15 Tips on How to Improve Your Manga Drawing Skills

Created by Kiki Ardea -

You can learn how to be better at drawing manga. Although, in the beginning, it can be a bit demotivating effort, you can improve it once you have the tricks. If you realize that your capability of drawing manga is not improving, you should find out why and how. The following are some tips that are helpful for your drawing improvement. 

1. Learning The Basic Things

Similar to other drawing tips, drawing manga also requires you to learn about basic things. You have to understand what the fundamental elements are included in the manga. By understanding these simple tips, you can practice drawing your manga at ease. 

So, what are the fundamental tips to make you better at drawing manga? One of them is the human torso anatomy. 

Apart from that, you have to learn to draw arm anatomy as well. Learning both anatomies is a good starting point, although, in the beginning, it is difficult for you to do.

This hard effort is worth it for you. It helps to improve your ability and skill as well. Remember that you are only required to learn the basic things and do not need to master the whole elements. 

These tips are essential things to support you in drawing the manga. It allows you to draw in any style that you want. So, it helps you to practice them without difficulties. 

Created by Yeaaah! Studio

2. Get Images Reference from Online

At first, you have no idea how to draw your manga. It can be a time-consuming and annoying situation, especially for a beginner. Yet, you can not skip these tips from your drawing manga lesson. 

Do not worry because there is a simple thing you can do to solve this drawing issue. You can browse and search for a reference image for your manga. 

Finding an image reference is part of study tips in drawing your manga. Through online images, you can study a lot of things. It allows you to understand the Object and Subject of drawing manga. 

You can start the tips by looking up the drawing from different poses and angles. Furthermore, you can have references to draw in various environment settings. These tips can make your art look much better.

If you try to draw something only from your memory, you will miss some required details. That is why you need online references to support your lesson. 

Created by Bicio

3. Do Not Copy Drawing from Others

Studying and learning drawing manga from online references do not mean you are allowed to copy it. Through these tips, you can learn how to create your own manga style. Thus, as a beginner, you need to avoid copying your favorite artist's drawing style. 

You can get the image reference from an online source as long as you are not copying the manga drawing. The tips in this step help you to end up mimicking the flaws of your favorite artists and become better at drawing manga. 

Besides, copying drawing manga will not make you grow. You will learn nothing if you are only copying the manga mindlessly. It is better to use the reference as your tips to examine their art closely. 

Additionally, use the online drawing reference to help you in figuring out the parts you like. You can use this reference to reveal the reason as well. Therefore, the online image references are only applied to enhance the feel and mood.

Created by Edwin Garay

4. Start Your Drawing Exercise

As a beginner, you need to practice often to improve your drawing skill for manga. There are some simple exercises as tips for you before you start drawing manga. You can begin by drawing the lines and basic shapes.

These exercises do not take much time. Each is around 10-15 minutes. It helps to train your hand and sight to avoid the mistake of creating your manga character.

The exercise tips include practicing on straight lines and curved lines. Both lines are often used in drawing manga characters. Moreover, both are essential lines that can support your manga.

Besides, you can also do some practice creating basic shapes, including circles, squares, ovals, etc. These tips lead you to other advanced exercises and allow you to do mixed drawing exercises.

All exercises in the previous paragraph give you valuable benefits. It is good practice for you to learn manga at an earlier stage. You can do the same steps above regularly.

Sourced From thebeginnerdrawingcourse

5. Use Sketch as The Guidelines

Some manga artists start their drawing manga from a rough sketch. They use it to build drawing for the pose and the flow of the objects. The sketch in the manga helps to support costume and hair. 

These tips can be super beneficial guidelines for your drawing. It can make you draw a pose quickly. Moreover, you can use it as a medium to compare body shapes and sizes in the manga.

Aside from that, these tips are helpful to prevent you from creating anatomy errors. It allows you to create a shape from the basics before starting drawing manga. 

You have to know that every professional also applies the above tips to their works. You can take a quick rough sketch to be the guidelines. Once you are ready, you can add more details to your drawing afterward.  

Through these tips, you can erase the unnecessary portions without damaging your main work. Thus, the sketch can make you draw manga more easily. 

Created by Juha Ekman

6. Study Color Theory and Its Technique

Drawing and coloring are inseparable. Both are related to each other to communicate the mood and meaning of your manga. Because of that, the tips in learning to be better at drawing manga include studying the coloring theory and techniques. 

Colors are helpful to direct or misdirect the audience. This theory is useful in drawing, especially in drawing manga. Start these learning tips from the basic color.

Color in manga can create bonding to your character. Besides, you can use colors as tips to create specific characters that have different cultural backgrounds. Take, for example, the blue symbolizes wealth and royalty in European culture. 

Advanced manga artists use color palettes to create more various colors for their work. Additionally, the color palettes can convey symbols and psychology to your manga character.

From the above tips, you learn that colors can make your drawing more alive. To see the difference, you can start drawing manga and compare both before and after coloring. Thus, studying color theory and techniques is essential.

Created by Armando Medina

7. Use Multiple Mediums 

There are multiple mediums used to be better at drawing manga, whether for paintings or simple drawing manga. That is why you have to try the tips of creating your manga character in different mediums.

The tips include drawing your manga character in new mediums. Although you have never tried this medium before, you have to force yourself. 

You can learn and get a lot of experience in using various mediums. It helps you to sharpen your skills. Besides, you can take some learning lessons for your future artwork. 

From these tips, you can improve your drawing ability. Challenge yourself to create manga in new mediums. Do not think that this part is easy for you to do. 

Take, for example, and you always use watercolors to create your manga character. Then, you want to start drawing manga digitally instead of using a traditional medium. 

Remember that you can use all mediums to create your drawing. In the end, you will use the one that you find convenient and preferred most. 

Created by Oska

8. Try Drawing Different Characters

In the manga, you do not only have one character to build your whole story. There will be multiple figures with various background settings. Thus, you have to learn about drawing manga with different characters. 

In the earlier learning tips, you study how to create the drawing from a certain character. It triggers your curiosity and motivates you to draw the manga. By the time you learn that there are various types of characters to build your artwork into a story.

The previous drawing manga tips also allow you to study how to create your own style. You can use it to develop new characters for your manga. It can be an easy thing for you to fall back on the drawing.

You can start to practice by creating a pretty girl or a handsome boy. Push yourself to get used to practicing anime arts. By doing the above tips, you can vastly improve your ability for better at draw manga.

Created by Blad Morana

9. Practice with the Landscape and Scenes

Drawing manga is not only about characters. You will need to draw different things to complete your manga story. So, these tips allow learning about the landscapes, scenes, and other supporting elements in your manga.

In this part, you know the tips for creating anime art also includes the background scenes. You need to sharpen your skill and practice to draw other elements as well. 

After some time of practicing, you may realize that you always draw the same things. Let's say that you are usually drawing landscapes but never try to work on action scenes.

Otherwise, you have already mastered creating a specific manga character. Then, you do not want to start drawing daily objects. If it is so, it is not good for your improvement.

This part recommends tips for your better improvement. You must learn about the objects, landscapes, and scenes. Although you do not have to master everything, you should try drawing every single object.

Created by Yukari MISHIMA

10. Stop Comparing Yourself to Others

The tips to improve your drawing in the manga do not mean comparing your work to others. It includes comparing your artworks to the masters. It is a common mistake taken by beginners in the earlier part of drawing manga lessons.

Comparing drawing the manga is good as long as you are not getting discouraged by it. As mentioned in earlier tips, you can use other images as a reference. So, you do not get more pressure on it.

You can see the real examples from the beginners. They compare their manga line by line with their favorite artist once they finish drawing. They use the online images as a source for comparison.

Thus, you have to be confident with your own work. The tips to get better at drawing manga are not necessarily about technique. It also includes motivating yourself. 

You will get plenty of time to learn more and try harder. Look at your work and motivate yourself to improve it better.

Created by Mike Anderson

11. Open to Criticism for Better Improvement

Many tips can make you better at drawing manga. One of the tips is to open yourself to criticism. It can be tough advice to help you create a better drawing. 

At first, you may feel like scolding when you hear the criticism toward your manga. It will be difficult for you to accept this criticism. However, you need it to improve your drawing in the manga. 

Remember that you do not have to accept those critiques tips as legit. You only need to keep your mind open with that criticism. So, you can get new ideas to improve your drawing.

The praise from family and friends can be a good point. Yet, it does not make you stop improving your artwork in the manga. Other people try to give you honest feedback and valuable criticism for drawing manga.

Through this, you can grow your talent to be an artist. That is why do not stop improving yourself from criticism. 

Created by Ayoosh Sinha

12. Use Visuals to Tell Story

Drawing manga is not merely about the beauty of your drawing. Many other elements can build your work, including personality and abilities. You have to think about storytelling your manga characters as well. 

Besides the previous tips, you have to understand the drawing tips in this part too. It helps you to introduce your works completely, from the beginning till the end. Remember that manga is not only about images but also about creating a character in a story.

Because of that, these tips recommend you to create and draw the characters that allow you to deliver the story. Think about what you want to tell the audience through your drawing. You have to be able to communicate your message from the visuals. 

To be better at drawing manga, you learn that some characters are described clearly in the first frame quickly. Approaching your manga characters is essential to make your audiences familiar with them. So, the audience can enjoy the entire story without confusion.

Created by Derick Red

13. Keep Your Manga Simple

If you see your favorite artist's work, you will be amazed by the beauty of their manga creation. It seems that drawing manga is a complicated work due to the ornament detail. 

Because of that, you may think about a lot of ideas in your mind. It includes drawing anatomy, composition tips, and many more. Yet, you do not necessarily deliver all of your ideas to your drawing. 

You had better keep drawing manga as simple as you can. Focus on your drawing designs does not necessarily make it complex. By following these tips, you can make the audience understand your message.

Although manga requires special skills and practice, it does not mean you have to make it elaborate and complicated. Creating a simple manga will be one of the best tips that you can try. 

However, keeping a simple work is not an easy task, especially for a beginner. You require practice and process to be better at drawing manga and to improve your skill quickly.

Created by Hector Trunnec

14. Have Fun and Enjoy The Process

From this article, you already know several tips on how to improve your skill in manga. Most tips require you to practice and exercise more often. However, you had better not see these continuous activities as a frustrating thing. 

You may feel the pressure as your drawing is beyond your expectation. Additionally, the casual mistakes in your work can make you feel stressed too. Try to be more relaxed following the tips and enjoy whatever progress you have made. 

In drawing manga, you should feel fun and happy. Although you have to practice creating manga characters many times, do not get discouraged by this learning process.

Once you read this article until the end, it means that you already have an interest in manga. You love drawing anime art and want to be better at drawing manga as well. 

Remember that drawing is a fun activity. You can draw anything that you love most. Let yourself explore creativity freely and without limitation. 

Created by Mike Anderson

15. Keep Trying and Never Give Up

As a beginner, you may fail to create drawing many times. You can not complete your first manga due to some errors and mistakes. The multiple failures that happened may make you give up without hesitation.

Yet, you have to remember an essential thing in drawing manga apart from all previous tips mentioned above. The learning process includes mistakes and errors, which are also applied to drawing your manga. 

Thus, it is essential for you not to give up on your drawing. Keep on learning to make progress and improve your skill. This tip has become the most important one among the above tips.

Created by Buro UFHO

Final Words

You have to know that everyone always starts drawing manga with the beginning process. Then, there are some efforts to improve yourself. Thus, do not stop trying to become better at drawing manga. Through these tips, you will know that creating manga is not merely about talent. The truth is you are not giving up and keep on trying.