How to Create Your Own Manga (With Expert Tips)

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Bring your characters, plot, and art to life with this guide
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Manga are comics and graphic novels from Japan with their own unique aesthetic, like large and expressive character eyes. If you want to make your own manga and maybe be a professional mangaka, the start can seem a bit daunting. But don't be discouraged—with a bit of planning, you can create your own unique storyline with all of your own cool characters! In this article, we explain how to plan out and draw your manga with the help of professional writers and artists, going over characters and settings , scripting , and more.

How to Create a Manga

  1. Brainstorm characters, settings, and a story outline for your manga.
  2. Write out the script for your manga.
  3. Sketch out the full script.
  4. Complete the layout for your manga's panels and pages.
  5. Finish by inking, coloring, and shading each panel.
Section 1 of 7:

Creating Your Characters and Settings

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  1. Start by writing down some of the character's personality characteristics and physical attributes and then draw from there. Ask yourself questions. Does your character have powers? Friends? Relatives? Siblings? Are they a main character or a side character? Use your favorite manga characters for inspiration. [1]
    • According to professional writer Grant Faulkner, a character profile should include their drive, motivations, desires, and what’s standing between them and their desire.
    • If you have a visual character idea, start with that and then move on to writing the character's personality traits next to it.
    • When finding the plot, professional writer Lucy Hay says to first look for a concept. Then think about how the plot will work within that context. Think about what obstacles are in the way of what the character wants or needs to achieve.
    • Hay says these obstacles can include the antagonist or the circumstances of the story.
  2. Watermark wikiHow to Make Manga
    Create a basic face shape to start and then start drawing the ears , eyes , nose , and mouth . Remember that manga characters have very expressive eyes—experiment with their size and shape. [2]
    • Give the eyes light reflections in the form of 2 ovals: a small one near the top of the eye mainly covering the iris and a bit of the pupil, and another smaller oval on the other side of the eye covering the spot where the iris touches the white part of the eye. [3]
    • Try giving males a smaller iris, as it typically creates a more masculine look. [4]
    • Sketch your characters in pencil before inking them. That way, you can erase any mistakes before finalizing your illustration.
    • Go through several designs of your characters and compare them to see which style fits your liking and their personality.
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  3. If you're having trouble, start drawing a map of the world you want to create. For example, if you're creating a post-apocalyptic shonen, start writing down some town locations. Afterward, mark off some forests, mountains, and other locations where you can place some fight scenes. [5]
    • Always consider your genre before creating your setting. Look at other similar manga and see what kinds of settings are commonly used.
    • Consider your characters as you create your world. For example, ask yourself where each character currently resides and where they were born.
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Section 2 of 7:

Scripting Your Manga

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  1. Change your characters' goals, personalities, and motivations as you flesh out the story. Start with your setting and genre, then get specific. Decide who the important characters are, the main plot, and how it relates to your setting. Determine the main conflicts, mysteries, challenges, and twists. [6]
    • Mention your characters’ facial expressions and
    • Don't be afraid to change story points and characters as the story develops. body language in your script so you don’t forget about them once you start drawing.
  2. 2
    Flesh out the story outline with scripting. Make sure that everything your characters do and say advances the story while keeping the reader engaged. Stick to your characters’ personalities and spice up your wording to avoid repetitive dialogue. Avoid big chunks of narration, as it can take readers away from the story. [7]
    • To avoid stereotypes and embrace diversity when writing interesting characters, Hay says to look at what’s been done before and look at the stereotypes society says exist. Then, make your character the fundamental opposite.
  3. Each manga chapter is about 19 pages, although the introduction chapter is usually 15. A volume of manga is about 150 pages, which is around 5 chapters. Since there are about 4 pages per scene, that gives you about 5 scenes per chapter. [8]
    • Start writing down all of the main events of your story and points you want to make, then group them into specific scenes. Afterward, group the scenes into chapters, and the chapters into volumes.
    • Faulkner says that if you’re looking to get your work complete and published, set a goal and deadline, like 50,000 words a month and 1667 words a day. This way, you’re breaking the huge work into small chunks.
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Section 3 of 7:

Storyline Ideas

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  1. Also known as shonen or shounen, which refers to a boy at high school or elementary age, these comics are best known for brief dialogue, lots of character movement, and plenty of battles. If you prefer to draw more than create a story, start with an action manga. [9] Some of the most well-known action manga are Naruto , Dragon Ball Z , One Piece , and Bleach . [10]
    • Narratives in action manga are often told through flashbacks.
    • Action manga speech is often characterized by intense, fast words such as character names and attack names.
    • If you're writing a Japanese manga and have a limited understanding of the language, make an action manga.
    • In recent years, shonen with female protagonists have become more common.
  2. Watermark wikiHow to Make Manga
    These feature young girls who turn into superheroes—often by means of a magical object—to fight an evil force. Typically, these girls are prepubescent or just entering womanhood. Although they feature fight scenes and lots of action, they also focus strongly on themes of friendship, life lessons, falling in love, and growing up. [11]
    • Magical girl manga fall into the shojo category, which means they are aimed at a young female audience.
    • Popular magical girl manga include Sailor Moon and Powerpuff Girls Z .
  3. Seinen manga are counterparts to shonen. While some share similarities to shonen, seinen typically focus on darker stories and themes like politics, action, fantasy, science fiction, sports, relationships, and comedy. They are more violent and psychological than typical shonen action manga and sometimes have pornographic content. [12]
    • Try a seinen if you want your fight scenes mixed with dark storylines and characters. [13]
    • When it comes to themes, Faulkner says sometimes they’re planned, “and sometimes they’re not planned. Sometimes they emerge from the story.”
    • When putting together a theme, Faulkner suggests you write the story, explore where it goes, and identify the themes as you write it. That way, it isn’t grafted onto the story and instead emerges from it.
    • Popular seinen manga include Ghost in the Shell , Tokyo Ghoul , Berserk , Gantz , and 20th Century Boys .
  4. Watermark wikiHow to Make Manga
    Comedy manga are the most verbose and thus require a firm grasp of the language you're writing in. The pacing of speech bubbles is faster, but much more relaxed than action anime due to the focus on conversation rather than short, emotional bursts. [14]
    • Select the jokes you want to focus on: clean jokes, parody jokes, romance/comedy jokes, and/or dirty jokes.
    • Comedy manga can take place anywhere you like, but are most often in real-life settings, such as high school. If you'd rather a more magical setting, consider an action manga with comedic elements.
    • Popular comedy manga include Ouran High School Host Club , Gintama , and Mob Psycho 100 .
  5. Watermark wikiHow to Make Manga
    The monster battle genre is best known for manga like Pokémon and Digimon . It focuses on training and battling monsters within a quest or adventure. Monster battle mangaka (manga authors & artists) often use everyday animals as the base of their design. The main characters are typically young boys and the story usually focuses on their journey to build a strong collection of monsters. [15]
  6. The word mecha comes from the word mechanical, and these manga focus on pilotable robots. In some cases, they take human shape, but this isn't a given. Some of the most well-known mecha anime are Gundam , Neon Genesis Evangelion , and Knights of Sidonia . You can do lots with this kind of manga—comedy, horror, action—but if it has a setting or plot with pilotable robots at the center, it's considered a mecha. [16]
    • Consider drawing robots that are made from several smaller robots to make a "super robot." Popular examples that feature this trope include Voltron and Super Sentai .
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Section 4 of 7:

Crafting Your Layouts

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  1. Traditional Japanese manga reads from top to bottom, moving vertically from right to left. If you want to stick to the roots of manga, use this reading direction. If you don't care, you can do the common English reading direction, which is moving vertically from left to right. [17]
    • Ask yourself who your audience is. For example, if you're writing your manga in Japanese, consider making your comic read right-to-left.
    • Whichever reading direction you choose, make sure you stick with it—there's no changing your mind after!
  2. Watermark wikiHow to Make Manga
    Manga is much faster-paced than traditional Western comics. This means there are more pages with fewer panels and less text. In general, you should have no more than 3 speech bubbles in each panel and an average of 5 panels per page. [18]
    • In general, stick to about 4 pages per scene.
    • Always separate panel groups by a space of 1 ⁄ 4 to 1 ⁄ 2 inch (0.64 to 1.27 cm), which is called the panel gutter.
    • Be sure that the small panel gutters within each panel grouping don't align with the gutters in other panel groupings.
  3. This is the simplest type of panel layout and is best suited for a specific story or scene that is contained to one page. It works best when trying to create simple humor, although it can be used for any scene that requires a uniform and basic presentation. [19]
    • When using this layout, use the first panel to set the scene, the second to create the event that creates the climax, the third for the climax, and the fourth as the reaction or conclusion of the scene.
  4. Since action scenes have more character movement and changes in direction, you should use an increased number of panels and variation in shape to give them a dynamic feeling. For example, use 3 small panels for a punch: the first showing the character's angry eyes, the second showing his arm pulled back, and the third showing his fist hitting the opponent. You can even make the third panel a zig-zag border to add emphasis. [20]
    • Replace square and rectangular panels with triangles or unique zig-zagging borders to create a dynamic feeling.
    • Use smaller panels to focus on the action rather than the setting, which is typically unimportant for these scenes.
  5. When an important conversation is taking place, the dialogue boxes are usually more important than the pictures. Use simple, large panels to capture all the words while keeping the reader's focus on the characters. Make sure the panels are big enough to show character faces and reactions. [21]
    • Change viewing angles to make the conversation dynamic and keep the reader interested.
    • Minimize the number of dramatic changes between panels to keep the focus on the words.
    • Don't use speech bubble tails to indicate the character speaking. Instead, place the bubbles close to the speaker and—if necessary—use slang and change the tone to make it obvious who is speaking. [22]
    • Create spiky bubbles for yelled words and hazy bubbles for a character's thoughts.
  6. Any image that spans 2 or more pages is usually used to show a detailed image or setting, like a final blow landing or where a fight will take place. Use these scenes to give the reader a broader sense of characters or settings. For example, an action manga that starts with a fight between 2 characters can begin with a 2-page spread that shows the giant forest or mountain the characters are battling in. [23]
    • Use large panels to start your manga or break up a fast-paced fight with small panels. For example, create a large, connected image to shock the reader or contrast a close-quarters fight.
  7. Watermark wikiHow to Make Manga
    Manga is cinematic and isn't limited to traditional panel rows. Try out unique panel layouts that cover the entire width or height of the page. You can also use diagonal lines, hazy outline patterns, or characters that break free from the panel. [24]
    • Fade your panels in and out for dramatic storytelling.
    • Read your favorite manga and emulate their dynamic panel layouts.
    • Think of each panel as a camera angle. Use dynamic panels to showcase different viewpoints , bird's-eye viewpoints, and low-to-high panel angles.
    • If you’re getting your manga professionally printed, be mindful of what you want cut off and what you want to stay. Communicate this to your printer so they don’t accidentally misprint your panels.
  8. Watermark wikiHow to Make Manga
    Unlike standard superhero comics, which have fully inked characters, manga use blurring limbs with motion, backgrounds made of speed lines, and emphasis lines originating from the point of impact. All of these techniques can be used to create the feeling of motion. [25]
  9. Watermark wikiHow to Make Manga
    Try using abstract backgrounds and visual grammar to match and express the emotions of the characters. For example, if one of the characters in your magical girl manga is having thoughts of her crush, make the background flowers to express budding romance. In terms of visual grammar, you can use drops of sweat to express nervousness. [26]
    • If you're making a shonen, make the background flames during a power-up or scene where the character is angry.
    • Create swirling knots and black shadows if your character is in a psychologically dark place.
    • Use a hash mark on the forehead for someone angry or a group of spirit wisps when a character is sad.
    • Combine mood backgrounds and visual grammar or use them separately.
    Hirohiko Araki, Manga Artist

    You must infuse your work with passion, imagination, and a personal vision. Immerse yourself in the medium, study the masters, and develop your own style through constant practice. Manga thrives on creative freedom - follow your inspiration wherever it leads.

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Section 5 of 7:

Inking & Coloring Your Manga

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  1. 1
    Once you’ve sketched everything out, go over your sketches with an ink pen. Inking your manga is one of the most important things to do before it can be considered complete, as it sets the illustrations into the paper and helps them look crisper. After you’ve finalized your sketches, trace over them using an ink pen to bring them to life. Make sure you’ve gotten rid of all of the mistakes in your sketch beforehand, though.
  2. 2
    Erase your sketch lines. After you’ve finalized your sketches with a pen, use an eraser to get rid of your sketch lines. Wait until the ink is dry before you erase your sketch lines, though, or else you may risk accidentally spreading the ink and smudging the page.
  3. 3
    Color and shade your panels. The final step is to color in your manga! Pick colors that you think suit your character(s) best and color them. Make sure to stay inside the lines as you do to avoid any unnecessary overlap. Once your characters are colored, color your background. Then, shade the characters and background based on where the light is coming from. This will make your manga look more polished and professional.
    • Manga artist Arklight Blues says depending on the type of hair you want to show, you will need to adapt your style. Use hatching to show the direction of the hair and where it flows.
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Section 6 of 7:

Manga Artists to Draw Inspiration From

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  1. 1
    Osamu Tezuka Osamu Tezuka is considered the godfather of anime & manga by many, as he was a pioneering figure in the development of manga and anime. His influence on the industry made Japanese anime and manga what it is today, and he has gone on to inspire many aspiring mangaka, even in death. He’s best known for works like Astro Boy and Kimba the White Lion, some of the most popular early anime. [27]
  2. 2
    Akira Toriyama Akira Toriyama created Dragon Ball , which is one of the most popular manga in the world, and Dr. Slump , a popular comedy manga. Dragon Ball has been referenced by countless forms of American and Japanese media, mainly due to its intense fight scenes and transformations. The late great Toriyama’s works have inspired countless artists, so study them if you want to incorporate some of the most popular anime tropes into your work.
  3. 3
    Tite Kubo Tite Kubo is the creator of Bleach , which is widely considered one of the most popular modern manga. It’s known for its rich dialogue, deep tension and character relationships, and of course, the awesome fight scenes! The world-building is also one of the stronger parts of Bleach , so study what’s widely considered Kubo’s best work to get inspiration for your characters and world-building. [28]
  4. 4
    Eiichiro Oda As the creator of the best-selling manga of all time, One Piece , Eiichiro Oda inspires plenty of budding mangaka with his work. He is known for his extensive, imaginative world-building, his exciting, memorable characters, and his dedication to his craft. To get an idea of how to thoroughly develop a world and the characters within it, study Oda’s work.
  5. 5
    Hayao Miyazaki Hayao Miyazaki is one of the most popular mangaka thanks to his Studio Ghibli films, which cover topics like war, spirituality, and mortality. Miyazaki commonly explores themes like environmentalism, social justice, and feminism, which all serve as great groundwork for learning how to write deep, thought-provoking stories. Watch films like My Neighbor Totoro and Spirited Away to learn how to draw rich panels and tell thoughtful, compelling stories. [29]
    • Scenes to Study: Watch Chihiro’s return to her parents at the end of Spirited Away to get an idea of how to write about a younger character learning how to deal with change.
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Section 7 of 7:

Frequently Asked Questions

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  1. 1
    What’s the difference between anime and manga? While anime and manga are both focused on telling particular types of stories in specific art styles, anime refers to Japanese animation, while manga are Japanese graphic novels and books. Anime is typically colored, while manga always comes in black & white (aside from certain pages). [30]
  2. 2
    Can anyone make a manga? Yes, anyone can make a manga! It doesn’t matter if you’re 13 years old or 30 years old, all you need to make a manga is a vision, an idea for a story, and a willingness to draw and write it all.
  3. 3
    When making a manga, should you write or draw first? It depends on what you’re good at. If you’re better at drawing than you are at writing, start by drawing your characters and putting them into the scenes driving your story, then write those scenes. If you’re better at writing, start by writing an outline for your story, then draw the scenes based on that outline.
  4. 4
    What are some of the main characteristics of drawing manga? Manga is known for its bold, expressive lines, exaggerated proportions, and attention to detail, all of which help convey the characters’ emotions, actions, and desires and make the story seem more realistic.
  5. 5
    What should I use to draw my manga? The materials you use depend on preference. If you prefer to hand draw, use printer paper or drawing paper, pencils, and fine-tipped ink pens. If you prefer to draw digitally, use your favorite drawing app or platform and a digital pencil or pen.
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Community Q&A

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  • Question
    Thank you for this walkthrough. I wanted to ask about the possibilities of making an anime adaptation of one's manga.
    Community Answer
    Usually, this happens after a manga becomes very popular. An anime studio will take notice, and come to you with an offer.
    Thanks! We're glad this was helpful.
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  • Question
    I heard manga can turn into anime. Is this true?
    akari yuki
    Community Answer
    If a manga becomes popular enough, someone might eventually want to make an anime based on it, yes.
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  • Question
    How can I show my manga to more people?
    Community Answer
    Instead of putting it on a manga website, put in on YouTube. One chapter at a time. Viewers will eventually notice it. Then if it is a hit, make copies of it and go all out, like a real manga.
    Thanks! We're glad this was helpful.
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      Tips

      • Don't worry if you fail on the first sketches. Drawing is something that takes time and practice. Keep drawing and improve on them.
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      • You don't necessarily need to color your entire manga—only the first few pages. The rest can be black and white.
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      • Try to publish something in your own country before trying to publish in Japan. If you haven't, you will almost certainly be turned down by a Japanese publisher.
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      Warnings

      • Be prepared to make very little money as a budding mangaka. Unless you're publishing on a weekly basis or so, you may only be paid once or twice a year.
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      • Avoid changing the story once you've started doing the proper images, especially if you are working with an artist.
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      References

      1. ↑ https://www.animeoutline.com/steps-to-make-your-own-manga/
      2. ↑ https://www.painterartist.com/en/pages/draw-manga/
      3. ↑ https://www.animeoutline.com/how-to-draw-anime-eyes/
      4. ↑ https://www.animeoutline.com/how-to-draw-male-anime-eyes/
      5. ↑ https://www.animeoutline.com/steps-to-make-your-own-manga/
      6. ↑ https://www.animeoutline.com/steps-to-make-your-own-manga/
      7. ↑ https://ghostwritersandco.com/how-to-write-manga/
      8. ↑ https://www.animeoutline.com/steps-to-make-your-own-manga/
      9. ↑ https://kotaku.com/how-to-identify-the-basic-types-of-anime-and-manga-1538285518
      1. ↑ https://kotaku.com/how-to-identify-anime-and-manga-genres-1591748882
      2. ↑ https://kotaku.com/how-to-identify-anime-and-manga-genres-1591748882
      3. ↑ https://kotaku.com/how-to-identify-anime-and-manga-genres-1591748882
      4. ↑ https://www.definitions.net/definition/seinen+manga
      5. ↑ https://kotaku.com/how-to-identify-anime-and-manga-genres-1591748882
      6. ↑ https://kotaku.com/how-to-identify-anime-and-manga-genres-1591748882
      7. ↑ https://kotaku.com/how-to-identify-anime-and-manga-genres-1591748882
      8. ↑ https://www.creativebloq.com/how-to/how-to-create-a-manga-comic-strip
      9. ↑ https://www.creativebloq.com/how-to/how-to-create-a-manga-comic-strip
      10. ↑ https://honeysanime.com/types-of-manga-panels/
      11. ↑ https://honeysanime.com/types-of-manga-panels/
      12. ↑ https://honeysanime.com/types-of-manga-panels/
      13. ↑ https://mangahejp.weebly.com/manga-how-to-read.html
      14. ↑ https://honeysanime.com/types-of-manga-panels/
      15. ↑ https://www.creativebloq.com/how-to/how-to-create-a-manga-comic-strip
      16. ↑ https://www.creativebloq.com/how-to/how-to-create-a-manga-comic-strip
      17. ↑ https://www.creativebloq.com/how-to/how-to-create-a-manga-comic-strip/2
      18. ↑ https://www.tofugu.com/japan/osamu-tezuka-history/
      19. ↑ https://gamerant.com/things-bleach-does-better-than-most-other-action-shonen-anime/
      20. ↑ https://www.csw.org/understanding-hayao-miyazaki-through-literature
      21. ↑ https://www.dictionary.com/compare-words/manga-vs-anime

      About This Article

      Article Summary X

      To make a manga, first write out profiles for each character, which should include a list of their personality traits and physical attributes. Then, draw your character, starting with the face shape, and adding in their features. Make sure to give your characters large, expressive eyes, which is typical of manga style. When your characters are ready, you can start creating your story layouts by drawing 4-5 rectangular panels on a page and adding 1 scene per panel. You can experiment with drawing bigger panels for more important scenes or drawing triangular shaped panels to make a scene more dramatic. To learn how to create motion in your characters and backgrounds, read on!

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