Understanding the demand and beauty of manga drawing in 2025
Understanding the demand and beauty of manga drawing in 2025
Embarking on the adventure of drawing, and specifically manga, is a courageous and exciting step. In this month of December 2025, we see more and more children, teenagers, and even adults grabbing a pencil to bring their imaginations to life. It is a magnificent quest, but one that can sometimes seem full of pitfalls for the beginner. It is important to remember that the manga style, behind its apparent simplicity, rests on solid foundations and a fine understanding of anatomy.
Many think, wrongly, that this universe allows one to ignore the rules of realism. On the contrary, to stylize with elegance, one must first master reality. Whether you are taking exciting courses in a school or exploring this art at home, you will encounter technical challenges. This guide was designed with heart to identify the ten most frequent errors in the work of our students, and above all, to offer you pedagogical solutions to progress serenely throughout the year.
Good teaching does not judge; it accompanies. Whether your goal is a school project, a professional ambition among the artists of tomorrow, or simply the pleasure of creating, understanding these traps is essential. We will talk about anatomy, but also about the choice of materials, opening up to other horizons like watercolor or acrylics, and how workshops during the holidays can transform your perspective.
Error #1: Forgetting the invisible structure (The house without walls syndrome)
Impatience is often the first obstacle. It is tempting to want to draw the fascinating details immediately: sparkling eyes, complex costumes. Yet, this is mistake number one. Imagine building a house by starting with the wallpaper! The result lacks volume and seems to float. In a benevolent workshop, your teacher will always remind you of the softness and importance of the preparatory sketch.
To learn effectively, visualize the simplified skeleton of your hero. Use simple volumes: spheres, cubes, cylinders. This technique is the keystone of any successful illustration. Observe your family daily: try to perceive these geometric shapes under their movements. This trains your eye to understand the structure before the surface.
This construction work ensures that limbs articulate logically. A shoulder does not float; a leg is not a simple stick. By taking this time for reflection at the beginning of your learning, you will avoid the majority of frustrations related to proportions later on.
Error #2: Confusion of ages (When the baby looks like an adult)
Capturing the essence of age is a subtle challenge in the art of manga. It is common to see a child drawn with the proportions of a grown-up, or a baby that strangely resembles a miniature teenager. These nuances often define the levels of mastery of a draftsperson.
Anatomy evolves with life. A baby has a very voluminous head compared to its body (about a quarter of its height), chubby limbs, and an almost invisible neck. Conversely, an adult presents a proportionally smaller head and a slender silhouette. Ignoring these codes creates a feeling of strangeness for the viewer.
To correct this, call upon your sense of observation. In our courses, we often compare morphologies. Draw a baby and a mature character side by side. Look at how the center of gravity shifts. Tender observation of your surroundings or family photos will nourish your mental library and make your characters deeply alive.
Error #3: Rigidity and lack of soul (The line of action)
Do your drawings sometimes seem frozen, lacking breath? This is often a sign that the line of action has been forgotten. By focusing too much on anatomical accuracy, one sometimes loses life and creativity. Manga is an art of movement and energy.
The line of action is that imaginary, fluid curve that traverses the whole body and tells the character's intention. Before detailing, trace this curve. If it is straight and rigid, your hero will be too. Think of the spine: it is the flexible support of life.
Free your gesture! Practice quick sketching, in 30 seconds, to capture the emotion of a pose. Using charcoal can help not to linger on details. It is a liberating method taught in art schools to restore spontaneity to the stroke.
Error #4: Awkward interactions (The couple challenge)
Drawing a character alone is one thing; creating a connection between two beings is another. When drawing a couple or a group, the classic mistake is to conceive them separately and then try to bring them together. The result often lacks naturalness: glances do not meet, hands overlap without really touching.
Managing this space requires seeing the couple as a single entity during the sketch. Visualize the interlocking of volumes. If a hand rests on a shoulder, the clothing must sag slightly under this contact. It is this attention that creates emotion.
Developing these skills requires patience. Observe how people interact in reality. In a collective workshop, posing for one another is an excellent way to understand the mechanics and tenderness of human interactions.
Error #5: Locking yourself into a single technique
In the digital age, it is tempting for a beginner to swear only by the tablet or felt-tip pen. Yet, richness comes from diversity. Depriving yourself of the experience of oil, acrylics, or watercolor is depriving yourself of precious teachers for your eye.
Each material teaches a different lesson. Watercolor, through its transparency, teaches you the delicate management of light. Oil teaches you volume and mass. Charcoal initiates you into dramatic contrasts. This knowledge is then naturally transferred into your manga practice.
Dare to step out of your comfort zone. A complete art school will always encourage you to explore. Integrating the fluidity of a traditional technique into your digital style can reveal a unique and personal artistic signature.
Error #6: Fear of hands and feet
"I hide the hands because it's too hard." This is a phrase that every teacher hears with empathy. Hands are complex, expressive, and scary. But systematically hiding them holds back your learning. Hidden hands often betray a lack of confidence.
However, hands obey a fascinating structural logic. They are not abstract shapes, but precise mechanisms. Feet carry the entire weight of your character's history; they also deserve your attention.
Face this fear with gentleness. Dedicate moments of your work solely to the study of your own hands. It is an exercise accessible everywhere, at school or on the train. The more you draw them, the more they will become expressive allies in your illustrations.
Error #7: The face and the trap of symmetry
The face is the mirror of your character's soul. A frequent error is imbalance: a sliding eye, a crooked jaw. This often happens when one loses sight of the global structure of the head, especially in three-quarter view.
Always return to construction lines. A median line for the axis of the face, a horizontal line for the eyes. These guides must hug the curvature of the skull. Even in a very stylized manga style, anatomical coherence is necessary for the emotion to come through.
A small friendly tip: use a mirror to look at your drawing. The reversed reflection ruthlessly reveals symmetry errors. It is a simple trick that artists have been using for centuries to refine their gaze.
Error #8: Clothes without gravity
Clothes are not simple patterns stuck onto the skin. They have weight, material, life. A common error among children who are starting out is drawing random folds without understanding that they are born from the tensions of the body.
Dress your character only after validating their anatomy. Imagine the fabric wrapping around the forms. Jeans do not fold like silk. Understanding this physics adds immediate credibility to your drawing. The study of drapery is a classic of the arts that considerably enriches manga.
Observe your family's clothes in motion. Understanding how material reacts to gravity will strengthen your style and anchor your characters in reality.
Error #9: Neglecting your creation tools
Talent is paramount, but poor materials can discourage the best intentions. Using unsuitable paper for watercolor or felt-tips that bleed can spoil the pleasure. It is essential to respect one's own work by choosing adequate tools.
Without breaking the bank, investing in decent materials for this year of practice changes everything. Good paper, pleasant pencils, is a mark of respect towards one's own creativity. For parents, offering tools adapted to children is a wonderful encouragement.
During courses or workshops, do not hesitate to ask for advice. Testing different papers allows you to find the one that best responds to your hand. Comfort is a key ingredient of success.
Error #10: Impatience regarding progress
Finally, the most touching error is perhaps psychological. Learning to draw is a long path, not a race. Many beginners judge themselves harshly by comparing themselves to social media stars. Lack of regularity is often due to this discouragement.
Your brain and your hand need time to assimilate these techniques. Regularity is better than punctual intensity. Drawing a little every day anchors skills durably. Be benevolent with yourself: every "failed" drawing is a learned lesson.
Artistic education is a school of patience. Keep your old notebooks: after a year, you will be surprised and proud of the path traveled.
How to move forward and correct these errors?
Learning alone is courageous, but being accompanied often changes the game. A benevolent and expert outside perspective can unlock in a few moments what has been holding you back for months. That is the whole value of a passionate teacher.
Following weekly courses offers a reassuring and stimulating framework. The energy of a group in a workshop carries and motivates. One exchanges tips there, shares doubts and victories. A well-thought-out school program will guide you step by step through technical pitfalls.
For those who wish for total immersion, workshops during the holidays are privileged moments. It is the occasion to dive into one's passion, to test oil or acrylics, and to make a leap forward. These experiences often remain luminous memories for children as well as for adults.
Where to cultivate your passion in French-speaking Switzerland?
If you live in our beautiful region, opportunities to train with seriousness and pleasure exist. Whether you are in Geneva, Lausanne, or the surrounding areas, it is important to find a school that resembles you, a place that values technique as much as self-expression.
Good schools propose curriculums adapted to all levels, from the first pencil stroke to preparation for art exams. Real meetings, in person, bring a gestural correction that an online course cannot equal.
Whether for awakening activities for the youngest or sessions for adults, the offer is vast. Some blossom in a group, others prefer the calm of home classes. The essential thing is to find the way to learn that makes you happy.
Conclusion: Your journey is just beginning
Mastering anatomy and overcoming these errors takes time, love for the stroke, and perseverance. Never be too hard on your creations. Every great master started with clumsy sketches. Keep the joy of drawing intact.
Continue to explore, to marry techniques, to observe the world with curiosity. Art is a wonderful life companion. Whether you practice as a couple, with family, or in your bubble, drawing is one of the most fulfilling activities.
If you feel the desire to be guided in this beautiful adventure, Apolline Ecole d'Arts offers warm and professional accompaniment for young and old throughout French-speaking Switzerland.