Mecha Manga: The Pocket Guide to Drawing All Manga Robots and Machines (Mini Manga)
Regular readers of ABR will know of my allergy to pocket-size books. This is art, fer goodness sake, make it big so we can see it, will you! Small is NOT beautiful, it's hard to see and you have to force the pages back till your hands hurt in order to see them. The pages, not your hands, don't get smart with me when I'm having a rant, it makes me angry. However, just once in a while something comes along that doesn't just float my boat, it launches a whole navy, kersplash, all at once. And these little books are one of those things. No, they shouldn't work and, yes, at a fiver a pop, they are expensive, but what they do, really rather neatly, is offer you a single idea on a spread. Nothing so very unusual in that, I'll grant you, but this is minimalism taken to its absolute limit and it really is just one thing, not even a whole concept. I like that. I like that you can have just Men's Jeans or The Female Mouth just on their own. In fact, I'd recommend Manga Tips to anyone who wants to draw the human figure because it's full of basic ideas (like the more comprehensive and better value Mega Manga). The other one that comes at the same time is Mecha Manga, which is more specialised, concentrating on that I take to be robot figures you can't do without. Both books are arranged by category, so finding things is very easy, though flicking through and trusting to serendipity is a good approach too.  Like I said, a fiver's a lot for a tiny book, but it's not a fiver wasted, I'd also say. And I don't say it often.-Artbookreview.net Originating in Japan, manga has become a growing art genre across the world. The word manga means Comic and these figures are very much in the traditional comic book style. These really handy sized little pocket books will be great as presents, and so useful to just take out with you to practice techniques when you're at a loose end. This book covers the art of mecha manga - for those of us not in the know this is manga robots and machines. My 10 year old grandson has had great fun browsing the books and looking at the different robots - typical boy, and I think not only will these books help with artwork but with story writing too as they transport one into a different world. The essentials of drawing manga are highlighted and explained, and many examples are shown making it easy to recreate your own manga robots, whether animal or military in type. The beauty of these books is that whatever you want to create is only limited by your imagination. In the same way as fantasy artists let their mind range free, so you can when creating these mecha manga. "Mecha Manga" is the ideal pocket book to this exciting artform, and is an excellent accompaniment to Manga Tips to give a fantastic reference into a world created from your imagination.-JeannieZelos.com The Mini Manga series are small books that are packed with information for people interested in the distinctive manga style of drawing. This series takes a detailed look at manga drawing covering mecha manga (manga robots and machines), tips for drawing manga, faces and hair, and hands and feet. Manga artist, Yishin Li, explains and demonstrates the essentials of different types of manga drawing. The small format of the books makes them extremely portable and ideal for carrying around. They are full of information and manga inspiration and represent good value for money. This series is ideal for beginners as well as more experienced manga artists.-Suite101.com