Manga Character Illustration Specialization

I'll continue showing you how to add highlights and shadows to your illustration for a better result. We're almost there!

Lights and Shadows 1

Final Details: the Render

Finally, I'll explain how to use the latest digital resources to help you get the most out of your illustration.

Illustration Projection

Are you making the most of your illustrations? In this lesson, I'll explain everything you need to know to make the most of your illustrations. I'll also tell you what to expect from social media and what to focus on when posting online.

In this lesson, I'll show you what you can consider to enhance your drawing ideas. I'll also share drawing challenges to help you imagine situations for your characters.

Empower Illustration

Module 3

For Caroca, color isn't a detail: it's pure emotion. In this module, you'll discover how to use it to enhance every gesture, every atmosphere, every character. You'll learn to create vibrant illustrations that tell a story beyond the lines, exploring textures, light, and shadows to achieve images as powerful as your imagination.

12 lessons (2h 14m)

Search your library

For this lesson, I chose my favorite book: The . I'll show you my favorite parts and some illustrations that will inspire me to create my project. You can do this same process with whatever book, comic, cartoon, manga, etc. you choose to work with. I invite you to choose your source of inspiration!

Mood board

You're going to prepare your mood board. You decide how to do it. It can be with clippings on a piece of paper, or on a blank canvas in Photoshop. I'll show you how to gather references for the characters you want to draw, text fragments, photos with colors you like, photos of expressions... whatever truly inspires you. This will be your basis for starting to draw. The more you draw on images, the more ideas will come.

The sketch

Now, bring your drawing materials and start sketching. I recommend not using a pencil and eraser; it's better not to have the ability to erase, as this way you'll learn more quickly from your mistakes.

Digital sketch

You've already chosen one of the sketches you made. In this lesson, I'll show you how to best digitize that sketch so you can get the most out of it.

You're now ready to start the lines and apply the color. Don't worry about perfect lines. I'll show you how to use a dry brush to make it look like you're doing it with a pencil and add texture.

Lines and base color

20m

Color palette

This lesson is very important. You'll understand color and how to use it, helping you create engaging illustrated pieces. Finally, you'll be able to choose the perfect color palette for your final project.

The most fun part has arrived... Coloring!

Color application 1

You'll learn how to use shadows and highlights to color the lines of some of the illustration's details. I'll show you how to apply highlights with blue and yellow, and you'll also see how to blur some details to achieve a blend in the illustration.

Color application 2

Finally, I'll finish showing you my color application technique until I reach the final color scheme I want. However, this won't be the final result, as I'll still add the finishing touches to give the illustration more personality and my distinctive personal touch in the next unit.

Color 3 application

Your lines, color, and background are ready—now it's time for the finishing touches! In this lesson, I'll show you how to fine-tune them so your illustration looks amazing.

Final effects

Export for printing

Now that you have your illustration ready, I'll show you how to prepare it for printing. It won't be long until you have it on your bedroom wall.

Export for digital media

Finally, you'll learn how to export your final project to upload to your portfolio and showcase it on any social media platforms you choose.

Module 4

We all have a story worth telling, and this is the time to transform it into a comic. Akimaro encourages you to look inward and transform a personal experience into a sequence of vignettes with a soul of their own. You'll learn to narrate with your body, gestures, and visual rhythm, creating pages that exude emotion and authenticity. Because the most powerful thing about manga isn't in the lines... it's in what you manage to convey.

10 lessons (1h 12m)

The project

Let's begin this adventure! In this lesson, I'll tell you what the course project will be. I'll also tell you what you'll need to complete it.

Stories and comics

Stories are important—or rather, vital. Therefore, I'm going to talk to you about the importance of storytelling. I'll also explain the different types of comics that exist.

Think in vignettes

How do you imagine your comic? It's time to show you how to think through anecdotes step by step, then turn them into vignettes. At the end, I'll explain how to choose the right anecdote to illustrate.

Components and composition

Every artist starts with a canvas. In this lesson, I'll share some tips for visual composition, especially for comics.

Basic anatomy

Before starting the project, I'll show you the basics of drawing proportions and shapes. I'll also give you some tips to help you avoid struggling with anatomy.

11m

Body language

Comics tell a story, and to tell it well, you need movement. In this lesson, I'll show you how to achieve dynamic poses.

From thumbnail to sketch

It's time to start making your ideas a reality. For that reason, in this lesson, you'll learn how to create your first thumbnails. I'll also show you my process for choosing which thumbnail best defines the idea I want to convey. Once you've chosen the thumbnail, you'll see how to clean it up to create a final sketch.

Polish the comic

Have you ever wondered how to make your comic look amazing? In this lesson, I'll show you some ways to polish your comic to make it as presentable as possible.

11m

Scan and digitize

Now you'll see how to convert the finished comic to digital format, either with the help of a scanner or with digital art tools. I'll be using Photoshop.

Creative Techniques and Publishing

How to stay creative? In this lesson, I'll teach you some techniques to achieve this. I'll also show you where and how you can start sharing your work with potential readers.

Module 5

A character's face can say it all without saying a word. Andrea Jen will show you how to turn a simple glance into a scene filled with emotion, using the basics of manga drawing and the expressive power of watercolor. Here, you won't just learn how to draw portraits; you'll learn how to move others. Because a good portrait isn't drawn... it's felt.

17 lessons (3h 32m)

The Materials

Before starting any project, it's important to know what you'll need. So, in this lesson, I'll explain in detail the materials you'll need to work.

Who Am I Going to Draw?

I'll explain how I decide who to photograph and why. You can photograph yourself, a friend, or a family member, but you'll need to have all the reference images (including props, objects, pets, etc.) you need to create the portrait.

Head

In this lesson I will explain how I synthesize and translate my facial features into manga-style drawings.

The Torso, Arms, and Hands

In this lesson, I'll explain how to draw the torso, arms, and hands in dynamic positions. I'll also show you in detail how to foreshorten the hands to create dynamism and depth.

Additional Details and Objects

Now I'll show you how I complete the portrait with details and decorative objects that add identity to the work.

The Outline

Finally, you'll see how to clean up the portrait using a light board and onto watercolor paper. You'll also learn the considerations before coloring the drawing.

15m

Color Theory and Choice of Palette 1

In this lesson, I'll explain color theory through the color wheel. Then, I'll explain which colors advance and recede based on temperature and saturation.

Color Theory and Choice of Palette 2

In this second part of the lesson, you'll learn how to choose a color palette for your project, and I'll explain why. This knowledge will allow you to choose the color palette you use in your project.

Basic Coloring Techniques 1

I'll introduce you to basic wet and dry watercolor techniques. I'll also show you how I'll select the ones I'll use for the project and explain why.

Basic Coloring Techniques 2

I'll continue to talk to you about basic wet and dry watercolor techniques. I'll share some tips to help you do them easily.

Color Temperature and Shadows

During this lesson, you will see how I use watercolors to determine the temperature of the drawing and the coloring of the shadows in the figure.

16m

Coloring the Skin, Eyes, and Hair 1

Now I'll show you the process of coloring skin and eyes. I'll give you some tips for using watercolors so you can create a base and midtones suitable for your projects.

Coloring the Skin, Eyes, and Hair 2

In this second part of the lesson, you'll learn how to color your hair. Remember, your hair can be any color you want!

Coloring the Dress and Final Details 1

To conclude this unit, you'll see how to use watercolors on clothing until you finish the drawing with final details.

14m

Coloring the Dress and Final Details 2

To conclude this unit, I'll show you how to add the final details to your portrait. I'll share my best tips to ensure the entire project is perfect.

13m

Drawing Cleanup

In this lesson, you'll learn how to clean impurities from a black and white image using Adobe Photoshop.

Color Settings

Now you'll see how to adjust the tonality of an already colored image using Adobe Photoshop.

In this lesson, I'll walk you through the step-by-step process of the project we'll be working on throughout the course. You'll create the character's concept and aesthetic, basic expressions and their intensities, representation of moving poses, and, finally, the technical sheet.

Module 6

Creating a character is like bringing an idea that lives within you to life. In this module, Andrea Jen guides you through transforming your imagination into figures full of identity and expression. From the first lines to the main views and facial expressions, you'll begin to build characters capable of moving emotions and telling their own stories.

16 lessons (2h 23m)

What are we going to do?

Introduction to manga I

In this lesson, I'll briefly tell you about the origins of manga, who its notable artists were, and how it has shaped Japanese society. We'll explore why manga characters are popular and appreciated both in Japan and around the world.

Introduction to manga II

Importance of the characters and how to create them

To create good characters and a great manga, there are key points to keep in mind. I'll review my personal experience creating characters for comics and manga.

Materials

In this video I will show you the essential materials you will need to work.

Bodies and archetypes I

In this lesson you will see how I draw prototypes of the female and male bodies from the front, profile, and back.

15m

Bodies and archetypes II

Bodies and archetypes III

Third part of the lesson.

15m

Faces and heads I

In this lesson, I'll show you how to draw prototypes of male and female heads from the front, three-quarters, profile, and back. We'll also cover how to draw the eyes, nose, and mouth. Finally, I'll explain how I draw hair and how it can accentuate the character's personality.

Faces and heads II

In this lesson, I'll show you how to draw the six basic emotions and their intensities. These are essential skills for drawing manga: joy, anger, sadness, surprise/fear, hatred, and anxiety.

Face Expressions I

Face Expressions II

In this lesson, I'll show you how I draw characters in action, such as running or performing a special power, and we'll also see them in everyday poses, such as reading a book, eating, etc.

Movement