A Manga~Realism Sketchbook

**allyanime** · May 6th, 2011, 10:10 PM

Yeah! ~ My first thread on CA!

Hi my name is Ally,

I'm new to CA, and so far I'm kinda confused on how things work, so sorry in advance if I cause trouble. XD
I also have a active account on DA, though I really need some solid critiques, so I came here!

Okay back to me...
I just turned thirteen, (but I act like twenty year old, so don't mind me~) and really got into drawing "seriously" around 6th grade when i found anime and loved it XD (lol)

I love japanese anime/manga art, but also I'm gonna try and do some realism first, someday I want to self publish a manga.

And this is where I'll post all my drawings and stuff along the way!

~Thanks for reading!

copics XD

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**NickyBeats** · May 6th, 2011, 10:40 PM

nice! -uh, but you should put some drawings, or sketches in here whenever you post! lets fill this bad boy up!!

**allyanime** · May 7th, 2011, 09:06 PM

Okay I'm gonna start way back, I did this like in the beginning of the school year when I was obsessed with Naruto, and had no anatomy practice whatsoever, so it was pretty much one of the first times I had ever drawn a dude without his shirt lol.
Also since i did it in class I didn't have any references with me, so the portions are way off. DX

**allyanime** · May 13th, 2011, 08:50 PM

Okay here is some more recent stuff I've been doing, (about 2 months ago)
i'll post some more stuff later i promise XD
I did this stuff without references, (I should really start using them ne?)

**allyanime** · May 19th, 2011, 05:04 PM

More doodles nd stuff! did about a month ago..
I'm kinda sad that no one is commenting...but oh well i'll just keep drawing XD
anyways! no references used

.... enjoy

**alamed** · May 19th, 2011, 05:14 PM

Nice worl Ally.
1) yes, do start using ref. especially when working with the human figure.
2) Dont be sad when people dont comment, sometime people dont have the time or you thread gets pushed down fast when people are active so its seen less. Keep it up, you are doing it for you (I hope) and not for the comments

Keep drawing and posting and drawing and posting. By the time you reach page 30 in your thread, you'll be really good (30 is just a random number but if you can fill it then you have drawn a lot). Good Luck!

**A Kitten** · May 19th, 2011, 05:15 PM

Ooooooooooooooooooooooooh
deaaaaaaaaaaarrrr

oh dear oh dear oh deaaaaaaaar.

I drew like this until last year, when I got my ass on /ic/ 4chan and they tore me a new hole.

Luckily for you, with all the resources here on CA you'll probably be able to get your ass in gear and maybe even bypass me in skill by the time you're my age.

That is if you're willing to accept Anatomy and perspective and all techinal things...

Once you learn just an EENSY WEENSY bit about them- you look at your old shit and go HOLY CRAP WHAT WAS I THINKING.

But I'm rambling. Are you serious about wanting to take your art to the next level or do you want to dabble in animu forever?

**M1dor1** · May 19th, 2011, 05:40 PM

I realy like those 2 Chibis and the last portrai you made

. But everything i would like to say about your work is already be posted by my precursor's ;D .

Draw,draw,draw

and you will reach your dream 4 sure !

**allyanime** · May 22nd, 2011, 08:40 PM

Thanks for the replies! I will be working on anatomy and stuff from now on, any good sites or studies that you recommend? (well besides posemaniacs...)

A while ago I was trying realistic, the eye was done from lots of references, and I entered it in a scholastics competition that my brother won last year, but sadly no seventh graders were accepted.
The elf/baby/thing..... i don't like it at all anymore, (especially the nose..) I did it in Gimp when I first got my tablet.

It's my birthday today too

finally a teenager lol (13)

**CLANLESS** · May 22nd, 2011, 09:16 PM

I really like your realism pieces. Once you are good with realistic drawings without the help of references, then it will be easier to draw cartoons. First, use reference.
For reference, you can use google or gettyimages. I like to watch people in the busy streets, watching the movement of bodies really help me grasp the anatomy more. I also use myself for reference.

Congratulations on your birthday. What sort of anime do you want to create?

**FireLupine** · May 22nd, 2011, 09:57 PM

Ooh, very nice. I like your style, very outgoing. :3

Keep up the nice work!

**allyanime** · May 23rd, 2011, 07:39 AM

Done with black markers.. oh and to the earlier question, i want to become a shouen jump artist XD

**allyanime** · May 29th, 2011, 07:28 PM

Last night i searched through Getty images, and it was really cool XD So I dew some poses from there, and then when I was reading One Piece I decided to draw some of there poses, i kinda overlapped it all, so you sorry if you can't see the poses from Getty

Also do you think that that is good practise? Like drawing poses and characters strait from manga?

**FightingSeraph** · May 29th, 2011, 11:53 PM

Your realistic stuff is quite good, but I don't know about using poses from manga. You should get a friend to pose for you instead.

**OfficialLamp** · May 30th, 2011, 12:10 AM

You should definitely do some more realism studies. There's no need to go full speed, nose in an anatomy book all day, but take some time to get away from the overly exaggerated styles. Copying out of a manga will just teach you how to draw things in the wrong order, so do your studying from real figures.

You're still ridiculously young, so remember to enjoy the process of drawing above all else. Lots of time to grow and improve.

Keep it up!

**allyanime** · May 30th, 2011, 12:57 PM

Okay~ thanks for the replies! I'm defiantly gonna start doing more anatomy stuff XD

Last night I got a free trial of SAI, so i used my tablet for the first time in ages....gosh i really suck at digital stuff...
But I did use a reference pic, and I was super bored....also here are some things from posemaniacs

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**allyanime** · May 30th, 2011, 03:06 PM

2 posts in one day lol
~ proportions and stuff~

**allyanime** · June 4th, 2011, 04:08 PM

K~ got Photoshop trial, and i love it! waaaaay better than Gimp, and my tablet actually works with it!

So I'm kinda confused on a few things, first, when you see fanart on DA and stuff, do they use references for the poses, I'm not really sure how you're supposed to use references, do you just draw your own thing in that pictures pose?
Also i'm kinda stuck right now, It's really hard to draw out pictures start from finish because of poses and anatomy and stuff, what do you think I should do if I want to be-able to draw say, a person sitting, would I use a reference? and what would I do with that reference?

~sorry I wrote a lot, thanks in advance I love the feedback~

**Conniekat8** · June 10th, 2011, 03:51 AM

Very talented!!!!

**Zephyrion** · June 10th, 2011, 03:58 AM

I remember when I did anime art.
You really should draw more realistic pieces. Trust me. From my experience, drawing anime or cartoony style will hinder you like crazy in the long run.
But your realism is pretty good. And if you want a free program after your SAI trial finishes, Smoothdraw is similar.

Best of luck!

**Ghast** · June 10th, 2011, 10:52 AM

As people have already mentioned, drawing from life and getting non-manga references will really help you understand what you're drawing a lot better than learning from something stylized. Thats not to say you shouldn't study artists that inspire you, but just find a healthy balance of practicing anatomy and life and drawing more stylized characters. You need to learn the rules in order to break them.

Aside from that your realism studies are very good for 13

**HonG-t** · June 10th, 2011, 11:39 AM

That's pretty good work for such a young age.
If you thrive to learn, then you'll probably grow into an amazing artist!

**Falchion** · June 11th, 2011, 05:33 PM

Consider doing more work with traditional media? Either way, I'll be watching.

**NickyBeats** · June 11th, 2011, 05:39 PM

not bad for 13 yrs old! you have some nice control with your markers, id love to see some more if your up to it.

**A.J. Gardner** · June 11th, 2011, 07:19 PM

As a fellow manga-nut and also where I started as well, I will be watching.

I also love your markers. Ever consider color? *loves color markers*

**Charmer** · June 29th, 2011, 04:10 AM

Hi Ally! Great Sketchbook here. I wished I drew more when I was thirteen. All the time I was only good in two things: playing guitar and drawing. Playing guitar is my hobby, while drawing is what always made me different from all the other kids. But I had to be 19, 20 years old to realize that.

Keep your work up and I know you'll be very, very good in a few years.
As a lot of guys told you (I think

), try to get your fundamentals with Andrew Loomis books. I have a Book written by George B. Bridgman which is fine, too. It's called "A complete Guide to Drawing from Life" and you can get it free in the internet as ebook or like me pretty cheap through Amazon or something as a 'real' book.

What I can say after a bit more than one year spending my time in art is, that it does not really matter what you do. The only way to learn drawing is actually to draw. The most important things in my eyes are the fundamentals. Anything else will come with time.

Keep it up, I'll be watching you :-)
- Flo

**allyanime** · July 19th, 2011, 11:02 PM

Hola!!
I'm alive. Finally.

It's been awhile since i posted, summers been super boring since im like home alone all day. I've been drawing a lot, anatomy stuff was boring but i think ill try some more laterwhen im not so worn out.

So anyway, I'm wondering if i improved? What should I work on now?

**Tim Murphy** · July 20th, 2011, 11:37 AM

Hey Allyanime,

You don't -have- to do realistic stuff all the time, after all, you're 13, you have tons of time. That said, I would definitely recommend that you keep working on it. Not only does it make your drawings stronger, it gives you more variation in your skillset, something that is very important. Though cartoonists tend to be working in these simplified forms, they need to know how to render things realistically in order to know how to simplify them.

If you want something. new to try, give a still-life a shot. I'd start with a few simple objects (a sphere, box, and cylinder) and try to render them as accurately as you can. Keep on working! Good luck!

**jcc** · July 20th, 2011, 12:01 PM

Don't necessarily develop the mindset that realism is better than anime-style. That being said, dabbling in realism will allow you to learn things that may help your own individual style flourish

Keep your mindset positive!