The first book in Christopher Hart’s bestselling Master Guide to Drawing Anime series—How to Draw Original Characters from Simple Templates is the essential guide for anyone who wants to learn how to draw anime, from the world’s leading author of How To Draw books. Nothing brings anime artists more satisfaction than creating original characters to use in a comic strip or graphic novel. In this anime drawing book, bestselling how-to-draw author Christopher Hart helps them reach this goal by providing insight into the six most popular types of anime characters: schoolgirls, schoolboys, preteens, vengeful bad guys, humorous personalities, and fantasy figures. He supplies templates for each; an extensive array of “menus” of head and body types, outfits, and accessories; and detailed, accessible, step-by-step demonstrations and drawing exercises, making this the perfect reference for anyone who wants to learn to draw anime. Plus, Hart showcases some of the best anime artists in the world for this title—including Inma R., Tabby Kink, Ayame Shiroi, Euro Pinku, and Tina Francisco. It’s the guide every would-be anime artist has been looking for! Suitable for all levels, from beginners who are just starting to learn how to draw anime, to advanced users who want to hone their skills, this is the ideal resource for all fans of anime and manga drawing. Drawing books are a perennial present to inspire young artists and a popular gift for teens. There is no greater tool than an art book to spark creativity, develop new artistic skills, and help kids and teens channel their energy towards positive self-expression.

From VOFAN, the star illustrator of the Monogatari series of novels written by NISIOISIN, comes a full-color artbook of his best personal works. Praised by the fans around the world as "The Magician of Light and Shadow from Taiwan", VOFAN is famous for using a vibrant art style combined with unique camera techniques in his art. As the main illustrator for NISIOISIN's novel series for over a decade, VOFAN has illustrated more than 30 book covers and has created dozens of original character designs. Beside his extensive illustration works for NISIOISIN, VOFAN has illustrated magazine covers such as Famitsu and Fancy Frontier Magazine. VOFAN is also the main character designer for the popular Playstation 3 RPG Time and Eternity.

Director Satoshi Kon blazed a brilliant animation career before his tragic death in 2010 at age 46. Now Dark Horse is privileged to remember him and his works through The Art of Satoshi Kon, a beautiful book of Kon’s illustrations for his movies Perfect Blue, Tokyo Godfathers, Milennium Actress, Paprika and his televison series Paranoia Agent, plus his unfinished The Dreaming Machine, his manga, commercial art, and several little-known and incomplete projects by the creator! Includes a special message from Academy Award nominated director Darren Aronofsky (The Wrestler, Black Swan, Noah)

This compilation of lessons from the Master Guide to Drawing Anime series brings together the simplest characters from the best-selling books for beginning artists and others looking for instant gratification. With cutting-edge art and clear instruction on how to draw the most popular styles and characters, the Master Guide to Drawing Anime series has helped thousands of aspiring artists learn to draw anime. 5-Minute Characters gathers together the easiest characters from the series--perfect for the beginning anime artist. This carefully curated collection shows aspiring artists everything they need to know to get started drawing anime. They'll learn how to use simple templates to draw the head from different angles, bodies of characters from different age groups, and authentic anime hairstyles and fashions. Next, they'll see step by step how to draw dozens of the most popular character types and the emotions and attitudes that make them compelling. Finally, readers can put it all together and challenge themselves by creating simple scenes. Artists can work their way through the book to build their skills or pick and choose their favorite characters to draw. Either way, their drawing ability and confidence will soar

Describes the history of anime, covering its influences, its arrival in the United States, what sets it apart from other types of animation, the role of women in anime, and messages in anime.

A deep dive into the planning and making of the hit anime adaption of Overlord reveals delicately crafted settings and the incredible detailed outfits and accessories that breathed life into everyone's favorite cast of not-so-good guys!

Japanese anime plays a major role in modern popular visual culture and aesthetics, yet this is the first study which sets out to put today’s anime in historical context by tracking the visual links between Edo- and Meiji-period painters and the post-war period animation and manga series ‘Gegegeno Kitaro’ by Mizuki Shigeru. Through an investigation of the very popular Gegegeno Kitaro series, broadcast from the 1960s to the present time, the author is able to pinpoint the visual roots of the animation characters in the context of yôkai folklore and Edo- and Meiji- period monster painting traditions. Through analysing the changing images related to the representation of monsters in the series, the book documents the changes in the perception of monsters over the last half-century, while at the same time reflecting on the importance of Mizuki’s work in keeping Japan’s visual traditions alive and educating new audiences about folklore by recasting yôkai imagery in modern-day settings in an innovative way. In addition, by analysing and comparing character, set, costume and mask design, plot and storyline of yôkai-themed films, the book is also the first study to shed light on the roles the representations of yôkai have been assigned in post-war Japanese cinema. This book will be of particular interest to those studying Japanese visual media, including manga and animation, as well as students and academics in the fields of Japanese Studies, Animation Studies, Art History and Graphic Design.

The thought-provoking, aesthetically pleasing animated films of Hayao Miyazaki attract audiences well beyond the director's native Japan. Princess Mononoke and Spirited Away were critically acclaimed upon U.S. release, and the earlier My Neighbor Totoro and Kiki's Delivery Service have found popularity with Americans on DVD. This critical study of Miyazaki's work begins with an analysis of the visual conventions of manga, Japanese comic books, and anime; an overview of Japanese animated films; and a consideration of the techniques deployed by both traditional cel and computer animation. This section also details Miyazaki's early forays into comic books and animation, and his output prior to his founding of Studio Ghibli. Part Two concentrates on the Studio Ghibli era, outlining the company's development and analyzing the director's productions between 1984 and 2004, including Castle in the Sky, My Neighbor Totoro and his newest film, Howl's Moving Castle. The second section also discusses other productions involving Studio Ghibli, including Grave of the Fireflies and The Cat Returns. Appendices supply additional information about Studio Ghibli's merchandise production, Miyazaki's global fan base, and the output of other Ghibli directors.

An unrivaled visual guide to the cityscapes and buildings of the most celebrated and influential anime movies. Anime has been influencing cinema, literature, comic books, and video games around the world for decades. Part of what makes anime so popular are the memorable and breathtakingly detailed worlds designed by the creators, from futuristic cities of steel to romantic rural locales. Anime Architecture presents the fantastic environments created by the most important and revered directors and illustrators of Japanese animated films, such as Hideaki Anno, Koji Morimoto, and Mamoru Oshii. Unprecedented access to vast studio archives of original background paintings, storyboards, drafts, and film excerpts offers readers a privileged view into the earliest stages of conception, development, and finished versions of iconic scenes from critically acclaimed movies such as Akira, Ghost in the Shell, Metropolis, and more. Revealing the secret creative processes of these major anime studios, Anime Architecture is perfect for anyone touched by the beauty and imagination of classic anime, offering inspiration for artists, illustrators, architects, designers, video game makers, and dreamers.

Exploring a selection of anime adaptations of famous works of both Eastern and Western provenance, this book is concerned with appreciating their significance and appeal as independent texts. The author evaluates three aspects of anime adaptation--how anime adaptations develop their original sources in stylistic, aesthetic, and psychological terms; how specific features of the anime medium impact alchemically on the original sources to bring into being imaginative works of an autonomous nature; and which qualities render an adaptation in anime form a distinctly unique artistic creation.