Mangaka America: Manga by America's Hottest Artists

THIS BOOK GAVE ME INSPIRATION. IT PROVIDES A LITTLE INSIGHT INTO THE PROCESS A FEW AMERICAN MANGA ARTISTS USE TO CREATE THEIR WORK. ITS NOT A HOW TO BOOK. IT'S JUST A BOOK FEATURING A FEW ARTISTS. BUT THE FEW TIPS RECEIVED ARE HELPFUL

I love Anime and Manga, and I have for a long time. When I found this book in a book store I thought that it was fascinating. Definitely a great source of inspiration, but not worth 25 bucks. Then I saw one of the tutorials. That book was mine before it knew what happened to it. As an aspiring Graphic Designer and someone who has be trying to teach herself how to draw Manga for years now, this book is indispensable. The artists in this book showed me how to do things I just didn't know how to do before, gave me new ideas and a sense of perspective. Make no mistake, this isn't a "how to draw manga" book, it's more of a "get to know the artists and learn all the tricks you wish was in all those how to draw manga books" kind of book. I couldn't stop reading it and I just can't stop looking at it! Highly recommended for lovers of Anime and Manga, as well as aspiring artists.

The book's idea was to showcase the work of a dozen North American manga artists, including "how to" interviews, which many of these artists turned into original pieces of manga (see especially the great outrageous chapter by Felipe Smith). The book is exceptionally well printed and has sewn signatures, so it opens flat and is durable (you will go back to it often). The book is edited by two strong young graphic designers and editors, Tania del Rio, a widely published manga artist herself (one chapter is devoted to her work), and Will Staehle, who has, among other things, designed the covers for three books by Michael Crichton, including Next, the current bestseller. Mangaka America is already in the collection of a major art museum. It's museum quality. And it's fun.

I have been anticipating this book since the start of the year - and pre-ordered it months ago. It was everything I expected/wanted, and more. I expected a few tutorials, much like how I see online, for colouring bit by bit. The techniques, etc. This book, much like those, takes you into the artist's perspective. And then some. They give you so many hints along the way, and explain things simply, so someone who knows only the very basics of painting programs [like me], could understand. And then comes the fun part: Not all the tutorials were the expected 'Then you do this, and that...' screen-shot steps. Christy Lijewski takes an interesting approach to character design. Then you get Felipe Smith's hilarious 'comic-tut' on facial expression. Most artists got a tutorial in, which I was very pleased with. There's interesting quiz-style biographies, with questions/points varying between artists, and it was very interesting reading responses. I particularly liked two tutorials. Not because I already admired the artists, but because of the insights they gave me. I doubt I saw two artists who had the same approach/style to art, whether it was more anime-like, or manga, and it was great seeing their works in print. I recommend this book to both those who want to look at some beautiful artwork, and those who want an insight into how these achieve their means.