During the past couple of days and weeks I have actually skimmed through a number of drawing books. The books I've read are actually quite different in drawing style as well as content. I've read some serious books which give advice how to draw human anatomy. I've also read the "How to draw manga" books which many "real" artist critisize.

In this second episode of drawing books reviews I will comment on the "How to draw manga" books I've read. Since I've read professional drawing books I understand that these books do have their flaws but I want to also address the good things I see in these books. Because there is quite a bit of books in this group I will keep comments to minimal.

How to draw manga: Getting started
+ Best about the book: It gives introduction to just about everything. My favorite page of the book shows the same character drawn with different head to body ratios. This is a great for those who draw mangastyle to get the style in characters they aim for from chibi to realistic.
- Worst about the book: Because the book touches on many things about drawing, it does not go into much detail. A lot of info on the tools and techniques used in drawing manga comic books.
Overall view: This is a book for those who want to draw manga comics like the professionals do but do not necessarily have any experience on it. There's not much info for people who do not draw manga comics although may use mangastyle in their drawings.

How to draw manga: Compiling characters
+ Best about the book: Ok book in introducing basics of drawing manga. In character design draws attention to the personality of the character which is good.
- Worst about the book: Again a lot about the tools of drawing manga. Not really detailed information on anatomy and such.
Overall view: The book gave one good tip: Try looking your art from the reverse side against light (could be done with mirror too I guess) to see any mistakes in anatomy that might not be noticiable due to the angles.

How to draw manga: Compiling application and practice
+ Best about the book: There's a lot about drawing backgrounds, like buildings, items in a room and nature. Also shows how to draw machines and small prop. Shows how to draw animals.
- Worst about the book: A large part of the book is about how to create manga comic books, how to get them published etc.
Overall view: Ok book. I especially like the tips on drawing nature. Sometimes shows only end result not step by step guide.

How to draw manga: Dressing your characters in casual wear
+ Best about the book: Great resource book for clothes. Shows movement and wrinkles on the clothes. Shows how the clothes look in different poses.
- Worst about the book: Not a lot of variation to the clothes they show although they do show how to draw different collars and so on. A lot of pictures and pages of same outfits in different poses, gets a bit boring.
Overall view: Nice resource book for clothes. Other than that not really useful.

Techniques for drawing female manga characters
+ Best about the book: Shows variation in faces and body types of females, also according to age. Shows a lot of different poses. Shows how to draw nice boobies.
- Worst about the book: Not really a step by step guide. I would have liked more info on how to draw hair.
Overall view: I like this book, one of my favorites in the series. I especially liked learn from the pros section which is inspiring.

How to draw manga and anime characters:
+ Best about the book: Divides artists on different levels based on skills, shows the typical mistakes of that skill level and how to improve your work. Shows how to draw faces from different angles. Shows different body shapes and different kind of eyes. Shows also some typical ways of adding characters to a picture (like a manga book cover). My favorite pages is "360 degree challenge, where the face is drawn from different angles".
- Worst about the book: Quite a lot of pages just show same characters drawn over and over again from different angles. Not really a step by step guide.
Overall view: I like how the aim of the book is to get artists improve their skills by showing typical flaws.

How to draw manga: Bishoujo around the world
+ Best about the book: It's all about pretty girls. Shows how to create girls of different ethnicities in manga style. The drawings towards the end of the book are really inspirational. I like how the girls in the book look different from each other, but being stereotyped based on ethnicity gets a bit annoying and boring in the long run. Shows a lot of varience in hair styles, poses and facial features.
- Worst about the book: Not really a step to step guide or one aimed at improving your skills.
Overall view: One of my favorite books of How to draw manga. I love pretty girls and I really like the drawing style of the book. Not really useful, but really inspiring.

During the past couple of days I have actually skimmed through a number of drawing books, mainly how to draw humans (faces and figures). As I really want to develop as an artist I though I needed some books that would help me look at human anatomy more in detail and in other ways. I though a little review on the books I've read might help you to find books that are worth looking into.

First in the drawing book reviews series I shall look at drawing books by Andrew Loomis.

Andrew Loomis: Drawing head and hands
+ shows not only how to draw male and female faces, but also how to draw faces of people of different ages (e.g. babies, schoolchildren, teenagers)
+ shows how to make variation to faces by changing facial features
+ shows face from different angles
+ great pictures of drawing hands in different positions and angles
+ has a lot of pictures, the pictures are shaded with pencil, no really harsh lines
- has also quite a lot of text
- a lot only finished pieces are shown, not how they are actually made
Overall view: I really like this book, it's really useful especially if you like drawing portraits or faces

Andrew Loomis: Succesful drawing
- not really interesting book, because a lot of text and theory, especially in the beginning half of the book
+ shows how to create a complete picture with humans and backgrounds
+ a lot of theory on perspective, shapes and lighting
Overall view: I would not buy this book. It's not really useful for my drawing style, but might be great help for people who draw landscapes and such.

Andrew Loomis: Figure drawing for all it's worth
- another book with way too much text, it might be helpful but I just don't have the energy or the interest to read it all
+ shows the realistic body proportions, but also variation and gives ideas on where these variations are used (e.g. heroic is 9 heads)
+ proportions shown in male and female body, as well as different ages
+ shows really how to draw a body in different poses (step by step guides as well)
+ a lot of information on human bones and muscles
+ includes foreshortening and perspective
+ variation also in the way the pictures are drawn, some with no shading, some with full detailed shading
+ great help with faces too
Overall view: Great book if you like drawing humans. It gives advice in figure as well as face drawing so it is a great resource if you can have only one book.

Andrew Loomis: Fun with pencil
+ cartoony drawing style (book filled with funny looking little people)
- almost no drawings on realistic style
+ step by step guides how to draw the faces
+ shows also how different emotions can be portrait
+ shows different face shapes and great variation on facial features
+ shows also how to draw cartoony bodies in different poses
+ some help with clothes too, like wrinkles and hats
+ advice on backgrounds, perspective and lighting too
Overall view: I totally fell in love with the drawing style in this book. If you like old fashioned cartoony characters, you'll love this book.