Recently, reading a collection of popular Japanese ghost stories called Kwaidan inspired me to create a comic based on the work. Since these stories were collected and translated over a century ago, I wanted to use traditional illustration techniques and media to honor its rich history.

With the help of Copic Multiliners, the lettering, background textures and shading tones have all been hand rendered using pointillism and hatching. By mixing simple techniques and rendering them using multiple pen sizes in the same element, I’ve added greater levels of depth and subtlety to these pages while keeping the style personal and unique.

COPICS Used: Multiliners of the following sizes: 0.05, 0.3, 0.5, 0.8, 1.0 and Brush-M

To begin my project, I create a storyboard on standard copy paper folded into a half-size booklet (4.25″ x 11″). This allows me to read it like a finished comic. I can see how things flow and make changes before spending too much time working on the details.

From there, I sketch rough pencils on Bristol board at 1.5x the finished printed size. I work them until they’re ready to be inked. For this step, I prefer hot press (sometimes called “plate finish”) Bristol board due to its smooth surface, heavy weight and durability when erasing and inking.

I use non-photo blue guidelines to mark the comic’s live area and trim guides. Turquoise colored Multiliners are perfect for creating guidelines when preparing your own custom boards. These blue lines will disappear when scanned, leaving only the black ink ready to be printed.

 

Figure: For basic line-work, I use the 0.05 Multiliner SP due to its precise nib that gives me really fine detail which stays razor-sharp at the reduced, final comic size. Before adding shading or texture, I complete all of the figures on the page. Once the outlines are finished, I move on to the shading and texturing of the figures.

Background Basics: At this stage, I only add basic texture and shading to the backgrounds. Leaving the backgrounds until after all of the figures have been finished lets you shade and texture them appropriately so they don’t overpower the characters.

Fabric: By combining pointillism and hatching, I create a smooth base shading with only 0.05 on areas like this kimono, followed by pointillism layers using 0.3 and 0.5 to create shadows and folds in the fabric. This is a great low-tech way to do your own shading screens (screen tones) directly on your artwork. By varying your lines and point density, you can simulate different materials, indicate the draping of fabric and create the illusion of volume through light and shadow.

Backgrounds, leaves: Once the figures are shaded, move to the backgrounds. I did the leaves using the Brush-M because its flexible tapered brush nib allows me to create that classic leaf shape with just a gentle press on the board. For each leaf, I held the pen at an angle and dabbed at the paper lightly, compressing the brush tip only hard enough to leave as large a mark as needed. To get a more realistic look to the leaves, I rotated the direction of the pen so the leaves weren’t all pointing in the same direction and varied the brush angle and pressure to vary the size or shape. The shallower the angle, the longer the leaves. I also created perspective by making the leaves smaller on trees that were farther in the background.

Grass: I rendered the grass with three sizes of pens, beginning with 0.05. By pressing the pen to the paper vertically and quickly flicking the pen upwards by rotating my hand backwards, I created random tapered lines. By flicking the pen, it caused the tip of the pen to lift in an arc from the paper, naturally tapering the tip of the line. For a more natural, grass-like look, I added in 0.3, 0.5 and 1.0, especially when creating the shadowy area and repeated the process a few (thousand) times! To get a smooth texture on this stone wall background, I used 0.05 for crosshatching.

Crosshatching: This is one technique that Multiliners excel at because of their consistent line thickness and ink density which is why I recommend them for anyone wanting to achieve this style of shading. By filling an area with an even layer of parallel hatches, the shading looks smooth. To create different shades or a gradient, I hatched in one direction and then again at a ninety degree angle. I repeated this in a third direction, or as many as I needed to achieve the darkness level I was looking for. For the textured surface of earth and rocks at the base of the wall, I used 0.05, 0.3 and 0.8 to create multiple layers of pointillism with a random placement of points. By intentionally building up 0.3 and 0.8 points in certain areas, I was able to simulate peaks and valleys which either caught the moonlight or were in shadow.

Lettering: Even though this page has no standard lettering on it, I wanted to show an example of lettering using Multiliners from a different page. Drawn at 1.5 times the finished comic size, I laid down parallel nonphoto blue lines 3mm apart for the lettering and 2mm apart for the leading (the vertical space between each line of lettering). Since I was going for a clean, mono-weight lettering style, I simply drew out the letters using a 0.3 for standard text and a 0.5 for bold. In this case, the Multiliners beat a traditional nibstyle pen and ink’s varied lines.

As you can see below in the finished page, basic illustration techniques can be taken to the next level simply by using a variety of Copic Multiliners. By switching between pens, you can add as much depth as you need to set the mood for your piece.

What Multiliner techniques do you use? Let us know in the comments, below.

For more from Alex, visit him online. Enjoyed this post? Feel free to let him know.

Website: http://AlexHeizer.com/
CopicColor: Alex Heizer
Twitter: @AlexHeizer
Facebook: Alex Heizer
Google+: Alex Heizer

Remember when we hit the #Copic3K mark and gave away FREE line art to color? Well, we’re doing it again – one for every 1,000 followers. Many thanks to Kaoppe, the very talented professional Japanese Manga artist and dear friend for providing such great art work for our fans!

Just click the pic to download and print a hi-res version – and have fun coloring!

If you haven’t already, join our Twitter community to connect with other Copic lovers, share your #CopicART, check out the free tutorials on #TutuorialTuesday and share your #CopicLove!

If you are already connecting with us on Twitter – thank you, and we’ll see you out there!

Tell us about when you started drawing, and how you became interested in Manga style art?

My mom tells me that I was drawing ever since I was old enough to hold a crayon! In grade 7 my friends and I started drawing cats. But then I was worried that I would become “the crazy cat lady” so I started to sketch people. In grade 9, someone told me I looked like an anime character named Misa, so I started looking at some of the manga and watching animeonline. I fell in love with it instantly and started collecting manga. Later, I decided I wanted to create my own characters.

That seems like a pretty natural progression. How and when did you come up with the idea for PaigeeDraw?

When I decided I wanted to learn to draw Manga, I was frustrated with the tools and books available. I felt that the books I found showed the finished product but didn’t explain the process of how to get there in enough detail. So I started collecting manga comics and taught myself. Later, my friends kept asking me to teach them, so I approached my dad to help me find a way to make it easy for anyone to learn how to draw.

So what makes PaigeeDraw different from other teaching tools on the market?

In PaigeeDraw, I break every character down into as many as 29 steps, and provide instructions and tips each step of the way. I also provide detailed tutorials on how to draw hands, eyes and faces. Also, PaigeeDraw teaches users how to hand draw, not rely on digital drawing tools or expensive software like Photoshop.

Do people need special supplies to get started, or can they use what they have at home?

All you need is a pencil and a piece of paper to get started. But manga looks best using special markers and marker pads, which are all available on PaigeeDraw.com When I was learning, my mom had to drive me all over town looking for art supplies, so we sell starter kits that make it easy for people to get started.

The kits you sell to go with the application come with Copic markers. How did you first come upon Copics, and why do you continue to use and recommend them?

I first came upon Copic Markers from DeviantArt. Many artists that I love are on DeviantArt, and most of them prefer to use Copic markers when they use markers. I have tried a number of other markers, and Copic are my favourite! They are very reliable and do not streak as much as other brands.

Which part of drawing a character gives you the most trouble and how do you overcome  that challenge?

Hands and feet still give me the most trouble. Like most artists though, I love drawing hands. I look at images from artists I look up to. I always reference them for difficult poses, and for practice.

Do you draw your characters based off of real life experiences and people, or are they random ideas from your imagination?

Imagination! Many of my characters are based off of my dreams. Reading manga comics and watching Japanese Anime inspires me. The characters from the application are based on individual poses or hair styles I like. Sometimes, they are based on fashions that I have seen.

I’ve heard that you have a name for your character in mind, before you draw him or her. At what point do you know what colors you want to use for a character?

I usually just play with the colors while creating the characters. When I created the PaigeeDraw application, I tried to use only a few colors, so that people could draw the character without having a huge Copic set.

We know you’re great at creating mango character, and are considering Fashion Design school in the future. Do you have any other interests or talents that we may not know as much about?

One of the other things I like to do is bake. I have a lot and am getting quite good at it. I’ve made Melon pan, cream puffs, cookies and cakes. I plan to tackle macaroons and chocolate mousse in the future!

My passion is still art. I have recently been practicing with my airbrush! I have not included backgrounds in my application yet, hopefully we will get there in the future.

Saturday July 2:   Workshop Room 2, LA Convention Center Room # 501 12-2pm. Copic Beginner Workshop
Sunday July 3:      Workshop Room 2, LA Convention Center Room # 501 12-2pm. Copic Beginner Workshop

Manga art by Aiko

Manga art by Aiko

Manga art by Haruka

Manga art by Haruka

Manga art by Kaoppe

Manga art by Kaoppe

Manga art by Kaoppe

Manga art by Kaoppe

Manga art by Kaoppe

Manga art by Ran

Manga art by Ran

Manga art by Shuji

Manga art by Sourei

Manga art by Souta

Manga art by Tsukudani

These are works by artists we have featured at past Anime Expo conventions. They are all working artists in Japan and sponsored by Copic, but most don’t have a web presence. All works are used with permission.

I received a twitter message last week from German illustrator Marika Herzog (aka demoniacalchild) letting me know she had some new work up on her deviantART page. She’s been using Copic Markers a while and has a lot of skill and control.  She is currently working on the second part of her Grimoire manga series. Check out her other pictures. She has some cool shots of her workspace (and cat!) so you can see manga-in-process. You can also follow her on twitter. Cool Stuff.

Thanks Marika!

If you are in the New York City area Tuesday, September 22nd, then be sure to check out this event. Skaffs creator Luke Feldman will be doing a book signing and demonstration at Kinokuniya at the Avenue of the Americas location.

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