I can draw manga.
I'm good enough at drawing manga that I've even won 10,000 yen in a monthly award from a certain weekly manga magazine.
Back then I used paper and ink, but now I draw doujinshi and other things completely digitally.
So I know firsthand the difference between analog and digital.
Below I'll share my impressions of using each method.
Conclusion: Digital is better 99% of the time
I have no choice but to give a blunt conclusion right from the start.
With analog, you can erase incorrect lines if they are just a rough sketch, but with ink, it's a one-shot deal, so you have no choice but to cover up any lines you make mistakes with correction fluid.
With digital, it's a one-shot with CTRL+Z. But be careful because you can go back several steps.
If you can do this, it's unbeatable in terms of convenience.
Not only that, you can also use various functions such as up/down/left/right inversion at will.
What's more, there's no need for bulky paper or art supplies, ink work while fearing spills, or scratchy toning with a cutter.
It's all in the software.
Large solid colors can be finished in an instant with a bucket.
And the abundant assets will largely take care of areas you're weak at and tedious work.
Even with digital, art supplies will be consumed, but you don't need to visit the art supply store as often as with analog.
So, in my opinion, I overwhelmingly recommend creating manga digitally over analog.
...With all of the above in mind.
What are the advantages of analog? What do you need to be careful of when switching to digital?
① Digital is not as intuitive as paper and pen.
Naturally, there is no more intuitive interface than the human body and physics.
As a premise, once you get used to a pen tablet, it doesn't bother you so much.
But there is no true intuition, that is, the way the pen catches on each and every fiber of the paper, a subtle sensation that cannot be measured even with a ruler, that serves as a clue to the flow of the line.
This is not there, even in the doodles in the corners of a notebook.
That's why you can't draw the same characters as with analog. **
This is probably the main reason why people don't give up using analog as their main tool.
The aim of digital devices like pen tablets is to get as close as possible to analog, but conversely, this means that it is extremely difficult to reproduce the essence of analog.
There is no solution to this problem... There is.
It's not so much a problem as it is a characteristic of the tool, so just adapt your body to the tool.
You will at least get used to it after a week of use.
②It is not completed on a single sheet of manuscript paper.
Paper manuscript work is the act of creating a product on a single piece of manuscript paper.
Whether you laugh or cry, a page is just a single piece of paper, and the extremely intuitive result is always right in front of you.
So, with that said, take a look at a page I've made up as a sample.
Even with such a simple doodle page with no solid colors or background, the layer structure on the right has become so numerous and complicated that it's easy to slide your eye over it.
It's quite far from the idea of making something on a single piece of paper.
Because you can trace your work back indefinitely, it's hard to make the decision to do something on paper like "as long as it all adds up in the end, it's fine! Let's just go for it!", and because there are so many layers, it's common to make the mistake of writing on the wrong layer.
In the first place, the concept of making a layer mistake doesn't exist with analog.
The mindset for transitioning to digital is to accept that this is just the way it is.
Even if you try to simplify the layer structure as much as possible, if your style involves layering tones multiple times, you'll end up with a lot of layers.
3) Depends on the mood of devices such as PCs
Is there something wrong with your PC depending on the day?
It's not so common that it will suddenly crash and wipe out all the pictures or manga you've been working on for a long time (it does happen sometimes), but there are times when it's better to use a restore point or backup to roll back, or even if it doesn't go that far, it's quite common that it's slow and the pen behaves strangely.
Also, as for problems with Clip Studio, sometimes the installation location of materials disappears without warning and you have to spend some time re-setting it up.
(Similar phenomena occur on most platforms with client software such as Steam.)
No, even in analog manga production, there are certainly situations and accidents that can interfere with production, right?
But those are mostly physical and intuitive things based on the body, like accidentally spilling coffee on a manuscript, or being careful not to get sweat on the manuscript because it's hot today.
There's nothing like that with electronic device malfunctions.
It's a surprise that strikes from outside of the senses.
Ultimately, the only way to deal with this is to be prepared,
and frequently save and regularly back up your work.
With analog, you're forced to save both your results and mistakes, so it's something you don't have to think about.
Side: How to back up your work environment
On a PC,
if you click here in CLIP STUDIO
This will appear, so press here
Like this
You won't be able to back up your data if software like CLIP STUDIO PAINT is running, and since you'll also be uploading your data online, this may take some time depending on your environment and the amount of material you have.
Do this during a break or when you have some free time.
Even with all of the above in mind, digital is still recommended...but?
Strength in exchange for physicality and intuition
So, the problem/stumbling point with digital is
"the physicality fades in every way and it becomes less intuitive"
But that being said.
Well, I've said all sorts of things, but I can make 50 pages of full-color manga by myself in a month (albeit of doujin quality). Without putting any strain on my body.
This is something that would be impossible to do with analog. **
The first manga I drew with ink and a manuscript was a normal 8-page black and white 4-panel manga, and it took me 2 weeks, although I wasn't used to it.
Even if I improve my skills and triple the quality and speed, I can only get 30 pages of black and white per month.
50 pages of color is impossible (refrain). **
Just for one panel layout, with a paper manuscript you would have to make an outline with a ruler and pencil, then draw the borders with a ruler and marker...
But with Clip Studio Paint, it looks like this.
This is a 4x speed gif,
but even with that taken into account, it took less than 1/10 of the time it would take with analog.
The digital manga environment is very powerful if you can use it to your advantage.
If you want to create manga as a product, I can only recommend that digital is better than analog.
However, there is no need to throw away paper and pen.
The Magic of Paper: What It’s Good for and What It’s Not
Have you ever heard that the most effective way to quit drinking is to take a pen in your own hand, write "No Drinking" on a piece of copy paper or something, and stick it on the wall?
It won't work if you do it digitally or have someone else write it for you.
There is a kind of magic in physical paper and pen. **It's not occult.
Also, I mentioned earlier that digital is more convenient than analog,
but this is only true if you're making manga, serious illustrations, or other elaborate products that require a lot of effort.
Paper and pen are overwhelmingly the best for quickly grabbing something and writing it down, such as doodling on the go, taking notes, illustrating things for others, or jotting down ideas that suddenly pop into your head.
Also, if you've moved your manga to digital but still want to retain the magic, physicality, and intuition of paper, you can go through a process like writing a rough draft on paper and then scanning it.
It's also recommended for people who aren't sure about going all digital right away.
Summary: Let's mix things up
I believe that the medium of manga is the ultimate form of comprehensive art that can be created by an individual (that's an exaggeration).
Its biggest drawback is that it takes so much effort to create that it shortens your lifespan,
but digital production greatly mitigates this.
That's why I recommend a digital environment to people who create interesting things, so that they can live long, healthy lives and create lots of work.
But at the same time, it would be a waste to throw away the physicality, intuition, and magic of paper and pen.
Recently, digital illustrators have started uploading analog artwork.
One reason for this is likely a desire to promote themselves in an age of AI, but it's also likely that they've taken this opportunity to reevaluate the power of analog.
If you're hesitant to switch to digital, your feeling is correct in a sense.
But that's how it is. You just need to find a good balance and incorporate it.
You can incorporate some analog into the digital manga process, try analog occasionally in your drawing activities outside of manga, or even just doodle in a notepad, so it's fine to use paper and pen every day.
To sum up,
If you aim for a balance of mostly digital with a little analog, I think you can get the best out of the digital transition while keeping the discomfort and difficulty of the transition to digital to a minimum.
This concludes the tips.
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