I Draw aims to help artists develop their drawing skills with these Moleskine sketchbooks.
Beginning as a handbook to aid in car and shoe design, the IDRAW series of sketchbook and reference guides has extended to include comics and, most recently, manga to its portfolio.
These innovative, pocket-sized moleskines are an indispensible tool for budding comic book and manga artists – inside their pages lies a unique mash up of creativity, education and utility.
They are a hybrid of a comprehensive step-by-step tutorial book and a sketchpad.
"We have combined the limitless possibilities of a sketchbook, the how-to of a text book and the what's what of a reference guide into one game-changing tool," says IDRAW creator Matt Marrocco.
I Draw Comics helps you to hone your skills and give you the stepping stones to forging your own path as a comic artist
In collaboration with Marvel artist, Ryan Stegman, Matt created I Draw Comics with the help of Kickstarter back in 2012, where they smashed their target and were met with great enthusiasm from fans.
This time Matt has joined forces with Sara Mayhew to create I Draw Manga. According to the now funded Kickstarter page, Matt and Sara have "created a new standard for aspiring Manga artists, anime devotees, and anyone looking to improve their drawing skills."
Learn how to create manga expressions and nail those tough manga-styled proportions with easy templates to help you get the hang of it
These sketchbooks include valuable reference information such as publishers, schools and recommended tools and materials.
Character design, proportion and background effects are all illustrated with tutorial guides and templates, complete with room for your own practise.
The beauty of the IDRAW comic and manga reference guides is that they give you the ability to immediately apply what you've learned in the provided "Non-Photo Blue" templates.
Scan your I Draw Comics drawn scenes straight into Photoshop and easily erase those pesky guidelines
These act as guides to improve your grasp of proportion and perspective and allow you to scan your sketch into Photoshop – with minimal tweaking, the templates disappear leaving only your sketches behind.
I Draw Manga is due to be shipped to backers this February, so in the meantime pick up a copy of I Draw Comics and check out the IDRAW website for news on it's public release.
Alice Pattillo is a freelance journalist with a passion for heavy metal, horror, science fiction, fantasy and comics. She has over seven years experience in magazines, formerly working as a staff writer at Creative Bloq, Imagine FX, Computer Arts and 3D World, as production editor for Guitar World and Guitar Player and online editor of Metal Hammer.
