Amazing Effects

I have to say this book is definitely one of my favorite HTDM's! It goes over how to create dramatic, fantastic scenes and presentations of your characters, and using every single part of the manga page (the "bleed" of the page, speech balloons, sound effects, angles) and much more to your advantage. It goes over designing the characters a little as well. Definitely a great book, but definitely for people who are skilled artist to begin with.

Contents: Ch1 The basics in composition 1. A well-planned composition brings the characters to life make the composition move 2. A well-planned composition creates space creating space in manga 3. A well- planned composition results in skillfully rendered artwork Ch2 The basics in character portrayal 1. Exaggerating reatures: Rounded forms 2. The eyes speak more than the mouth 3. Contrasting the eyes and the mouth to reveal emotion practicing facial expressions 4. Giving the readers a sizzling glance 5. Winning hands Communicating through the hands Using the hands to Portray the character 6. Charming idiosyncrasies Assorted habits The impact of habits Using a habit to design a character Using body types and props to design a character 7. Using close-ups to increase impact The expressiveness of close-ups 8. Exaggerate and make it fly! Ch3 The basics in voice portrayal 1. Portraying volume 2. Sound and voice Sample speech balloons Sample special effects 3. Balancing speech balloons with dialogue Dialogue length Forbidden speech balloons 4. Avoid having the charcter talk to him or herself as a narrative The pros and cons of monologues The pors and cons of narration Ch4: The basics in panel design 1. Maintain a balance in spreads 2. The panel's shape affects movement 3. Use the bleed to add to the composition 4. Use panels to suggest the passage of time Suggessting the passage of time 5. Use open doors to reveal a key panel The psychology behind opening a door 6. Use the layout to create key scene Layouts that create a key scene Ch5: The basics of Manga portrayal 1. Step into the characters shoes 2. Have romantic encounters begin with impact The appeal and purpose of romance manga Portraying romantic encounters in manga All of what you see above is what this book contains... This book contains 5 awesome chapters in showing you some strong ways to draw your panels in your manga to give it that edge. It also has some sample dialogue ballooons as well as sound effects that you can use in your manga. This book teaches you the do's and dont's on how to correctly put your speech balloons and the results that you get in a successful portrayal in your panel designs. Not only does it tell you about panel desings, but how to use facial expressions without the characters having to say what they feel. It is also helpful in helping you understand some habits that we all do in life that can be portrayed to your characters to get them their own personality. This books is very informative and fun to read. It is funny and helpful at the same time, so you won't loose interest while reading through this captivating how to book. I would definately recommend this book for those starting out with their manga's and need help on how to correctly use their panel designs, speech balloons,sound effects, and character design. This is definately a must buy!!!

This is very informative book that goes into great detail regarding composition and creating dynamic and interesting panels for your manga! Easy to read with the topics covered mostly in manga story format. It offers lots of examples between non-interesting layout and interesting manga layouts throughout the book. More specifically: composition, character portrayal, voice portrayal, panel design, and manga portrayal. The information in this book about composition of your drawing can translate to when you draw pin-up pictures. Otherwise, this book is for the person interested in perfecting their manga story-telling techniques. There's tons of info in this book. If you've paid attention to whats in this book, I have no doubt you'll be chucking out interestingly laid-out manga in no time. All in all, this book focuses only on creating dynamic and interesting scenes and if you want to learn anything else like toning, this book won't help you. The artwork isn't exactly the prettiest but it's the info the matters. I wouldn't exactly call this edition a keeper book as once you know the info, you can't use the book for anything else even for reference. So I suggest you check it out in the bookstore first and determine if it's for keeps before buying. Otherwise, great info, and a recommended must-read for those who are already familiar with creating their own manga and want to add a little more "oomph".