Topics

1

Manga Art Gallery / Blood Junkies Cover Art

« on: October 23, 2018, 06:40:58 AM »

This is the cover art (minus Trade dress) for issue one of my comic / manga coming out next month.  Pencils by Gus Mauk, Inks by me and colors by Jose Antonio Lopez (who really did an amazing job).  I started this book years ago when I first joined this group and it's taken a lot of time but it's finally getting completed.  If anyone wants a copy you can pre-order now and save 10% and also I'm gonna be giving away some inked pieces from my portfolio and some prints of this cover art will be made and sold.

2

Manga Artists Wanted / Colorist needed ASAP - Paid

« on: October 09, 2018, 09:08:35 AM »

Hello, my book Blood Junkies is nearing completion and I need someone to color the cover for it.  I'm looking for the right person to do it, and don't have a set budget, and I can pay in cash and or books if you'd like a few copies.  Please show me some of your work and let me know what you charge and give me an idea of what you'd do with it. 

Pencils by Gus Mauk (an absolutely amazing artist and even better person!) and inked by me.

3

Members Manga / Blood Junkies

« on: July 31, 2018, 08:37:42 PM »

This is the prologue to Blood Junkies, the story I was working on a few years ago when I first joined.  Practiced a lot in order to get good enough to make something people would want to read.  Unfortunately it's not lettered, I can't figure it out. But I think you can understand the scene without it.

Anyone interested in working with me on this story, lettering and preparing for print ( plan to print a 64 page prestige format book at the end of the year, hopefully.

4

Manga Writers wanted / Co writer needed for Blood Junkies

« on: June 12, 2018, 06:38:23 AM »

Hello,

I need a writer to help me script a story I'm currently drawing called Blood Junkies.  I'll gladly show you where I'm at with it if you're interested and have some writing samples that look good.  I'm just getting bogged down with drawing pages and I'm not keeping up with the writing.  Below are pages one and two, unlettered obviously.  If you are someone who can letter pages digitally that too would be a plus.  This is a paid opportunity.

5

Manga Talk / Collecting art by mangaka?

« on: June 02, 2018, 06:50:59 AM »

 do any of you have any original art from any mangaka?  I've been trying to get a sketch or signature from Inio Asano for about 3 years and a couple weeks ago he was in Toronto.  Two books with sketches came for sale on eBay.  I tried getting the first when they were asking 400 but it sold in less than a day and gave up when they wanted over 700 for the second.  I actually think both prices are good deals since there is just nothing out there but I didn't have the money.  I contacted some people who were at the con to see if they had one and finally found a girl in LA who had gone to Toronto just to see him and she sold me her copy of Goodnight PunPun with one of the characters sketched inside the cover with a signature for 250. 

I also managed to get a shirt he signed from Japan (I'm less sure about the authenticity of it but it was only 100 bucks.

Besides the signed Goodnight PunPun my second most cherished piece by a mangaka is a sketch and signature by Shuzo Oshimi in a copy of Inside Mari.  That one I've had authenticated by Oshimi on Twitter.

Besides that I also have some original art from comics, an amazing page from Amazing Spider-Man 527 by Mike Deodato and another from Hanzo by HenrytheartistIam which is an incredible independent comic / manga.

I'm always looking for art especially from mangaka but I've stayed away from shikishi because they're so often faked.  Signed books are a far safer bet but less desirable because htf do you display them?  I've wanted an original page from any manga but they have proven impossible to find.  I can't even find a fake.  It would be nice to get a page from Dead Demons dedede Destruction because it's got some awesome art.  If any of those pages ever come for sale id snap them up at almost any price, I'd be surprised if they go for less than 10K though.  I'd imagine a page from One Punch Man or One Piece or any of the other prominent shonen stuff would be six digit items because of the rarity.

Here are some pics of my little collection.

6

Manga Art Gallery / Sketch covers

« on: May 30, 2018, 06:51:10 AM »

Does anyone else here do sketch cover commissions?  These are a few I've done in the last month or two.

7

General Manga writer discussions / Historical Fiction

« on: March 09, 2018, 05:30:31 AM »

I think I've posted the opening pages for a manga I'd written about Mariya Oktobraskayas life called Lady of Rage last summer or fall.  Anyway, since that artist isn't available anymore, I don't have a partner anymore,but then I found an enthusiastic published, but instead of completing it as a manga they want it more as a light novel. 

So I'm trying to figure out how to do it as prose.  I'm not super well versed in what the Soviet experience of WWII was low, not enough to do this story with a high level of historical accuracy, but the plan has always to go over the top.  I'm just not sure how to do this in prose.  A lot of things would have been relatively easy to translate into visuals because I think people are more accepting of crazy things happening in comics and manga.

Does anyone have any suggestions or strategies for making this work?  I think maybe if I make it clear from the start that crazy things can happen it'll work better?

8

Manga Artists Wanted / Looking for someone to do character pencils (paid/collaboration)

« on: February 28, 2018, 07:13:58 AM »

Hello!

I'm a writer and am artist and I'm looking for someone who would be doing the character pencils for a graphic novel / manga I've written.  I will then do backgrounds and ink everything.  I'll send you storyboards with rough sketches of panels and then you would draw the page in pencil, doing only the characters.  I want to tell this story I've been working on for so long but so far I haven't been happy with the way my people are looking.

I'm willing to pay, of course, but I'm not entirely sure how much to offer, so if you're interested send me a PM with what you'd charge, and either your Instagram username or a link to wherever you show your work.

Mine is @mathewpankratz at IG (and everywhere else, Twitter, Gmail, etc), you can see the art I've done there.  I've done a fair bit of inking now and I want to do the backgrounds similar to the way Inio Asano does, using heavily edited photos, black and white and very lo-fi that then get details inked back in.  It just looks so great.

Anyway, I can explain what the story is about when you message me.  Not that it's so great I'm worried about it being stolen, I just don't want to go on too long here explaining a complicated plot.

9

Comics and other Gallery / A commission I did, finally finished!!

« on: February 11, 2018, 02:14:25 AM »

This was a commission I did, I figured it would take me about 15 hours when I talked to him originally.  I was way off  and I ended up using some materials I never thought I would - spray paint for one!  What do you think?

I hope this is the right place and way to post a picture.  I apologize if I did something wrong.  I'm trying to be more active after not having posted here in a while.

10

Members Manga / Lady of Rage - some nsfw language

« on: August 15, 2017, 01:28:33 AM »

This is the manga I was working on with ceph before he got sick/disappeared.  Can't say I was robbed anymore, after six months of no communication I got these from a guy who was asked to do the screentoning.  Unfortunately the last three pages are missing from this opening scene, but I'm afraid this may be as far as it ever gets.










image hosting

11

General Discussion / What do you think of this art style?

« on: July 05, 2017, 09:03:59 AM »

I'm hoping that I've posted this in the right place.  I'm hoping that you all might be willing to take a look at this page I've started.  The first panel took me a few days and the others I did in an evening.  Ignore the sketching in the last empty panel; the light sketching is only vaguely related to what I'll finish there later.  I want to hear what you think of the quality and style of my art.  I'm trying to go for some sort of blend of the art of Blade of the Immortal, Nekogahara and something of my own creation.  I dislike the perfectly smooth perfect linework like is found in virtually every manga in Shonen Jump.  I like the sketchy-er, looser art and loose brush strokes.  But what I like and and what I'm going for is irrelevant.  This is actually the first time I've ever drawn a manga page aside from doing storyboards.  I'd worked on a project with Cephalonlethea, who I met here and hired to draw my story, though we were really partners on the project, paying him 700USD before he ripped me off without finishing even three pages.  They were beautiful pages, but not near what we agreed upon.  So I've spent the past six months working very hard to learn to draw and sketch and ink, spending 2-4 hours a day in the effort.  I miss having a partner to motivate me to finish pages and bounce ideas off of, though.

I guess basically what I'd like to know is whether, if the story is good if you would read a manga with this quality and style of art.

I know my paneling could be improved.  I think it might be better to have more dynamic paneling for a first page but I opted instead for a very detailed complicated and painstakingly drawn opening panel.  I think that I might instead make this a page two or three and add some exposition before it.

I'm still looking for a writer or another artist to help improve things like paneling and to improve the story a bit.


upload a new photo

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Manga Writers wanted / Looking for writer to help with story I'm drawing

« on: July 05, 2017, 05:31:20 AM »

Good morning!

I've started drawing a story and I could use help developing it before I go much further.  The basic idea is that on a world of perpetual night where demons roam but are not common, the people are forced to work or fight.  Opium is as much a currency as a means of escape from daily toils.  Wars have been fought for control of coal reserves used to generate electricity used to power the lights used to light the Poppy farms and the homes and businesses of the upper classes.  My main character poses as a demon and stops a train intending to rob it of its opium, but the conductor tries giving him their usual payment - a little girl.  When he demands opium the conductor realizes he's been had and calls the guards.  He kills a number and manages to escape with a sizable amount of opium which he plans on smoking most of and spending the smallest amount on essentials (food, lodging) but as he makes his escape he realizes that the girl has followed him, refusing to leave his side.

That's what I've put together so far.  I could use some help with world building sorts of things and paneling.

I'd offer to pay for the assistance but after I paid Cephalonlethea here 700 bucks and he ripped me off, my manga money is limited.  That's why I'm drawing it myself this time around.

I'll see if I can attach the first 4 panels to give you an idea of my skill level.  Guess can't attach so I tried embedding my Instagram link. Fingers crossed. Edit didn't work deleted out the nonsense and left the link.  They're badly cropped though, each one shows only part of the actual panel.


https://www.instagram.com/p/BWKN5k5h9mD/

13

Manga Talk / Manga drawn in Pencil and Other Techniques

« on: June 05, 2017, 08:23:26 AM »

I apologize if this is in the wrong subforum, this was the best one I found, but it doesn't seem to fit with what's here already.

I'm wondering if anyone know of any manga that is done in pencil either without inking or with very limited ink.  I'm also interested in manga done in other traditional techniques like watercolor or even pastel or charcoal.

For some reason when I try posting it says the body is sorry, but I've got three long paragraphs he...  ver since Cephalon from here became ill and we haven't been able to finish our story I've been working to get better as an artist so that I might be able to draw it myself.  I've been spending 2-4 hours a day every day for the past six months and I'm making slow improvement.  I'll post some of my art some time when I'm not driving 😁

I'm familiar with Blade of the Immortal and I love every page of the art, especially his death mandalas.  It's refreshing to see art with character.  So much of today's art is so computerized, the lines are prefectly smooth with no character, the shading is all auto-fill screen tone.  I didn't follow it very long but Demon Prince Poro was a good example of what I mean.  Seraph of the End is another one. Sure, they're super polished but there's no artistic character to them, you could swap out one artist for another and nothing would change.  That's not to say that I think all inked art is bland, there's lots of very good art too, Dr. Stone immediately springs to mind.  The Promised Neverland has some amazing art, especially their title pages, though the character design is kind of what I mean.

I'm sure there are manga done in other techniques but I'm not aware of any and would love some direction.  I've heard of comics being done with photos which might be neat if done well, but it sounds like it would be extremely difficult to do well.  The examples I've seen have not been what I'd call well done.  I know some artists have used heavily modified photos as background images, I believe Oshimi and Inio Asana have both made use of this.  I might be wrong about A Girl on the Shore, but I think the cover itself was one of these images with the girl drawn in.  If  I am wrong then Asano is an even more amazing artist than I realized. 

Thanks!

14

Manga Artists Wanted / [ Paid ] Inker Needed!

« on: March 08, 2017, 06:48:10 AM »

Hello

I'm working on a story that I first wrote as a short story that I'm attempting to turn into a manga.  It's a story about a guy who cheats on his wife which sets off a series of bad decisions and the consequences that result.  While topically very different, in mood and general style it's similar to Aku no Hana, though I'd never suggest they're on the same level of storytelling.

I just finished my character designs and I'm just starting on pencils now, but I'd like to find someone with better linework to do the inking.  I'm not horrible, I don't think, but I think the story would benefit by having someone more skilled doing it.

Please send me a PM and we can discuss further if you're interested.

15

Bleach Manga / Old Shonen Jump Issues?

« on: March 07, 2017, 10:23:45 PM »

I'm not sure if this is the right place to ask this, but does anyone know where I could find a copy of Shonen Jump from 2001?  I'm trying to find a copy with chapter one of bleach, but haven't had much luck.  I have one with the last chapter, but I still can't find chapter one.  It'd be cool to have the first couple, but I'd be happy with number one 😁

I tried eBay, but I don't see it there.  Does anyone know of any other sites that might have it?

I know bleach took a lot of *censored*, especially as it got later in; I've only read to chapter 245 so far and I don't have many complaints yet, and it'd be cool to own the issue that started it all.  It's interesting to see how it's affected current manga.