Wanna Draw Like a Professional Manga Artist?

Anime and manga: a booming industry in many parts of the the world. The beautiful and unique style of art and its exquisite stories enticed many readers and captured many young artist's hearts. This is how I started drawing; my love for manga and anime led me to a love of drawing. But like any abilities, good skills do not come overnight; and they don't come no matter how long you sit and wait for them.

I've hit a roadblock in my advancement so I decided to ask my favorite manga artists their own personal experience. It turned out, many of them had difficulties that I'm currently countering. Their advices are most helpful, and I hope you find them helpful too.

To those who never picked up a pencil to draw outside of manatory art classes in school: Read and see the process and other aspects of becoming a good artist. Maybe they can spark a drawing interest in you.

To those who are casual doodlers: These tips may turn you from casual to hard-core doodler! (But remember! Doodling in class is BAD!)

To those who hit a roadblock in their manga drawing not-yet-career: Join my club! These tips can help all of us get out of the rut and keep of improving!

To those who are about to give up: Frustrated? It's okay, many of us feel the same way. These tips might be able to help you change your mind. But remember, there are plenty of other styles out there if you feel manga style is not for you.

To those who are far-away admirers: Not sure on where to start? Maybe these advices can point you in the right direction.

And to those who are almost there: Yay! Congrates! These tips may speed you up to success.



(Note: I asked way too many artists! I have a whole list of artists I admire and I asked every single one! >_< It's my fault, I had the strange notion that great artists are too busy to answer my Notes, but most of them replied! I don't regret it, all of them are valuable advices. But to shorten this news article, I'm going to pick what I think is the most helpful answer.)

Thank you to




1.When did you start drawing anime-style art? And how long have you been doing it?

Demitasse-lover: From what I can remember, I started drawing anime when I was 10 then I kinda suddenly lost interest for a while until I started drawing again when I was 12. That was a few months before I joined dA. At that time, I was already 13. Now I'm 17. Goodness, time goes so fast.

Zeiva: Since March 1995, so that's 14 years. I am 24, soon to be 25.

Remocholy: When I was about 14 and now I'm 19,count it yourself : D
But turely speaking,I was not so clear about whether my art was anime-style or something at that time.I just drew what I loved to draw.

Laudine: It was back there, on my 4th birthday, my dad's secretary gave me a Doraemon manga, and it inspires me to draw even until now. (Fujiko F Fujio is my idol forever). Though, for all the time drawing is just a hobby for me, until recently, I have just determined to try to draw seriously (around January this year, I think)  
So..basically, I have been drawing manga/anime about 15 years, and have just started to draw seriously 3 months ago xD;


2. How often do you practice?

Demitasse-lover: Um well, if you can call randomly doodling practicing, then quite a lot. But school is starting to take over my life so I'm getting lesser and lesser free time to draw >: joy. So if I count, probably an hour a day? And during vacation probably.. umm I never count. A lot I guess.

Mou-S: I used to practice a lot, doing one or more pictures per day I think, but as school (and life) got busier I started to draw less. Aside from doodling during one of those boring lectures, I barely drew anything during the school terms in the last two years.

Neneno: Hahaha! I've been asked this question before, and I answer it in detail with photographs in my livejournal. You can see it here: [link]

3. What were some difficulties when you were just starting out? How did you solve them?

Joodlez: Everything -- proportions, anatomy, folds, hair, and the whole list. When I was little, I would frequently copy and trace various different drawings for fun. Later on, when I though I was better, I did away with direct references completely, and instead observed real-life and illustrated examples and "practiced". It also helps to return to your finished pieces to scrutinize them and see where you need to work on

Neneno: Difficulties would be... being frustrated at having the end result be off from what I pictured in my head. It still happens to me though, but less and less, I guess 8D? I just learned to accept failure and try to learn from it instead of dwelling on it.

Zeiva: Nobody ever support my idea of becoming mangaka. They all laugh at my inability to draw. Like a brat I am, I wanted to prove them wrong.

Nuriko-kun: I could only draw one particular pose from one single angle, and had no idea how to even start on anything different, so I'd keep drawing that same angle and pose, so I'd never learn anything new, and the cycle repeats. There was no improvement and all my pictures looked the same and boring.
Looking at references really helps. Even tracing and copying is really helpful, so long as you pay attention and remember where things are supposed to go as you draw. Basically, don't space out when you're drawing, or you'll just keep repeating the same errors and there will be no improvement.

Mou-S: Frankly speaking, when I first started drawing in manga-style, I had no standard or expectations in my pictures. Everything that I drew appeared to be perfect at the time. (I even remember getting mad at the people who criticized my drawings.) It's apparent that the biggest hinderance to my improvement was my inability to discern my mistakes. This problem was solved, to some extent, by time and the maturation of my own mindset, as I gradually became open to critiques. Looking at the works from professional artists also helped me to realize my weaknesses in the areas such as anatomy, perspectives, and background construction. (and they also served as good reference materials for me to improve in these areas.)

4. Have you taken formal art classes (any in general)? If so, did you think it helped your anime drawing abilities?

Kuurin: I've taken art courses in England and New Zealand, so they've helped alot. However, the class that really helped me out was life drawing. It's that class that you have to draw the naked guy/lady in the middle of the room. The first class made me cringe, since I was 16 at the time and fat ladies weren't really something I wanted to draw, but after getting used to it, it helped me get better at anatomy and experimenting with different media. Of course, those things are very useful for anime art too!

Iris-Zeible: Never take any clasees until two years ago, I entered an art college and started to learn something very very basic. Like colors, composition, anatomy... those kind of basic stuff. And yes, basic learning improves me a lot.

Demitasse-lover: Hahah the only art classes I've attended were those where you make pictures out of egg shells and houses out of random sticks back in grade school XD.. well sure, I guess they kinda helped.. my creativity but not my anime drawing skills. I did attend an art workshop a few months ago. Although it only lasted a day and all we pretty much did was draw a circle, I think it really helped me improve my shading skills. :3

5. In your opinion, how much of an artist’s ability is natural talent? And how much is acquired skill through learning and practicing?

Kaze-Hime: Art is 90% knowledge, 10% skill and talent.

Joodlez: I think what people refer to as "talent" is the natural inclination to pursue something in a particular field. If one is inclined to draw and enjoy it, she/he will do it excessively, thus developing and refining their skills. Nobody is born with the skills to draw, exactly, but they may be born with a keen eye for detail, aesthetics, and colour, with a reinforcing internal and external environment.

Shilin: This question depends on which artist you're talking about. Talent for art in my opinion is just how keen an observer the artist is, and how much he processes what he observes in his mind. Some people naturally think a lot (therefore "talented") and thus makes it a lot easier for them to learn and discover new things, but a lot of people who aren't as sensitive in nature can still consciously force themselves to pay attention to things and think about everything they see. As long as an artist is constantly aware and thinking, he's 90% of the way there. As long as he knows what he's trying to achieve, he will find the skills and techniques he needs to accomplish it. Therefore I think natural talent has little place in determining how good an artist can become, since any well-aware individual can accomplish the same result, it's just that the learning process will be different for everyone.

Nuriko-kun: Um... Say artistic ability is a ladder. The one who is more talented gets to start on a higher rung, and he also has longer limbs. So he will climb faster and go farther than a regular person who is working equally hard. It is entirely possible to surpass a more talented person by simply working harder than he does.

6. What kind of equipments do you use? Are there any particular supplies you would suggest to newbies?

Kuurin: I mainly use Photoshop and Open Canvas to make my digital art. For traditional art, I use coloured pencils, mechanical pencils and sometimes watercolour paints. Oh, and Copic markers. For newbies, I suggest buying Photoshop. It seems really expencive, but it's honestly worth it! Use Photoshop to get used to shading and backgrounds. Even basic sketching is made really easy in Photoshop, because you can move things around however you please, and if you make a mistake it' not the end of the world. After you're comfortable there, experiment! It's no good to stick with just one media.

Shilin: I use a mechanical pencil and any white paper space to draw, and Photoshop with a Wacom tablet to CG. I have no suggestion in tools to newbies; use whatever you have/you feel comfortable using. Using Da Vinci's tools will not make you draw like Da Vinci.
Minjii: I normally use digital media but have a secret love for traditional (note that barely no traditional works are in my gallery but that's due to a busted scanner.) I suggest artists to get their hands on EVERYTHING and ANYTHING possible. From traditional media to digital, even mixed media. That way you can find your niche or whichever, and go from there. You must also note that even though we're in the era of technology, digital is not always 'better.' My suggestion for a basic start? Pencil and paper.

Nefis: I use anything I want, if it draws a line in a paper, or if it give me some color, it's perfect for me. I don't care about brands.
I recomend the pencil, a lot of people try to color in photoshop and they just don't know how to shade. If you can shade with a simple pencil in a paper, you will color and shade perfectly in photoshop.

7. Anything special you do to improve quickly? Anything at all!

Iris-Zeible: i) Learn about realistic drawing. Capture accurate shapes, learn correct anatomy, and learn to do shading, capture light and shadow.
ii) If you don't like realistic drawing, collect some awesome anime artist and copy their style + coloring. (And you will risk yourself becoming a copy cat. )

Demitasse-lover: This is an overused answer but I'll use it anyway. PRACTICE DAMN IT. People who are too impatient to practice and wants to know a more efficient way to improve never will improve. A lot of people always say this as an advice and I know you're probably already sick of it by now but it's the best advice I know.

Kaze-Hime: Be very observant. Like, really concentrate on everyday normal stuff. Like if you want to draw hands better, look at hands a lot.

8. Do you use any helpful websites/books/magazines/anything at all to improve your abilities?

Iris-Zeible: Website? I think deviantArt is very good enough. All the great artists are gathering here, and many of them share some nice tutorials, encouraging each other to do better.
For book and magazine... I think manga is good enough. Don't just read manga for fun, try to observe the way they do paneling/ anatomy/ express storyline.

Kuurin: First things first, avoid those 'how to draw anime' books. They did nothing to help me out when I was starting. Honestly they're a waste of money. One thing that really helped, was browsing through DA and Japanese artists websites to see different styles. After that you can try and develop your own. Tutorials are also helpful, as are critiques (even if they can be harsh sometimes!).

Laudine: For funky perspective and anatomy practice, I really recommends [link] ! It is an awesome site with tons of poses in various angles, it's definitely worth to check! For some awesome Photoshop tutorials, you can check [link] , it got plenty of cool tutorials there ^^ I also suggest to buy some books, like books about human anatomy, landscapes, etc. No, don't buy 'How to Draw Manga' books, most of them are...well, bad.

9. Give one SPECIFIC advice to all the newbies who want to reach your level.

Kuurin: Tracing is a great way to practise when you're a new artist. After tracing a few pictures, move away from that and use refs instead. These'll help you get used to where everything is, and it'll help you know where you needmore help in. After that, draw without any help. It'll come handy, honestly. HOWEVER, don't post your traced and ref-ed art anywhere public. They're for practice and practice only!

Neneno: Practice doesn't make perfect. You can't mechanically just draw whatever. You have to think as you do it, too. Creating a piece of art is very much a process that requires thought. So plan out the picture in your mind first; don't just draw a face and make it up as you go.

Joodlez: Find an inspiration. Keep yourself inspired, whether it be with books, movies, dreams, music, artistic idols, etc. It really helps to find a partner on your skill level who will encourage and inspire you, so that you can help each other out with deficits and problems.
When you come across a day when you just can't draw as well as normally ("art block"), just stop and pursue it later. It's unnecessary frustration. Don't get discouraged, and ALWAYS be open to critiques!

Mou-S: To the newbie anime artists: Practice realism once in a while, and pay attention to the details (e.g. the texture of objects, the folding of clothes, the intensities of different shadows, etc.). It helps you to build up an art foundation and to gain an "artist's common sense." When doing anime-style works, try to incorporate what you have learned from realism whenever you think it's applicable. It makes the picture more natural and detailed.

Nuriko-kun: Don't neglect traditional art. Photoshop has resizing tools that fix up lopsided heads or oversized limbs. Even if most of your art is done digitally, you should make sure you can still draw proportionally on paper without having to rely on those convenient tools to fix your picture. Otherwise, you could end up drawing consistently "off" pictures, and it will become a bad habit.


10. Give some words of encouragement to help all the budding anime artists on their way to the top!

Kuurin: Learning how to draw takes alot of time and willpower. If you think you suck and you're the worst artist in the world, don't stop drawing. ALL great artists were rubbish at the start. It's only by hard work and practice that they got to where they are now. You can't go from newbie to pro over night, yah? You need to work hard at it :U

Minjii: You're an idiot if you get discouraged by 'art gods' or artists 'better than you.' You have to remember that everyone starts somewhere, even these sorts of people. Sure there are obstacles, but what route in life doesn't have them? Challenge yourself to improve and you will! (This also goes for things even outside the art world... Also note that if you feel anime is not for you, there are many other styles you can go for, there are no dead ends. :3)

Remocholy: Don't give up on the half way.

Demitasse-lover: Encouragement eh? You can do it! Don't give up! Don't lose interest! And if a time comes that you can't seem to draw anything anymore, stop. Do something different and inspiration is bound to hit you again. Inspiration is everywhere. Even under a rock.

Mou-S: Keep practising and be patient. Keep this up for a few years and look back at your old drawings, you will be shocked. = )
Nefis: Draw because you want to. Not because you want to be admired.
I draw in anime style because it's easy, not because I want to do kawaii animu girls in kawaii animu scenes. And I do not draw for you, I draw for me.
I'm not saying that you should be an egoistic person, i'm just saying that the only one that can draw the things you feel, is yourself. The most important thing at the end is how much of you will be in your drawings.


There you have it! Advices from successful artists! I wonder when I can be good...maybe when I draw as long as Laudine and Zeiva? Maybe when I start to leak sketches like Neneno? Whatever it is, I definitely have inspiration to improve! And I hope you do, too! Don't give up now!

Keep on trying!

Love,
~Scarlettestar

You like stories.  You wanna tell them.

But it's more than that, isn't it?

You want to build them.

You want others to experience them.

We tell stories everyday in conversation, but how do we transform those into sequential art?

---

"Where on Earth Do I Start?"

Words, Words, and More Words!

In many ways, comics, that is, sequential art, resembles the art of film making. Every comic has it's own art design and "directing" style, right down to how the characters think and act.  The art of comics has been closely linked to realms such as storyboarding and graphic design. Though the common lingo includes the term "novel" (as in graphic novel), the typical novelistic fashion of writing must be adapted for comics much in the same way it is reshaped for a screenplay. Comics don't only involve the thoughts and feelings of your character(s), but they also include specific actions to showcase these emotions.  Even if you are showcasing an introverted character that speaks (and thinks) to himself, you must create a logical flow for such a soliloquy to occur and add meat to the plot.

Comics are akin to novels and books, but they are at the same time not exactly novels and books. They are adapted from this closely related medium. Can you write your comic out in novel form first? Sure can! But you must be armed with the realization that the two mediums can have their drastic differences as well. What may work in a novel may not always be the most prudent way to showcase it in a comic!

Setting aside the aspects of storyboarding and panel flow for now, we'll turn our attention to the entire overwhelming process of creating a comic -- telling a story with words and pictures. Where do we even begin to look for an appropriate story to tell? Do you simply mash up your favorites in a kind of fictional lunchroom gumbo? Throw in a snappy self-insert and hope for the best because, after all, who wouldn't identify with you? Or do you simply rush out and buy every single book on writing you can find?

There are a multitude of ways to go about it, really, and no doubt there are many different layers to writing a story! Go to one bookstore and you'll be faced with walls of books ranging from structure to characterization to dialogue. Maybe you just throw up you hands and mosey over to the cafe to find an interesting magazine. Maybe you down a coffee or two, distraught and irritated with the whole idea. Where do you begin?

The truth is that you can begin anywhere -- even your own backyard! (Buried treasure, maybe? X marks the spot!) It doesn't have to be good when you start, just so long as you start! Some of you may stick to the time-honored saying of, "I write for myself." This is a wonderful saying, and I don't knock it in the slightest. Everyone who has ever finger-painted has experienced the immense fulfillment that comes from the raw process of simply creating. However, whether you're writing for yourself or for an audience, I find that it's still worthwhile to at least consider the issue of writing/storytelling from several perspectives.  

So. Let's focus our effort here. What do we want to talk about exactly? Can we distill these many complex issues into a simple layout of principles that we can relate right here, right now to comicking? Let's try.  We'll keep it kind of loose and break it into sections. We'll reflect on our own backgrounds and interests. We'll take a gander at genres, demographics, and target audiences. Later, we'll muse about what kinds of brainstorming techniques are out there -- conceptualization and flow charts and outlines -- and we'll see if any of them work for you.  Later still, we'll think about characters, the illusion of life, and targeted writing.  We'll consider the idea of the comic from not only the perspective of a writer, but also from the viewpoint of a concept designer and a cinematographer.

In short, we're not aiming to rehash an academic in-depth discussion on writing in general (though we may trade book recommendations here and there and quote a few wiser, more experienced writers), but rather...we're going to try to expand on these issues as they relate to comics, so perhaps we can all branch out and apply them in new and exciting ways. Hilaire Belloc said, "Of all fatiguing, futile, empty trades, the worst, I suppose, is writing about writing." However, let's consider this more of a free talk than a serious attempt at explaining the cosmos. We aim to spit out all the interesting advice we've come across in books and gotten in person from others, especially at those snappy October storytelling festivals (a deep South tradition). By giving structure to these topics, hopefully we can gain a fresh perspective on them and learn more about them together.

Let's get started! (Planned discussion topics below. We will probably discuss them out of order, as inspiration strikes!)
#1: What if...?

#2: Characters, Conflict, and Plot

#3: A Brief Aside on Genre and Target Audience

#4: Translating the Medium: Comics and Conceptualization

#5: Brainstorming and the Importance of Creating a "Working Script"

#6: Putting Together a Design Concept: Memory and Association

#7: More on Writing: Ancient Formulas and Contemporary Theories

Writers:  Tay & Erin Holt

Any contributors will be credited in future articles.


As a tiny disclaimer, this is an exploratory series. We're by no means claiming expertise or even much beyond noob status as creators. Don't expect too much from this either, as it is more of a free discussion than aggressive finger-wagging. Any "good stuff" in these articles is a conglomeration of loads of other ideas about reading, writing, and film-making. We hope to to learn as we write as a community. It gives us incentive to read, research, and talk to all of you.

The books used will be cited at the end of every article. If you would like to contribute, by all means do so! You can either arrange to write your own guest article or you can contact me at TaylorHolt@StudioLoom.com.  You may simply leave a comment on any subject with regard to comic-making and we'll incorporate it into later articles. Let's try to keep it positive. There is no wrong answer or way of thinking here; just talk about what works for you. All Articles are cross-posted to our blog. I can't offer much, but if you participate in a substantial, positive way, we'll spotlight you on our blog as well. Cheers!

Manga and Anime are a new generation of art, spreading all over the world right now. It is an important aspect of Japanese culture, a solid part of the youth-generation in the US and slowly starts spreading in Europe as well. Even though many people still don’t know what Mangas or Animes actually are, most kids already know and they even try to draw this new kind of art themselves. This way the tolerance among adults starts growing as well, a good way to expand the Manga-culture.

But as for any kind of art, many people have problems in improving their own style or even finding it. This news-article is directed to any kind of artist that is interested in improving himself/herself.</i>


I’ve been asked multiple times how some artists manage to improve very fast and others seem to never improve at all and even though I first thought it has to do with practice I had to admit myself that it does not only depend on mere practice but much more on how you practice and especially on how you handle your finished piece of art.




Improve your Poses and Characters


Helplines

One of the most widespread improvement-blockades is the missing of helplines. Only very few artists that passed a certain line of skills in drawing Mangas draws them without helplines! Many sketches are posted on deviantart from really good artists that look as if the artist started with the outlines right away, but that’s just wrong. Many of these artists either use a blueprint-pen for the helplines (the scanner can’t detect this color-> the helplines disappear) or draw them so soft and light that they are nearly not visible in digital form.

Helplines are a giant aid for any kind of poses or angles you want to draw your chara in. Many artists can’t draw more than a few poses because they wouldn’t know how to change the different joints of the body so that it is another pose.




Now that you know how your pose is supposed to look like, you can build your character around it by giving him/her a face, cloths, ... You don’t have to focus on your pose any longer.


This is a giant step and will help you improve a lot!



Giving your character a Personality

Some people look at an artist’s characters and somehow… every single character seems too look just like the other characters of this artist… Sometimes that’s the fault of the person that looks at them. They don’t really look at them… but often it is the “fault” of the artist. A character has life in him/her. If you draw a character just to create a picture with someone in it, it will never look as interesting as if you draw someone that has a personality! For example this chara:




On the left side the chara seems neutral even though she smiles. You can’t see any kind of personality in her. The right picture seems much more interesting. The smile looks a little mean-she could be a thief or something. The eyes have much more life in them now and the face is a little longer than before. Such little changes in a characters face or pose give him/her so much more life that it looks a dozen times more professional than a character without personality.

Even if you are just drawing a random character, think of a rough personality for him/her. It doesn’t have to be much but just think of it like “This character is supposed to be shy, but she loves sunlight,…” That’s enough. Now you can draw a picture of a girl in a sunflower-field that enjoys the sun but still seems fragile. Just imagine how such a girl would look like. With this you can even create awesome effects in manga-stories. If one of your characters uses to always be in a bad mood and suddenly starts smiling, it seems creepy cause it doesn’t match with his personality. Or a very cheerful character. If this chara all of a sudden is serious, the reader knows that something horrible must have happened. With these little tricks your characters and stories grew much more interesting than before.


On a side-note: No character is perfect. Everyone has a flaw in his/her personality or abilities. A “God-moded” character is totally boring cause you know before that this character is never going to fail in anything… all humor and intense is erased out of your story that way. Just take a look at popular mangas just as (for example) Naruto. None of the characters there is “perfect”. Naruto is a trusting person and a very good fighter, but what makes him so funny and interesting is not Kyuubi’s might in him, but the flaws he has-> His kind of humor, his Sexy-jutsu (I think it has a different name in English… sorry I only know the German name…),… things that make him different from others. Who’d care about him if he was overpowered, win every fight with one hit and be the most mature person on earth?

So don’t worry about giving your characters flaws. It makes them so much more human.


Practice your Characters

If you have OCs that you want to draw more than once, try to make sketches of them from different angles, in different poses,… try something new with them! Don’t be afraid to try poses that you weren’t good in before. Just try to draw them by using the helplines. Rough sketches are easily finished in a few minutes but they give you a lot of experience that you might need later on when drawing a real picture again. It also helps you with interactions of characters (take a look at the next chapter for details.)

Only few artists post their rough sketches, but if you search for them you come across a lot of awesome sketches in which you can see the progress of an artist’s work.

:thumb83783212:





Building a Story

To write a Manga always starts with a story you want to draw. But how to build an interesting story?

The basic of a story is a good idea. You must have a clue where you want to set a story and what you want to show with this story. You must decide before getting started with your charas if you want it to be a fantasy-story, mecha, mystery, dark, ... whatever. So you must be aware of the genre you want to draw (doesn’t use very much to draw a mecha-chara for a story that takes place in the Mid-ages…)

Now that you know your genre, set up a good idea for something that happens or that happened and makes the adventure of your charas start now. For example: A giant flood destroyed the village your charas live in and killed most inhabitants of the small village.

And now think of a way to solve the problem-> They must find a new home and so start a journey through the lands to find a new place to settle down.

And to make it a little more interesting think of a second problem that might occur: The village lay on a beach, but was surrounded by a desert. Now your charas have to travel through a hot desert instead of just wandering around.


The main-idea for your Manga is born. By giving your characters problems and finding solutions for them you can set up giant stories. This system works: You have one giant main-problem which’s solution ends your characters adventure, but in between the start and the goal more and more problems appear and your heroes have to solve them. What makes such problems even more interesting is if their solution is necessary but distances the charas from their main-goal.



This way you can build your story, yes, but what keeps a story alive are not the events in it, but the charas.

Charas have to match with each other to keep the story running on. If you put two charas together in one room and they are both shy, they will sit in a corner and stare at the wall… if the charas both are hot tempered they might start to fight without a clear reason.

Depending on a charas personality the reaction will always change. And especially by putting more charas together they will change the story by interacting with each other. Place two shy charas in front of a dark cave and nothing will happen… they will sit there and they won’t do ANYTHING!!! But let it be two self-confident charas and they will eagerly take a look what’s in the deep dark cave. The most interesting combination though is if the charas are totally different. If one chara is shy and the other one is self-confident and curious, the self-confident chara will stragger the shy chara along into the cave, even if this chara doesn’t want to go in there at all…



A funny combination can also be a mature chara and a childish chara… it adds humor to the worst situations and makes them amusing.




Think of interesting constellation of personalities and create your characters depending on this. If you have one or two charas you want to keep the way they are, add characters that match with them and interact with each other.

A story doesn’t have to have much content… as long as the charas keep the story running and interesting.

Again: Try to practice this by drawing rough sketches. Chibi-sketches are perfect to practice here! Chibis are the 5x over-acted version of your charas-> If you can draw a chibi-interaction a usual interaction won’t be much of a problem.

:thumb71410238:





To keep improving</u>

Many people say the key to improve is practice a lot. Others say it is talent… Both are correct and both are wrong.

Talent makes it much easier to improve, but with enough knowledge and practice you can “create” talent. Drawing is 60% knowledge, 30% creativity and 10% talent. If you lack creativity it is hard for you to think of anything good to draw… but all in all you can still draw something if someone just tells you what to draw. A little talent helps to make your pictures look special but these 10% are not so important… what is important though is your knowledge about anatomy, poses, perspective, use of colors, skills…

A child draws as it draws due to the lack of knowledge and skills. The more we learn how a human body looks like, them more our drawings improve. We learn over time how to make good shadings, how to add contrasts, or how to draw good facial expressions… If you take a look at drawings you made when you were 8 years old and look at your drawings now there is a giant difference-> cause you learned a lot.


How to gain this knowledge?

The best way is probably to always have a close look at your surroundings. Take a look at your hand for example. Many people draw pointy fingers but in fact your finger-tips are round. Or fabric. Many people draw cloths as if there are no creases at all in them. But look down on you and you will notice a lot of creases on your own cloths. So a picture of a character with cloths that does not have a single crease just looks unnatural. You don’t have to add many of them, but a good amount gives your picture life and a realistic touch.


This is a rather hard way to learn things though. An easier way is to buy some sports-magazines and look at the photos there. Try to draw the poses you see on the pics for your own charas. This is a good way to master new poses you haven’t been able to draw before. And you practice with your eyes that way too. If you can draw poses you see on pictures, you will have an easier time to draw poses you see in real life.




Any artist (at least 99,9% of all artists) have an idol they admire. It does not have to be someone that is really better than you, but someone that manages to draw pictures that captivate you somehow. Now take a close look at these pictures and try to figure out what exactly fascinates you on them. Find out what your personal preferences are, what you love, what you want to have in your own pictures.

Some people consider this as copying other persons styles, but think about it: You haven’t found your own style so far and you want to draw things that fascinate yourself. You want to be happy with what you draw. You don’t copy an artist’s pictures, you just learn something about yourself: You learn what you like on your own pictures, and now you found your own style. It is important to see the difference here: You DON’T draw their pictures. You draw your own pictures but with the knowledge of what you like due to another artist’s pictures.

Some people don’t like to use this method. This is all up to you.




Can critic help me to improve?

Of course it can as long as it is a good critic.

There are many comments like “Wow, what an awesome work!!” “I your picture it soooo sweeeeeeeet!!” and stuff like this. Guess anyone likes to get such comments every once in a while cause it gives you recognition of your skills and you gain self-confidence for your works. Anyone needs them once in a while to keep up your artistic mood. If no one likes your works it is hard to draw on… (Sadly I’ve seen lots of artists with much potential that stopped drawing due to flamers… )

But these comments are NOT critic.

Some people think “Your art sucks” is a critic too *Meeeeeeep* Wrong!

A good critic is made of different parts:

-What someone likes on your picture
-What you might improve on your picture
-All-in-all opinion of your picture.

(For anyone that wants to write a crit: If you can’t find anything you like on a pic… THEN DON’T COMMENT!)

By telling you what someone likes on your picture you learn about what other people find interesting on your pics (Like what I stated in the previous point: Personal preferences and what others fascinate on your picture). If many people tell you that they like something on your picture you can be kinda sure that this part is already high-quality so you can focus yourself on improving other things.

You might have notice one thing: I stated “what you might improve”, not “what is bad on your picture”. By stating how to improve something you automatically give the artist a hint on what to do better next time to prevent a fault. If you keep telling an artist “Your hands suck” He won’t know what is wrong with them. But if you say “Your fingers are rather pointy. Try to make the tips rounder” it will show the problem and give a matching solution.


It is really hard to accept critic first, but this is the very best way to improve. Selecting which critic is a good one and considering it makes you improve a dozen times faster than by just trying to improve your main-knowledge. It is weird, but somehow we rarely see our own flaws on pictures, but after a few months we can see them. Persons that didn’t draw the picture often see it immediately and show you where you might improve your knowledge.


This way you can improve your art within a few months to a totally new level!!

March-------------------->June
:thumb80779975: :thumb89846680:




Advice


In this section I want to state some of my personal experiences and opinions. I’m not sure if they match with the huger part of artists here in DA so I made an extra section for them.


To improve your style it is important that you draw many different OCs. Fanarts are nice, of course, but a well-drawn OC needs much more skills than a character you didn’t create. So if you really want to higher your drawing-level try to draw many different OCs even though they don’t give as many pageviews as a Fanart Focus on a couple of OCs you really like and keep drawing them again and again but also draw other charas that don’t have to do anything with them. By drawing older OCs again you can notice your own improvement much better, but by drawing new OCs you gain new experiences because you have to draw new faces, poses, personalities,…

A good balance between these two helps you to see your own bettering but in the same time gain more and more skills.



Tutorials are awesome! I love taking a look at them even though I can draw most of the stuff I look at already… for example kiss-tutorials. I made two of them myself already, but I love looking at other people’s tuts. They use techniques that I don’t use, but that have interesting aspects too. Analyzing other tutorials is a great help. With a certain kind of practice you can look at pictures and think of ways to create the same effects of coloring, pose,… Tutorials help you to practice your eyes a lot. I love browsing DA and guessing how some artists created certain effects. Just try it out! It’s really funny.



Another advice I want to give any manga-newb out there is to keep up your work Don’t forget about a good story you wanted to draw just because you don’t have the skills yet to draw a good Manga. If you are not satisfied with your work anymore don’t be afraid to restart anew. One day you will have enough experience to keep up your work ^^ I enjoy looking back at my first Manga-pages from 2006 and comparing them with my pages now. It makes me really shocked sometimes, but it is so much fun looking back. You should stick with good stories. The longer you write on them, the better and deeper they will become!





~End~</u></i>

I hope you enjoyed this article. Spread the MANGA-LOVE!!!



Mini-Feature

And here a selection of very fine pieces of (partly semi) Manga-/Anime-Art I found on DA. These artists really have much potential! ^^

:thumb88816885: :thumb84053447: :thumb69366269: :thumb45140906: :thumb74113312:

So... you want to be a comic artist?

heres a handy but totally disorganised load of information on the subject
possibly the most useful guide in existance
and its FULL of links...
some of them are quite old and may not exist anymore but there are so many i cannot be bothered sorting them out
*dn't awww at me you should know how lazy I am*

Panelling and Planning

-Drawing : Panels, shading, angles, techniques, and so forth:
1) Plan your comic out carefully first- just do a few scribbles on what is happening in your comic (are they talking? Any action?)

2) If you're not "good" at drawing people/animals/whatever, get a book on anatomy, watch anime/read manga to get a fair idea on what things should look like- PRACTICE MAKES PERFECT.

3) Camera angles: watch tv/movies/read manga to see how the camera is featured: Is it close-up? Birds eye view? Front on?

-Drawing : Panels, shading, angels, techniques, and so forth

Time and Pacing

The smaller the gutter, the shorter amount of time is taken up. The wider the space of the gutter, the more time.

Overlapping panels usually indicate fast-paced scenes, as do a series of small panels, or oddly shaped panels. Why? because your eye follows over them more quickly than a large panel.

Emphasis and Importance

Small panels generally indicate a small action, or something you want the reader to focuse specifically on, so you give it it's own panel rather than drawing it in a larger one.

Larger panels are usually more important. Establishing shots, introduction shots, and huge dramatic scenes.

Mood(Angles/Shadow/Body Language)

Sometimes you don't have enough space in the word bubbles to get across what you want, or sometimes you want to express something visually to make it stronger.

In comics, you are the camera man. Use angles to great effect, for they can add mood to the comic that might otherwise be hard to get across. The 'camera' looking up often give the scenery or character a sense of power, making it imposing or sometimes even intimidating. Likewise, the 'camera' looking down upon the character can make them seem vulnerable, unsure...

Shadow and lighting also have a role in mood. Even the way you depict shadow can change it! Rough, harsh lines can give something a gritty feel. Soft, clean lines that don't always connect gives an image a light, ethreal one. Generally, the starker the contrast, the more intense the feeling.

Body language is probably something most comic artists omit, but in a well-done comic it is key. Observe the people about you, maybe even go to a park or mall and go gesture sketches. Shy or frightened people tend to keep their limbs and head close to their body. Someone outgoing people walk with a wide gait and stand straight. Models and dancers cross their feet infront of the other when walking.

1. PLAN YOUR PANNELING You should plan your panneling when you script your comic. You need to know where the action is going before you put it on paper. Comics are a VISUAL medium...*gasp*...so you need to know what the overall look is going to be like as well as each individual panel. Know what style of comic you are making to know what your panels should look like. If you are doing one that is more traditional then you have less panel breaking, but if you are doing more of a manga-style comic you will have lots of variation in your panels.

Panels
I've said this many, many times on this forum since quite a few people ask about these darn things. People overlook the importance of panels. They control the pacing, flow, and feel, and even the atmosphere of the comic. Have you ever read a comic where the panelling was so messy that you couldn't tell which panel to read next? That's bad panelling.

There is really no set template or formula when you panel a comic, unless you're doing something like a "4-koma." But generally, if you don't know how many panels to put on a page... seven is a pretty good number. That's not too much, nor is it too little. It's actually pretty hard to teach how to panel, or even to panel well. The only thing I can think of is to study how other people (who do it well) panel. Keep in mind that you're not just looking at the shape of the panel, you're looking at the content too.

Something that you probably shouldn't do is overuse big panels and small panels. Having two giant, massive panels on the page for the entire comic is just... bad. Same with having twelve itty-bitty panels for each page. As someone mentioned before, always plan.

Do a panel map before you draw the actual page, since it may be overwhelming due to its size (like this post). To do a panel map, just grab a piece of paper (I like to use line paper) and draw a mini page that's about an inch or two high. It doesn't have to be complete, it can just be the panels and the dialogue bubbles (which also guide the eye). Then sit back and look at it. If your eyes flow the right way, then you did good. Then again, you drew it so you know which way it's supposed to go. Grab a friend and get them to use their finger to show you which way their eyes are moving.

Techniques

When drawing comics, I tend to draw panels that multitask. I'm not terribly fond of seeing a conversation get volleyed between panels, since it makes the conversation stretch out for paaages. Yanno, when one panel is devoted to one character's face and one sentence. Then the next panel is the other character's face and his reply. Then they go back again, and so on.

I prefer one rather large panel where you can see both characters. Since you probably won't be able to see both of their faces full on, I like to use body language to convey what the other person is saying. I don't use one dialogue bubble for one sentence either-- usually one dialogue bubble has three to five. There's more meat to the page, and there's less clutter. It also frees up more pages for more content.

Another thing I like to do is drawing one big, detailed background, and using it over and over again. It saves time. Like if the characters are in a familiar setting (like a local hangout, or a house, or a street), then I can just spend one day drawing out commonly used angles of that place. Then when I need it, I'll just copy and paste it into the background. Or if you're not using the computer, then I'll just use the lightbox accordingly.


On Writing

DON'T BE REDUNDANT: As you can tell from what I am writing, no one likes to hear the same thing over and over again. Get straight to the point, and don't beat around the bush when writing a comic. People like seeing the story move along, not sit and fester.

Make sure that the plot can be understood: If it can't, people will be spamming you on the forums for a good long time until you either explain or fix things. [editor's note: or just switch off]

Make sure that you transition from one point to another in a way that doesn't confuse everyone: What I mean is this; don't skip from one scene to a compleatly unrelated one without somehow showing, either in words or art, that one is occuring. Going along with that...

Don't overuse dramatic irony (I.E. I know something that the characters don't) and don't use too many points of view: In both cases, a little extra perspective can be nice, but too much can spoil the story, as well as keep the story from moving along at all. Keeping your focus on only one or two groups for each story line is a good idea. Of course, publishing a webcomic seven times a week is the exception here, since you have a lot more time for a lot more story. Just make sure that you move the plot along. (Yes, it is important)

1. IT IS NOT A NOVEL Know that scripting for a comic/GN/Manga is much different than writing a novel. You need to know how to be precise/inspiring/funny with relatively few words. Too many comic artists get overly wordy or don't use the right words.

2. SHOW, DON'T TELL. The actual dialouge should be used for just that...DIALOGUE. If you can't show me in the drawing what is happening, practice some more, because I don't need a 20 minute exposition about your comic within the comic.

3. WRITE YOUR SCRIPT FIRST It is wise to remember that you should always write your script first BEFORE you start drawing it out. It doesn't have to be set in stone, but it helps immensely. This is the stage where you should also do panel planning. You should revise and edit your script, you should have a BETA (or a person that looks it over and gives you opinions on needed edit) read your script. You should also have a proofer after the page(s) are complete...you WILL miss grammar and spelling errors, so have a friend help you out.

Plot & Writing
I know a lot of people like comics that have a basic setting but no plot to speak of, but I don't. Think of your plot carefully and don't be afraid to create subplots. Plots are the driving force of your comic. There are many, many books out about creating plots, I suggest you check them out. I don't have any advice for this other than "avoid being generic." If you're generic, nobody is going to remember you. Besides, what's the fun in drawing something generic and bland?

Getting a Writer
Having a writer is not a bad thing. I don't know why so many people think it's "weak" to have one. Just remember that you must respect the writer, and they must respect you. When you get a writer, interview them first. You don't want to get someone who understands nothing about drawing, comics, or how things are done. Those kind of people are the ones who will drive you like a slave. They'll expect you to spit out complete, colored, professional quality pages in two hours.

It's always best to make friends with your writer and establish good communication. If you don't know how to draw such-and-such, or if you think the main character's costume is waaaaay too tacky/ugly/overdone/simple, you got to tell them. Don't forget that as the artist, you have creative freedom too. Unless they don't give you any.

My sister also adds that if you're getting a writer, you need to make sure that your writer is actually a writer, and not somebody who says "hey I got an idea! I'll be your writer!" Dialogue is very, very important. If your writer can't write good dialogue, you're better off on your own. This is your own personal creation, and it's their's too. I must repeat this: respect each other. Neither one of you does less work than the other.


Useful Links

Fonts
www.blambot.com
www.comicbookfonts.com
www.bancomicsans.com/fonts.html

Software
www.adobe.com
www.corel.com
www.jasc.com
www.comic-works.com
www.portalgraphics.com
www.gimp.com
www.cgillust.com
www.macromedia.com

Comic Forums
www.dream-grafix.be
www.sweatdrop.com/forum
pendako.syste.ms/bbs
www.cgtalk.com

Art Galleries
www.sheezyart.com
www.deviantart.com
www.artwanted.com
www.side7.com
www.shadowness.com
www.vladartgallery.com
[link]
mangaworkshop.net
[link]

Online Comic Shops
www.akadotretail.com
www.bluelinepro.com
www.animegamersusa.com

clothing reference
www.eluts.com < a doll sight
www.mwart.com/medieval_clothing.htm < midievil clothing
[link] < renaissance clothing
www.missamylee.com/Links.htm ..s to various links
www.goodgoth.com/ < gothic clothing
www.lafnmoon.com/111_day_dress.html < early 1860'S
[link] < victorian to cival war
[link] < a mix of victorian, midievil, and cival
[link] < mix
[link] < mix
[link] < mix
www.costumes.org/.../fashiondress/WW1toWW2.htm < mix
[link] < 1940's clothing charts
[link] < 1950's/b]
[link] <[b]fantasy costumes
www.funfolly.com/h/ca11a.htm
[link] < fantasy costumes
[link] < mix

Links
[link] (great links abound, CHECK IT OUT)
[link] (screentones)
[link] (screentones)
[link] (screentones-these are some very unique one's, but remember to credit the artist)
[link] (screentones)
[link] (this is an easy guide to how to make your own screentones in photoshop)
[link] (screentones-you have to download it, but they are good)
[link] (screentones)I really like this site)
[link] (a really great comic making link, go there and have fun with all of its links and tutorials)
[link] traditional screentones
[link] (buy very good comic fonts...pricey)
[link] (lots and lots of free fonts)
[link] (I use it for fonts and website building)


Character Sheets:
[link]

Character Questions to Consider:
[link]
[link]
[link]

Designing Worlds:
[link]
[link]
[link]

Designing a Magic System:
[link]

Proof that they'll publish anything these days. I am so disgusted I can hardly type.

Gene Simmons' son Plagiarizing Bleach

It doesn't matter if you love or hate Bleach, or even if you read manga. This is a violation of artist's rights in the basest and most blatant form. I'm asking everyone who reads this to repost this simple message:

Boycott Incarnate by Nick Simmons. Do not support this kind of depravity with your money.

UPDATE

Wikipedia article

Nick Simmons' Incarnate Halted Over Alleged Bleach Plagiarism

So you want to learn about manga? Here's a new way how!

Hey everyone, great to see you all here! This is `OneFreeInternet, GD for anime/manga and I'm very pleased to announce that MangaWorkshop is up and ready to roll! And I need your help in making it soar!

#MangaWorkshop is supposed to be a community group where everyone helps everyone else, it's a totally voluntary project where people can teach, learn and share resources for all people interested in becoming mangakas or learning all about the craft. We need teachers, we need students and we need tutorial hounds to get this thing rolling, and I'm really looking forward to everyone's input in this

If you're interested, head on over here! >> [link]

Thank you and see you soon!

<sup>Death Note (デスノート, Desu Nōto?) is a Japanese manga series originally written by Tsugumi Ohba and illustrated by Takeshi Obata. The series primarily centers around a high school student who decides to rid the world of evil with the help of a supernatural notebook that kills anyone whose name is written in it.

Death Note first began as a manga series. It was first serialized by Shueisha in Weekly Shonen Jump from the first issue in December 2003 to May 2006, with 108 chapters in total. The series has been published in its entirety in 12 graphic novels in Japan, and is currently in publication in North America. The series has been adapted into a pair of live-action films (released in Japan on June 17, 2006 and November 3, 2006 respectively), and an anime series which commenced airing in Japan on October 3, 2006. Also, a novelization of the series, written by light novelist Nisio Isin, was released in Japan on August 1, 2006.

From Wikipedia</sup>

And now some of my favorite Fanarts</u></strong>


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GUIDE TO NEWBIE DEVIANTS: HOW TO GET POPOULAR FAST

Hello everyone, I’m writing this guide for people who aren’t expert of DA and need some help to increase their popoularity here.
1) First of all. READ THE RULES. You have to know carefully the guidelines of this site, so that you won’t be banned or similar. There you’ll find also all the informations about avatars, icons, emoticons, moods, links, html, css, journals, subscription,polls, prints, etc…This way you won’t bother other deviants with stupid questions (though I’m glad to answer to those questions).
2) BE POLITE. Always answer to people who comment your stuff, even if it’s a simple “thank you”.
3) Watch back everyone who watches you, so that you’ll creat a relationship with them. This will help also to get more comment and favs and to enlarge your watchers list.
4) Do not bother famous deviants, THEY WON’T REPLY BACK. They’re too busy. They won’t even read your comments, so don’t expect an answer and don’t get mad at them. They won’t comment back, or teach you how to draw/color, or do your tags.They won’t accept requests. They won’t become your friend, you will never have their msn. Don’t stalk them. For “famous” I mean over 100,000-500,000 pageviews.
5) Fav EVERYTHING that you like, even if you have to fave a billion of deviations. This will increase your pageviews.
6) Write always in ENGLISH, even in your own journal, especially in your deviation description: everyone will understand. It’s unpolite to write in a public journal in a language only 2 people will understand! Force yourself to learn english.
7) COMMENT a lot, everyday, the most you can. Comment also the work of non-famous artists, and ALWAYS your watchers’ stuff.
8) Comment also on forums, journals,news, chat.
9) Welcome warmly the new deviants, that you find in the “Today” page. They will be glad of this and you’ll find new awsome friends^^
10) Give constuctive critics. Do not say only a mere “beautiful” “kawaii” etc,but try to describe your emotions and impressions while looking at the work. If you don’t like it, don’t offend saying “I don’t like it” or “it’s ugly”, comment and say what you think it can be improved.
11) Always read other people journal.
12) Join every contest you can handle, and make your own contest.
13) Always use the tutorials you find searching on DA, they’re very helpful to improve quickly. Also look deeply to the deviations you like the most, you will learn the tecnique.
14) Log in everyday.
15) Browse often the different categories, even the ones you are not interested in: you will always discover new things.
16) Do art trades, collaborations, free sketches, requests, and draw gifts for friends and artists you like. Colour the other deviants’ linearts (with proper credits).
17) NEVER post images you didn’t draw by yourself unless written acceptance, most of all if found on internet or DA.
18) Draw fanart, especially popoular characters.
19) Join a lot of clubs and partecipate to their activity.
20) Watch everyone you find nice, most of the time they’ll watch you back.
21) Get a subscription: this will make things easier.
22) ALWAYS go to the people who faved or watched your main page and thank for it, until they become too much to thank individually
23) Use the “search art” botton to search for topics you like, you’ll find a lot of people with your same interests.
24) Organize well your gallery, feauturing only good works. Use also your scraps.
25) Make your main page look pretty, using the webcam, desktop, main deviation and the newest journal space.
26) Update often your gallery and journal, but not too much or you’ll spam your watchers’message box.
27) Choose a beautiful avatar: you can find a lot of free pixel art made by great artist like angelishi www.angelishi.deviantart.com
28) Use an attractive signature.
29) Remember: this site is a community. Unless you are a super-talented artist, to get famous you have to interact with other people. This means also that you can’t only receive, you have to give too to others. For exemple, saying happy birthday, concerning about illness, losses or sad moments, helping with problems, giving advices, being kind and polite, making favours…
30) But most of all, DO NOT CARE ABOUT PAGEVIEWS. You are an artist, this has to be enough to make you happy. *hug*

Best of Anime Cosplay (2008) Series: Naruto


What is a Cosplay? Well, its a Japanese subculture centered on dressing as characters from manga, anime, tokusatsu, video games etc. However,"Cosplay" has been expanded to mean simply wearing a costume.

Deviantart Members have been cosplaying for years. Cosplaying is an art and not everyone can pull it through. It needs skill to act as your favorite character, let alone pose as one. A group of people including myself (aka, me,my friends and my siblings) searched every inch of DA to find the best among the rest! Sit down and relax as we unveil the best Cosplayers as of March 2008.



NARUTO (best Cosplayers from the Anime series "Naruto")


Team Kakashi


:thumb71184906: ( as Uzumaki Naruto)
^{This no doubt the best Naruto weve ever seen... Expression says it all! Dattebayo!!!}
( as Haruno Sakura)
^{This is the cutest Sakura-chan weve even seen... Her hair rocks!}  
( as Uchiha Sasuke)  
^{If we ask who disagrees that this guy is a perfect Sasuke, we doubt anyone would... So hands down this Sasuke rules!}
( as Hatake Kakashi)  
^{Now, where would you ever see a Kakashi more in character than this person? Check out the sitting reading porn "Do not disturb unless important" position, Now tell me this isnt Kakashi...}


Team Asuma


  ( as Yamanaka Ino)
^{Feisty Ino expression is a must! This girl has it! Check out the "Im Sasuke's no. one fan" look...}
('bf as Nara Shikamaru)
^{Lazy eyes, Strategy thinking position, Hairline, Stance... This is defnitely the Lazy nin...}
("?" as Akimichi Chouji)
^{This is the most realistic Chouji weve ever seen... Do you agree?}
( as Asuma Sarutobi)
^{Oh good lord... This cosplayer resembles Asuma more than the others, Great pose and great expression.}


Team Gai


( as Hyuuga Neji)
^{The most handsome Neji ive seen so far, This cosplayer pulled it through with no sweat at all... Great ambiance and great pose!}
( as Tenten)
^{Tenten is hard to cosplay especially if you are not chinese. This cosplayer is a Tenten natural!}
:thumb79301505: ("?" as Gai and Lee)
^{I dont know who these cosplayers are but if i see them i will definitely shower them with my Youth! Wouldnt you?}


Team Kurenai


( as Hyuuga Hinata)
^{A great picture plus a great Hinata cosplayer... What else would you want?}
( as Inuzuka Kiba)
^{Inuzuka Kiba can only be properly cosplayed by a guy because of his rough appearance... This guy is the best Kiba weve seen all thoughout DA.}
( as Aburame Shino)
^{Awesome bug effect Shino-san! Great picture and the costume is outstanding! Shino in real life.}
( as Yuuhi Kurenai)
^{The prettiest Kurenai cosplayer on Deviantart! She is a natural Kurenai!}


Team Sand


( as Subaku no Gaara)
^{Only cosplayer ive seen who looks great as Gaara without eyebrows! Seriously!}
( as Temari)
^{Im a picky Temari fan... This Temari cosplayer caught my attention and i love it. She is the cutest Temari ive ever seen!}
( as Kankuro)
^{Alas! Somebody who really resembles our Puppet-man Kanky! Most cosplayers of Kankuro are stick figures *seriously*.. This one has a bit of flesh but not too much like Chouji-san... X3 Body-built is just right! Puppet-prop is the best! Realistic! *gives thumbs up*}


Sannin


( as Godaime Tsunade)
^{Tsunade-sama is that you??? When my sister first saw this, she was like "OMG... tsunade?" I was gaping at the screen... I love this cosplayer!}
( as Jiraiya)
^{Acting like a Pervert for a day sure is fun! This cosplayer pulled the Ero in Ero-sennin! Great job!}
:thumb32360255: ( as Orochimaru)  
^{The best looking Orochimaru in the entire universe! Handsome like Sasuke but with a glint of evil in the corner of his eye. If Orochimaru was real and he looks like this, he doesnt need to find bodies... Bodies will come to him...}



Instructors etc.


( as Genma Shiranui)
^{This senbon-biting man is a rare sight in Conventions... However this slightly perverted nin must not be underestimated, its hard to do a perfect Genma cosplay ya know. This cosplayer is a real live Genma.}
:thumb79852780: ( as Kotetsu)
^{What makes this character hard to cosplay? First is the hair, you can never get spikes to stick up like this. Second, Expressions are hard since this character appears rarely. But! Kelly Jane mastered Kotetsu's actions and turned into the real life version of Kotetsu-san!}
( as Kamitsuki Izumo)
^{Rarely seen Izumo is easy to cosplay but hard to perfect. This cosplayer made it through!}
( as Iruka Umino)
^{Iruka's weak appearance is best cosplayed by a girl. This cosplayer has got it to be the best Iruka in DA.}
  ( as Anko Mitarashi)
^{Dango eating Anko is a sight in every convention, Not to mention her revealing clothes is an eyeturner. When we see this cosplayer, We see Anko in real life.}
( as Haku)
^{Haku is a common sight in every Cosplay event but only few outstanding people can act like the real Haku. This cosplayer is the best Haku ive seen so far.}
("?" as Momochi Zabuza)
^{Zabuza is hard to cosplay... first you need a HUGE sword... and a six pack. XD This cosplayer is the closest resemblance to the Mist missing nin.}
  ( as Ebisu)
^{Ahaha, who wouldnt recognize the "Closet Pervert" Ebisu? Great cosplay and Great pose.}
("Rei" as Kabuto)
^{Orochimaru's pet Kabuto is a great cosplay idea! This cosplayer made it as one of the best Kabuto's ever.}


Akatsuki

('s friend Crystal as Deidara)
( as Konan and
  ( as Uchiha Itachi )
  ("?" as Hidan )
( as Kakuzu )
("?" as Tobi )
( as Sasori )
("mystery-Zelda" as Zetsu and "gummibirne123" as Kisame)

^{When we saw these Akatsuki pictures... We couldnt even comment anymore... They were just too realistic we HAD too keep out mouth shut. and plus... Itachi's stare made us quiver right to our toes...}



_{This was very tiring to make... Luckily... i didnt have to type this... X3 Somebody helped me... Thank you for my friends and family for helping me w/ this...  Now... if only we can get them all together... X3 soo... should we do another series survey? (This survey was very fun to make... ^^) We had disagreements at first so..we voted... and they won)}