i think the outcome is quite good.

This was made in Adobe Photoshop.

You can find it here too, to see how it works with the site.

I’ll wait for your comments.

Hariana

I made this girl a long time ago…i also included it in Bartender Girl illustration, because i was too lazy to do her legs and the stool properly (which was in the sketch at the very beginning). Today i woke up and thought that i want to do my next illustration from “Turtle and Sausage” series, but i end up doing this instead.

As you probably already know, this is made entirely in Adobe Illustrator. I’m not satisfied with the way i worked and managed the illustration, but it was a good way to think “i really evolved”. I don’t think that it is a great illustration, but i’m a little bit fond of  it.

I’ll be waiting for some comments,

Hariana

Hi,

I’ve done another logo…well, a set of 6; these logos are made for www.mka.ro and one of them – the one the client will choose – will appear soon on the site. I hope you like them. I like nr 4 (from the image below) the best.

Thanks,

Hariana

Opening a new Photoshop file

As I’ve already promised you, I will post some simple tutorials, which will introduce you the program easy – step by step.

First, I’ll assume you know how to open a computer software , so let’s begin…

When I open my program, a gray background appears – the working space – but no file to work with. So, we go to File>New (Ctrl+N); a dialog window appears, where you have some options: you can give your new .psd file a name (the default one is “Untitled-1″); the next field – named “preset:” – has a list with some types of Photoshop files. You can choose U.S.Paper, Photo, Web, etc. I usually choose “Web”, because it is the best if i want to put my work on the web – such as my blog or some other sites – it has the right width, height, resolution for this environment. However, if you have copied something (for example “Print Screen”) Photoshop recognizes that command, and when you make a new file, in the “preset” field appears “Clipboard” – as in the image below. If you modify the values in the following fields, the preset changes to “Custom”.

Figure 1

Next fields:

• width and height: there you can write a numerical – integer value between 1 and 300000. If you are out of the interval, then the closest value will be chosen automatically by the software;
• resolution: there you should have 72 if you’re doing something for the web, or 300 if you want to print it; what is resolution – the number of pixels/dots per inch (ppi/dpi);
• measurement unit: you can have there inches, centimeters, millimeters, pixels, points, picas, columns; for web files, choose pixels; for the ones you want to print you can choose inches, centimeters or millimeters; i haven’t used points, picas or columns and i don’t think you’ll need those either;
• background content: here you can choose from 3 options that colors your background layer in white (if you choose “White”),it lets it transparent (if you choose “Transparent”), or gives it the background color (if you choose “Background color” option); when “Background color” option is selected, the color you will have is the color you have in the “background color box” – see Figure 2;
• image size: the size your file will have with these preliminary settings; it will grow when you will work with the document and insert new elements in it (it may also shrink if you “crop” it or make the image or canvas smaller).

Figure 2

Working with layers in Adobe Photoshop

So, we’ve managed to open a new Photoshop file

Now let’s see what can we do with layers.

The Layer is an image. But it can have an image above and one below it. Let’s take image 3: you have the background layer – the white one – think it as a piece of paper; now imagine that the dark red square, the blue square and the circle are drawn on separate clear cellophane pieces of the same size as the background layer. For a clearer image, see the image below.

Figure 3

How can we create a new layer? Well, we can do that by clicking on Layer menu from Photoshop’s menu bar: Layer>New>Layer (or Shift+Ctrl+N); by clicking on “Create new layer” icon in the “Layer”’s pallet (see Figure 3 or Figure 4).

Figure 4

How to delete a layer? You have to have the layer selected; then, just as in creating a layer, you can go to Photoshop’s menu bar Layer>Delete>Layer; or you can click “Delete layer” icon in the Layer’s pallet; as well you can just hit “Dell” button on your keyboard.

How to move a layer up or down? When you want to move a layer backward or forward you can just drag your layer (into the Layer’s pallet) on the position you want. Or, with the layer selected press Ctrl+[ to move backward or Ctrl+] to move forward.

Tips:

Another way of deleting a layer/group/effect: drag and drop the layer you want to delete onto the “Delete layer” icon.

A simple way of copying a layer: drag and drop your layer onto the “New layer” icon.

Well, in short, this is how we manage layers…and the most important options of a layer and a Photoshop file.

If you have any questions, or tutorial request, i’m waiting for them!

Thanks,

Hariana

Have you ever asked: what computer program should i use to draw my artworks?

Well….

When i want to draw individual pictures of my characters, i use – mostly – Adobe Illustrator, because it produces nice, neat illustrations. There you have the opportunity to scale your work without damaging the quality of your work. As an option to Adobe Illustrator, you have Corel Draw, which has mostly the same thing.

However, if you are used to work mostly with brushes, you should try Adobe Photoshop . There you have a large palet of brushes and a multitude of effects which helps you in drawing. You also have some helpful tools, as Patch, Burn, Blur etc. which is very useful when drawing characters; also, it is used for editing manga pages for fans – see a tutorial here.

For drawing manga – creating your own – i use Manga Studio. It takes a while to get used to it, but after that it is very nice to work with it, especially because it has some tools that makes you feel like drawing on paper: pens and pencils, you can turn the paper the way you want, but it has the flexibility of a software program – zoom, select, fill, patterns etc.

Sometimes i try working on paper, but i really like the computer, so i’m better with that on paper i only do rough sketches. However, i have a drawing tablet from Wacom, and i’m very satisfied with it.

I hope i’ve helped you – even a little,

Hariana.

Mărţişor is called the celebration of the beginning of Spring in my country (Romania). I really like the holiday, because it has a nice tradition: men/boys give on 1st of March a little gift to girls- like a small brooch or talisman (most of them have funny motifs); at the beginning men received one too, but in time the custom remain only for women.  This little gift is called “martzishor” and has a little string attached on it (every mărţişor has the string). This string is practically the symbol  of this holiday and the artisans and manufacturers put one of these on each piece, or if the mărţişor isn’t designed with it, you get one separately; it is made from two separately strings – one red and one white – spinning one around another. White is winter, and red is spring. This can also represent life and death.  You can wear this string instead of a complete mărţişor. The mărţişor is worn until the end of March.

You can tie it around the wrist. The girls think that if the boy you like ties it and it doesn’t break until the end of March, then he loves you back (only a superstition).

For an image of a small mărţişor click  here and below there is an image with some Mărţişoare (pl. of Mărţişor).

However, the tradition says that the martzishor should stay on our left side of the chest, because there you find the soul, and there you want to feel the warmth of spring.

Some more symbols of spring which are often symbols of Mărţişor: clovers, chimney sweeper, horseshoe, arrow, anchor and hart.

I’ll make a “sausage – turtle” illustration(episode 2) with martzishor theme. I’ll try  to finish it until March 1st. The program i’ll use to make it – as usual – Adobe Illustrator.

I’ll add also a new post with the legend of Mărţişor, Dragobete and Baba Dochia -which are related one another.

Hariana

This girl is made in Adobe Illustrator. It passed some time since i made it, but i didn’t have a nice background for it. Initially i wanted to make a full-body view, but i hadn’t had enough patience. I’ve noticed that since i’ve made this work, my skills grew, and i’m quite satisfied of that.

For the background i’ve inspired myself  from a stock image from www.istockphoto.com, but i don’t know exactly the link.

Well, i’ll wait for comments and questions if you have some.

Thanks,

Hariana

I’ve made a logo for a betting site. I’m not very satisfied with it…but these were the client’s wishes……

You will see it online on www.helptobet.com really soon, however not right now.

I’ve used Adobe Illustrator to make it. The fonts i used were “Home bold” (for “help” and “bet”) and “Comfortaa”.

Thanks and i hope  you like it,

Hariana

This two colors are the shades i used to color the skin of Chibi “Napoleon” Girl the darker one was the shadow’s color (obviously).

Please leave some comments,

Hariana

Well…I wanted to let some time until i post again…but i just finished this work. When i’ve drawn the sketch i inspired myself from a costume of Napoleon, which i really like (i just started to read an historical book on him). I was very lazy and avoided turning the sketch into an illustration for a long time. But finally i’ve done il.

As usual, this is made in Adobe Illustrator CS4. I tried to use colors contained by the program.

Well…enjoy!

Hariana