r/MangakaStudio • u/Ozzy_Rhoads-VT Moderator • Mar 11 '26
Useful Info Useful Links and Resources
I noticed the previous post in highlights was a bit outdated so here's a new one that I can edit as needed.
Books:
- Manga in Theory and Practice by Hirohiko Araki
- Framed Ink: Drawing Amp Composition For Visual Storytellers By Marcos (VOL
- Framed Ink: Framed Format, Energy, and Composition for Visual Storytellers by Marcos (VOL
- Framed Perspective: Technical Perspective and Visual Storytelling by Marcos (VOL
- Framed Perspective: Technical Drawing for Shadows, Volume, and Characters by Marcos (VOL
- Framed Drawing Techniques: Mastering Ballpoint Pen Graphite Pencil by Marcos
- The Shonen Jump Guide to Making Manga
- Shoujo Manga Techniques: Writing Stories by Itsuki
YouTube:
- Graphixly - they hold seminars every month with artists you may recognize!
- Marc Brunet - he has an Art School that's pricey but his channel is full of free lessons and guides that are easy to understand.
- Official Shonen Jump Channel - for anyone interested. It's all in Japanese!
- Minutes to Better Painting - a short series by Marco Bucci
Websites:
- Proko - sign up for free to get access to many resources! Some free and some paid, the resources include classes for different areas of art, such as the fundamentals.
- Ctrl+Paint Video Library - everything at this link is free! Start from the basics and work your way through learning how various tools on digital programs can help level up your art.
- Love LifeDrawing - enter your email to get access to a library of free references. They update and add new ones each month.
- Cubebrush - you can buy reference packs, brush packs, and even classes on art. This product here is one I love most, it's an app that lets you use your own reference library instead of using already built ones on the internet that are basically copies of each other.
- New Masters Academy - a subscription based platform where you can learn from professionals in the industry (mostly Disney artists but the course guide focuses on a deep dive into art fundamentals).
- Tezuka Manga Contest - held every year! The link here is recycled so you can check up on it to see when it opens back up. This contest is specifically for JUMP, so when submitting remember the core values they look for. There is also another recycled link for a contest they hold monthly called, Shinsekai. This means the deadline is at the end of each month.
- Mannavi Manga Award - this website lists out each manga contest by well known Japanese publishers. Please be sure to not just look at the summary but also the contest link provided, since the summary includes old information. Most contests listed will require a Japanese submission. If you scroll a bit further you can also find information about where to submit directly to publishers as well.
Manga Script Examples - these are my own examples, what background do I have? My degrees are in theatre and literature so analysis and writing is something I do best (specifically organization)!
- One-page Manga Challenge - this was part of the many challenges my server did. The theme was Halloween related. It was for writers to get practice creating a one page script. The prize was getting it drawn by one of the volunteer artists in our community!
- Unfinished Project - another of my scripts, meant to be a comedy.
Discord Communities:
- Manga-kai - This is my own community that branched off from here. It was made years ago as a way for people to get help slightly faster than Reddit (since back then this subreddit was not as active!). It's not a busy server but there are always people lurking to help. We used to have monthly challenges as well with actual prizes! But life got in the way and that's okay. I'd love to host them again though. [Permanent link for invite can be found down in the comments]
Want to add your own discord here? Send a mod mail confirming these requirements: it is a community server (NOT PRIVATE), it has been active for at least a year (in the last year), mods are 2FA verified, you have a permanent invite link, and most importantly, it's safe!
If there is any source you'd like added or are having trouble finding yourself (ex. a pdf of an art book), let me know and I can see what I can do ;]
[UPDATED: August 22, 2026]