How to START a manga!

Making a manga can be frustrating, however once you start, you'll realise that actually starting is the hardest part, and that everything else will become easier with time.

Back in 2023 when I first began my manga journey, everything seemed hard. Drawing a hand, the left eye, hair, and most importantly backgrounds. I could figure something out with the hair and hands, I could use a lot of references or 3D figures, but backgrounds... yeahhh. It was very difficult for me to even begin. My original story had so many characters, so many details, and it was set up in space and other worlds where technology was so advanced and the cities there looked futuristic. I guess you know how hard it is to draw such backgrounds. It frustrated me just to think about how hard it is to draw them. But in fact, it is not. I read so many mangas where the backgrounds are so simple, but even if they are not your style you have so many ways to draw detailed backgrounds or figures without selling your soul. Now in this blog I wont get into the details, but rather what you need to start your manga/comic project.

To start a manga you need a strong will. While making one can become easier with time, at first it can be quite difficult. What can get you to continue is a strong reason. Wether it is to make it for fun because you want to create for yourself, or to be able to send out a message to your readers, a strong reason can go a long way. Ask yourself, "Why do I wanna do this?" and then ask yourself again, "Is this worth spending years on?". If the answer to the last question is Yes, then go for it.

Now another thing you need to create is Supplies. Wether you're a traditional artist or a digital artist, you have to make sure you have everything set up before starting. For a traditional artist, supplies can be cheaper at first but more expensive in the long run. What you would need to draw is manga paper, in the desired format (usually A4 paper so you can draw details), a pencil of your choice (recommended HB pencil), Ink pen (they cost a little but are a good investment ) you can go for fountain pen which is good for varying line thickness and it is popular for making manga, and a scaner. Now this last one is not very cheap, but as a substitute you can use a local printshop and scan them there. As for Digital artists they can choose the cheaper option, using their phone, or they can go for a tablet or a drawing pad. If you're using your phone, then Ibis Paint is a great option. It has all the essentials of drawing a manga, and it is very simple to use and most importantly, it is free. Or you can get Clip Studio Paint, which is what I use, and it is the one software most frequently used for both animations and manga/comic making (I don't know for sure, but I seen many mangakas and animators use it).

What you also need is, the ability to draw. Now this is probably the hardest out there, but if you can't draw then it will sure be diffcult to make a manga. But worry not, learning to draw is actually easy with all the courses out there. Youtube videos or paid courses, it doesnt matter, what matters is that you dont actually need an art degree to draw. But if you think that drawing isn't your passion, then there's other ways you can make your manga dream a reality. This section was mostly targeted towards artists, but soon enough I'll talk about writers as well. There's plenty of mangas that were a collaboration between an artist and a writer, so just because you can't draw doesn't mean you cant make a manga.

Stick around to learn how to properly write a manga script and how to potentially collaborate with artists for your project.