How to draw (sort of). Part II.

So here's the deal. I don’t believe I did any justice to the graphic novel style in the previous relating entry. So the subject today will be not about the history really, but about the different styles. The art of comics and manga deserve some explanation, my friends.
Let’s start with the basics. You all know about comics and manga in some way shape or form, even if you aren’t particularly interested in them. To make this easier on me and more simple for you, I will be comparing and contrasting the two styles of graphic novels throughout. First point to make, both are considered a topic for nerds. I cannot deny this. But I don’t see many nerds wishing for social success as much as your everyday prep, so there really isn’t much of a problem.
Ah, American comics. A world I am just getting exposed to… My experience with reading Japanese manga for so long has given me an objective view of the much more red, white, and blue influence. You can see very basic cultural differences between the two, and I am going to point stylistic distinctions brought up by this.
First of all, there is the most basic difference (warning: this is opinion based). America usually has the bigger-is-better, biggie size, flare for individuality and making a difference (or at least watching people make a difference on the television screen) kind of mentality. In Japan, it is easy to see both the crazier side of the culture today with its sometimes outlandish themes and still at the same time see its conservative/less-is-more attitude remaining from the past.
Lets break this down into the drawing aspects to save us all some time and patience. When it comes to figure drawing in the realm of graphic novels, there are many stylistic choices that lean toward one side or the other.

Body types.
For American style comics, the bodies tend to be dramatized, overly perfect even. Though this is not a specific trait of the style, the cultural expectations are. Extra macho hero men and idealized female forms make up the common physique for this media.
On the Japanese end, it tends to be no different in the way of idealized bodies…except for the difference in ascetics. This being increasingly difficult for me to explain, there are pictured to show the difference.

What big eyes you have…
Better to express personality and emotions with my dear. No matter where the graphics originate from, eyes are still the windows to the soul…so to speak. Warning: Eyes are one of my favorite things to draw; so they will be discussed. A lot. Now there are still some differences when it comes to the more stylistically free genres (such as girly manga- or shojo). Most of these details cover both American and Japanese styles, but I’ll specify otherwise.
Some major expressive traits are (but not exclusive to) the following:

The basics. Nothing special, not particularly detailed…to be honest this is not even an important kind to point out the details. This is basically for generic characters/ for when the eyes are not emphasized in the scene/ or other reasons…

•Important note though: emotion is still importantly conveyed through every eye style.

Femme Fatale. You cannot avoid this one. In no matter what type of graphics, there is always the sexy female lead, catching attention with a mere glance. Her eyes are just as expressive, but usually more stylized: thicker, darker lashes, sometime heavy-lidded, and always with an air of mystery or danger. I’m not going to lie; this type of eye is always fun to draw.

The male eye. …is a pain to describe. There isn’t a lot of difference between the sexes. Most importantly, there is usually little to no eye lashes, bigger eyebrows, and a little less shiny when being compared to a typical female eye.


Yet another important note: This ‘masculine
look’ is not as prominent in the Japanese style.

Inhuman. This is an easy type. It applies to any other type…with the addition of differently shaped pupils or strange colors/markings. This type is one of my personal favorites.

Impossibly anime. These eyes, when studied closely, appear to be made of the shiniest jelly you can imagine. Not realistic in any sense, this style is very, very stylized and is most popularly used in shojo manga. Another use is for small children in other genres, conveying an innocent demeanor.

Comic eyes. This will be the final eye type I discuss due to realizing how much of an ocular tangent I got lost on. This type of eye is the easiest to draw by far. Similar to the basic eye, but with even less detail, this stylized eye can be drawn in many different ways. None are realistic and they are used mostly used to convey an expression or emotion with humor.


Alright, so I was really having fun talking about the eyes, the next comparison and analysis will be continued in a blog in the near future. Topics I hope to cover will include: fashion, masculinity and femininity, and the similarities and difference between character appearances vs. status in a story.
Honestly I hope you are learning something as I am from this; though the topic is to study subjects that I write about, some of said stories I am now trying at my own graphic novel style. I hope to post some pictures with further posts to let you know how that goes.


Credit to the artists of course! You can find them on Deviantart.

The Brain: And some of its drama.

A quick explanation beforehand as to why I picked this topic: I’ve got a story. A nice little plotline that involves two people within one head. Or course it cannot be true to the real condition due to this being a fantasy based story…
What do you know about DID, or Dissociative Identity Disorder? … Did you know it was formally referred to as Multiple Personality Disorder? I hope so. More common in women by far, this disorder is still debated amongst psychologists as to whether it is a legitimate condition.
Alright, so say it isn’t a real problem. The people with several distinct personalities are just a seriously extreme case of a Gemini of the zodiac? Being a Gemini myself, that is very disturbing.

In all seriousness (also in nutshell version), it is a condition in which an individual typically has been through some sort of trauma and has developed one or more other distinct personalities to cope. As a personal observation, this reason and heredity seems to be the only two causes of any real issues. Now, the most interesting part about this for me is that when an individual shifts from one personality to the other, not only are their ideas, views, and reactions noticeably unlike the others…but their bodies change as well.
Heart rates, blood pressure, even blood flow to the brain can vary between one personality and another. This has been the bit where the science can’t fully deny its existence. Keeping in mind, the reputation for this problem is tainted due to some people pretending to have it for personal gain in the court system; there are tests to determine the difference between the real thing and a faking faker-pants.
Here’s something else I found extremely enlightening in this subject, albeit not surprising: the treatment. First, we’ll go over the things that sort of work or just tend to fail.

One option is a psychotherapy in which the therapist attempts to reintegrate the personalities back into one single identity. Why it doesn’t always work is the person being treated can often react negatively to someone trying to ‘kill’ the other parts of them. I suppose that would be scary if you really did think of yourself as more than one person.
Another option involves medication. This usually doesn’t go well because once again, the person being treated will feel as if others are trying to control them. This leads to the patient being re-traumatized…making things worse.
Alright, so both of those can work but this option is what tends to work first, possibly allowing one of the previously mentioned treatments with time. This option is sort of a stepping stone on to leading a more productive life because the focus is to work on each of the personalities co-existing more seamless. Usually the first problem for people with DID is that their various identities don’t always get along. The best way to work on recovery of this is to get all the people in that person’s head to play nice with one another.
There is no cure for DID, I’ve listed the main treatments, but people with this problem are not some sort of lost cause. According to any resources I could find, people with multiple personalities do not tend to be violent…just misunderstood. They can lead fairly normal lives with the exception of not being the exact same person from day to day. For the moment, it is an interesting thought to put oneself in their shoes, or in their very crowded minds.

(Credit for the pictures goes to individuals that can be found on deviantart.)

How to draw (sort of).

Disclaimer: This is a mildly biased piece. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. No offense is intended by observations/comments that occur within this article.

Ok, niceties aside, there are many different art forms. I’ll be focusing on one for the sake of my sanity. The style for today: Graphic novels. I’m using this style because of its survival being placed solely on line work. You know about Superman, Spiderman, all those with muscles on their muscles and heroic attitudes… Marvel, DC, etc. That would be the American example. For the other end, there are Japanese comics, or manga that I personally tend to read more frequently. Just got into an interesting series called Blade of the Immortal. Love it!


Either way it all starts with basic forms. The first lesson I would like to point out in this style is that PEOPLE TYPICALLY HAVE BONES! I have no idea how people can go on, drawing figures that resemble blobs of moosh with randomly placed muscle structure and mismatched limbs…this is alright… if you happen to be in kindergarten.
Also for the sake of whatever sanity I have remaining, I will not post examples of ‘bad’ art…you can find that on the internet just fine (try looking for something called an ‘oc’) … (in case you’re thinking the show, that is not what I mean). Now, when drawing for graphic novels, the artist or mangaka does not take the time to draw in each system that builds the human figure. Low and behold! There are short cuts!

I cannot stress enough how much I think people should take advantage of basic shapes. Circles, squares, triangles and lines are good friends for those wishing for a proportional figure. You can draw anything by breaking it down into simple shapes first (unless you’re a genius that happens to be perfect…then I have no idea why you’re reading this).

So, now that I’ve stressed the form issue, time to move on to the next step. To make this easier on everyone, the rest will be broken down into a simple guideline.
Step 1: Pick up a pencil. Grab an eraser too while you’re at it. Paper would be a good idea as well.
Step 2: Do some research. Get ideas. This step is to better know your aesthetics and to better understand what the hell you have gotten yourself into.
Step 3: Doodle. This will be a step you go back to forever. It is easy, pressure free and fun. The margins of notes in class can be brilliant practice space.
Step 4: See the pictures accompanying this piece so far? Try something similar. Basic shapes to build a form you want. It’s not difficult I promise. If problems persist, look up more tutorials/buy art books.
Step 5: Draw your little heart out.
Step 6: Get a new sheet of paper, rinse, and repeat as desired.


I’m not asking for a lot. I would just like for people to look in a mirror, at pictures, at other people. When you glance from your drawing to a real person, does it seem you’ve drawn an alien reject from a cartoon? If so, it isn’t because you suck. At least I don’t think so… I just believe the lack of observation and thought can lead to ‘epic fail’ in the world of art. I mean, check this guy out. Not realistic per se… but a symmetrical body and proportionally correct for that style… That’s my point boys and girls.

The pictures were from deviantart.com and an art book by Christopher Hart by the way. Tip of the day: Give credit to the artists. They deserve it.

About the Author: War within one's head.

Inspiration can strike you from anywhere. Like a sniper, waiting from a distant vantage point or a little blunter, running at you flapping its arms and screaming for your attention…there are many forms of how creativity can ambush.
I have been through this continuous cycle of cat and mouse/giant killer mouse and cat for a long time now. Sometimes we have busy schedules… So naturally when you have no time to sleep or hardly eat, an idea demands your undivided devotion. Not a pretty sight afterwards. And then we have other times when we really want to write, draw, just create something…and the mind goes completely blank.
This was my battle. Now of course, I fight back against my imagination. Not to tame it, no; that would be a waste…just, a battle to decide whose priorities will win. Mine: Usually involving school and a social life as well… or the creative part of my brain: Usually with the most inopportune timing I can possibly imagine. I mean, who needs a life right?
Alright, so I exaggerate most of the time, but not now. I am an artist and a writer with a love of biology. Random yes, but surprisingly beneficial as well. The science loving part of my brain and the inspired, kind of out-there part tend to counterbalance.
While I can come up with ideas I love and think could be a potentially good fantasy fiction story, the other side desires reality. This started a very long list of doubts for me. I was worried my ideas would never have a chance. Finally with pen in hand one late summer day, with a combined effort from both sides, I wrote out a very strict outline for an idea. Success! …Well, baby steps anyway.
Since that summer about four years ago, things have changed. There is harmony between the left and right side of my brain, sort of, and I have a new way of placating both halves. With each new idea, usually with some fantasy or sci-fi theme, I combine the crazy theories with facts. Say I’ve got a science fiction story with the ocean as the setting for example: I research the details I need, ocean geography, pressure details, various salinity statistics and study the tides for a firm grasp on what I’m writing about.
It’s like that for anything…some more abstract ideas than others. Each blog from now on is to be about some theme/setting/theory that is needed for one of my crazy imagination and its ideas. I believe the randomness in this blog’s purpose now makes a little more sense.
Alright then! With each topic, I plan on learning something myself. If you gain knowledge of anything from my future posts as well, the goal has been met.