Best Manga Drawing Books To Help You Master The Art Style

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Mastering the art style of manga is not a simple formula. it takes a lot of practice and willingness to try new techniques in your art.

but with the right learning materials you can save some time in the learning process.

You are reading: How to draw anime books

In this post I have arranged the best books covering manga/anime art style. each book has a different focus on specific types of manga, hands/feet/hair, chibi styles, or specific techniques to improve your manga drawing skills.

Take a look at the list and see which titles stand out for you.

the master guide to drawing anime

One of the best intro books you can get is The Master Guide to Drawing Anime. This covers everything you could possibly need to know including facial expressions, clothes, posing, and quick tips for mastering the manga style.

author christopher hart has written dozens of books on art and self-study. he really knows how to convey information clearly, regardless of his skill level.

This book is packed with templates and step-by-step guides to help you master the art style of manga. if you follow each chapter and do the exercises on your own, you should see a big jump in skill.

each page is packed with valuable information and the print quality is excellent. this is a must-have title for anyone serious about drawing manga.

manga mastering

Learning how to draw in the style of Japanese manga is one thing. But the book Mastering Manga goes even further to teach the structure of manga layouts.

You will learn to create poses and compositions that help you tell your story in action. author mark crilley uses lots of visual examples to convey each idea so you can easily follow along.

You should pick up this book once you have some basic manga style drawing skills. mastering manga teaches more about anatomy, posture, facial expressions, and the general “flow” of drawing a graphic novel from scratch.

mark doesn’t go too deep into the art style itself. however, by practicing these exercises, you will gain a much stronger practical understanding of the manga.

This book is perfect for anyone who wants to create their own graphic novels or even their own manga-style webcomic.

the manga artist’s workbook

The Manga Artist’s Workbook is a title by Chris Hart which covers different manga drawing styles from start to finish.

It’s a spiral bound book so you can keep it open on your desk for any page wrinkle-free. chapters slowly progress from faces and poses to glowing anime eyes, crazy costumes, and wacky hair designs.

Inside the book you will find individual lessons with tracing paper to practice. If you repeat these lessons often enough, you’ll see results.

Please note that this book is not for the absolute beginner. You should be comfortable drawing with your imagination by now, but you don’t need to practice manga style yet.

if you need a better place to start, consider picking up the master guide to drawing anime or even consider getting the next book on this list.

manga for beginners

In a line of Chris Hart books I have to say that Manga for the Beginner is truly a fantastic intro to drawing the anime/manga style.

This is one of the longest books on this list with a total of 192 pages. You’ll find many different chapters covering facial expressions, body poses, costumes, and other styles like chibi art.

I will say that some of the body posing exercises can be intimidating. Chris doesn’t do a great job holding your hand in this section, so you may feel a little frustrated when you first do these exercises.

but be patient and keep trying!

Over time, you’ll develop the muscle memory to replicate these styles with ease. and the exercises in this book can help you do just that.

beginners guide to creating manga art

I’ve enjoyed every book from 3DTotal and the Beginner’s Guide to Creating Manga Art is one more to add to the list.

This book has 240 pages full of exercises to draw and color different anime figures. many different artists contribute to this book so you can learn from a variety of experts.

If you have no idea where to start but need an overview of manga drawing, then this book is for you. covers anatomy, clothing, facial expressions, and delves into color theory to design your drawings.

and for the price, you really can’t beat all the information you get with this book. however, I only recommend it for beginners who need an overview of the manga style. otherwise, you’re better off with a more focused manga drawing book.

draw manga faces for expressive characters

If you just want to focus on manga-style faces then you’ll want a copy of Draw Manga Faces for Expressive Characters.

This is the most complete book on the subject with over 900 faces for you to study, clone and redesign for yourself. the book divides 180 pages into chapters according to the type of face.

You will learn how to draw faces for babies, toddlers, adults and seniors manga characters. you can also browse through faces based on positive or negative expressions like anger, stress, confusion, excitement, or confidence (among many others).

drawing great manga faces takes a lot of repetition, and this book will help you. if you’re trying to improve your manga drawing skills then this should be a staple on your list.

draw manga animals, chibis and other cute creatures

One thing I like about this book is how different it feels compared to all the others. Drawing Manga Animals, Chibis, and Other Adorable Creatures is the de-facto title for anyone hoping to master chibi art.

This is a very cute book for children, but also great for artists who love cute anime/manga faces and creatures. The book spans 160 pages packed with step-by-step lessons covering more specific faces, eyes, and animals in detail.

It helps if you already have some drawing experience, but you can learn this as a beginner. the steps are pretty simple to follow and this is a great book to build your confidence early on.

however, it does not touch on the “traditional” manga style, so it is intended for a specialized audience.

popular manga

Pop Manga is authored and guided by skilled manga artist Camilla d’Errico. This book starts from the very beginning of manga art and moves through lessons that anyone can follow.

You’ll get lots of art direction and beautiful illustrations spread throughout each chapter. The lessons follow a natural progression, so you’ll learn how to draw each piece to completion without much difficulty.

This means you’ll have to practice a lot on your own. nothing good comes without work.

but camilla’s writing style is very easy to follow and her examples are brilliant. she covers all the major manga/anime styles along with chibi art and related styles for graphic novelists.

pop manga is a great book for beginners who want a solid introduction to the world of manga art.

the manga fashion bible

Character designers and hobbyists alike want to draw their own manga characters. And a big part of this process is the clothing.

if you want to develop your clothing design skills, then the manga fashion bible is book no. #1 to use. is a relatively new release with the first edition published in the fourth quarter of 2016.

is also quite short but very detailed. Each exercise covers a different concept borrowing outfit ideas from real manga and the Tokyo fashion scene. You’ll learn how to match quirky shirts/pants, dresses, and more with accessories and color combinations.

Author Chris Hart has written many of these books, so if you’ve read other titles under his name, I think you’ll like this one too.

The manga fashion bible covers fashions for all seasons and character styles. Not only will this book help you plan fashion ideas for your characters, but it will also improve your manga drawing abilities by leaps and bounds. limits.

manga crash course

Another beginner’s book you can try is Manga Crash Course by Mina Petrović. She’s a specialized illustrator and manga teacher based out of Serbia with years of experience drawing & painting.

This book is made for beginners who need a hands-on approach to learning manga. You’ll learn the entire artistic process, from drawing hair, facial expressions, poses, and compositions to inking and creating an entire manga.

You can learn this with little or no knowledge and work through the lessons with some comfort. if you don’t have artistic experience, you’ll have to practice a lot more on your own.

but the end results can be fantastic, and with this book you will learn much more than just an art style.

even with 1 or 2 months of practice you will see great improvements in your storytelling skills and your visual compositions.

how to draw anime: practical guide for beginners

How to Draw Anime: Practical Guide for Beginners is a book that’s true to its title. Anyone of any skill level can pick this up and start drawing anime-style art.

The exercises are quite easy to do with a sketchbook and any pencil. each chapter is easy to follow and leads naturally to the next chapter. so as you work through the exercises, you’ll be building a visual library of knowledge to draw on.

You’ll find plenty of images for each exercise and the steps are easy to follow, regardless of your background.

However, this is a fairly short book with a total of about 60 pages. so while it’s easy to follow, it’s also not a complete guide.

I think it’s a great starting point and you can go quite a long way if you practice daily.

basic anatomy for the manga artist

Here’s yet another book from Chris Hart focused on the topic of human anatomy.

Basic Anatomy for the Manga Artist is hands down the best book you can get on proportions and limbs with a manga bent. You’ll learn about the musculature of the body and how it all fits together, along with the visual differences between men and women.

Please note that this is not a pure anatomy book. for a more in-depth study guide, check out our list of anatomy books.

but this is a deep enough guide for anyone who just practices anime/manga art style. Chris explains the different shapes and sizes of muscles along with the different poses in action. she has more than enough knowledge to explain things clearly and offers many exercises.

Anatomy is a very broad subject, so you won’t master it in a day or even a month. but this book is the best starting point for anyone studying manga art style accurately.

how to draw manga: master manga

My last book in this list is How to Draw Manga: Mastering Manga by Andrew Harnes. It’s a pretty short book just shy of 100 pages teaching all the core basics of manga drawing.

You will learn the fundamental artistic process, what materials to use, and how to draw manga characters from different angles.

Naturally, this leads to many different chapters on eyes, ears, noses, hair, and facial expressions. Andrew also moves in poses and how to draw characters performing different actions.

The chapters are fully actionable, so you can easily copy the exercises and study them as you go. the only drawback is the short length of this book.

however, the writing is excellent and the illustrated examples are designed to help you really see how manga art comes together.

and that’s my list! I know there’s a lot to choose from, but you’ll notice that each book has its unique benefits.

If you’re a complete beginner who just wants to learn the art style of manga, check out the manga crash course. another great option for a complete beginner is the master guide to drawing anime which includes stylized exercises.

or if you want to create your own graphic novels, pop manga offers excellent writing and storytelling exercises.

Take a look at the list and see if other titles catch your eye. And remember that the one constant point in all of these books is practice. spend time and you will see the results.

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