Until reading this book - a beginner's handbook on the basic building blocks of drawing your own manga - I had forgotten about Walter Foster. When just a kid, I remember that name being attached to a number of art and how-to books you could buy, for all ages, all of which (from what I could remember) were always pretty darn fairly thorough in approach to their subject matter. This one is pretty comprehensive and a great starting place, as well; there are tons of books on learning to draw, and the art of, this unique form of Japanese comics, but this slim volume literally starts from the beginning of how to draw shapes to materials to use when drawing, right up to the various body types, styles, facial expressions, inking and shading even the kind off trope-y characters that tend to inhabit the manga world. Full-color illustrations and step-by-step instructions make this a valuable tool for any age, and for manga fans like me who might just like the idea of "fiddling" with their own story or book, this is the ideal guide to start down that road. Even storytelling and scripting are touched on, making this an all-in-one that could keep a fan of this one-of-a-kind, fascinating style of animation and storytelling happy for hours. Loved it, and what a nice surprise to find Walter Foster books are still alive and well and helping creative types to exercise their skills and dreams. 4.5/5 stars

NOTE: I received a free ARC of this title from NetGalley and the publisher, in exchange for an honest review.

I will start off by saying that I started reading Webtoons and I got on a manic high about how wanting to make one for myself. I went out and bought one of the best drawing tablets you can get and stocked up on as many books as possible to learn how to draw. I can't even draw a stick figure. So when I saw this pop up on netgalley, I decided it was just what I needed.

Where I still can't really draw all that well, that isn't what this book was. It was very helpful and taught a lot of what I am sure I would need to know if I knew the first thing about art. The steps were great and the finished products in the book were gorgeous.

Drawing: Manga is a new book in the Learn to Draw Step by Step series. Due out 3rd March 2020 from Quarto on their Walter Foster imprint, it's 40 pages and available in paperback format. This appears to be a reformat and re-release of material first released in 2010 with the same title by the same author.

A short general introduction briefly covers tools and materials. The intro is followed by a group of non-specific tutorials on shapes, shading, and composition. The following tutorial chapters are specific for different human subjects and include specific anatomy: heads, hair, facial features, etc, leading to some full body specific studies (ninja, hero, schoolgirl) followed by some narrative themes, drawing from life, telling a story with drawings and a little otaku DIY quiz for the younger set.

I like these tutorial booklets, they're inexpensive and full of useful info for artists looking for improvement in their own work.

Three and a half stars - for what it covers and for a very short tutorial guide, it does the job admirably well.

For me this is about a 3 star book, but I think in general it’s a 4, especially if this is for kids or artists who have an interest in manga but who have never read another book on the subject. If you have read any other how to draw books this will feel a bit weak. It’s covered mainly the basics. There’s nothing new and exciting here, but again, for beginners who don’t know those things yet this would be an ideal starter book.

Great handy guide for new artists or those with some experience wanting to brush up on techniques or tackle new subjects.. I used it with some kids I work with who are keen artists and love watching manga and anime cartoon and after a few hours they had recreated their favourite characters and started drawing manga portraits of each other too.
We loved that the tips are given by friendly little manga kids popping up throughout the pages!!
We used it with pencil and paper drawing but I think you could adapt the techniques for tablet and digital art too.
This would make an ideal gift for anyone into Japanese cartoons, especially teenagers, and anyone keen to get creative!

This book gave me a great place to start with Manga drawing. Easy to follow tips and tricks to develop your own style instead of just giving you specifically what to draw. I do wish there was more step by step of different characters (the book is VERY short) in order to really understand and practice but I felt like the techniques and inspiration provided is allowing me to try my own thing out a bit more.

I received this book in exchange for my honest review.

My definition of “step-by-step” is different than the author’s. While the breakdown of tools at the beginning of the book is good, the book as a whole is definitely for someone above the novice level.

The artwork in this book is incredibly stunning. I am fascinated by Manga art and this book is very informative and detailed. I highly recommend this book as a valuable resource in creating Manga characters. I received this book from NetGalley for an honest review.

I received an advanced reader copy of this book to read in exchange for an honest review via netgalley and the publishers.

This is a short 40 page book but has some great step by step instructions and tips on how to start out drawing Manga type drawings and how to create these into a comic book.
This is a great little book and ideal for anyone starting out with this style of drawing.

Drawing Manga is a short but info-packed book. It covers everything needed to get you started drawing manga-style artwork, and I particularly enjoyed the fact that it included sections on creating panels to produce a full story, rather than sorely showing character illustration. This makes a good introductory guide, and I am giving it 4.5 stars. I only wish it had been longer.