How to keep your artist happy - a guide for manga writers

So, you have a great idea for a manga. Cool! Trust me, I know how hard it is to come up with a great story. But if you can’t draw, you need a good artist – and you need to keep them on the project. For most experienced manga writers, you know how hard it is keeping an artist interested in realizing your idea. So what do you do? Well, when you are writing a manga, first of all remember that 90% of the work is on the artist's side. I'm sorry, but it's true. A manga page takes on average 5 to 10 hours to draw. How long does it take to write?

So, coming from that perspective, you should immediately feel that you should be doing anything possible to help the artist out. After all, they are bringing your vision to life. And I think this is where a lot of partnerships fall apart - the writer does not know how to help, the artist feels they do not fully appreciate how much time and effort is being spent in creating his/her vision, and then the artist gets resentful. And just like a good marriage, all that is required is a little communication! Well, maybe a few other things are required in a marriage... >_<

So before you come to an artist, you MUST have a fully realized vision. No half-thought out stories with no ending. And for a first manga with a new artist, the shorter the better. 15 to 22 pages is ideal. If you don’t know how to create a short manga, well then you better learn. That’s your job as the writer, isn’t it?

And before you even being looking for an artist, you need to have your manga fully written out, and it needs to be detailed. Don’t come schlepping in with some two-paragraph story outline. The ONLY layout you should use for a manga script is this:

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Page One:

Panel One:
Character One is standing, camera angle from below looking up at face.
Character One: "Man, this manga script rocks!"

Panel Two:
Etc...

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I got this from a manga writing workshop from some pretty famous (albeit western) manga team… I don't remember who they were, though. I don't read western manga, I just draw it. I'm such a bigot, lol. Either way, the team had been together for over 10 years, so they must have been doing something right. I understand if you want to give the artist freedom, but give them the structure first and then say "if you think anything would look better, feel free to change it". Then you’re giving them the option, but you’re not forcing them to do all the work.

Also, always ask the artist if there is anything else you can do to help.

Another important thing to provide is costume ideas, vehicle ideas, etc... WITH examples. This isn't so important if it is a modern day shoujo tale where the outfits are always trendy and changing, but if it's sci-fi, historical, or fantasy, you MUST provide these. Don't expect the artist to do all the leg work, they’re already doing the lion's share of the work.

Also, make sure your artist gives you the sketch before it is inked. Comment on any changes you want then. DO NOT EVER say "oh, I actually wanted a different angle on this one..." once it is fully colored. The artist has already spent hours putting the panel together by the time is it colored, they will be more than a little peeved if you want it changed at that point. So get the sketch, and figure out all the changes you want then. Also have them send the inked version before it is colored, to recheck for any changes you want made.

So, yes, the creative process is a tough one. Writing a manga is tough, coming up with a story is tough. But I've done that, and I've done the drawing. And trust me, the drawing is equally tough, but it takes A LOT more time. So give your artist a break, and do things the right way. Don't just send them a rough story outline and expect them to do the rest. Unless your artist has the soul of mother Teresa, she/he is probably not going to finish it - no matter how good his/her intentions were coming into the project. So put yourself in your artist's shoes, and your relationship will be all the better for it. ^_- Also, the more you pay your artist, the more appreciated they will feel. ^_^

We're a touchy lot, us artists. =D

P.S. I'm not criticizing anyone for not doing this, obviously, as I don't know anyone else's process. I'm just giving some pointers, as most artists don't feel comfortable telling their writers what they want, and most writers just don't have any way of knowing. So I hope this helped. ^_^

By Laura Anderton (http://www.laura-anderton.com)