You can create Manga anyway you can make a mark on a piece of paper. You can go digital, or full blown traditional. Some Manga artists use brushes and india ink, some use mechanical pens and screentone, some use watercolor, some use the edge of credit cards, some use markers. Many people have eschewed traditional methods all together, and use wacom tablets, along with Photoshop, Illustrator or Painter.

Let’s take a look at some of the more common tools:

1. Traditional

- Pencil
Hopefully self explanatory. The type of pencil will depend on your style. Mechanical pencil for those who prefer to draw neatly, a softer pencil for those who are more sketchy. Some people like to draw in a blue pencil, as these are not picked up by scanners/photocopiers after inking.

- Ink Pen
If you choose an ink pen over a brush and india ink, you probably want a selection of sizes. I find a straightforward pack of illustrator pens works fine, along side a sharpie or black marker for filling in larger areas.

Try to use water-resistant ink, in case you use to color via watercolours or markers.

- Ink and Brush

You want India Ink, without a doubt. You also need a set of very fine, good quality brushes. I have found brushes that are used for calligraphy tend to be the best.

- Bristol Board

Pretty much the best paper you can use for traditional media. It holds ink and marker well, as well as watercolor. It’s stiff, smooth, and fairly durable. It comes in a variety of sizes.

- Markers
Copic markers are justly famous. They are also expensive. Sadly, they are pretty much industry standard, and the best quality markers I personally have found.

- Watercolor

You want a good quality set, and some reasonably fine brushes.

- Screentone

This is hard to find these days. I had a set, by Decatone, that I found in an incredibly old artshop. You can also buy them online at: http://www.akadotretail.com/categories.php?cPath=31

Screentone is, in my humble opinion, a right pain in the behind to use. I much prefer using digital screentones. However, many people swear by it, and it is a very traditional Manga tool.

2. Digital

- Drawing Tablet

Wacom drawing tablets tend to be considered the best, and they are the only kind I have ever used. They are good, come in a variety of sizes, and incredibly useful. They are NOT indispensable however. You can create amazing artwork with a mouse.

- Adobe Photoshop

Expensive, but incredibly flexible. GIMP (http://www.gimp.org/) is a free, open-source alternative.

- Adobe Illustrator

A vector program that is very useful for inking your work digitally. Again, expensive. Inkscape (http://www.inkscape.org/) is a free, open-source alternative.

- Corel Painter

A much more artistic program, that is designed to mimic real-media. It can feel more ‘natural’ than Photoshop, although there is still a steep learning curve. It is expensive, and so far I haven’t found a free alternative. You can use Open Canvas (http://www.portalgraphics.net/en/) which is much cheaper, and can be trialled for free. If anybody knows of any other alternatives to Painter, please get in touch!

I hope that guide helped! Good luck with your Manga!

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