Forums » Smalltalk » Anime and Manga Artists

If you've tuned in to my other posts, you may or may not be aware that my greatest dream is to create an anime. The downside is that I'm inexperienced, lazy, and lacking in any skills whatsoever to achieve such a dream.

That being said, one of the things I've been trying to learn is how to draw anime characters. I figured it would help me at least a little bit. The problem lies in the fact that it's SO. DAMN. COMPLICATED.

I wasn't aware that you had to study human anatomy just to draw a kawaii anime girl. It's not like I'm mad or anything, but it's a little frustrating since Science is the last thing I want to get into just so I can accomplish my life goal. Besides learning anatomy, there's also the precise placement of facial features, such as the eyes, nose, and mouth. Artists tend to use guidelines to properly set those things as beginners, but I have a pretty serious case of ADHD.

This can make drawing in general...frustrating. I can't make precise movements without getting all wacky and jittery and freaking out. It's just how I am. I've already accepted the fact that I can't become an artist for anything, let alone anime.

Which is why the next best option I have is to find a real artist that draws anime and/or manga who'd be willing to help me out. Problem is, I don't have many friends (Haganai reference ). I have a hard enough time keeping up with the ones I do have, but I can't even consider them real friends. I have better friends online than I do in real life.

I guess it's because online, people don't know what you're really like, and can only judge you for what you choose to show them about yourself. In real life, more of your secrets are laid bare, such as what you look like, or your age. I prefer to keep both of those things a secret most of the time, and will rarely tell anyone.

But that's besides the point. My point is, nobody in my family can draw, I can't draw, and I don't know anyone that can draw (and be willing to help me). In other words, sayonara dreams.

I could always try to hire someone to draw for me, but with what money? I haven't worked a day in my life, and I don't really plan to in the future, so I'm not gonna be making any fat stacks any time soon.

Don't get me wrong, I'm not here to beg on my knees for some kindred spirit to offer their services to me for free out of the kindness of their heart. I'm just here for the usual reason: To talk to you guys (a.k.a. anyone who cares to listen) and just kind of...vent, I guess. Talking about my problems certainly helps me feel better, if but a little.

To be honest...I already know I'm going to fail. It's an inevitable eventuality that I'm just too stubborn to face. Every time I try to accept it as reality, I find a new reason to gain hope, such as when a free art comes along, or if I find some program that can help you or something. But in the end, I know it's not the same, and it will never be the same.

I just keep gaining the hope that things will turn out okay, but I know it won't. I'm never going to be able to actually make an anime. The thought seems pretty silly when I take the time to think about what my life is like. There's way to many things going on for me to be worrying about personal dreams. I'll be lucky if I make it five minutes on my own.

My future's just a big question mark right now, I know that. But with my social anxiety coupled with my ADHD, I just don't see myself going anywhere. And even though the thought makes me tear up, I'll accept it eventually.

Anyway, th-th-th-th-th-that's all folks! See you next time on the Flash-pire Diaries!

It sounds like you already have all of your excuses lined up for why you never even tried.

Don't be that guy, Atlas.

Dude, if some day I get really good at my currently below average drawing skills I'll be your artist X3.

I'll be the guy who says the truth.

If someone says they have a dream, but makes excuses for why they can't achieve it, then they don't really have a dream. A lot of people say they wish they could be an artist, but they don't even try to learn how to draw. They make excuses and say they just don't have the talent. Guess what? People aren't born with talents, they worked at it. People who are good artists in their teenage years are good because they put in the time as children without realizing it, and people look at them with envy wishing they were "naturally" talented like the other person. They simply haven't put in the time. Blaming ADHD or anxiety is just an excuse to make yourself feel better about not even trying.

Becoming good at something is hard, and you're going to produce a lot of very bad work in the beginning. Most people give up because they tried one easy thing and it didn't work. You would be surprised what you can accomplish if you put one hour per day into accomplishing something. Not one hour of watching youtube or netflix or playing on your phone while you say you're practicing, one hour of focused, intentional work. Turn the computer off, put down the phone. Work. Every day. No excuses.

I often hear people say "I would give anything for [thing]." They're lying.

"I would give anything to be able to draw" - except practice drawing every day.

"I would give anything to be strong" - except actually lift weights.

"I would give anything to lose weight" - except eat less and exercise more.

The only way to accomplish a goal in life is to actually try to do it. If someone has the time to write 1000 words on why they have given up on their dream before they've even started then they have enough time to hop over to http://drawabox.com/ and learn to draw. A pity party isn't going to help you accomplish anything.

"I have a pretty serious case of ADHD.

This can make drawing in general...frustrating. I can't make precise movements without getting all wacky and jittery and freaking out."

I understand what you're trying to say, but trust me when I say I have tried. I wouldn't know these things if I hadn't. I couldn't count of two fingers how many times I've tried, but my ADHD always gets the better of me.

I'm not using it as an excuse. It's an honest hindrance to my ability to draw, and unlike things like Dyslexia, there's no cure, no way to work around it. I've already accepted this. Even if I put in the amount of time you're describing, my drawings will not start getting better over time. It's not about just making precise movements, but doing tedious tasks such as frame-by-frame animations are another big killer for me.

I have very little patience and a very short attention span (more symptoms of my ADHD). I can't sit still for a whole hour just drawing. I just can't. It's impossible.

I've been told time and time again that my strengths lie in writing (as you can tell from my extremely long posts), and I frequently write stories in my spare time. But my dream is to turn those stories into anime.

So, as you can imagine, I tried to take up drawing. I looked at tutorials, studied what I could (which wasn't much since I have very limited resources), and tried my hand at it. Nothing worked. My ADHD would take me out before I even really had a chance to get into it.

And like I said in my earlier post, it wasn't just about anime. Drawing anything at all has been frustrating for me for all of my life. I'm not going to assume that you don't have it yourself, but just know that if you don't have it, then you can't really talk like you know what it's like.

I know you mean well, and I really do appreciate you trying to help me, but it just won't work. It's a fruitless effort for me to try and learn myself, so my only option is to seek help from someone else.

By the way, thanks Rilu You're a peach

Drawing with ADHD might be hard. So is archery without arms. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aCW-cB5jr7w

Impressive dude

But unfortunately, I can definitely tell you that I am not nearly as skilled as Mr. Stutzman

It's really okay, Atlas. You don't have to try and inspire me or anything. I'm mostly content with just writing stories at the moment, and maybe I'll get lucky one day and find someone that'll help me out.

I suppose it's a lot easier to wait around to see if someone else will come and accomplish your dream for you. A lot of people probably think that, it's certainly easier than trying. You don't need to fail and keep failing until you fail a little less, and then fail some more, until you fail close enough to realize you might actually succeed, and then keep going.

Pursue your dream or don't, I don't care whether you fail or succeed. Failure or success, you will go through pain either way. You will either feel the pain of discipline, or you feel the pain of regret. In fifty years from now, when you're looking back at what you did and did not accomplish in your life, the reasons for being where you are are not going to depend on how you were born, they're going to depend on how you lived.

if you've decided that art as a serious goal is not for you, that doesn't mean you can't keep drawing! one of the reasons i persevere with art is so that i can create references to give to better artists when i commission. refs don't have to look good, just legible enough to act as a visual guide. skill comes as a result of practice - it'll feel like an uphill struggle for a long time, but i can guarantee you that you will improve.

i will say that it's very unlikely you're going to find someone who will want to illustrate an entire manga for free, let alone an anime, so it'd be better to save up for that instead of wishing for luck if you want to see it happen. in the meantime though, definitely keep writing! it'll be a lot easier to pitch to an artist or find a company that might take you on as a writer when you've got a complete story to show them. besides, there are a ton of movies and comics out there based on literature, so if yours gains enough popularity, you never know what could happen.

I would highly suggest trying digital art then.
Get a tablet, and a program with a stabilizer tool.
I have chronic pain and shaking hands, and the stabilizer has helped me immensely as it stabilizes the lines you draw.

There are many ways you can help yourself do it without relying on someone else.
Because if they do it for you... you're not really achieving your dream yourself.
And you'll forever have regrets. Because it wasn't you. You had it done for you.

And if not, perhaps just focus on writing stories instead. As stated, it is extremely unlikely an artist would take on a project this large for free. It's asking too much. Art takes effort, as you clearly understand. If you really wish for someone to draw for you, I'd start saving up a fund to commission an artist to do it.

But, there are ways to help yourself get better, and techniques, and tools to assist you if you look if you wish to continue in art. There are many guides as well to help people with ADHD and other things to calm and help you. Art is also considered a therapy for ADHD. So if you persevere, perhaps follow a guide and get the right tools, you'll be much better off!

I wish you luck!

Thank you all very much for your kind words, but I feel like there may have been a little bit of a misunderstanding here

My dream isn't to draw an anime, it's just to make one. I understand that my skills are better suited to creating the plot and story lines rather than drawing, so I'm perfectly fine with someone else drawing it.

I do, however, want the artist to be someone I know personally. I very much doubt I will ever get the money to commission anyone (dirt poor family, and all that), but even if I did, I wouldn't want a stranger to draw my anime for me. And I definitely don't want to appeal to a company that's going to change my vision.

So, as you can see, I don't need to be artist. It's just that if me or someone I knew offered to be the artist for free, then everything would cost less.

I know that anime are expensive to make, and some quickly go bankrupt and can't continue shortly after they get off of their feet. This is why I'm very skeptical as to if I'm ever going to have an anime.

It's okay though. I guess it's just not something I'm cut out for.

---

Also, the problem with digital art is that I need the key component: A tablet.

I do not, nor will I ever, have the money to be able to pay for such a thing (dirt poor family, and all that). Even if I somehow managed to get a tablet, there's no way I'd be able to afford any [paid] programs to use for drawing.

Hello hello hello! I would suggest starting out writing a manga with someone you know and establish a fan base. Then it will be easier to get an anime started, because you will already have fans and they would most likely watch an anime of the manga they like. You get what i mean?

^ That's a pretty good point.

I just wanted to point something out.

Here's the original art from One Punch Man.





I don't know if art is always the most important thing to tell a good story. Look at where that show has gotten, from small beginnings like this.

Here's a good side-by-side.

https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcT1XVSIXD_-lrIQd9dWqQhN3wPcDxSWRi60U3npn8J7lI_OMbCF

No img at the end...

Can i suggest a few things?

My first year of university brought to the front some symptoms of depression and anxiety. Avoidance, procrastination, and a conviction that i was doomed to fail prevented me from being able to do much other than lie in bed for hours. I'm on meds now and am generally better but I still struggle with doing homework/studying. So i can relate to how you feel in terms of sorta rejecting your goals because you're afraid of failure, and telling yourself that you won't succeed to soften the (what you feel is) inevitable.

What was suggested to me when I first sought academic help was to do things in smaller chunks of time. You can't sit still for a whole hour drawing? Try for ten minutes at a time, twice a day, or more/less if you need. Set a realistic goal for yourself. *I don't know much about ADHD, but this may help, if you haven't tried it already. But it seems a little like you're trying to learn as much as you can as soon as possible and getting discouraged when you can't meet unrealistic expectations, and skill is something that takes time, and not everyone learns at a super fast pace.
Do you have a specific end goal? Do you want to start in a year, or finish the storyboard 2020? Since you're tackling this all by yourself, it will probably take a long time, but maybe you'll meet someone somewhere along the line that can help you out with drawing.

Going with what -_Marimo_- said, if you can make a tumblr or something to garner a fan base, you could attract people who are interested enough in your story to potentially help with the art portion of a storyboard or whatnot.

Since it's anime you're interested in and not drawing, it probably isn't too important to be a great artist. I dont know much about the process of making anime but here's something I found after a quick google search for free storyboard software.

I hope at least some of my mental spewing is helpful.

Another thing, i have severe ADHD and high funtioning autism at the same time. And lemme tell ya somethin, love.

You most likely wont be able to sit still and draw for a while. I have to put on music while i bounce my legs ad dance in my chair while i draw. A lot of times i do messy pencil sketches then clean up the lines later on.

CONCEPT ART IS IMPORTANT!! until you get good at sketching, drawing, or painting i would suggest doing concepts and addng onto them. Keep in mind, i have been drawing for 12 years, but what do i know. Right?

Anywhoosies, dont try to sit still. It will make it worse. Its your art, you can be as messy as you want and nobody can tell you jock sh*t about it. The art before they ink manga actually happens to just be concept sketches and messy art, then they clean it up and ink it, then add screentones, or in the case of an anime, colour.

And watch this when you start to lose your determination

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=KxGRhd_iWuE

Also, as someone who deals with these mental issues, i can tell yah one thing.

You just have to flop around and tuck and roll to work around your adhd. You just have to do this weird-a$$ squiggly dance thing, but i can tell you its possible. You also cant frce yourself to draw certain things. Thats not how art works. At all.

You have to let yourself go, let your adhd run wild and come up with all sorts of crazy things to draw. Then, clean it up a bit.

To be honest, a lot of peoplw with ADHD have figured out ways to use it to their advantage. The ADHD helps me all the time in my art, how else would i think of the strange crazy colourful thoughts otherwise.

Use the disorder as an advantage, dont call it a disorder, its what creates your personality. Go ahead and try some meds for ADHD, then see how well your imagination works. Its a prt of you, and it makes uou your creative self.

I couldnr imagine being an artist without my ADHD, its a part of me that i praise. The more you think bad of it the more of a hinderence you are making it.

These are the realist replies of 2017.