top of page
Search

Unlock Your Creativity: A Guide to Drawing Manga Stories

  • fotaquest
  • Dec 1
  • 3 min read

Updated: Dec 2

Unlock Your Creativity: A Guide to Drawing Manga Stories

By Lars Guo

Published: December 1, 2025


Opening Message

Hi folks! Today’s blog is all about my personal experience with creating manga and how I feel about the process. For anyone new to the art form, manga are Japanese comics that are rich in style, emotion, and storytelling.

Disclaimer: I am not a professional manga artist. I draw purely as a hobby, but I hope my thoughts help or inspire you. Enjoy!


Wix created this
Wix created this

Materials Needed

If you're planning to pursue manga professionally, tools like inking pens are essential for clean black shadows and crisp lines. Paper is equally important—professional comic paper is ideal, though I can’t recommend specific brands since I never aimed for a professional path. As a hobbyist, I mostly use printer paper or a sketchbook, along with basic pencils, pens, and sometimes colored pencils for covers.

If you prefer digital art, you’ll need a drawing tablet, stylus, and a laptop. Some apps are perfect for manga, but I personally use a simple sketch app on my Samsung tablet—it’s not manga-specific, yet still fun to use.



Draft Your Story

This is where the creative journey begins. Start by brainstorming your:

  • Story idea

  • Characters

  • Settings

  • Overall plot structure


Make sure your art skills match the complexity of the story you want to draw. And yes AI can draw things for you, but relying on it for all the artwork removes the personal touch that makes manga yours. If AI is doing all the writing and drawing, you might as well create a novel instead.

Next, think about panel layout such as what shapes, sizes, and arrangements best fit your story? Leave enough space for character dialogue and narration boxes.



Create a Storyboard

Now sketch a rough draft of how each page will look. Include character placement, text boxes, backgrounds, and action sequences. This step reduces mistakes later and makes the final drawing process much smoother.



Begin Drawing

Once your story and storyboard are ready, it’s time to draw!

A few reminders:

  • Leave room for dialogue boxes.

  • Add shading and inking to bring depth to your pages.

  • Manga is typically black-and-white, but if you want to add color, go for it—creativity has no limits.

Most importantly, enjoy the process.



Difficulty Level

Creating manga is challenging. Maintaining consistent character designs from panel to panel is one of the toughest parts. Even for me, drawing detailed characters and complex settings is difficult.

I have deep respect for professional manga artists, especially considering how often their work gets pirated. It’s heartbreaking, especially given the extreme workload and low compensation many of them face.



Would I Make One Again?

Absolutely. I love creating short one-shots. They’re manageable and fun. But I would not pursue manga professionally due to the harsh working conditions and low pay in the industry.

If you do want to go pro, consider attending a school dedicated to manga or comics. I can’t recommend any personally, as I’ve never taken that path, but formal training can definitely help.



Concluding Notes

Do you agree with my thoughts? Whether you’re a creator or a reader, I hope this gives you insight into the world of manga-making.

And one final message: please support manga artists by purchasing their work legally. Their job is incredibly demanding, and they pour every bit of their heart into their craft. Supporting them keeps the manga world alive.

Thank you for reading! I look forward to sharing more with you next time. Have a great day!



 
 
 

Comments

bottom of page