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AdamWarren β WIZARD Basic Training 1
Published: 2007-03-05 16:11:37 +0000 UTC; Views: 20012; Favourites: 249; Downloads: 1459
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Description
The first page (of five) from the "Basic Training" tutorial I did for WIZARD magazine, back in the halcyon year of 1997... Time was very, very short on this feature, with no time for inking, so I did the artwork solely in pencils.The art style of the piece has not aged gracefully, but some of the commentary might still be worthwhile. Specifically, the system for facial-structure analysis remains valid; that's how I first learned to draw faces "anime/ manga style," by using tracing paper to figure out the facial proportions of Tsukasa Dokite's Dirty Pair chara designs, as well as those from Rumiko Takahashi's manga Urusei Yatsura. The technique is best applied to anime character design sheets, the images from which are likely to be more consistent and carefully constructed than the average panel from a manga.
Much thanks to "Megasad"/ Simon B. for the scan, as I no longer possess a copy of the issue in question...
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Comments: 43
man, this material was priceless for me in my teens. I think I might still have a xerox copy, in a drawer somewhere
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Nostalgia, this is how i first became aware of your existance.
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Thank you very much for the tutorial !!! οΌβΒ΄οΌΟοΌο½βοΌ
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I still have this article tucked in a folder by my drawing table. I tore it out of the magazine and threw the rest away when I moved out.
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I still have a copy of this issue, somewhere.
Talk about a long time ago.
I was in 9th grade (I'm 27, now)
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This is exactly what got me started on the manga-esque style. Used to spend hours just pouring over these few pages trying to learn how you did what you did.
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i actually have these.i tore them out and studied them like they were the ark of the covenant.i then made any of my proteges read them also.they were like a breath of fresh air to me.
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ahhhh remember this old basic training, this was gold, i rock paper and scissors rules
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Back in 97, I could only dream of being good enough to draw like this. I'm still not, but this sort of tutorial is so much more useful to me now than it was when I first saw it.
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I like how you do alot of training issues, I've seen some from way back. Personally I think it's always good to tell artists in training to practice from life instead of focusing on styles. But any way, always happy to see artists spreading the knowledge.
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-laughs- i still have the issue this was printed in. i didnt want to throw it away due to your this.
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Ah! I remember this. This was by far my most favorite art course back when I still used to read Wizard. Years later I cut the pages out and threw away the magazine, I guess, I still have those pages somewhere *lol*.
I liked the pencils a lot and I still do.
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I checked out all 5 pages at school dude. i am so gonna use this and read this n learn from it ^^ Always good to learn from the best!!
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Oh wow - I did the design & layout of this article when I worked at Wizard. I think it was one of the best "Basic Trainings" they ever ran - a real breath of fresh air after several months of Jim Balent articles. I even had it in my graphic design portfolio for a while!
I might still have a copy of that issue somewhere if you want it, just let me know.
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this is so nostalgic!
1997 was an amasing year for me, when I could go to my first anime/manga convention and also could learn a lot of artists that I would never thought exist, between them you.
I dont want to start a droll fangirlism here but its true.
I was so happy to know that someone not from Japan could also be so cool doing manga stylle..
I wasnt so conected to news from comic world and your magazines here in Brazil were expensive itens that just some few people had - by shipping them...
I have some your works and was glad that after some years they managed to publish them here in portuguese. Gen13 and Titans. I already had them but I was happy because new kids could have the chance that I didnt: having good comics and mangas to read without spend a lot of money or having to wait 3 months to read something. that time, if you want some good comic art you had to import from USA, Japan or Europe...
now the kids just have to go to the next door magazine shop... 
Having born in a world that already have fast internet, ipod and google...
and sorry for my poor english. A big hug for ya, mastah Wa-Ren.
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Hey it is a nice tutorial but could you make the font bigger it is a little hard to read.
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Sorry, those are the largest scans I received. The best I can suggest, unfortunately, is to download the pages, then zoom in and out of 'em in Photoshop or Windows Image Viewer or the like.
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yay, it's my learner pamphlet! this is how i learned when i was just starting out. it helped me tons!
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wow so that is what you look like
you need a hug for somebody
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yep i remember these..(cause ive always had them with me) heheh cool basic training btw
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Ah, I remember this -- I had it copied and the pages posted on my office wall since I worked in a character-design field.
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I use very different proportions for drawing manga, but I actually learned a lot from this same pages.
It opened my eyes to the differences in manga style and I realised I had to find my own style (I'm still working on that 
Thanks for that.
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Man, I remember actually USING this when I started drawing. It was great timing for me when this issue came out
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wow, a very cool one!
soon i upload a fan art of ur style!!!
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There is no such thing was useless learning... though I agree it's some what dated.
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I've always found this style to be one of my favorites; when an artist combines the detail level of American comics with the visual aesthetic of an anime/manga style to truly make their own unique style that's greater than the sum of the two parts.
This is, in fact, something that I've striven for in my own works, and the reason why I could always stand to learn to do better by studying works such as yours. Thank you for sharing these lessons!
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I remember this... still have the issue of wizard that this appeared in ^_^
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nice mr.warren, teach these whippersnappers sumthin about drawin in the manga style (well sort of)
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