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From the Desk
Prepare to hear a lot of rambling about manga and the fact that I have trouble drawing drapery.
Why Do I Draw Manga?
Along with continually making a nuisance of myself here on Gaia, I actually do have a life's ambition. It used to be that I wanted to be an animator for Disney, but now I have something I love even more (even though it is decidedly crazier and far less financially- secure).

I want to be a manga-ka.


confused


Manga artist, genius! I want to draw manga for a living! (and for the record, it's not pronounced "main-guh". It's pronounced "mawn-gah" wink

And why manga instead of comic books, comic strips or animation? What business do I, an American, have drawing something that might be exclusively Japanese?

Because it's a style I work well with. Other artists might have to work hard in order to draw in a manga style, but for me, it comes as easily as breathing. The art styles in manga are intuitive, and I don't have to think about details.

Because American comic books have no sense of humor, and comic strips have little sense of depth (most of the time; Calvin and Hobbes is a notable exception). With manga, I can be both silly and serious, and I can tell a story that's too complicated for comic strips and too lighthearted for graphic novels.

Because while comic books can tell you what something looks like and sounds like, manga tells you what it feels like. How many times, when someone is shouting at you, does it feel like his or her head is taking up the entire room? Manga, by taking these things literally, make the emotion hit harder, which is really more important than maintaining anatomical correctness.

Because I can work out a story faster than with flipping drawings, and I can use character designs impractical for animating.

Because it's a way to appreciate the Japanese side of my heritage, but celebrate the American side of it, too.

Because I'm good at telling stories visually.

Because I love it.

Isn't that reason enough?





 
 
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