Manga artists are comic artists who illustrate or write manga. Many manga artists study at specialized manga schools or art colleges. Also, some aspiring manga artists take an apprenticeship with another artist before entering the industry on their own; though sometimes a manga artist may break into the industry, without previously working as an assistant.
For instance, Naoko Takeuchi, who was the author of Sailor Moon, won a Kodansha Manga award without having first worked as an assistant.
In this article, we’ll discuss what manga is, how to become a manga artist, and how to find a manga artist.
What Is Manga?
For some people, the word “manga” brings back fond memories of a childhood spent reading comic books, while for others, it conjures up images of emotionally exaggerated characters. Because the art form of manga traces its origin centuries back, it’s no wonder that manga is defined in different ways. The fact that there are many genres, each with its own outlandish styles, also plays a crucial role in the various interpretations.
Manga typically refers to graphic novels and comic books, which were originally produced and published in Japan. Japanese manga is always published in black and white, unlike American graphic novels and comic books, which are often printed in full color. For Japanese manga, full-color prints are only used for special releases.
Manga involves immense storytelling via images, where pictures rule supreme. The Japanese characters for manga translate as “picture unbounded” or “pictures run riot”.
There’s minimal reliance on text because the narrative is created via expressive line drawing together with the visual development of individual characters. Manga’s visually immersive quality makes it very popular across the globe.
How Does Someone Become a Manga Artist?
In the past, to become a manga artist, an aspiring artist needed to send their work into a competition held by a publishing company. If they won the competition, their work would be published; then, they would be assigned an editor and officially debut in the industry as a manga artist.
However, today there are several self-published manga artists on the web posting their work. The work of these manga artists may be officially picked up by major publishing companies, such as Shueisha.
How Can I Find a Manga Artist?
If you’re looking to hire a manga artist, you need to put yourself out there to find the right artist to work with you. For instance, you can start by advertising the project you’re working on, whether you’re willing to pay someone to work on your project, or are looking for someone to work for free as a wait to build their portfolio.
The first place to start your search for a manga artist is on an online freelancing platform, like we have here at Guru.com.
Once you advertise your project, it’s your job to find an artist who’s passionate about making manga. Also, it’s your job to convince them to work with you. What are your plans for your manga project?
Will the manga artist be able to make money out of it? Are you going to publish your project anywhere? With the answers to these questions in mind, you’ll be able to find an artist who’s the right fit for your manga project.
Thus, it’s essential to have a good synopsis of your project because you’ll need it to advertise your project effectively to find the right manga artist.
Further, to hire a manga art expert, you can also use webcomic sites, such as Tapas and Webtoon, to find manga artists who have an art style you like, then make a job posting on a freelancer site looking for someone who can create manga that has a similar look and feel.
You can also scroll through different artist profiles to see if there’s one whose style you like and then send them a private message. To avoid spamming the artists, send them a friendly question. For instance, you can start by saying, “Hi, I love your manga art, and I was wondering if you might be interested in working with me?”
Final Thoughts
In the past, you could find manga artists by checking out the winners of various manga competitions and awards or through publishing companies. Today, you can find manga artists anywhere on the web because many artists self-publish their work on social media, on private blogs, and on freelancer sites offering their services.
