The purpose of this instructable is to help guide beginning mangaka (Japanese comic artists) express their character's feelings through facial expressions and symbols. Some of the expressions that is widely known in the manga world will be explained in detail here. My chibi-fied version of myself (chibi Sauwen) along with the instructables robot will be hosts for this guide. (Chibi means small, literally in Japanese. Chibi characters in manga are just small, "super deformed" versions of characters that are typically adorable, with large heads and small bodies.)
Say hi, everyone!
Say hi, everyone!
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Signing UpStep 1: Happiness
Let's start with the most common feeling to display: happiness!
This is easily shown with the mouth. It can be in the form of a simple smile, cat smile (shown on chibi Sauwen), or a big smile with an open mouth (as seen on the instructables robot.)
Note: The cat smile can often be a symbol of cunning, like the character may be up to something suspicious since cats are stealthy creatures.
The eyes can be normally open or seemingly closed (somewhat signifying their smile is so big that their eyes squint). In Chibi Sauwen's case, her eyes resemble an upside-down u. In the instructables robot's case, his eyes resemble the >< symbols, signifying that he's shutting his eyes because he is laughing so hard. These eyes may also represent cases in nervousness or excitement, but don't forget to change the mouth!
Finally, the heart in the bubble shows love and affection towards something the character is dealing with.
This is easily shown with the mouth. It can be in the form of a simple smile, cat smile (shown on chibi Sauwen), or a big smile with an open mouth (as seen on the instructables robot.)
Note: The cat smile can often be a symbol of cunning, like the character may be up to something suspicious since cats are stealthy creatures.
The eyes can be normally open or seemingly closed (somewhat signifying their smile is so big that their eyes squint). In Chibi Sauwen's case, her eyes resemble an upside-down u. In the instructables robot's case, his eyes resemble the >< symbols, signifying that he's shutting his eyes because he is laughing so hard. These eyes may also represent cases in nervousness or excitement, but don't forget to change the mouth!
Finally, the heart in the bubble shows love and affection towards something the character is dealing with.
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I was just wondering if you could recommend any good drawing tablets or editing suites to touch up on manga or chibi drawings?
Thank-you
x
I actually don't have a drawing tablet myself, although it will give so much more control when editing pictures. As for editing suites, I use the popular photoshop program. There is tons of help and tutorials online and it is just packed with tools. If you are interested in coloring, another program that I've used briefly is PaintTool SAI. Here is a wiki link to the program: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SAI_(software). It is a lightweight program compared to photoshop, and it focuses mainly on painting. The tools seem more intuitive that photoshop and blending colors is just amazing!! Good luck with your drawings!!
I'll check it out, it sounds perfect!
Thanks again :D x