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This Photoshop character composite features artwork from my next How-To guide currently in progress.

The book will give readers the chance to draw their own versions in 10 simple steps. As these will be from the 'How to draw figures' section, I deliberately gave them figure-hugging outfits to help make things a little easier to understand without baggy clothing or too many drapes and folds interfering with the body shape.

You can check out Digital Manga if you'd like to learn in-depth Photoshop techniques for achieving the same colour results 🙂

I'll be attending MCM Comic Con in Birmingham on 21st-22nd of November. Second time having a table in the Comic Village and looking forward to it 🙂 I'll be selling original art prints and copies of my book Digital Manga. It'll be interesting to see how the smaller 2 day event compares with London's 3-dayer last month.

Here's another selection of some of my older manga, game or anime inspired artworks (originally posted on my Instagram and cropped). Let me know if you have a favourite out of these 🙂

Check out Art Dump #1 for more.

Here's another selection of some of my older manga, game or anime inspired artworks (originally posted on my Instagram and cropped). Let me know if you have a favourite out of these 🙂

New Book Project Update

I'm still currently working on my latest 'How-To' guide book due for publication in 2016. Here's a little preview of some of the characters budding artists will be drawing from the book.
The working title for the project- 'The artist's guide to drawing manga'. With so many how-to-draw manga books out already it makes the hardest part just trying to come up with a title which hasn't already been used!

A Solo challenge

In previous books I'd get some assistance- a few images contributed by other artists, help with parts of the text, or I might at least commission an artist to digitally ink a couple of the images to save me some time. I wanted this one to be 100% my own stuff, for better or worse! Since I'd used my my previous back-catalogue of artwork on Digital Manga, I'm having to create all new stuff within an 8 month deadline while having other projects on the go. A challenge, but already have 89 pages down, with 39 to go 🙂

I've now finished my 3 day comic con stint. Was great having people stop by at my table and take an interest in my work and hope to attend more in the future 🙂

Had an idea about drawing a robot holding a dying woman in her arms, so sketched out a quick doodle:

A few days later I was thinking about 'Quake 3 arena' - many hours of fun had playing that one on the Sega Dreamcast with friends, or solo when I was in my teens. Wanted to try sketching something up without starting with a line art like I usually do so did this:

Exciting times

It's now official. I'll be attending MCM Comic Con in London on 23-25 of October. It's the first time having a table in the Comic Village and I'm looking forward to it 🙂

I'll be selling original art prints and copies of my book Digital Manga. If it goes well, my plan will be to attend others and will use this blog to report how it went and perhaps give a few tips to other artists interested in exploring the UK Comic Con scene.

A big deal for me

I've seen or heard of many artist I know attend and sell at comic cons over the years. In my early 20s, some of my online artist buddies would ask when I'd be attending so they could meet in person. I never mentioned that due to crazy amounts of social anxiety and doubts about my own ability when I was younger, I felt I could never join in and be a part of it. It took me several years to get to a point where I felt more confident in myself and my art. So, to just show up and have a table at one of these things is a pretty big deal for me. 

Whether it goes well or not, it'll be chalked up as an achievement either way.

For future reference, here's my ad for local art tuition in Kent:

One to One Tuition using Adobe Photoshop to create and colour character artwork by experienced anime and manga style artist and author Ben Krefta.

Ideal for art university students, anyone interested in digital art, video game art, manga, comics and traditional media illustrators. Students are expected to have a minimum basic understanding of computers and Photoshop. Students will also need to have their own computer or laptop with software and a graphic tablet. To practice techniques in their own time.

Location: At his private art studio in the centre of Chatham, Kent (or can travel to student at an additional pence per mile rate).

Cost: Lessons are £60 per 3 hour session. There are 3 sessions to complete the 9 hours worth of demonstrations. Students are expected to take notes during these demos.

For further information, please contact Ben Krefta. You can Google him, to see further examples of his artwork, or visit benkrefta.com

Here's a little walk-through of me discussing the artwork currently on my website.