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How to Draw Cute Characters >> Manga

mangarevolution.com — Just as much as looks matter in making someone cute, it's also in the body language. Shy or quiet girls contain themselves closely. Outgoing are big and bold. Arms and feet apart. Heros are in the middle. They don't always keep their limbs in, nor do they get too loud...for the most part.

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  • adamfalkofske, on 10/12/2007, -61/+7What the hell is Manga?
    • ad0beaddict, on 10/12/2007, -4/+27manga is the Japanese word for comic book (or Graphic Novel, if you prefer) and is used in English to mean Japanese comic books.
    • 23r17i05o42n, on 10/12/2007, -15/+58Teach me how to draw tentacle rape!
    • mindzero, on 10/12/2007, -5/+11http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Manga
    • BMW7Series, on 10/12/2007, -14/+11And seizure-inducing giant robots!
    • itanshi, on 10/12/2007, -7/+10meh such low taste (otaku) let me correct you to spite you

      comics - manga
      graphic novel - tankoban
      fan comic/magazine - doujinshi

      Hentai tho a viral market, is a small percentage of the total market. Doujinshi has a lot of it, but again, a small market compared to the total. Such assumations are in poor taste in confusing 'debbie does dallas' for 'friends'
    • maiku00, on 10/12/2007, -13/+4pfft
      a comic book is a comic book is a comic book
    • Shinta, on 10/12/2007, -8/+3This is all you need to know:

      freaky cartoon ***** with the big eyes and big boobs and swords: animu
      same as above but in xbox hueg comic books that are tl;dr: manga
      crazy white 16 year old girl who complains about pronounciations and uses emoticons like, ^_^: wapanese, animu expert, weeaboo etc...



  • noGoodNamesLeft, on 10/12/2007, -0/+12The link doesn't go directly to the article for some reason. I found one that does, but when I posted it here then clicked on it, the same thing happened; it looks like the cheeky ******s want to force you through the main page (it's there, near the bottom).
    • noGoodNamesLeft, on 10/12/2007, -4/+14One other thing; although it claims to be about drawing cute characters, the article seems to be describing how to draw big-eyed, (not-so)-vaguely pedo-ish pictures of girls.

      They state that "there is a line between cute and sexy", but I'd argue that you can have both without resorting to this slightly icky Lolita schtick.
    • ismoke, on 10/12/2007, -1/+3Not to mention the site is full of ads. As if it was made to serve ads, not content.
  • jarturoar, on 10/12/2007, -5/+3BMW7Series IIRC that's Mecha
  • cvrefugee, on 10/12/2007, -19/+9Which type has tig ol bitties?
    • FishPoisonCon, on 10/12/2007, -9/+19the kind drawn by obsessive losers
  • Nistavar, on 10/12/2007, -6/+5I'm not paying to learn how to draw anything.
    • Sixcolors, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1Um… it's a free site?

      That being said, this particular tutorial wasn't much use. If you already know how to draw to the starting point of this tutorial, then you probably already know how to make a character "cute".
  • Sway, on 10/12/2007, -1/+26Did anyone else notice that the Cute Characters tutorial didn't actually say anything......It basically just says "and then draw this, and then draw this, and then draw this" without any actual instruction or techniques. What's the point?
  • mancat, on 10/12/2007, -21/+12I'm so tired of Japanese cartoons.
    • noisician, on 10/12/2007, -4/+6and yet you clicked into this article for some reason. duh
  • 81v3d07g0d, on 10/12/2007, -1/+5this site looks pretty interesting, most of the time when you see manga tutorials the person instructing you is barely capable of drawing themselves. Though it appears that there are more than a few that are of that quality. But there is some really good stuff here.
  • thewebguy, on 10/12/2007, -13/+8Translated to english:
    How to Draw Like an Idiot >> Manga
  • vx69, on 10/12/2007, -1/+5I love how the google ads look like links of the actual site
    • syneo, on 10/12/2007, -7/+2Yeah, but he forgot to set his background to white. I use a different default color background so the ads are on white background, unlike the rest of the page. Amateur. This looks like Made for (Google) AdSense site. Reported as Lame.
  • cartwheels, on 10/12/2007, -12/+3Did someone say "weeaboo?" Because I thought I heard somebody say "weeaboo."

    WEE-A-BOO!
  • MGinLV, on 10/12/2007, -15/+5I am sick of all this Japanese anime.... manga.....whatever.......crap. If you are going to be an animater then draw something a little more realistic....big eyes and crazy hair just isnt appealing anymore
    • jarturoar, on 10/12/2007, -7/+2The reason Manga is so popular is because the rest of the world thinks that of the American counterpart
    • Shinta, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1There is alot of stuff out there that is just as good as both American and Japanese comics. Indians, Russians, Chinese, English, etc... all have there own comic book industries. The reason manga is so popular is because of marketting. Because manga was marketted as "manga" from the exotic land of Japan and "definitely not comics", bookstores started to carry manga and not American comics. This lead to manga being popular with a female demographic that the comic book industry never got a firm grasp on due to the fallacies the American public believes about graphic novels (it's all just looney toons and superman), and because places that do sell comics are full of fat weird men aka kuro5hin users.
  • FutureSandwhich, on 10/12/2007, -8/+5Now 4chan can make their own porn.
  • KyleMistry, on 10/12/2007, -8/+8Eh, manga? Let's see some tutorials on how to create something that isn't a bastardization of the art world.

    There's enough generic anime/manga out there as it is, let's see a little variety and stylization.
    • BevansDesign, on 10/12/2007, -5/+5Agreed.

      What happened to developing your own style? These days, everyone seems to be drawing in the "manga" style, but most of the time it just looks really lame.

      I get the feeling that every post in this "thread" with a negative viewpoint is going to get dugg down a lot. :)
    • Sixcolors, on 10/12/2007, -0/+6Japanese style characters can be done well and they can be done poorly. The really great artists can be hard to find in the sea of wanabes and imitators. One of the artists contributing to this page, who goes by "augustc4", is one of the better artists out there.

      Everyone has different tastes in art and style, and everyone likes to bitch about the style they think is "stupid".
  • leroj, on 10/12/2007, -9/+2Weabos, on my digg?
    • cartwheels, on 10/12/2007, -1/+4It's more likely than you think!
    • Shinta, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1This is the funniest thing I've read on digg yet.
  • CoffeeandTV, on 10/12/2007, -11/+3I hate manga with a passion. Bring back REAL animation, please.
    • CoffeeandTV, on 10/12/2007, -7/+2Blech.
    • Sixcolors, on 10/12/2007, -2/+4Manga isn't animated. Besides, who are you to say that anime isn't "real" animation? It moves and it is produced in a similar manner as American animation. And if you hate it so intently, why not learn to draw yourself so that you can bring your own brand of style to the masses? Maybe you, too, can start a pop-culture phenom.
    • CoffeeandTV, on 10/12/2007, -5/+3I know how to draw very well, sir. And I have my OWN style, thank you very much. I did not learn how to draw by tracing my favorite DBZ character or by drawing the same old processed japanese schoolgirl with unnaturally large breasts hand cat ears. I taught myself to draw what I imagined. Good try, though.
  • moonwell, on 10/12/2007, -8/+1If u bored todays neat crap movies then start to watch some anime, there is a chance u become fanatic :p
  • Dimbleby, on 10/12/2007, -4/+9CoffeeandTV...as an animator, you offend me greatly.
    By REAL Animation, do you mean the same old, repetitive singing and dancing teapots? All style and no substance? The same old boring musical ***** Disney has been putting out over the last 50 years and nobody really cares about anymore but swallows it because we dont know any better?

    REAL Animation is when there is art and skill involved and does NOT heavily rely on CG to make everything shiny and look good. Have you ever seen the IMMENSE art departments used for Japanese features? Entire WALLS full of pots of paint, paint artists who sit there and colour all the night backgrounds one by one. That's skill.
    I name an Akira, i name the Ghibli studios, I name Gainax. THESE are people that can properly draw, animate and tell a story and DO NOT rely on this sick formulaic Disney crap.

    REAL animation is NOT exported to Korea and Taiwan and India. JAPAN is the only country left in the world that does NOT export 80% of its animation to these low wage, slave labour countries.

    This whole "how to draw" art page is ridiculously simple and does not teach you any of the underlying principles and theories which created this style. I cannot deny that i wonder why anime insists on pretty much one style (with a few exceptions, nl. Jin-Roh and a few others) but that's all i can really say against it. Want me to go on? I have 92 pages of MA thesis ready for you why you are WRONG.

    Thank you, good night.
    • Sixcolors, on 10/12/2007, -0/+8Oy, way to wag your dick in someone's face. You have some valid points, by try not to be so inflammatory about it, please.

      Yes, Miyazaki and co. produce some wonderful works of art. The problem with anime bashing is that it sites the large number of cheaply produced, run of the mill productions that flood out of Japan on a weekly basis. And it is true that many of these are not up to the artistic standard of Studio Ghibli or Gainax (FLCL was insane in both story and artwork), so they end up relying on story which of course can't be expressed in small thumbnails on the back of a DVD case. As a result, people overlook small gems like "Kino's Journey" or "Voices of a Distant Star".

      As a future animator myself, I understand the need to have a great story to back the visuals, however, you can't totally deny the need of visuals to get people to look at your story in the first place. Disney/Pixar's "Cars", for instance, was a technical and visual masterpiece, but also a great bit of storytelling.

      Off topic, though, my current favorite anime is one that hasn't been picked up here yet, called "The Melancholy of Harui Suzumiya". Sure enough, it looks like a lot of the stuff out there, but the story is enjoyable in my opinion.
    • CoffeeandTV, on 10/12/2007, -6/+3No, sir. I mean animation that has unique style, interesting and fully-developed characters and a real plot. Anime and Manga are plagued with 2 characters, unoriginal art and stories that are pointless and retarded. Even American animation is being flooded with second-rate CGI flicks and cash-flow TV shows. What we need brought back is the level of commitment and creativity that brought us films like Beauty and the Beast, The Thief and the Cobbler (had it been finished), Rescuers Down Under, The Great Mouse Detective and The Iron Giant.

      Japanese pop culture is the most disgustingly materialistic and vapid load of ***** that the entertainment industry has ever seen. Disagree with me all you want, but I have read several books of Manga and watched more anime than I ever should have. My mind can take no more.
    • CoffeeandTV, on 10/12/2007, -2/+1Well stated, Sixcolors.
  • Dimbleby, on 10/12/2007, -2/+3You too make some valid points.

    It's funny that you raise CARS. I work at a major animation studio in Portland (not LAIKA) and only a few days ago, a couple of us animators and the producer were sitting around, discussing animation and came to the conclusions that unbeknownst to eachother, all but one person had NOT seen Cars. We simply could not be bothered, purely based on what we'd seen sofar.
    Pixar has made some amazing features, both interesting in narrative and style, and thus can entice me and a lot of other people to go purely on reputation. Lasseter may have been sucked up by Disney (Pixar was free from disney, was bought by another company which was subsequently bought by Disney) but is a good guy amongst a sea full of Eisner wannabes.
    But my point is that CARS is the first feature that i've not heard ANYONE (besides the rabid tv commercials) be excited about, let alone rave about the story. YOU, sir, are the first to cause me to raise my eyebrows. Our conclusion was that this was the first Pixar film that will bomb. Much like Madagascar, Over the hedge, barnyard or ANY of the EXACTLY SIMILAR LOOKING movies that have been coming out over the last few years.
    One of my colleagues actually worked on Barnyard and he didnt care for it but he got paid and thats sadly what its come down to.

    As for your second point, yes, you have a point. Japan puts out SUCH mindbogglingly high amounts of animation (i cannot say much for this huge avalanche of animation but in my personal experience, as insipid and intrinsically value-less it may be)......but no matter HOW MUCH crap anime is produced, there will be ALWAYS be more gems and wonderful products such as FLCL in there than there would be coming from the West, had they produced the same amount of filler.
    The (MAINSTREAM) West simply cannot compete with Japan. I am completely leaving independent animation out of this, lest another can of (inflammatory?) worms be opened.

    • CoffeeandTV, on 10/12/2007, -4/+2We could easily compete if we put more money into it. Even the best Japanese animation is not that impressive, though Akira was incredible for its time. Problem is, Japan is so full of idiots ready to gobble up whatever ***** their animation sweatshops puke out. Here in America, the majority of people have better things to do with their money.
    • Philbert, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1I must agree I too work at a studio (in Philly) as an animator and while I loved many of Pixars films, especially The Incredibles, I had little to no interest in seeing Cars.

      As a CG animator myself I am a little offended by your comment a few posts above:
      "REAL Animation is when there is art and skill involved and does NOT heavily rely on CG to make everything shiny and look good. "

      "Real" animation is still images that differ very slightly from one to the next and then are played in a sequential order, usually at a specific speed. It doesn't matter if they were hand drawn with pencil, paint, Photoshop, clay, or a 3D modeling and animation program. CG certainly does require art and skill. It's not like you push a button and the computer does it all for you.
  • Dimbleby, on 10/12/2007, -1/+0"Japanese pop culture is the most disgustingly materialistic and vapid load of ***** that the entertainment industry has ever seen."

    I think the word you are looking for is "American".

    IMHO, Beauty and the beast was the beginning of the end, with their fancy CG.
    If you wanna talk about animation in the terms you describe, how about we go back to the early 30's and 40's?

    Anyway, time for breakfast. I DO apologise for coming off a bit strong, i am just so sick of this "anime sucks" attitude when anime as an artform encompasses SO much more than western animation. Disney has made all animation for children and as such it is at their level (oh wait, children arent stupid, but who pays attention to that) whereas there are ALL kinds of narrative to be found in anime...from Pokemon to Akira to Hentai to serious political thrillers (Jin-Roh anyone?).........aaaah....
  • Dimbleby, on 10/12/2007, -3/+1"Here in America, the majority of people have better things to do with their money."

    Yeah, like fund a 3rd season of "The Simple Life" or "Hogan Knows Best".
    Go back to your Beauty and the beast, mate, you're full of it.


  • Recoil, on 10/12/2007, -1/+1I think Dimbleby made a very valid point. A lot of western animation is targeted for children, and that's why I appreciate anime so much more because it's not bound by the unwritten laws of western animation where everything has to be cute and dumbed down. Why squander all that hard work on simple stories suitable for children (mostly) when it can be so much more? And I quite like the style of anime/manga, it uses exaggeration more effectively to convey certain emotions. Sometimes realism just doesn't work.
  • Philbert, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1Not a bad site. The authors seem to have some trouble describing drawing hair though, something I always had trouble with. The "How To Draw Manga" books advertised on the bottom of some pages are very good, I've picked up a few of them over the years.
  • iOsiris, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1Didn't see the ads until I pressed view page in IE. Thanks Adblock :D
  • ZinjaShike, on 10/12/2007, -1/+1Anyone who argues that anime is simply mindless drivel really needs to watch something in the lines of Ergo Proxy, and if you are in love with symbolisms of course Neon Genesis (most people aren't the patient though).

    As for "going and creating an art form", thanks for inspiring the next squiggle vision you SOB. My eyes just can't take it.
  • tagawa, on 10/12/2007, -1/+3"Don't let the eyes get TOO big"
    Yeah, we don't want them looking unnatural now, do we?
  • DrMerus, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1Good examples and clear steps for draws.

    +digg.
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