What's the Hardest Part About Drawing Manga?

[YamPuff]

What is the hardest thing you find about drawing manga? Don't just say what's the hardest thing, tell us why, and answer other people's questions if you can. This is pretty much a general discussion thread for everyone's drawing problems. I haven't seen any threads dedicated to drawing problems, maybe I missed it, but I decided we could use one. Like an FAQ.


I find hands are very hard to draw. Also, I can't think up new poses; I'm always copying others. Scenery is hard but I mainly focus on drawing people, so my problem here is a lack of practice in that area.

[Murasakivie]

Well, it's pretty hard to think up new poses... There's only so many ways a body can bend! I don't usually worry about things like that though...

My hardest thing is inking. I love toning and fiddling around on the computer, penciling is a breeze and making layouts is fun in that putting-puzzle-pieces-together way, but inking... Man, I just can't into it! Which is why I've been procrastinating all morning instead of drawing... =/

[Libby]

For me, it's doing ACTuAL MANGA. Not character designs, not poses or costume ideas -- actually drawing a story. I get discouraged very easily. so as soon as I can't figure out how to draw a certain pose or background, I give up. ^_^;;; I'm trying to get better about it, because it's not like I'm going to learn how to draw without practice...

[Bossing]

I HATE DRAWING HANDS!!!! Oh yeah...I never tried to do a story yet...

[PeNCILz]

Inking. I get nervous and think "I am going to mess up! I am going to mess up!" and my hand shakes... Thusly making my characters squiggly and look like they shiver... o.O

[nicolepalmer]

i don't really like backgrounds,its something that makes me worry and stress about and something i would like to work on

[Wolfman]

i don't really like backgrounds,its something that makes me worry and stress about and something i would like to work on

Sometimes I know what I want for my backgrounds, but just cant seem to draw them. I tend to look through the net at that point. I Google it and search it through the "images" section. It helps, but so does having a scrap book.

[SweetNymph]

Oh, boy, where do I start?

The hardest parts for me are consistancy, hands, poses, inking, males, and action. Like, roundhouse kick action, not walk down the street action. I'm working on a comic right now, and spent the last 2 hours sketching out a thumbnail of the most action-packed page in the whole thing, and I'm STILL not finished. I had to cut out one of the two punches because I couldn't make it look right.

I should not draw action. No, I should not.

On the plus side, I feel better now. ^^

[sferrick]

I think one of the hardest parts is getting a page to read smoothly with the layout and placement of everything. There's a ton of other things like anatomy and technical things that are really hard too of course but I personally find layout and pacing to be pretty difficult. And it's such an important part of sequential art too. There's lots of manga that have amazingly gorgeous art but some of of them are so hard to read through b/c the layout isn't easy on the eyes.

[KaYoKitten]

I've been at this manga game for about three years, but I've been drawing in a manga style for seven. I can tell you, I've had problems--so many I couldn't count. But I work hard every day, and I am slowly (very slowly) learning not to sweat the small stuff.

The biggest problem I have is technical stuff--keeping my scenes looking the same from panel to panel. Sometimes I'll put a scarf on my character and then suddenly it'll be gone in the next panel!! And pacing is really difficult for me unless I think long and hard about how I want something to look before I start sketching the pencils (which is why I'm trying to get the thumbs right first before I start ANYTHING else >< )

I love putting in detailed backgrounds, and drawing close-ups of different objects. I like my simplistic people, and I like my style, and I try to draw different shapes and sizes of people rather than getting stuck in the old "thin as a twig" look in every character.

My inks could use some work, but I've got smooth lines. If you're having trouble with ink, do me a favor here. Go get some trace paper. Yeah, trace paper. And a cheap coloring book. Now, sit down and trace the coloring book pages. I know, I know, it's not art, well let me explain why here: This is a very good way to steady your hand. Being afraid of messing up is okay. What this is going to do is make you not really care about what you're drawing because you're just practicing, and you know it. And another thing: PRACTICE.

For backgrounds, go find someplace you really like. Now sit down with a sketchbook and start drawing. Draw the whooooole place. Now pick out three things in particular and draw them, too, but separately. Get every detail you can out of it. Draw realistically, maybe color it a little if you've got the time. My favorite place in the world was called Rabbit Road back in my hometown. I drew it once, back when I wasn't even considering art. Now I wished I'd kept the drawing, because it was the first time I'd ever placed value on a setting.

And on action: Find a several films with something similar to what you have in mind and pause the scene and copy-paste it into your browser. I find having several references in front of me very satisfying to a difficult pose or action.

[UrbanRevolution]

getting a job!

[Tsuzuki]

wow troubles with drawing T O O M A N Y...
i hate hands they are just soo fussy to draw
Thats why most of the time when i am doing a charachter sketch i hide the hands(behind the head or in the pocket works well).

i also have trouble with hair (and no i do not hide THAT under a hat)
but if u practice long enough u can learn how to draw anything (even hair or hands

[tomselleck69]

i find the hardest part of drawing comics is being an idiot who thinks he can get away with shading in ball point pen instead of proper toning or strategically spotting blacks.

also learning to use a brush is pretty tough... but it pays off.

[YamPuff]

getting a job!

We're with u on that one!