The Art of Drawing Manga

This was a fun book to read and learn from. However as a beginner, it was a bit hard for me to follow. The Art of Drawing Manga is written by Talia Horsburgh and is an interesting book that helps a person learn to draw manga. I was really excited for this because it said that you do not need to be an expert to try out this book. However, I am a beginner and I had quite a bit of trouble with the book.
I liked how this book was set up with a detailed introduction in the beginning. It was really helpful as I did not know anything about drawing manga. But once I got to the drawing part, it got complicated. The first thing it tried to show me how to draw was a face. But it did not really have a lot of steps so it was hard for me to follow. I did like the way the book was set up though, and I think that if a person already knows how to draw this is perfect for them.
The Art of Drawing Manga is a great book especially if you already have some drawing skills. However it would be a harder book to start with if you are a beginner. All in all, I would recommend this book but I would probably recommend it to those who already have a firm foundation in regards to drawing.

I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book which I received from the publisher through Netgalley. All views expressed are only my honest opinion, a positive review was not required.

tl;dr
A great resource for beginner or hobby artists with very nice artwork, and some incredibly useful tips. Covers a lot of ground, so doesn't manage to be terribly in depth.

About
A how-to-draw book covering manga-styled artwork with succinct notes on character design, anatomy, and page layouts. Contains several step-by-step instructions of a variety of characters to draw.

What I Liked
I've been drawing for a long time, so these days most of my art books are references, and not how-tos. However, people often ask me for suggestions for beginners, so I'm always on the lookout for a new how-to-draw book. It's always been a struggle; there are a lot of how to draw manga books on the market that just sort of... look bad. This is not one of them. The art is very cute and competently done. Poses, perspective, and other complex ideas are well-executed. The coloring is particularly good, and I am more than happy to learn from this artist. The tips that we get are very helpful. (e.g. Breaking down hair, hands, or feet, into "zones.") Anatomy is consistent, and I appreciated that there were multiple examples of most things. The step-by-step content breaks down shapes really well, and is easy to follow. Chapters cover the basics in a quick and easy to understand manner. My favorite section was how to draw hair. I love how the artist draws hair, and I'm glad I got to learn from it. Overall, I think this is a very accessible book, especially for newcomers to art.

What Wasn't for Me
Being good at something doesn't necessarily mean being good at teaching it, and I think the text of the book falls short of the quality of the art in a few places. For example, a couple step-by-step illustrations outline the shape of the body first before adding clothing, but I can't find anywhere in the text (specifically the section about clothing) that discusses why this is important. Very little time is spent on how to color, which is a shame because I adore the artist's coloring style and would like to have learned more about it. Not a lot of body types explored in the anatomy section.

I really enjoyed reading this book because it actually explains what you’re supposed to do. A lot of art books only show you pictures and they are never detailed enough. This one had at least 4 drops for each type of drawing. I also loved that it actually shows you how to outline the shape of the face and body. It’s nice to have all the steps in one book. As a beginner artist that enjoys reading manga and watching anime, this book was extremely helpful.