Let's Draw Manga: Sexy Gals

Rating:
Summary: Not for the young, but important for the Pros
Review: Well, I've reviewed this book since I got it recently, and I do have to criticize it a little. Overall, the layout of the book is decent, but it unfortunately assumes the the reader is already acquainted with art in general, and manga in specific. To be precise, the author starts out strong, but dumps the reader into the artwork with little to no explanation of the female body beyond some generalizations. He does cover structure of the female body, and the rear of the book covers guidelines as well.

The artwork inside is above average, but looks hurried. In particular, some of the pieces of art look slightly out of proportion to the rest of the body. The author seems to take a point of view on drawing sexy gals from a sexual standpoint. People, this book is NOT for those under 13. And I'd have some trouble suggesting it to anyone not mature enought to realize this is an ART book, not a HOW TO DRAW SEX book.

Otherwise, this is a laudable effort. It covers odd or hard to draw poses not ususally covered in other books, and it also has a section on drawing couples. Women are drawn in an unrealistic, but commonly drawn, style. A large number of more adult manga and anime are drawn using similar style, so this is a good introduction to the genre of Ecchi or Hentai artwork. It also has application in other genres as well, so don't take it as a cheaply made book about how to make forgettable storylines or how to draw over-developed scantily-clad women.

Finally, a word of caution. As I mentioned before, this book deals with sex and sexual themes. Definitely not for minors. For anyone who is looking to expand their range of poses, brush up on new ways of drawing women (and some men), or even those simply hoping to broaden the range of their potential, this book will do nicely.