Manga Tutorials (Website)

Website: MangaTutorials.com

Interest Level: Ages 10 & up
Subjects/Themes: Manga, Drawing Techniques/Tutorials, Anime,  

About the Website:  The website is run and owned by Rio who is a self-taught artist. Rio is also the creator of a majority of the drawing tutorials found in the website though there are others who also contribute. The website has over 80 drawing instructions about everything from basic manga drawing to publishing tips. It is completely free and requires no membership to access the site. There is some basic advertising included in the site. The website also has a forum for anyone interested in sharing their own drawings. The drawings included in the site are subject to evaluation and are free of overly suggestice poses, nudity, or violent images. Weapons are included in some of the pictures, but mainly as props.

Personal Thoughts:  A good site for teens interested in learning to draw manga or anime characters. The website itself is easy to navigate and the tutorials do well explaining different techniques. The nice part is the absence of nudity and violence that can sometimes creep up on the unaware in manga. As the site restricts that type of material from being posted, a parent can feel safe knowing that their child is learning drawing techniques and not being exposed to unwanted materials. The advertising is very low key, no more than you would be exposed to while checking your email. Definitely check out the "Oekaki" tab where there are a lot more postings from fans as well as contest entries.