Professional Manga: Digital Storytelling with

Combine high-end manga storytelling theory and advice with the tools for digital creation in Manga Studio, guided by expert professional manga-ka. Youll discover manga storytelling techniques, from speed lines to technology, from toning to big sound effects. Steve Horton and Jeong Mo Yang then show you how best to accomplish these techniques using the leading manga art creation program, Manga Studio EX. Every ounce of theory is backed up with step-by-step manga illustrations and Manga Studio screenshots that show how these illustrations were created. See the techniques in action in The Other Side of the Tracks, a new manga short story in the book centerfold which demonstrates at least one example from every technique described. You can also follow the continuing story as a webmanga available at comicspace.com. And theres more! The companion CD includes trial version of Manga Studio EX along with high-resolution image files from the book. Smith Micro has also included a coupon for $100 off the full version of Manga Studio EX. --Authors are expert professional manga-ka (creators), with credits such as TokyoPop's Star Trek: the Manga and Dyoz, Image Comics' Strongarm, and Grounded Angel on the web. --There is no other Manga book that melds high-end Manga storytelling theory and advice, with the tools for digital creation in Manga Studio. --In the book centerfold is a new manga short story: The Other Side of the Tracks, which shows at least one example from every technique described. This story will continue after publication as a webmanga. --Demo version of Manga Studio EX on CD (plus exclusive value-adds not found elsewhere) along with high-resolution image files from the book. --Smith Micro (makers of Manga Studio) will provide a coupon in the back of the book for $50 to $100 off the $220 Manga Studio EX software.

Professional Manga
Short Table of Contents and Synopses
The Building Blocks of Manga
Line Art
Here are tips from the artist on how to draw lines smoothly
Also, heres some instruction on how to draw thicker lines in the foreground and thinner lines in the background
Shading & Textures: Basics This is an introduction to shading as a replacement for color
Most manga is black and white and uses grayscale tones and shading to give weight and balance to the elements of a page
Manga Studio comes with premade textures, but the best artists create their own
Heres how to do so and how to apply a texture to an element
Shading & Textures: Advanced Its important to know how to use the light source, the camera and other directing knowledge to help you shade a scene properly
Also, its critical to shade at a specific resolution so that details and moire patterns dont develop when the page is reduced for print
Also, dont overuse textures
Sometimes none are called for and the art needs to be left open
Speed Lines In a lot of manga, characters can move fast or express a lot of movement within the space of a single panel
Since a comic panel is a single snapshot in time, how best to express that movement? One solution that manga partakes in frequently is speed lines
Speed lines can be straight or circular, parallel or concentric, depending on the kind of motion that needs to be expressed in a panel
Speed lines are also used when a character comes to a realization or epiphany
Heres how to correctly apply the right speed lines to your panel
Manga Studio has this functionality built in, but advanced users will want to tweak the settings or even create the lines manually
Like the other techniques, its critical not to overuse them
One panel per page at most is a good guideline
Pick the fastest or most critical scene on the page and go for it!
Blurring An alternative or a companion to speed lines, blurring is another way to show motion
Since the advent of photoshop, blurring and other digital tricks have become more prevalent in manga
Heres how its done
Backgrounds Beginning manga artists often lack the skills to render backgrounds well
These artists want to skip straight to the characters and the action and skimp on buildings and other boring stuff
This is a pitfall
Backgrounds are just as important as the rest of the page, and its important to both concentrate on them and know how to render them correctly in Manga Studio
Technology Theres a juxtaposition between the simplicity of a manga character and the complexity of the technology that might exist in their world
The characters are meant to be iconic, but the technology is specific
This is often where most of the detail and time is spent
Heres how to make technology look like it is supposed to
Sound Effects and Lettering Special effects can often depend on the creators country of origin
Despite the language in which the book might be translated or presented, the sound effects stay in that original language
Brian Yang prefers to render sound effects in Korean
Korean characters look cool and different when drawn large
Also, manga sound effects tend to morph and change with the action, often becoming part of the scene! Here are some tricks for creating and manipulating SFX so they stand out
Lettering is often glossed over in much translated manga to its detriment
There are a few simple tips to know when lettering manga
Here they are, and heres how to pick a good font and letter the right way
Center Section: Manga Short Story The Other Side of the Tracks This is an original creation of the author, written by Steve Horton and drawn by Brian Yang
This manga uses all the storytelling and Manga Studio techniques used throughout this book and acts as a coda for all the lessons learned
A high-res version
Table of Contents provided by Publisher. All Rights Reserved.

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Professional Manga: Digital Storytelling with Manga Studio EX

Summary

Table of Contents

Supplemental Materials