PUT STORYTELLING FRONT AND CENTRE

Tony Valente reveals why telling a compelling story in your manga art is just as important as mastering core art techniques

- Tony Valente

It may come as a surprise, but I'm not that much into drawing, or even colouring.

I like it enough to do it every day, but only if I use it as a tool for storytelling. I realised as an adult that I developed an interest in drawing only as a means to bring characters to life. And that's a big difference compared to the love of drawing in itself!

I always draw with storytelling in mind, not for the aesthetic of it. I'm relatively bad at basics such as anatomy, perspective, volume, colour theory and composition. But I've learned a bunch of things, from spending 20-plus years in this industry, doing around 4,000 pages of comics and manga. So whenever I need to represent something for my stories, I can focus on a problem and dig into all types of solutions for the sake of the narrative, the character, the scene and the setting. I want to get it right for the story to flow.

If you're like me, and not really into the technical aspect of drawing, perhaps these tips can help you on your journey and give you some things to reflect on. If you're into drawing techniques, I'm afraid that you may already know far more than I do! But maybe some of my thoughts can trigger some questions.

1 CONSIDER WHAT CONTRIBUTES TO THE NARRATIVE

Everything can tell a story. The direction of the light can indicate the time of day, a facial expression can convey a mood, hand gestures and eye contact can give a hint about a discussion, and a shadow cast on the foreground can evoke a building out of frame, giving scope to the space. Composition is key for showing what's important, but anything can enhance the storytelling and breathe life into your drawings.

2 SEE THE BIG PICTURE