Alex Heizer

Creating Knockout Letters
When creating your own manga, comic or graphic novel, you’ll usually end up adding some text to it. You can do this on the computer once you scan in your artwork or using a pen directly on your art as you ink. But what if you have a black panel and want to letter it in white? You can easily do this on a computer, but here’s how to do it using a couple sizes of pens.

Coloring a Manga Character with Copic Sketch Markers (Part1)
Have you ever wanted to create beautiful, vibrant manga characters like you see in books and magazines? Using Copic Sketch markers, you can! In this first part of a three-part tutorial, I’ll demonstrate how to create beautiful skin tones using only a few colors. In parts 2 & 3 I’ll complete the hair, kimono and background.

Coloring a Manga Character with Copic Sketch Markers (Part2)
In this second part of a four-part tutorial, I’ll demonstrate how to shade manga-style hair. In parts 3 & 4 I’ll complete the kimono and background.

Coloring a Manga Character with Copic Sketch Markers (Part 3)
In this third part of my four-part tutorial, I color the printed fabric of the character’s kimono.

Coloring a Manga Character with Copic Sketch Markers (Part 4)
In this final part of my four-part tutorial, I color the textured background, completing the piece.

Dynamic Eyes With Copic Sketch markers
People tell me they love the way I color eyes. This video tutorial shows how to create vibrant, dynamic eyes which are full of life using Copic Sketch markers.

Character Drawing Tips for Beginning Artists
A lot of time I hear from beginning artists “This one drawing I did rocked! I wish I could make them that good EVERY time!” Having a consistent process allows you to make your artwork come out great every time!

Composition and Focus: How to Make Readers See What YOU Want Them To See!
In today’s fast food world, consumers are trained to expect more, more, more and the ever-popular MORE!! One of the more common artistic mistakes is for an artist to subscribe to is the “More is better and WAY more is WAY MORE BETTER!!!” philosophy. While this seems like a good idea, here’s why it’s not.

A Different Perspective on Perspective
One of the things which aggravates me in comics when it’s done badly is perspective. Mostly because it follows so few basic rules that if you do it badly it’s because you were too lazy to learn it in the first place. Hopefully I can help fix this for those who need it.

French Curving, Manga Studio Style
There are a few necessary tools any artist will have in their studio — pencils, erasers, paper and rulers. One of the more useful but lesser-known tools is the French curve. One of the things Manga Studio excels at is lines. Here’s how to quickly create and use French curves in Manga Studio.

Advanced Coloring In Manga Studio
Many people use Photoshop to ink and color their drawings. By using Manga Studio’s advanced pen and brush tools, you can create amazing comic and manga art!

Learning Volume & Space - Part 2
In my last tutorial I showed you a simple but effective method for improving your drawing skills and making your artwork better. Now I’ll show you how this applies to making better comics.

Learning Volume & Space - Part 1
One of the things that can separate “good art” from “bad art” (and even “a drawing” from “art”) is how well the artist can express a sense of volume in their work. All the time I see something which looks really cool and is technically well-done but just looks flat. Here’s how to start taking your work to the next level!

6 Tips for Keeping Creative
For an artist, being creative is sometimes the most important thing in life. However, sometimes we lose our mojo and the creativity seems to have taken a permanent vacation. Here are some simple things to do to refresh your creativity!

Drawing A Manga Figure
A lot of people these days want to draw manga. TV shows like Bleach, Naruto, DragonBallZ and others have brought more awareness of Japanese comics to the US. The videos, known as “anime” often start out as comics, which are known as “manga”. Manga has many styles depending on the target audience, but all styles look different than their Western counterparts. Here’s a short tutorial for drawing a figure in a more shonen/shojo style, intended for the teen market.

G Pen!
Check out a traditional drawing tool, used by professional manga artists for years.