The Complete Guide to Manga Composition
Learn the Art of Perspective and Dynamic Storytelling (Over 400 Illustrations!)
A comprehensive guide that every manga illustrator needs to have – with scores of full-colour examples from dozens of professional illustrators!
In this complete coursebook, award-winning author and manga illustrator Shinji Matsuoka provides 80 full-colour manga drawings by talented professional artists as case studies to show you how to improve and upgrade your own drawing skills. The illustrations serve as examples showing you how to use the time-honoured principles of composition and perspective to create balance and stability, establish focus and direct the viewer's eye dynamically around the artwork.
In hundreds of detailed notes and tips, Matsuoka also teaches you how to use colour, shapes, framing, shadows and focal points to communicate your stories in a clear and engaging way.
The illustrated case studies in this book show you how to:
- Ground your illustrations by using time-tested compositional principles as you position elements on the canvas
- Make the main character stand out through the use of framing to direct the viewer's gaze
- Create a sense of dynamism by using the lines formed by elements on the page to form a flowing path around the canvas
- Depict scenes from unexpected angles like low angle, telephoto and bird's-eye views to make a dramatic impression
- And much more!
Shinji Matsuoka is an illustrator and art instructor who made his debut working for the monthly Japanese manga magazine Garo. He has won several prestigious industry awards, including the Yasuji Tanioka Award and awards from Illustration magazine and The Choice. After working at Yasuji Tanioka Productions, he began freelancing and has been producing illustrations for books and advertising campaigns. He has been an instructor at design schools and colleges since 2004.
