Manga School with Selena Lin: Draw Your Own Manga

If your serious about drawing manga this book is where you should start. It teaches you how to create traditional shojo manga. Great for beginners. I only draw manga for fun and the style in which she draws differs from mine but I still found this book helpful. Gives you tips on everything from what tools to use, to paneling, to hair styles.

I was a total beginner when I started on this book. It doesn't explain step-by-step, but there's some really cool stuff in there, along with moods, hairstyles, wardrobes, heights, and even a chapter for Chibi art (and lots more). Even if it doesn't include step-by-step instructions, the art that Selena herself provides is very easy to copy and follow along with. That got me in the hang of being able to sketch those tricky eyes. It's a very good reference book, too. I couldn't do much art without it, at first, and the useful tips helped me get going. I HIGHLY recommend this book. P.S. When I bought this book, I also bought Manga Moods, by Saori Takarai. Not my favorite book, but it depends on what kind of Manga you like to draw. I usually draw different eyes then they do in that book. But other then the small stuff, it's a great book; it's all in the opinion. If you're not sure whether this book is right for beginners or not, get it anyway. It will still have very useful tips for when you're an advanced artist. If you're a beginner and you don't know which book to buy, finding a site online is always an option. There are a lot of those, and they're free.

My 12-year-old daughter is really into drawing manga. She had borrowed this book from the library and was instantly enthralled with it. Now that she owns it, she has used the techniques to fine-tune her drawings. From her mouth to this note, it is "highly recommended" for anyone who loves to draw manga.

Okay. I really liked this book. It doesn't really show you how to draw manga characters. Rather it is tool that shows you the supplies you need, what they do, and how to use them. How to do a layout properly and how to emphasize what you want the reader to view. It also goes over how to use photoshop, a necessary tool because screentone paper isn't sold here in the good ol' USA anymore, plus it can get expensive. So it is basically a finishing book, if you want to get published this will help you get a professional look. Very nice and very cute.