Coming Up With Ideas

I’m often asked, “How do you come up with your ideas?” It’s not easy to come up with a unique and compelling concept. But is that always necessary? It may surprise you to learn that the “idea” isn’t always the most important aspect of a drawing. How big of an idea is a sunset? Or a person walking a dog? The effectiveness of an idea lies in its execution – in the way you draw it, what to bring to it, and the style. For example, someone walking her dog could be turned into a humorous scene if the dog refuses to budge! It’s a simple premise. The humor lies in how much effort the person uses to pull on the leash, and how determined the dog is not to give in. So remember, a simple idea can be a good idea, if you have fun with it. I hope that helps.

The Master Guide to Drawing Anime: Romance

Anytime I develop an idea for a book, I try to explore the areas that make the subject unique and appealing. My new book, “The Master Guide to Drawing Anime: Romance,” is an art instruction book for drawing a very popular genre: the social life of teens. It’s not only about dating. It’s also about break-ups, make-ups, jealous types, school cliques, and vengeful ex’s. There’s also lot of humor in it.

I’ve also included an important chapter, which is made for the romance genre: how to draw couples on a date. It features characters in scenes with simple backgrounds. Here’s where you get to create “moments” – images where the world seems to stand still, and the only thing that matters is the girlfriend and her boyfriend. These are powerful moments in anime, and I wanted to include them in the book.

There’s also a fun chapter on how-to-create the “perfect” boyfriend. (They’re perfect for about 3 dates, and then suddenly, the girl decides that he’s totally flawed!)

I had the most fun coming up with romance-specific character types, like the infatuated type, the wallflower, the guy who can’t seem to get noticed, etc. This chapter is the essence of anime – character types that everyone can relate to.

So that’s my process for developing a book. I hope you’ll check out “The Master Guide to Drawing Anime: Romance,” at Amazon, Barnes and Nobles, and other booksellers. Thanks for visiting my website. Until next time!

–Christopher

8 Million Copies

A new tally brings the total number of my books sold to 8 million! Look for this badge on my new books that will be coming out soon.

Begin to Draw

 

Humongous Book of Cartooning

Published by Random House
Order Now from Amazon.com, Barnes & Noble, or Indie Bound.

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With my publisher at ANIME NYC!

Here I am, with my publisher, Carrie Kilmer of the Soho Publishing Company, at last month’s anime convention, ANIME NYC. I got to meet hundreds of my readers, signed gobs of books, and gave away a slew of free, signed drawings that I did on the spot. To all who came, thank you! You made it a great event. If you didn’t attend, there’s always next time!