Most recent additions to my Class Drawing Reference Figures

Spotted these large PVC figures in the clearance section of a local big-box store. While I'm not terribly familiar with these Ben 10 characters, I figured they would make fine additions to the pool of reference drawing manikins used in some of my Manga cartoon sketching classes. Their design certainly reminds me of Kaiju or typical Japanese giant monsters. So remember grasshoppers, keep an eye out for suitable reference models in the clearance sections of retail stores as they gear up for the next big holiday season. Much of my class reference manikins have been acquired in this manner.

Some photo reference material and templates for the Manga Cartooning class at the Boys & Girls Club (B&GC)

Normal straight on reference shot of Final Fnantasy VII Adevent Children Tifa Lockhart.
Worm's eye view of Final Fantasy VII Yuffie Kisaragi: reference shot was taken from a low angle.
Bird's eye view: reference shot was taken from above.
Just a few reference shots using these articulated Final Fantasy figures as art makinins.



Just a few 8.5" x 11" templates with digitally applied B&GC Art Lab backgrounds that can printed and used for thumbnail planning of a manga story set in a classroom.

Last Manga Cartooning Class for the School Year

Recommended viewing & reading: For inspiration, check out this comedy animation series: Azumanga Daioh - Class Album (Complete Series). The manga by Kiyohiko Azuma has also been released in one volume collecting the entire series: Azumanga Daioh Omnibus Volume 1. Both provide a humorous look at the High School years of a group of teenage girls in Japan, and the latter in particular features several good examples of yonkoma 4-panel comic strips and short comic stories. It might seem rather odd to Western readers that in Japan this title was published under the Shōnen genre (so it was aimed at young male demographics). Yet once localized for the American market, we would probably consider it a Shōjo title given its young female heroines. Regardless, this series presents a fairly entertaining view of Japanese school life and unique cultural experience.

For our last meeting of the 7-lessons cartooning course, we tried out some alternatives to the traditional wooden art manikins: articulated Spiderman action figures and some Japanese PVC figurines.
Japanese collector's PVC figurines while lacking articulation in general, they tend to be quite rich in detail and can effectively function as art reference manikins. Especially fantasy theme series, like these Capcom Furuta Onimusha traditional Japanese heroes and demon figures.
A student did some nice work using this ghostly samurai wielding two swords as reference, but I unfortunately did not get a picture of his sketch.
Drawing the figurines.
Pencil sketch.
Source reference: 4-armed zombie PVC figurine.
Pencil sketch.
Source reference: Tengu PVC figurine.
Finished pencil sketch after laying down the stick figure structure first.
From the color, I suspect this plump Japanese demon to be a type of mythological fox.
Yup, he is going to try to draw this demon fox figurine. Right after he finishes his snack.
We'll accept this head sketch as an initial attempt, but expect to see some improvement after the student works some more on his sketchbook over the summer.
Enjoy the summer break guys! I'll get around doing a group drawing based on your pictures soon.

Ongoing Manga Cartooning Workshop Photo Journal

All the manga cartooning supplies laid out for the students' after-school program.
From the instructor's desk station, one can easily switch from displaying live drawing demonstrations, Power Point slide show presentations, and playing relevant support Anime videos on DVD and VHS.
Students can work with dry-erase markers directly on the photo references projected on the board. This feature facilitates making the connection between realistic photo reference and the process of manga cartooning abstraction.
Working on their drawings with some Anime projected on the board for inspiration.
Penciling a sci-fi female character.
Magical girl character sketch.
Pencil drawing inspired by some reference video game conceptual art.
Creating their own characters. After drawing for an hour and a half after school, we still have a pretty happy group by the end of class.

Manga Sketching Workshop follow-up

Just wanted to thank all CCPL Anime Club members that attended and actively participated earlier today in the Manga Sketching workshop at the Collier County library headquarters. Glad to know the material covered met your expectations and that you had fun while picking up a few drawing tips. Just to review some passing comments: wooden manikins, PVC figurines (like the Darkstalker's Bishamon and Tenchu's Ayame), and action figures (like the Final Fantasy Tifa) can make fairly nice reference models for drawing human figures (of course you can also draw friends and relatives or even yourself with the use of a mirror). When beginning to draw do not worry too much about any list of suggested art materials. It is best to start practicing with whatever you already got readily available at home or school like printer paper and regular pens and pencils. What is really important to improve your drawing skills is that you practice doodling and sketching often to develop your manual dexterity and control making different marks on the paper. If you feel ready to start experimenting with some shading and coloring in your Manga art, you might want to try brush markers like the Faber Castell Pitt Artist Pens that work quite nicely on Canson Fanboy Manga 150 lb drawing paper and are a far more affordable initial investment than a set of the professional grade Copic Markers. For more info on selecting art materials you can check this blog entry and this step-by-step marker coloring demo.
After reading your thoughtful comments and suggestions in the workshop's feedback survey, just wanted to highlight or add the following books to my list of recommended Manga drawing reference books.
For those interested in a book focused on drawing Manga girls you might want to check out How to Draw Anime & Game Characters, Vol. 5: Bishoujo Game Characters by Tadashi Ozawa.Which is getting a tad hard to find on Amazon, but can still be found in-stock in some Anime online retailers.This book by Yuki Kirishima and Ran Mutsuki KAOPPE, Let's Draw! Illustrating with Copic, is an ok reference for the use of Copic Markers, the choice of many professional Manga artists in Japan. Quick side note: If you decide to get your Copic Sketch markers or any other recommended art materials online through Blick Art Materials, I would really appreciate it if you were to order them after clicking on one of displayed Dick Blick Art Materials banners (scattered throughhout the right column or at the bottom of this blog) since I am one of their affiliates.
I would recommend checking out this book by David Chelsea, Perspective for Comic Book Artists, to improve your drawing skills and render more realistic cityscapes.
Fantasy Cartooning by Ben Caldwell is a personal favorite fun reference book on drawing Fantasy warriors, swords, and monsters in a cartoon style that was already included in the suggested reading list.
Thanks again for attending the workshop, and keep on practicing and drawing everyday!

Ikea Gestalta for kids

Already quite proficient in coloring, we tried a drawing assignment using a Supergirl action figure as a model. Despite the good effort below, it was evident that a simpler model might facilitate better understanding of the figure structure and construction.
Enter the Ikea Gestalta artist's figure. I knew we had a winner when Nicole couldn't stop playing and posing these little guys at the store. Given her level of interest, it would have been a shame to deny her this useful sketching tool.
The following sequence shows her progress in drawing the Gestalta model in a single session. After seeing her first two attempts, I drew the middle sketch explaining along as I progressively tackled each body part and joint. Her last two drawings show a better understanding of the figure structure and proportions. Alternatively, super articulated action figures can serve as suitable models for budding artists (I used to carry a Spiderman figure in my sketching kit just for that purpose).