Reference pages on the formal techniques of anime and manga: perspective, speed lines, screentone, eye design, expression vocabulary, lettering, 3D-CG integration.
All techniques pages
Click any title below to open the full reference page.
- 3D CG in 2D Anime β Reference on how 3D CG is used inside otherwise hand-drawn anime β for vehicles, crowds, environments, character animation, and cel-shaded full-3D work. The spe
- Background Painting in Anime β Reference on how anime backgrounds are produced β the traditional gouache-on-board method, the move to digital painting, and the principal background studios.
- Color Design in Anime β Reference on how anime palettes and color scripts are developed β the role of the color designer (θ²ε½©θ¨θ¨), tonal continuity across episodes, and software workflow
- Drawing Hands in Manga β Reference on how hands are drawn in manga β anatomical conventions, stylistic schools, common simplifications, and why hands are considered the hardest single e
- Eye Design in Manga and Anime β Reference on how eyes are drawn in manga and anime β proportions, highlight conventions, the Tezuka influence, and how eye design varies by genre, age, and emot
- Facial Expression Vocabulary in Manga β Reference on the stock visual vocabulary of facial expressions in manga: blank eyes, swirly eyes, sweat drops, throbbing veins, ahoge, the catbow mouth and othe
- Lettering and Sound-Effect Design in Manga β Reference on manga lettering: the manuscript-and-typeset tradition for dialogue, the hand-drawn convention for sound effects, and the challenges of cross-langua
- Perspective Construction in Manga β How perspective is constructed in manga panels β one-point, two-point, three-point, fisheye, and Dutch-angle compositions β and the dramatic functions each serv
- Sakuga β Sakuga (δ½η», literally 'drawing pictures') is the term used by Japanese animators and fans for sections of an anime in which the animation itself β its weight, e
- Screentone and Tone Work in Manga β Reference on screentone (γΉγ―γͺγΌγ³γγΌγ³) β the adhesive grey-pattern sheets used to add tone, texture, and shading to monochrome manga, and the digital techniques tha
- Speed Lines and Motion Lines in Manga β Reference on the conventions of speed lines, motion lines, and impact lines in manga β how they encode direction, velocity, focal point, and emotional state.