A unique and fun way to draw manga
- Author : Danica Davidson
- illustration : Reena Saiyya
- Publisher : Skyhorse Publishing
- published : June 2022
As manga grows in popularity around the world, it has become a huge part of a lot of people’s childhoods. While most of them feel excited just to read their favorite stories, others are inspired to be like their favorite mangaka. They also want to be a manga artist and draw iconic characters like Goku and Naruto.
This is one of the main reasons why “how to draw manga” books have become the most popular drawing guide in the world. And now, there’s a new one coming that promises to offer something quirky and different from other manga drawing guide books. It’s called Chalk Art Manga: A Step-by-Step Guide, and here’s our review of it!
Most professional manga artists in Japan will use ink and special papers for their manuscripts, but there are some who prefer to create their drawings using digital devices. However, the most common way for ordinary people is to create manga-style drawings using simple pen and paper.
But if you want to try something different, there’s another way to paint manga that you might not have thought of before, which is using chalk as your brush, and painting a nearby sidewalk as your Using as canvas. The skill to do it properly is in this book.
Another ideal demographic for this book is young children. Children love to draw big pictures. Chalk and pavement are a great way for them to draw anything, no matter how big it is. And unlike paint or pens, chalk is much easier to clean up afterwards. If this sounds like something that your child might love to do, this book will help hone their skills by offering creative ways to draw with colored chalk.
Why you should read Chalk Art Manga: A Step-by-Step Guide
1. Simple, clear and easy to understand guide
This book was carefully created to ensure that everyone who reads it can properly understand the techniques for drawing manga with chalk, whether on a board or a sidewalk. You may think that drawing is what you use or where you draw, but that couldn’t be further from the truth.
There are challenges and limitations involved in creating proper manga characters with something as brittle and powdery as chalk. Not only this, the hard and uneven surface of the pavement can also prove to be a hindrance that prevents you from creating your masterpiece.
This book explains drawing techniques and exercises with clear illustrations and a short text blurb that explains what you need to do in any step: how to use chalk correctly, why you should be blurring the chalk, what parts you should Should be highlighted with white chalk, and many other techniques.
What makes it even better is that as you progress through the book, the exercises get harder and more complicated. You start with a simple pink heart, but as you learn and practice more, you’ll eventually build up to highly detailed ninjas and harajuku girls. And as long as you pay attention to each step, you will be able to do it perfectly. This is only possible thanks to simple, clear and easy to understand guides.
2. Enjoy the range
Unlike drawings on paper or canvas, drawings made using chalk on a sidewalk outside your home won’t last long. They may also disappear a few hours after you finish. Not only that, there are also many inherent challenges in drawing complex manga characters by the side of the road, such as wind, passersby, and of course, rain.
So why draw in this weird way if you can draw your favorite characters with a pen and paper from the comfort of your own room? This is because there are benefits to making art in such a restrictive way. All the above constraints will compel your mind to find the best solution to create and finish your art, which in turn will also help your decision making ability.
Even more so, in a world plagued by longevity and making something permanent, there is a beauty in crafting a ephemeral art that will only be for a fleeting moment. If you miss it, it’s gone. You create your art knowing that only a certain number of people will be able to see it, and that’s what makes it rare and special. So instead of getting discouraged by it, you should instead enjoy the limitations.
Why You Should Quit Chalk Art Manga: A Step-by-Step Guide
1. You Have Zero Drawing Skills
This book will not teach you how to draw like a manga artist. However, it will teach you how to draw manga with chalk. This statement indicates that the skill this book gives you is drawing manga in a unique/different way, using chalk on the sidewalk. This means that if you do not have any drawing skills, it will be difficult to learn properly from this book.
Sure, everyone should be able to follow the steps in the opening parts of this book. Even the most artless person can pull off pink hearts and beautiful sushi. But as you move on to some of the more complex ones, like the aforementioned ninjas and Harajuku girls, that’s when you’ll struggle.
The book even starts the first phase of each exercise by asking you to draw the design on paper first. This means that if you lack basic drawing skills, you will not be able to progress beyond the first step. Even if you manage to create thanks to the steps in this book, you won’t be able to make any original drawings other than what you see in this book.
This is because you do not know how to draw a face properly, you do not know the correct anatomy of the body, you do not know how to draw reliable hair, and so on and many more. So it would be much better if you learn some basic drawing skills first. That is, if you want to make proper manga characters like shown in the book. If you only want to doodle with chalk, this limitation does not apply to you.
Chalk Art Manga: A Step-by-Step Guide by Danica Davidson and Reina Seiya provides a fun and unique approach to creating manga-style illustrations. It explains the steps and guidelines in a concise and easy to understand way, and it also teaches you about the tools and techniques in a clear and simple way.
Sure, there will be limitations in making art with chalk on the sidewalk, but that’s also part of the benefits and beauty of this technique that you should fully embrace. That being said, if you already have good drawing skills, this book will do a much better job. If not, you may struggle to follow some of the more complex exercises.
Are you interested in drawing your favorite manga characters with chalk? Or maybe you are simply interested in the unique perspective presented in this book? Share your thoughts in the comment section below.
