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Do you want to start a career in manga art and become a manga artist? But don't know exactly where and how to start. You are in the right place. You can fully rely on this meaningful article.
In this article by“How to Become a Manga Artist”I cover all sorts of information you really need to know before embarking on this career path.
Also, here you will get the information about where manga can be published which is really important for every manga artist.
I think most of you already know what manga is. However, if you are totally new to this topic but interested in knowing the career prospects in manga art. Then welcome to Find Career Info.
We will start with the introductory part and learn some interesting facts and the popularity of manga worldwide. It could be a good career option for you.
To start a career in manga art. Here are the essential things you should know about...
- What training and skills are required?
- The Best Online Courses to Learn Manga Art
- Tools and equipment used by a professional manga artist.
- Career opportunities in the future
- Is there really a difference between the two artworks (manga versus comics)?
- Where can I publish my hard work (manga)?
Hey! Don't worry, I will cover all these things in this article of How to Become a Manga Artist. Ok, let's get the ball rolling!
Covered in this article
What is manga art?
Manga art is the art of creating a manga. But what is manga?
The word manga is used to define a comic book written in the Japanese language. Or we can say a comic book written by a Japanese artist called Manga.
A Japanese-style comic artist known as„Mangaka“. In Japan, manga artists are very respectful people.
Japanese-style comics must be read from right to left, unlike traditional comics.
types of manga
Various types of manga are available in the market. But all manga fall into these five genres.
- Kodomo-muke (Kinder-Manga)
- Shonen (manga for boys)
- Shojo (girls' manga)
- His (Adult Men's Manga)
- Josei (Adult Female Manga)
The popularity of manga worldwide
Manga popularity in Japan
Japan is the center of manga. The manga is highlighted in Japan in the 19th century.
So it's 100% possible that Japan has the highest consumption rate of the manga.
In Japan, almost everyone likes to read manga. For them, manga has become a part of their culture. Japanese people dress like a manga character. NO! Not all of the time. Obviously on a few occasions.
You can assume the popularity of manga in Japan is thatManga is Japanese pop culture.
Indeed, manga has had a significant impact on Japanese culture. People actually go on a date with their loved ones to the manga cafe. (Labeled as a manga date!)
Rest of the World (Worldwide Popularity)
You know the popularity of manga in Japan. But I want to tell you that the rest of the world is not far behind Japan.
In Germany in 2007 around 71% of all comics were sold with manga.
At the annual Paris Festival in 2008, more than 135,000 people showed up in manga character cosplay outfits.
In Europe, almost half of the comics industry was shared by manga in 2011. And the list goes on...
Based on these statistics, starting a career in manga art would be an advantageous career choice.
Manga has a huge fan base and it is growing worldwide every day. Also,Many celebrities love to read manga. I would like to name a few of them...
- Leonardo Dicaprio
- Megan Fox
- Will Smith
- Keanu Reeves
- Hulk Hogan
- Chris Brown
- Daniel Radcliffe (Harry Potter)
I hope! These names add some motivation to become a manga artist (mangaka).
Now the question triggered in our clever little brain; why manga is becoming more popular around the world compared to traditional cartoons.
Before long you will understand why manga art is gaining so much popularity. Also learn about the differences between the two works of art.
Manga vs American Comics
I think most of you have already read at least one comic book in your life, especially when you were a child.
I'm 28 years old and a big fan of both artworks; I prefer reading manga to comics.
If you want to choose a career in manga art, you need to be aware of these differences between manga and traditional comic book.
![Complete Guide to Starting a Career in Manga Art [Japanese Art] (1)](https://i0.wp.com/www.findcareerinfo.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/difference-between-manga-and-american-comics.png "Complete Guide to Starting a Career in Manga Art [Japanese Art] (1)")
The extraordinary plot plays a big role in the successful growth of Japanese art-style comics.
I would like to add three more reasons why manga has gained popularity.
- Manga is less expensive than comics. And who doesn't like to save a few euros?
- Manga has such a wide variety of genres.
- Japanese manga features exaggerated emotions.
Now I think you know why manga is so popular worldwide?
Fact: The Japanese publisher uses recycled paper to publish the manga. That's the main reason why manga is cheaper than American comics.
Education required to become a manga artist
You absolutely do not need a degree to become a manga artist. If you have any, that's fine.
After graduating from high school, you can join a nearby art school, or better yet, you can learn to draw manga from the comfort of your own home by taking online courses and tutorials.
Many people today are taking advantage of online learning platforms to learn something new, and so can you.
The tutors that you will find in these courses are very experienced in this field and will teach you everything you need to know to draw your own manga characters.
The best online courses to learn how to draw manga
If you are really looking forward to becoming a manga artist then you can enroll in these online courses which in my opinion are the best and most affordable compared to other courses available on the web and also much cheaper than joining the art school.
- Manga Art School: Anime and Manga Character Drawing Course
- How to draw manga faces and hair
- Manga/Anime Drawing Online Course (Course Package)
The courses I have suggested arerisk free,If you don't like the course, you can get your money back within 30 days, no questions asked.
The best manga drawing books for beginners
If you are someone who never learned to draw,Find career informationlists you some of the best manga/anime drawing books to get you pencil to paper in no time. This is our pick of the best manga drawing books, which we would like to recommend for artists or aspiring artists of all skill levels.
- Manga-Mastering mit Mark Crilley
- Manga for Beginners: Everything You Need to Start Drawing Right Away!
- The Master's Guide to Drawing Anime: How to Draw Original Characters from Simple Templates
- Beginner's Guide to Creating Manga Art: Learn to Draw, Color, and Design Characters
- How to Draw Manga Characters: A Beginner's Guide
- The Manga Artist's Workbook: Easy-to-follow lessons on creating your own characters
- Draw Manga: Master Manga Drawings
To get the detailed review of these books read this article;Top 7 Best Manga Drawing Books That Teach You Everything
Along with these books, you can also refer to the following popular manga for better understanding of manga artworks.
Popular manga around the world
- One piece
- Naruto
- Dragon Ball
- bleaching
- Kochikame
- Detective Conan: Case closed
- Captain Tsubasa
- death notice
These manga have gained so much popularity that many entertainment companies are creating anime based on these manga.
Also this manga based anime is popular worldwide.
Animes?– Motion version of a manga called anime.
You can become a voice actor in anime and give your voice to anime characters. If you want to get into voice over acting; read this article –career as a speaker | Step by step guide
Mangaka Skill Set
To become a manga artist you need to learn the following skills
- Write stories
- Anatomy
- Learn to draw facial expressions because the manga characters have more expression.
- Artwork (character design, weapons, tools, vehicle design and environment design)
- Learn the Japanese language. If you already know, then great. It would be helpful for your growth as a mangaka.
Improve your manga drawing skills by participating in itFree online manga course. There you will find plenty of tutorials to help you develop your drawing skills in no time.
After learning some of the few skills, you can also get into the video game industry. Read this article;How to start a career in video games
The manga art styles
Manga art style is a style to draw a character with a different posture, angle and position.
If you want to become a manga artist, you have to develop your own manga style. However, it is a difficult task for any mangaka to create their own style.
Copying other mangaka art styles is totally different than developing. Find your own style. Do not copy other artist styles.
Basics to find your styleis a free online course from Skillshare to help you develop your unique manga art style.
Note: Draw as many styles as possible because practice makes man perfect.
Tips: Choose your audience. Who you want to draw for. For example, your audience could be either a teenager or an adult. So first you need to figure out the target audience.
Mangaka Tools: The tools used by a manga artist
- Pencil:0.3mm, 0.5mm, 0.7mm mechanical pencil
- Pin:G-Director, Maru-Director
- Multiliner Pen:Comes in many varieties like 0.03mm, 0.1mm, 0.2mm, 0.4mm, 0.6mm, 1.0mm etc.
- pen holder
- Sharpie pens
- White and black ink. You can fix the white ink error. Or you can just use the eraser.
- Eraser:Kneaded eraser, plastic eraser, or any eraser that suits you better
- Drawing paper (B4):Maxon, Deleter, or any comic drawing paper
- brush and brush pen
- Cutter or knife for cutting pages
- Linear
You can buy and see the complete accessories from this linkClick here
Where can I publish and sell my manga?
Every mangaka newbie has these two common questions.
1. How to publish manga? & 2. Where should I go to post my hard work? Do I have to go to Japan?
And these are very Zen questions to ask, because everyone works hard to make their lives better.
Publishing a manga is not an impossible task, but it is quite difficult, especially for a beginner. You may often face rejection, but don't lose hope. Keep trying!
Many of the mangaka newbies lose their hope of becoming a mangaka after failing the first attempt. So please avoid this mistake.
Sometimes failure can be of great help because you will get to know your mistakes and try to find the mistakes and eventually improve them.
Your happy days will surely come. So be prepared to meet with a lot of rejection from publishers. Success comes from persistent failure to failure without losing your interest and enthusiasm to become something.
Ok, enough motivational talk. Now let's talk about where and how to publish manga.
Most manga creators enter a competition organized by many publishers.
Entering a contest is one of the best ways to get manga stories published.
Check the resources given below where to publish manga. These will help you to be successful on your way. Much luck!
- You can join the competition at Shonen Jump
- List of publishers.In this list you will find the name of the publisher that gives the new talent a chance.
- SMAC! Web-Magazin - Silent Manga Audition (www.manga-audition.com). SMAC organizes auditions every month.
- Bild-Comics(comic publisher)
- International Anime Games Conferences in Monaco
- Wahlhttps://www.comitia.co.jp)After every 3 months you can apply again for an audition.
You can enter a competition from anywhere in the world - you don't have to fly to Japan.
Can American Become A Manga Artist?
In simple terms, my answer is a big "yes".
Anyone can become anything. It entirely depends on your hard work. In fact, many American manga artists make a living from Japanese art by creating manga. Some of the few are listed below
- Fred Gallagher
- Mark Crilley
- Jason Thompson
- Felipe Schmidt
If these people can do it, then so can you. So it doesn't matter where you belong; all you need is to be good at manga art and create your own unique style.
Tips: Don't try to create long manga at the beginning. Start with short stories.
>>Check the list of the coolest professions around the world
Future Career Area in Manga Art
In modern times, manga art is gaining popularity around the world. All credit goes to the manga's good plot and notable characters.
Today, manga are published in so many languages.Manga art is the fastest growing category in comic book publishing today.
In America, Viz Media shares the market with popular comic publishers such as Marvel and DC Comics. Viz Media is an English manga publisher, Japan-based American entertainment company.
With the increasing popularity of manga, we can say that manga art could be an excellent career option.
Although this might be true, a manga artist belonging to other than Japan might face some difficulties to publish his/her hard work. But if drawing manga is your passion then you can face any problem. Also, like others, you can become a successful mangaka.
I hope the How to Become a Manga Artist article can give you the information you were looking for.
Let me know what you think about being a mangaka as a career option. Share your opinions and experiences in the comments below!
FAQs
What course should I take to become a manga artist? ›
While you don't absolutely need a degree to be a mangaka, formal education can help give you the professional skills you need. A bachelor's degree in fine arts is a good choice, as it will help you build up your artistic skills. However, you can also go much more specific.
How much does a Japanese manga artist make? ›the average salary for a manga artist is around ¥4 million (38,363 USD) to ¥6.6 million (63,300 USD) yen per year.
How much money does a manga artist make a year? ›| Job Title | Salary |
|---|---|
| Kodansha Manga Artist salaries - 1 salaries reported | $56,731/yr |
| Sentai Filmworks Manga Artist salaries - 1 salaries reported | $21/hr |
The salaries of Manga Artists in the US range from $12,521 to $339,998 , with a median salary of $61,039 . The middle 57% of Manga Artists makes between $61,043 and $153,505, with the top 86% making $339,998.
Do manga artists get paid? ›Assuming that the manga goes well and a decision is made to compile it in a volume, the manga artist can expect to make royalties off of the published books. This is actually where the majority of an average manga artists' income comes from.
Is there a manga school in us? ›Plenty of colleges and universities around the U.S. do offer classes on anime/manga, and in fact, have been offering such classes for close to twenty years now.
Is there a school for manga artists? ›Manga Art School is a 2-6 week learn-anywhere video course where you learn to become adept at drawing professional and authentic Japanese Manga and Anime character stylization.
What major is for manga artist? ›- Art/Art Studies, General.
- Ceramic Arts and Ceramics.
- Drawing.
- Fine Arts and Art Studies, Other.
- Fine/Studio Arts, General.
- Intermedia/Multimedia.
- Medical Illustration/Medical Illustrator.
- Painting.
But aspiring manga-ka should know that writing and drafting up 20 whole pages of manga every week is no small feat! Popular manga-ka will work up to 10 hours a day or more to keep up with their demanding schedules!
What is the highest selling Japanese manga? ›1 One Piece (516.6 million sold)
Eiichiro Oda's One Piece is the best-selling manga of all time by some margin. The manga is still ongoing, yet has already accumulated sales of over 500 million. In the last decade, the popularity of One Piece in the west has increased a lot too.
How much does it cost to commission a manga artist? ›
Rates typically charged by manga artists on Upwork are: Beginner: $10 per hour. Intermediate: $21 per hour. Advanced: $50 per hour.
How many pages do manga artists make a day? ›At minimum, the artist on a monthly comic book has to be able to produce around one page a day. Any longer than that and the artist misses the deadline. Some artists are faster and can do two or three pages a day, At one point, Jack Kirby was doing four pages a day (four comics a month including covers).
How long does it take to make a manga? ›For the average manga, the storyboards are made in 2-3 days, and the drawings are done in 3-4 days, which makes almost a week. On the other hand, a manga on a monthly magazine (e.g. Monthly Comic ZENON) has approximately 45 pages in one story.
Is manga artist a job? ›*A job as a Manga Artist falls under the broader career category of Fine Artists, Including Painters, Sculptors, and Illustrators. The information on this page will generally apply to all careers in this category but may not specifically apply to this career title.
Who is the best selling manga artist? ›- Elichiro Oda – One Piece (480 million) ...
- Golgo 13 – Takao Saito (300 million) ...
- Dragon Ball – Akira Toriyama (250-300 million) ...
- Naruto – Masashi Kisimoto (250 million) ...
- Detective Conan – Gosho Aoyama (230 million) ...
- Black Jack – Osama Tezuka (176 million)
If you really want to become a great manga artist, you're going to need to draw, and draw often. Even taking 15 minutes a day sketching new characters and objects will help to improve your manga drawing abilities. Remember, if this is something you really want to become great at, you'll find the time to practice.
How do manga artists draw so fast? ›Professional artist will use every trick in the book to speed up their work process. It is not uncommon to see a manga that has scanned or drawn-over photos used as a background. So, people will photo references, dolls, or anything that allows them to speed things up.
Who is the youngest manga artist? ›Nana Haruta (春田 なな, Haruta Nana, born June 30, 1985), is a Japanese manga artist. At the age of 15, she debuted with the short comic Ai no Ai Shirushi in 2000 and has been since known for her works Stardust Wink and Tsubasa to Hotaru.
Where can I post my manga and earn money? ›- WEBTOON. WEBTOON is the go-to site to easily read comics in many forms, with manga being particularly popular. ...
- Tapas. Tapas is focused on webcomics (but also hosts novels and LitRPGs) and is home to more than 100,000 stories! ...
- GlobalComix. ...
- Tumblr. ...
- Twitch. ...
- Patreon.
Manga are Japanese comics. The Japanese term "manga" is often used interchangeably with the American term "graphic novel." However, unlike American comics, manga is read from right to left.
Where can I study manga? ›
- Niigata Business College (NBC)
- Niigata College of Public Service and Law (NCOOL)
- Niigata Accounting & Business International College (NABI)
- Niigata Computer College (NCC)
- Niigata College of Art & Design (NCAD)
- Niigata Institute of Technology (NIT)
Professional Manga School) You can learn both Japanese and Manga during your short stay of 3 months in Japan. This course is completely original and is a special course made for those interested in Japanese manga, but is only for students of Kudan Institute of Japanese Language and Culture.
Can Americans become manga artists? ›Sure, if you draw comics, there is nothing really stopping you from becoming a manga artist. If you're looking for financial stability and success selling your comics, you'll have to put in the hard work to learn how to draw well (and draw everything well), tell stories, and then learn about the publishing world.
Can a foreigner become a manga artist? ›Yes, there are many foreign manga artists in the industry that have produced popular works and have even had them adapted into anime series. The first example of this is Boichi (Mujik Park) from South Korea who created the Shounen Jump hit “Dr. Stone”.
What app does manga artist use? ›Illustration, manga, and animation professionals choose Clip Studio Paint because of the intuitive feel for drawing. Many schools also use Clip Studio Paint to teach comic, illustration, or animation courses because of the amount of specialized tools.
What skills do you need to be a manga artist? ›- High school diploma and experience in the fine arts, graphic design, character design, art styles, or any related fields; enrollment in or certification from art school a plus.
- Ability to work long hours.
- Ability to draw in a variety of styles.
According to the data released by NPD BookScan in 2021, the sale of manga in the U.S. increased significantly in 2021, compared to 2020. Moreover, the growing consumer interest in streaming platforms and anime content is impelling the adoption of manga, thereby creating lucrative opportunities for the market.
Is there an anime art school? ›Anime Art Academy is the one and only online service offering full English language video lectures and personal advice from Japanese pro illustrators! Get started, and learn how to draw anime and manga today!
Do manga artists get days off? ›Many weekly manga artists work for a week with one day off, so for example Monday to Saturday. There may be three days dedicated to story creation, one day for writing it, one day for pencil drawing, and then one day spent on inking it.
Why do so many mangaka get sick? ›It's common for artists to get cramps and repetitive strain injury (RSI) due to using a pen too much, and these can develop into more severe problems down the line. Nodame Cantabile 's Tomoko Ninomiya developed Carpal Tunnel Syndrome, while a CLAMP artist was diagnosed with a lumbar compression fracture.
What is the No 1 manga in the world? ›
In 2021 the value of comics and mangas sales in Japan was 675.9 billion Japanese yen, which are the most popular manga of all time to date? The most popular manga of all time is One Piece.
What is the most sold manga in the US? ›Jujutsu Kaisen Takes the Top Spot
One Piece is sitting safely at the top with over 500 million copies sold in over two decades. The best-selling manga of the year! Spy x Family has also seen a lot of success in the previous year as it sold over 10 million copies in 2022.
- My Hero Academia by Kohei Horikoshi.
- Spy x Family by Tatsuya Endo.
- Kaiju No. 8 by Naoya Matsumoto.
- Noragami: Stray God by Adachitoka.
- To Your Eternity by Yoshitoki Oima.
- One Punch Man by ONE and Yusuke Murata.
- Dr. Stone by Riichiro Inagaki and Boichi.
The duties of assistants vary widely, as the term incorporates all people working for a manga artist's art studio, but is most commonly used to refer to secondary artists. The number of assistant artists also varies widely between manga artists, but is typically at least three.
How much does it cost to license a manga? ›About $3,000 for a few volumes of a pretty low key series. Not the whole series. Licensing includes the original Japanese company to agree for you to publish it in your region but also encompasses royalty.
How many hours of sleep do manga artists get? ›The life of mangaka is basically non-stop working: about 14-15 hours every day in drawing, very popular mangakas sleeping about 3-4 hours of a day and have several hours of a week free time.
How long should a one shot be manga? ›One-shot manga tells its entire story in 15-60 pages, usually written for contests, and sometimes later developed into a full-length manga series (much like a television pilot).
How long does it take to read a 500 page manga? ›| Number of pages | 🐢 Slow (150 wpm) | 🚀 Speed reader (600 wpm) |
|---|---|---|
| 250 pages | 13.9 hours | 3.5 hours |
| 500 pages | 1.2 days | 6.9 hours |
| 750 pages | 1.7 days | 10.4 hours |
| 1000 pages | 2.3 days | 13.9 hours |
Learning how to draw manga art is no easy feat. It has a very distinct style, and sometimes it can be hard to get started.
Is doing manga hard? ›Making a real manga requires a lot of time, dedication and artistic skill but don't let that discourage you form trying. You have to start somewhere. This tutorial provides some step by step tips on how to plan out your manga before you start drawing as well as some drawing tips for when you do.
How long would it take to learn Japanese for manga? ›
Reading Manga: 2 – 2.5 years. Reading contemporary novels: 2.5 – 3 years. Reading internet discussion boards, blogs, articles: 3 – 3.5 years. Reading the newspaper: 3.5 – 4.5 years.
How do I start my career as a manga artist? ›- Read manga. By reading manga, you can get to know the styles of popular artists and better understand the conventions and artistic expressions used by published mangaka. ...
- Develop your own style. ...
- Attend a manga school. ...
- Submit short works. ...
- Become an assistant. ...
- Relocate for work. ...
- Creativity. ...
- Visual art.
If you want to be a mangaka, you first must gain experience as an artist. Most mangakas get their start by creating their own comics and then presenting them to manga publishers and magazines.
Is there a college for manga? ›Japan Animation & Manga CollegeJAM
Through a special curriculum geared to turning drawing skills into a job, any person can start working to become a professional. Aim to become a professional in animation and manga industries by learning the cool Japanese culture of manga, animation, illustration, and characters.
Yes, you can. Manga culture is no longer only a Japanese thing, in fact most Manga written in Japan or by Japanese are supported by Manga artist from Korea and China artists especially when it becomes Anime.
How much does a manga artist cost? ›Rates typically charged by manga artists on Upwork are: Beginner: $10 per hour. Intermediate: $21 per hour. Advanced: $50 per hour.
Is there a manga school in Japan? ›In the doctoral program at the Graduate School of Manga, students acquire the advanced professional skills needed to work abroad through research on manga/comic culture and international literature. They then present their research at academic and research conferences both in Japan and abroad.
Where can I learn manga? ›- Kyoto University. ...
- Kyoto University. ...
- Manga, Comics, Illustration. ...
- Drawing Anime Style. ...
- Start Making Comics with Manga Studio 5 / Clip Studio Paint. ...
- Manga Art School: Complete How to Draw Anime & Manga Course. ...
- Clip Studio Paint Pro/Ex (Manga Studio 5) ...
- How to Draw Manga Faces and Hair.
- Leads. Acquire several kinds of pencils and mechanical pencils for pencil sketching. ...
- Pen nibs and pens holders. These are a mangaka's favorite tools. ...
- Markers and other pens. ...
- Paintbrushes. ...
- Inks. ...
- White.
Many anime production studios in the U.S. and worldwide offer internships. You can look for these opportunities by searching online or talking to your college adviser. While some positions may require you to submit a portfolio, most are open to candidates with little experience.
Can a foreigner write a manga? ›
Yes, there are many foreign manga artists in the industry that have produced popular works and have even had them adapted into anime series. The first example of this is Boichi (Mujik Park) from South Korea who created the Shounen Jump hit “Dr. Stone”.
Do manga artists work on anime? ›It's generally preferred that manga artists stick to making manga. They're usually behind on their deadlines anyway, and unless they've worked in anime before they don't actually know anything about making anime.