The popularity of manga (Japanese comics) is growing at a phenomenal rate. This is a practical, easy-to-follow and fun introduction to the most popular contemporary art style of the moment and is ideal for the first-time manga artist. With manga becoming increasingly popular in the West, more and more amateur artists now want to create their own original manga art. This book covers everything the beginner needs to know about drawing their favourite manga characters, including people, monsters and mascots. All the basic techniques are covered with clear instructions and plenty of step-by-step illustrations. There's advice on drawing figures, adding expressions, designing clothing and posing your characters. An essential section is included on creating different characters, explaining simple anatomy and examining the design points which make each character unique. Other sections cover the practical techniques needed to create comics -- developing storyboards, creating layouts, scripting, including backgrounds, and using inking and colouring techniques. A final chapter includes some more advanced techniques to enable readers to create finished artwork on their own.