Making a Manga

I have always, since 3 years ago, maybe 4, liked to draw manga-style drawings. A couple of years ago I started to make a story to make a manga, but I fail. It is too hard to make a manga, draw and think about the history at the same time you study for exams, so, I gave up. The real reason of that was that I doesn’t knew some drawing concepts, my drawings were terrible, and the story was way too complicated for a manga (or a human being), I put together so many ideas, it turn out to be a dead-end; I could not simplify the story, so, I give up. Still, I kept reading manga; Bakuman, Bleach, Full Metal Alchemist, Enigma and Naruto, some of what I’m following. Anyway, I realize that to make a good manga, you need a good story, with “human” characters, and a good draw.

Some weeks ago I started to draw again, not for fun, but for practice, to make better characters, create new clothes (difficult), practice the creases in it, nice haircuts, girls (for me, difficult)… I started to practice my creativity, creating. Also, I started to write, not one story, but 5, in different genres. I made 5 resumes, I chose one and started to put the pieces together, to create a nearly good story.

Now, I can say, I’m almost ready to make a manga, not a professional, but still a descent 50 pages chapter (yes, I want to draw 50 pages of a first chapter!). I know, I’m not an awesome drawer, but I know about some things to take care about. Also, maybe it’s not my best story, but I’m working on it, and I actually like the story and have some ideas to put on it. In other words, I wanna know where this is going.

Reading Bakuman you learn that to be a professional mangaka is to sacrifice your life for drawing. To make a chapter each week should be stressful. But that doesn’t mean you can’t make a relaxed manga, not to post a chapter weekly, just to draw it when you can, without taking time from other activities, like studying or sleeping (really important too). I want to do that, I really want to continue this story, draw this characters and know what is next. I haven’t thought the entire story, just the beginning and some things that happened later; but, there it is, the beginning, the first three chapters.

A normal first chapter of any manga should be 45-60 pages, so the mangaka can explain the story argument, then, the second chapter could be 30 pages and later, the next chapters should be 18-21 pages, or more, if necessary. I plan to make the first chapter, just like a One-Shot, to see how is this new world, of make manga, draw it, Traditional Style, while writing the story. I will write about this soon.