This is a little hard to comprehend but I am officially podcasting on 5 different platforms! I record my blog posts and then make them available as podcasts on Spotify and Anchor.FM. Woohoo! It’s at: Anchor.FM and Spotify
Latest Skillshare class is now LIVE!
In my latest class on my Skillshare page I teach a course in how to draw Anime/Manga style teenage female characters! This is a simple, lighthearted and educational class with clearly defined principles and easy to follow steps. I present tips, hints, and specialized techniques with enthusiasm and genuine love for drawing and teaching.
So you want to draw Anime and Manga female characters? With ink and color as well? You’ve come to the right place!
Did you have a dream or vision of creating a specific Anime/Manga female character, but your drawings aren’t looking like what you intended? I will share with you very specific, repeatable measurements that will help you create multiple characters with small but profound differences in appearance.
This class is a follow-up to: Learn how to draw Anime/Manga style boy and girl faces with Rush Hamden It’s recommended but not necessary that students take that introductory class or have some basic familiarity with drawing. It’s perfect for beginning students seeking a challenge as well as intermediate ones!
It’s a fun and easygoing project that is doable on a very small budget! A pencil, a ruler, a marker, and some watercolors; simple tools creating beautiful images. You will create two Anime/Manga female characters. In an upcoming class, Rush will also share how to create Anime/Manga style Chibi Superhero characters. Stay tuned!
Why do I teach?
I would have to say that the love of teaching has been built into me by great teachers in my life. As soon as I learn something, I feel like, “Oh wow I can’t believe I learned how to do that! I can’t wait to teach someone how to do it!” And as the information flows into me, it’s great to act as a conduit and share it with others, because it feels absolutely amazingly thrilling! It’s just fun and and exciting to share information and see the results of teaching others, especially when they post their work based on my teaching. I got hooked when I started teaching art to kids, and they’re like “Mr. Hamden now I know how to draw a sphere!”
Creating An Environment Then Breaking It?
It’s kinda odd, taking all this time to create this wonderful building or room, then just destroying it. But why? Well I found that it’s a lot easier to create a good solid object first then breaking it to illustrate damage of some sort, rather than just draw a damaged object. They just don’t look right unless i draw them fully constructed first. So I took two hours to draw a perfectly good room then added wreckage and wear and tear to show damage from a collapsing building. What’s your method?
Creating a Consistent Brand
For my Manga drawing series on the Skillshare Site, I quickly recognized the importance of branding and maintaining a consistent cover image theme. This happened when I noticed that top teachers have very unique cover styles that quickly set them apart from others. Even the little thumbnail image that students see is instantly recognizable as a teacher’s own. So I set out for hours to design the look of my cover image, mainly through the use of font style and color. I also realized that as I add classes I may want to change the theme. If I do, I would want to change it across the board so that all the video covers look similar. Here is a sample of mine: skl.sh/3auN3Yd
The Eraser is an artist’s best friend
I have discovered as an artist, that one of my best friends is the eraser! 🙏😇
I simply cannot be afraid to erase something and draw it all over again if it doesn’t look right. 🤓 The foreshortening on this arm didn’t look right…
so I redrew it, and the second pass looked a lot better.
50 HOURS To Expand A Children’s Chapter Book Size To Square Format? Why?
Was it worth the 50 hours of Indesign layout formatting and Photoshop image editing/drawing to change the format of our first release of “Sprint The CAT: What’s For Breakfast? (Sprint The CAT Book 1)” picture book from landscape to square format? I think so. The more I receive emails from popular publishers, and do online searches, the more I see that the Square format dominates children’s picture books ages 3-8.
There are still other formats, like the standard 8.5″x11″ and the landscape formats, but for sure, it’s hip to be square! Yes, I should have thought of that before I embarked on the book. But that was 2 years ago, and I knew hardly anything about book publishing and formats then. I’m still learning, but I do have more confidence than I did back then. All I did back then was buy a 18×12″ watercolor pad and start drawing!
Here’s an example of the work I had to do to extend the sky and a basket handle to fill the extra 2.5 inches of height.
The main reason I chose to undertake this is clarity and font size. Moving to a square format allowed me to move the text off the artwork and up into the “sky” zone. So,, the message of the book became clearer. Also, when a child opens an 8.5″ square, it fills their field of vision completely top to bottom and left to right, with an 8.5″ tall book that is also 17″ wide! It’s worth the effort to create a more pleasant, clear and readable book for children and the adults helping them read it. Speaking of that, a friend mentioned that grandparents will be doing a lot of this reading, and a larger font will be a huge blessing!
Sprint The Cat Book on Barnes & Nobles Nook
https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/sprint-the-cat-rush-hamden/1137824931?ean=2940163080946
Sprint The Cat Book on Amazon Kindle
Sprint The Cat Book on Amazon Paperback
Amazon Author page
https://www.amazon.com/author/rushhamden
Signature
Sincerely,
Rush Hamden
Published Author-Illustrator [Graphic Novels & Children’s Books]
Creator of the “Sprint The CAT” Book Series
Rush’s Official Site
Sprint The CAT Site
Sprint The CAT on Amazon
Amazon Author Page
Facebook
Instagram
LinkedIn
Working in InDesign to Shift to Square Paperback Format
iTunes, Facebook, Google Play vendor accounts, in the works!
Very blessed to announce that not just Amazon Kindle and Barnes and Noble’s have approved us for sale of the Sprint The CAT Book series, but also iTunes, Facebook eShops, and Google Play vendor accounts are moving along and in the works!
This means that customers will be able to buy our eBooks any way they like, on any device they prefer, and gift them to friends and family however they choose. We still imagine that the Paperback 8.5″ square format will still be the most popular, but we are covering the bases in this digital world where holiday gifts can be electronically sent to friends and family.
Sincerely,
Rush Hamden
Published Author-Illustrator [Graphic Novels & Children’s Books]
Creator of the “Sprint The CAT” Book Series
Rush’s Official Site
Sprint The CAT Site
Sprint The CAT on Amazon
Amazon Author Page
Facebook
Instagram
LinkedIn
Increasing font size and readability of the new Sprint the CAT Book 1
An example of the work we are doing to increase the font size and readability of the new Sprint the CAT Book 1 from 8.5×6″ to 8.5×8.5″. The font size is going from 18pt to 36pt. 
Rush Hamden 