Manga artist Tony Valente reveals 13 pro tips.
It may come as a surprise, but I’m not that much into drawing, or even colouring. I like it enough to do it every day, but only if I use it as a tool for storytelling. I realised as an adult that I developed an interest in drawing only as a means to bring characters to life. And that’s a big difference compared to the love of drawing in itself!
I always draw with storytelling in mind, not for the aesthetic of it. I’m relatively bad at basics such as anatomy, perspective, volume, colour theory and composition. But I’ve learned a bunch of things, from spending 20-plus years in this industry, doing around 4,000 pages of comics and manga.
So whenever I need to represent something for my stories, I can focus on a problem and dig into all types of solutions for the sake of the narrative, the character, the scene and the setting.
I want to get it right for the story to flow. If you’re like me, and not really into the technical aspect of drawing, perhaps these tips can help you on your journey and give you some things to reflect on. If you’re into drawing techniques, I’m afraid that you may already know far more than I do! But maybe some of my thoughts can trigger some questions.
Even so, you’ll probably still want one of the best Black Friday drawing tablet deals or at least one of the best drawing tablets under $100.
01. Consider what contributes to the narrative
Everything can tell a story. The direction of the light can indicate the time of day, a facial expression can convey a mood, hand gestures and eye contact can give a hint about a discussion, and a shadow cast on the foreground can evoke a building out of frame, giving scope to the space.
Composition is key for showing what’s important, but anything can enhance the storytelling and breathe life into your drawings.
02. See the big picture
The audience understands art better than us – for real! People instinctively know what looks real, lived-in or genuine, when we as artists tend to focus on details and often lose sight of the big picture.
The audience may sometimes lack the proper vocabulary to explain what works or not, but they’re incredibly good at catching at first sight if something looks interesting or pleasing to them. Put care and attention into the big picture – the details only matter if they serve the entire piece.
Get more creative tips here.
