Where can I get pictures of manga studios?
Where can I get pictures of manga studios?
I am a manga artist and I just got a new art room in my house. Can you suggest any site that has pictures of manga /anime studios and a list of products I can refer?
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TheLastOtaku
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No, you are a COMIC artist. You are only a mangaka if you write for (first and foremost) for the Japanese. Why can't people just admit that they are writing comics? Anyways, just google it. Sorry just had to say it because if you keep saying that, you are deluding the term "manga". Also, shouldn't this go in the general forum?
HIKARI NI NARE!!!~
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J-Lead
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I dunno, that's kinda debateable from perspective to perspective. Personally, I consider anything drawn in Manga style and form as manga. If anything, if he/she is drawing independantly, I'd go more for the term "doujin."TheLastOtaku wrote:No, you are a COMIC artist. You are only a mangaka if you write for (first and foremost) for the Japanese. Why can't people just admit that they are writing comics?
Anyhoo, I don't really know if you need a "studio" per se, as it's not like you have any sound to record or movement to synchronize. I'd say all you'd really need is a desk and the right equipment: I.E Drafting desk w. flatedge, pencils, plenty of paper, perhaps a computer w scanner/printer and some picture editing software, etc.
Last edited by J-Lead on Sun Aug 12, 2007 6:11 pm, edited 1 time in total.
"I'd show Loni the power my parents gave me if you know what I mean."
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Phantomexe87
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As far as I know (or care for that matter) the only difference between Manga and Comics, is that Manga is written right to left, and is generally in black and white, with some exceptions. Manga essentially means "comic" in Japanese.
Manga is like hip-hop. It's a lifestyle. To say that you can't draw it because you don't have the DNA is just silly."
—Stu Levy, Tokyopop CEO
Or what he says.
Manga is like hip-hop. It's a lifestyle. To say that you can't draw it because you don't have the DNA is just silly."
—Stu Levy, Tokyopop CEO
Or what he says.
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TheLastOtaku
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Stu Levy dose not even know what he is talking about. If we keep calling stuff that Americans draw for Americans manga then the term has no meaning here at all. Manga is a term specifically (at least here) to refer to Japanese comics. And seriously, what is so bad about calling your comics, comics? Why are people so ashamed to call their work comics? If you are an American drawing sequential art, its called a comic. Not manga.
HIKARI NI NARE!!!~
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ShadowCell
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It's really bad that people don't call their comics "comics," because that means some otaku will start making a big deal out of it and pick a fight on a web forum.
If all you're going to do is whine about the difference between American comics and Japanese comics, then please kindly stop posting in this thread. Otherwise you'll just start a flamewar, and then I'll have to make with the Henderson Equine Castration Instrument, and things are gonna get messy.
Now, get back on topic. The original poster didn't ask for snide comments on what he should call himself.
If all you're going to do is whine about the difference between American comics and Japanese comics, then please kindly stop posting in this thread. Otherwise you'll just start a flamewar, and then I'll have to make with the Henderson Equine Castration Instrument, and things are gonna get messy.
Now, get back on topic. The original poster didn't ask for snide comments on what he should call himself.
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G.Squirrel
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I'm going to an art college (and a pretty prestigious one at that), so I have some experience with this sort of stuff.
A picture of a comic studio won't really help as everyone has a different way of drawing comics and their studio will reflect that. Some draw only with a computer, others do all their inking by hand, some outsource their inking, etc. Things that should be taken into consideration when putting together a studio space are: space available, price, and equipment.
If you are going to do a traditional style of comic drawing (pencil and pen), I would recommend:
Light table or light desk: these are tables or desks with a light installed underneith them. You can pick one up cheap or you can make your own)
Pencils: Obviously, you will need pencils. No matter what kind you use, buy in bulk.
Inking pens: There is a wide range of inking pens. Some need ink wells, some have long bodies, and some have internal reservoirs. This is all up to personal preference, but buy in bulk.
Tips or nibs: In inking pens, the tip, or nib, is going to need to be replaced eventually. Make sure that whatever kind of tip you get is compatable with the pen body. Tips or nibs come in a vast variety of metals, lengths, and widths, all of which affect how the ink is drawn onto the paper. Experiment to find the best type that is suited for you. Buy in bulk, you'll need alot of these if you plan on a career in comics.
Ink and ink wells: These are optional depending on what type of inking pen you have. If your pen requires an ink well, be sure to purchase a nice and study one. This way, it has a higher chance of surviving a fall. On ink, buy the non-water soluble kind. Water soluble ink runs if wet and it can be quite a hasle to clean up a page if it runs. Make sure to put the top on your ink, or else it will dry out and be hard to apply. You don't have to buy ink in bulk, as ink will dry out as it gets older.
Rulers: Always have one or two rulers on hand.
Templates: These are a special type of ruler that are curved, so, instead of making a straight line, they make a very nice and clean curved line.
Erasers: Your eraser choice depends on the type of paper you are using. Thicker types of paper can take more of a beating from erasers than thinner types. The wrong type of eraser can kink up a perfectly fine piece of paper. I recommend a kneaded eraser for thinner types and a white magic eraser for thicker types. Buy in bulk, you will need these!
Liquid paper or white out: All too often I see people who denounce white out. This sort of people always end up throwing out alot of pages that they worked for hours on due to some stray ink lines. White out is a savior and should be used. Unless applied very, very, very, very heavily, to the point of saturating the page, it will never show up on the final printed page.
Markers: If you are making a black and white comic, you do not need these. However, if you do want to add color to your comic, markers are the way to go. Be sure to avoid Crayola markers and use art makers, such as Prismacolors.
Blue pencil: Blue pencils will usually not show up on the final printed page, provided that you are doing a black and white comic. These pencils can be useful for outlining things before you draw them out, such as characters or backgrounds.
Exacto-knife: You only need one, but buy alot of spare blades. These can be used to cut off the edges of pages to create a two page spread. Use only with a ruler!
Tape: You will need tape if you want to do a two page spread. Never use glue.
Scanner and printer or copier: If you plan on submitting anything for publishing, you will need one of these or a copy shop that is near by. Never, ever, send the originals in for publishing, you usually will not get them back.
One thing that is absolutly essential: References. Buy books of landscapes, photographs of people, buildings, animals, etc. If you find a certain pose/landscape/whatever in a magazine/newspaper you are reading, rip it out and keep it (make sure you pay for it first!). A good reference library can help you out if you are stuck on a certain pose.
Odd things you should keep on hand, but are not necessary:
Pennies: Yes pennies. These can be taped to the underside of a ruler so that it will not lay across your inked lines.
Blow drier: To dry your ink faster.
Tissues or paper towels: No, their not to blow your nose on (though they can be useful for the purpose)! These are to place your hands on so that sweat, dirt, lotion, whatever is on your hands doesn't get onto the paper. It can be kinda strange at first, but they really do help.
Feather duster or feathers: Only use these if you know what your doing! These are for creating patterns or swirls in a large patch of ink. BE VERY CAREFUL WITH THEM IF YOU USE THEM!
Computer: For the traditional route, a computer should be used for lettering if you do not wish to hand letter. If there are any grammar or spelling mistakes, the publisher will fix them before the comic is printed. It should be noted, however, that if you hand letter your comic it is harder for the publisher to fix grammar and spelling and will be printed in the style in which you wrote it.
Of course, most of these things can be circumvented if you are using a computer. If you don't want to work with paper a tablet is for you. With a tablet, you can draw directly into a program like photoshop without using a mouse. You wont need to ink anything, you won't need erasers, markers, white out, etc. However, these are very expensive and will probably cost more than my entire list above. Plus, you will need a good computer to run one without lag.
One thing to remember if you want your comic published: Don't call it lineart if it's colored. It's not. Publishers will look at you wierd if you do.
Don't purchase anything if your not going to complete your comic. I'm being completely serious. If you purchase everything I've listed above and don't finish anything with it, it's just a waste of money. I've given plenty of people my advice on what to get for their own drawing studio and watch them never do anything with their studio after they have bought everything. Keep working and don't get discouraged.
I remember reading one of Dave Sim's articles years ago where he said something along the lines of:
If you write, draw and ink a page every day, you will make a monthly 28 page comic.
If you complete a page every other day, you will make a comic every two months.
If you complete a page once a week you'll make a comic book every 6 months.
If you would like any other advice, I'd be happy to give it to you in this thread.
Edit: Would you mind showing us one of your pieces of artwork?
A picture of a comic studio won't really help as everyone has a different way of drawing comics and their studio will reflect that. Some draw only with a computer, others do all their inking by hand, some outsource their inking, etc. Things that should be taken into consideration when putting together a studio space are: space available, price, and equipment.
If you are going to do a traditional style of comic drawing (pencil and pen), I would recommend:
Light table or light desk: these are tables or desks with a light installed underneith them. You can pick one up cheap or you can make your own)
Pencils: Obviously, you will need pencils. No matter what kind you use, buy in bulk.
Inking pens: There is a wide range of inking pens. Some need ink wells, some have long bodies, and some have internal reservoirs. This is all up to personal preference, but buy in bulk.
Tips or nibs: In inking pens, the tip, or nib, is going to need to be replaced eventually. Make sure that whatever kind of tip you get is compatable with the pen body. Tips or nibs come in a vast variety of metals, lengths, and widths, all of which affect how the ink is drawn onto the paper. Experiment to find the best type that is suited for you. Buy in bulk, you'll need alot of these if you plan on a career in comics.
Ink and ink wells: These are optional depending on what type of inking pen you have. If your pen requires an ink well, be sure to purchase a nice and study one. This way, it has a higher chance of surviving a fall. On ink, buy the non-water soluble kind. Water soluble ink runs if wet and it can be quite a hasle to clean up a page if it runs. Make sure to put the top on your ink, or else it will dry out and be hard to apply. You don't have to buy ink in bulk, as ink will dry out as it gets older.
Rulers: Always have one or two rulers on hand.
Templates: These are a special type of ruler that are curved, so, instead of making a straight line, they make a very nice and clean curved line.
Erasers: Your eraser choice depends on the type of paper you are using. Thicker types of paper can take more of a beating from erasers than thinner types. The wrong type of eraser can kink up a perfectly fine piece of paper. I recommend a kneaded eraser for thinner types and a white magic eraser for thicker types. Buy in bulk, you will need these!
Liquid paper or white out: All too often I see people who denounce white out. This sort of people always end up throwing out alot of pages that they worked for hours on due to some stray ink lines. White out is a savior and should be used. Unless applied very, very, very, very heavily, to the point of saturating the page, it will never show up on the final printed page.
Markers: If you are making a black and white comic, you do not need these. However, if you do want to add color to your comic, markers are the way to go. Be sure to avoid Crayola markers and use art makers, such as Prismacolors.
Blue pencil: Blue pencils will usually not show up on the final printed page, provided that you are doing a black and white comic. These pencils can be useful for outlining things before you draw them out, such as characters or backgrounds.
Exacto-knife: You only need one, but buy alot of spare blades. These can be used to cut off the edges of pages to create a two page spread. Use only with a ruler!
Tape: You will need tape if you want to do a two page spread. Never use glue.
Scanner and printer or copier: If you plan on submitting anything for publishing, you will need one of these or a copy shop that is near by. Never, ever, send the originals in for publishing, you usually will not get them back.
One thing that is absolutly essential: References. Buy books of landscapes, photographs of people, buildings, animals, etc. If you find a certain pose/landscape/whatever in a magazine/newspaper you are reading, rip it out and keep it (make sure you pay for it first!). A good reference library can help you out if you are stuck on a certain pose.
Odd things you should keep on hand, but are not necessary:
Pennies: Yes pennies. These can be taped to the underside of a ruler so that it will not lay across your inked lines.
Blow drier: To dry your ink faster.
Tissues or paper towels: No, their not to blow your nose on (though they can be useful for the purpose)! These are to place your hands on so that sweat, dirt, lotion, whatever is on your hands doesn't get onto the paper. It can be kinda strange at first, but they really do help.
Feather duster or feathers: Only use these if you know what your doing! These are for creating patterns or swirls in a large patch of ink. BE VERY CAREFUL WITH THEM IF YOU USE THEM!
Computer: For the traditional route, a computer should be used for lettering if you do not wish to hand letter. If there are any grammar or spelling mistakes, the publisher will fix them before the comic is printed. It should be noted, however, that if you hand letter your comic it is harder for the publisher to fix grammar and spelling and will be printed in the style in which you wrote it.
Of course, most of these things can be circumvented if you are using a computer. If you don't want to work with paper a tablet is for you. With a tablet, you can draw directly into a program like photoshop without using a mouse. You wont need to ink anything, you won't need erasers, markers, white out, etc. However, these are very expensive and will probably cost more than my entire list above. Plus, you will need a good computer to run one without lag.
One thing to remember if you want your comic published: Don't call it lineart if it's colored. It's not. Publishers will look at you wierd if you do.
Don't purchase anything if your not going to complete your comic. I'm being completely serious. If you purchase everything I've listed above and don't finish anything with it, it's just a waste of money. I've given plenty of people my advice on what to get for their own drawing studio and watch them never do anything with their studio after they have bought everything. Keep working and don't get discouraged.
I remember reading one of Dave Sim's articles years ago where he said something along the lines of:
If you write, draw and ink a page every day, you will make a monthly 28 page comic.
If you complete a page every other day, you will make a comic every two months.
If you complete a page once a week you'll make a comic book every 6 months.
If you would like any other advice, I'd be happy to give it to you in this thread.
Edit: Would you mind showing us one of your pieces of artwork?
)