Beginning Manga
Beginning Manga treats aspiring illustrators to a fun, interactive learning experience with a variety of creative prompts, tips, exercises, and engaging step-by-step projects. Starting with an introduction to tools and materials, readers learn new drawing and inking techniques, as well as how to work with colour thanks to a variety of simple step-by-step projects and prompts designed to spark creativity and inspire artists to create unique manga worlds of their own. Included are templates and practice pages to assist with developing one's craft in addition to brainstorming, sketching, and collecting project inspiration. All of this and more make Beginning Manga the perfect resource for aspiring manga artists and illustrators.
~ [Buy Beginning Manga from Amazon.co.uk] ~

Toyota GT86 Campaign
Toyota GB asked me to create a series of images in homage to the well-loved Manga/Anime Initial D, whose main character drift races with the AE86. As the GT86 is the spiritual successor to the AE86, I helped to make images of the old car racing the new car!
~ [Read about it on Toyota GB's blog] ~

Manga Your World
Beguiling and beautiful Manga is much easier to draw than it looks. With a fun exercise-book approach to this Japanese comic style, Manga Your World will help you to inject Manga magic into your everyday life, through a series of easy-to-follow, sketching challenges and scenarios. Draw your friends, bento-style lunch box, beloved pooch, or even yourself, in a Manga-style selfie!
~ [Buy Manga Your World from Amazon.co.uk] ~

Draw Manga: Complete Skills
Includes 25 teaching videos to view online. This combined book and video-guide to drawing manga will allow artists of ANY ability to master this hugely popular drawing style. The 256 page book is packed with step-by-step tutorials on every aspect of manga drawing, basing the instructions around traditional sketching and colouring techniques, and including digital tools for rendering and finishing artwork. The author is highly accomplished professional artist Sonia Leong, who is also creating 25 two-minute video demonstrations designed to link specifically to the content of this book. These video clips are hosted online, and accessed from the book's pages using QR codes (or URLs), making this one of the most user-friendly manga tutor books on the market. Readers will learn how to build up characters from basic shapes and measurements, get the anatomy and poses absolutely right, add crucial design elements to enhance drawings and stories, render artwork in different styles and mediums (including digital), and even start to create comic pages and sequences - for publication in print or online.
~ [Buy Draw Manga: Complete Skills from Amazon.co.uk] ~

101 Top Tips from Professional Manga Artists
A generation of young people influenced by this ever-popular and perennial art form are eager to pick up a pencil to create their own manga. This book reveals the latest techniques for creating digital and traditional manga illustrations. Written by an award-winning manga artist (MOI) with contributions from a select band of fellow professionals, it offers a multitude of eye-opening hints and techniques for the budding creator. From basic drawing tips to designing characters, painting vivid illustrations and creating captivating comics, the book collects the wealth of knowledge and experience of these manga professionals. Covering fundamentals of art alongside tips on becoming a professional, this is the ultimate resource for beginners and more experienced artists alike.
~ [Buy 101 Top Tips from Professional Manga Artists from Amazon.co.uk] ~

1000 Ideas by 100 Manga Artists by Cristian Campos
How much would a course on drawing cost given by the top 100 international manga artists? How much would they charge to share their most highly valued techniques? This book brings together 100 manga artists and asks each one to offer 10 practical tips for the manga enthusiast on techniques, sources of inspiration, and the best way to build their portfolios. Detailed photographs, 1,000 in total, taken by the artists themselves serve to illustrate each of these 1,000 tips. I have a section in this book!
~ [Buy 1000 Ideas by 100 Manga Artists from Amazon.co.uk] ~

Super-Cute Chibis to Draw and Paint by Joanna Zhou
Learn the basic styling and simple visual tricks you need to create this ultra-cute world; discover how to simplify and exaggerate, and to draw out the distinctive elements that will make your figures unique; and discover how to create a collection of lively characters, small in size but big on personality! Each of the 30 step-by-step sequences includes a basic line-work drawing you can copy, scan, or trace, so that even the complete beginner can get started right away. I was one of the contributors to this how-to-draw book.
~ [Buy Super-Cute Chibis from Amazon.co.uk] ~

Creating Comics! by Judith Salavetz and Spencer Drate
The ways of expressing a story in art are many and varied. The use of perspective, creative page layout, continuous action flowing from one panel to the next, a collage design, the use of shadow and light, and intersecting panels are all techniques for telling a story. The avenues of expression are as varied as the artists and cartoonists who express them. Creating Comic Art takes you on a journey to explore those approaches to artistic expression through the eyes of 47 artists. I have a section in this book!
~ [Buy Creating Comics! from Amazon.co.uk] ~ [Buy Creating Comics! eBook edition from Amazon.co.uk] ~

I, Hero by Skidmore and Barlow, Sonia Leong, UK£4.99 each
I, Hero is a series of choose-your-own-adventure books for children 8 years old and upwards, launched in 2007. Viking Blood follows the journey of a young Viking warrior seeking to avenge his village; Code Mission is based in WWII where you play a British spy undercover in occupied France; Death or Glory tracks your progress from slave to celebrated Roman Gladiator; Gorgon's Cave takes you on an adventure through the fantastic creatures of Greek myth; Pirate Gold needs to be recovered with the help of Francis Drake; Save the Empire by solving a Victorian mystery as a detective; Space Rescue is a daring investigation on the Moon; Strike Force follows your exploits as a special agent; be a Tomb Runner and hunt for ancient treasures in the East; Alien Raid lets you pilot a Mecha Robot against an invasion; Dragon Slayer has you fighting against ferocious monsters and journey to the Castle of Doom as a mage to defeat the evil Count.
~ [Buy Viking Blood from Amazon] ~
~ [Buy Code Mission from Amazon] ~
~ [Buy Death or Glory from Amazon] ~
~ [Buy Gorgon's Cave from Amazon] ~
~ [Buy Pirate Gold from Amazon] ~
~ [Buy Save the Empire from Amazon] ~
~ [Buy Space Rescue from Amazon] ~
~ [Buy Strike Force from Amazon] ~
~ [Buy Alien Raid from Amazon] ~
~ [Buy Tomb Runner from Amazon] ~
~ [Buy Dragon Slayer from Amazon] ~
~ [Buy Castle of Doom from Amazon] ~

Walker Books: Girls FC
I illustrated the covers for this series of books by Helena Pielichaty. A heartwarming and funny series of children's books about a girls football club and their wacky players, 9-12yrs. I've read all of the books so far and I love them! The girls are so real and take life as it comes.
~ [Buy Girls FC1: Do Goalkeepers Wear Tiaras? from Amazon] ~
~ [Buy Girls FC2: Can Ponies Take Penalties? from Amazon] ~
~ [Buy Girls FC3: Are All Brothers Foul? from Amazon] ~
~ [Buy Girls FC4: Is An Own Goal Bad? from Amazon] ~
~ [Buy Girls FC5: Who Ate All the Pies? from Amazon] ~
~ [Buy Girls FC6: What's Ukrainian for Football? from Amazon] ~
~ [Buy Girls FC7: So What If I Hog the Ball? from Amazon] ~
~ [Buy Girls FC8: Can't I Just Kick It? from Amazon] ~
~ [Buy Girls FC9: We're The Dream Team, Right? from Amazon] ~
~ [Buy Girls FC10: Has Anyone Seen Our Striker? from Amazon] ~

Channel 4: The I.T.Crowd, Season 3
I was contacted by Channel 4 in 2008 because they wanted me to contribute some artwork for Season 3 of the award-winning UK sitcom The I.T. Crowd in order to dress the set with my anime/manga illustrations. You can spot my artwork in Jen's Office! Below are some small screenshots from episode 3 (Tramps Like Us) and the images used:
~ [Buy The I.T. Crowd, Season 3 DVDs from Amazon] ~

How Manga Took over the World 2008
This touring exhibition was launched at the Manchester URBIS Centre and ran from 13 March - 21 Sept '08. It is now on display at the hub, Northampton from 17 Feb - 3 May '09. I created the mascot Umeko, she is seen throughout the exhibition in different styles and poses to match the various themes. Below are some photos:

50 Manga Babes to Draw and Paint by Chi Han Li
Discover how to draw and paint 50 groovy girls from different styles and genres of manga art. Each character is presented with a full-page final image; working sketches; detailed instructions for lineart, coloring, and shading; sketches showing a range of poses and perspectives; and advice on color palettes, clothing, and accessories. All techniques are clearly explained, from finding inspiration to using both traditional and digital media. You will also find indispensable advice on manga female body shapes and proportions as well as information on rendering traditional Japanese clothing. I was one of the main contributors to this how-to-draw book.
~ [Buy 50 Manga Babes from Amazon.co.uk] ~

500 Manga Characters by Sweatdrop Studios, UK£14.99
The biggest collection of manga clip art ever collected on one disc is at your disposal with 500 Manga Figures. Now you can create stunning artwork quickly and easily by using this vast collection of high-resolution (300ppi) images that are ready to use in any project. Not only that, but the book teaches you how to use professional colouring techniques, add figures to backgrounds and create your own manga. 500 Manga Figures is perfect for designers looking for that Japanese pop-culture look, or for manga fans to create amazing artwork without learning to draw. Experience the power of manga x500!
~ [Buy 500 Manga Characters from Amazon] ~

My largest contributions were Teenage Female contemporary, Teenage Female traditional, Action, Gothic Lolita, Child Female and Adult Female

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Manga Clip Art, by Hayden Scott-Baron, UK£14.99
"Manga Clip Art" by Hayden Scott-Baron (Dock from Sweatdrop Studios) is a combination of book and CD. The CD contains thousands of variations of ready-made manga lineart illustrations from professionals, and Adobe Photoshop Elements. The book starts off with a digital colouring tutorial, then showcases the combinations of lineart that are possible.
~ [Buy Manga Clip Art from Amazon] ~

My contributions/appearances were Contents; Traditional Asian pg70-73; Male Warrior pg74-77; and Female Warrior pg78-81

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Popcorn (2007), DVD RRP UK£24.99
During winter 2005/2006, I was asked to create the comic book character, Yukino for a British movie, Popcorn (Directed by Darren Fisher, starring Jack Ryder, Jodie Albert). Jack Ryder plays Danny who is essentially an otaku fanboy about the character Yukino. When he goes to his local cinema and discovers a girl working there, Suki (Jodie Albert) happens to resembles Yukino, things get silly. My work appears in various key moments throughout the film to showcase the resemblance between comics and real life. Visit the official movie website at www.popcorn-themovie.com
~ [Buy Popcorn on DVD from Amazon] ~

TableStar Games LLC - HeroCard Cyberspace
HeroCard Cyberspace is a strategic game of careful manipulation and vicious combat. Players use Avatar figures to gain control of networks, which allow them to score and place more Avatars. As the game progresses, the board itself evolves, and players must use firewalls and link tokens to maneuver themselves and their opponents. Dueling is accomplished by the HeroCard system, but the losing player gets "hacked," and must forfeit their actions to the winner. Visit the TableStar Games LLC - Herocard Cyberspace website at www.tablestargames.com/cyberspace.html

Myself and several of my colleagues from Sweatdrop Studios were hired to create artwork for the table top adventure card game, Herocard Cyberspace. I was the lead artist/project manager, creating the bulk of the character art/colouring and overall look.

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Drawing Manga, by Selina Dean, UK£9.99
"Drawing Manga" by Selina Dean covers all the beginner needs to draw their favourite types of characters, including people, monsters and mascots. There's advice on drawing figures, adding expressions, designing clothing and posing your characters. An essential section is included on creating different characters, examining the design points which make each character unique. Other sections cover the practical techniques needed to create comics - developing storyboards, creating layouts, scripting, including backgrounds, and using inking and colouring techniques. A final chapter includes some more advanced techniques to enable readers to create finished artwork on their own.
~ [Buy Drawing Manga from Amazon] ~

My contributions/appearances were What is Manga? pg9 lineart; Styles and roles pg11 (Shoujo); Working with reference pg14-15; Child Female pg58-59; Teenage Male pg61; Monsters pg75 77; and Creating Comics pg88

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International Manga and Anime Festival (IMAF) 2005
I designed the official mascots for IMAF 2005, the i-Team. I was also involved in judging the competition in 2005 and 2006, which had an US$85,000 prize fund. Visit the IMAF website at www.imaf.co.uk
The mascots were used all over London County Hall:

NEO Magazine, UK£3.99
I have been featured in the UK's only Asian pop culture magazine many times, providing Manga art guidance and showcasing art. I was also the first of five winners from NEO's first Manga competition in 2005. NEO Magazine is available from all large newsagents throughout the UK and subscriptions through their website, www.neomag.co.uk If you would like to view a selection of scans, head to the Promo set on my Flickr account.

Wacom-Europe: Manga Campaign
Wacom is the leading manufacturer of graphics tablets. Since 2005, I have been working with Wacom-Europe on their manga campaign, I created the Wacom Catgirl as their mascot, written tutorials for Wacom and have provided demonstrations of their product on numerous occasions.
Visit their Manga website at www.wacom-europe.com/manga

Draw Manga, by Sweatdrop Studios, UK£9.99
"Draw Manga" by Sweatdrop Studios goes back to basics explaining what the manga style is and the tools and materials needed. There follows a series of tutorials in depth on how to build up your characters from first principles - facial structure, anatomy, proportions then leading to individual character elements such as eyes, hair, accessories and clothing. Subsequent step-by-step projects show how to put all of the individual elements together to create effective manga characters. It finishes with projects from the masters - creating polished pieces of manga-style art using various mediums, such as markers and watercolours.
~ [Buy Draw Manga from Amazon] ~

I was the Sweatdrop editor and lead artist on this How-to-Draw book, commissioned by New Holland Publications. I wrote many of the key tutorials, and managed and co-ordinated this project. Sections written and illustrated by me include Introduction; Tutorials: Head, Figures & Proportion, Action lines & Poses, Clothing; Step-by-Step Creation: Male Child Alternative, Teenage Female; and Projects from the Masters: Coloured Markers

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