Hey guys a question can you answer me?

[evand498]

So um do manga artist use architecture i'm thinking of focusing on high quality art like hiroya oku gantz and inuyashiki. I also like attack on titan, mobile suit gundam wing and kingdom. Right now trying to get a stable income and good job I am very bless to have something to support my needs. I want to find inspiration in movies and video games I also love berserk. I have responsibilites to take care of. My question is do manga artist use architecture as a skill for drawing panels confuse. I'm thinking of doing realistic hyper realistic and perfecting my drawing to a degree I want. I want my artstyle to be like those I mention. That will be the time i'll focus on manga thats my end goal. I also know good resources here in alberta calgary but idk if I can send my stuff to japan. That will be later can we discuss what I should do??

[legomaestro]

It's super hard to get into the japanese market, but that's no problem: The internet allows you to reach an even wider audience, so just focus on getting your manga done.

Hiroya Oku is indeed a legend, and those panels from Berserk are inspired. All I know is that they use a lot of 3d software, a lot of references and take their time.

I have no idea how to draw hyperrealistic backgrounds though to be honest haha. Just don't be scared of using references or 3d software to help make accurate looking buildings. Take photos and draw directly from them, even. Use tools to make as enhanced an image as possible.

And one last thing: The art can look as beautiful as possible, but the story has to be interesting too. So don't forget even though detail is great, the reader still needs to be entertained.

[NO1SY]

I’m finding it a little difficult to understand what you are asking, but I’ll say a few things and hope that there is an answer in there for you somewhere...

I do not think that an in-depth, mechanical knowledge of architecture is required to draw manga. I’m pretty sure that even in the cases of manga where the setting art is very detailed, most artists do not have an architectural understanding of the scene that they are drawing. However, perhaps that level of knowledge could help an artist to draw settings without the need to use reference images.

I have read a couple of manwha that seem to have used photos of skylines in the actual comic strips; usually they have either applied a cartoon filter or an intense blur over them. It’s not my preference of art style though as it often looks very janky no matter how good the character art is.

You seem to have a good shortlist of manga comics that are inspiring you to draw. I would practice your artwork by copying freehand some panels you like from those series, and then, for each copy, also draw an original scene of your own in that style. Then maybe at the end, come up with an original scene that combines all of those styles together.

The same technique could be applied to finding scenes from the real world (or video games) and drawing them in comic form - Big Ben and the Houses of Parliament, The Sydney Opera House, The Manhattan Skyline, a Temple near Kyoto etc. Just search a picture on google and draw using it as a reference. Then, for each, draw an original scene with a building in the style of the one you have copied - Gothic style, Modern curved style, Cityscape, Traditional Asian etc.

Try not to outright copy the look of anything, especially video game assets, as they are generally proprietary... but try to understand what gives them that particular look and style. A quick search on Wikipedia also helps for architectural styles - I learned all about what makes Gothic and Romanesque architecture in about 20 minutes just from reading Wikipedia (on top of my own experiences), and then I was able to describe a Manor House in that style in my writing fully.

A couple of considerations for drawing hyper-realistic scenes in manga are: 1. how busy and difficult to read it can make some manga. I think that the setting art in One Piece was actually quite exceptional when I used to read it, but it also had so much going on that some pages it was really hard to follow the characters and the action. 2. the amount of time it can take. If you intend to be a professional Mangaka, then you will have to meet publishing and editing deadlines. The more detailed your drawing the longer it generally takes and the less you will be able to output overall.

Hope something in that was helpful...?

P.S. Calgary is great! But I’m a Winnipeg boy through and through 

[evand498]

Yeah thanks for the advice, the thing about architecture is that it seems that I would have more time for drawing that topic and beside that like a whole lot variety.

[Suuper-san]

(Depends if you are talking about architecture the skill, or architecture the genre)

generally any knowledge in an area helps with drawing said subject, although a lot of architecture skill knowledge will not be useful in art at all (generally speaking), so it's not worth studying architecture to get better at drawing.

but the architecture genre is essentially photos of buildings and building parts, which is exactly the sort of reference that will help you to create realistic looking pieces.

For photorealism/hyperrealism I can't help you there, but it takes a lot of time to add enough detail to make something look VERY realistic. You might not actually be aiming at that level of realism for a manga, so I don't think those terms are correct, unless you really are aiming that high of course.

The same technique could be applied to finding scenes from the real world (or video games) and drawing them in comic form - Big Ben and the Houses of Parliament, The Sydney Opera House, The Manhattan Skyline, a Temple near Kyoto etc. Just search a picture on google and draw using it as a reference. Then, for each, draw an original scene with a building in the style of the one you have copied - Gothic style, Modern curved style, Cityscape, Traditional Asian etc.

Yup I 100% agree. Building up skill takes time but if you always keep your goals in front of you then you can move towards them more effectively.

Hiroya Oku uses a 3d modelling program to produce the backgrounds (and also produce the character pose guidelines), so the software you choose will affect the art you can produce. It's essentially impossible timewise (let alone skillwise) to produce that level of quality by hand, especially in the timeframe of producing a manga.

[evand498]

So what I can focus on is just the character drawings, no need for background for panels. I want to use people, actors faces and put in character face and make my own version of characters. I like how also in Elfen Lied they base the map of the world of something else. I'm trying to do the same thing but have no knowledge. I want to make my own world out of this one

Hiroya Oku uses a 3d modelling program to produce the backgrounds (and also produce the character pose guidelines), so the software you choose will affect the art you can produce. It's essentially impossible timewise (let alone skillwise) to produce that level of quality by hand, especially in the timeframe of producing a manga.

I have the drive for all this, Idk what you mean by character pose guidelines and (let alone skillwise) to produce that level of quality by hand, especially in the timeframe of producing a manga.

What do you think I can do?

[evand498]

3d Modeling program the character designs and background? Does he do it all by himself I wonder if I can do something like that. How do you use?

[Suuper-san]

character pose guidelines - using a 3d model of a person in the same way you would use an artists mannequin, to get the basic form.

"(let alone skillwise) to produce that level of quality by hand, especially in the timeframe of producing a manga."
I mean that it is both insanely difficult to draw at that level by hand, but also incredibly time consuming, so it's not possible to do by hand in a manga.

As far as I know most pro manga artists have a small team of assistants, but it can range from a part time helper (in some cases their parents!) to several fulltime assistants depending on the scale of the projects and the success of the author.
They may also be working in a team as part of a larger studio.
Not to mention publishers and editors.
But it's certainly possible to do it all yourself, it just takes longer of course.

I use Sketchup Free for my modelling, it's good for quickly creating blocks to use as guidelines for buildings.

[evand498]

Which 3d modeling software does Hiroya oku use? I wonder If I can coach myself on it?

What is Sketch up free is good for background and creating the map of the story to the panels 1 panel at a time. I just want to create my own world panel by panel. As if his hiking or in a town or something I wonder how they use that. Something fictional

[evand498]

Just like Elfen Lied and yeah sounds good