1. You must study real anatomy.

Any �How to Draw Manga� tutorial that says you don�t need to know actual anatomy to
draw proper anime is lying and you should burn it immediately.
For any stylized art, you need to know how the real body is put together before you
start exaggerating.
This is a fine line between making something look stylized and something that looks
like you don�t know what you�re doing.

2. Use references
Sometimes this is hard to do because it takes up extra time, but if there is
something you do not know how to draw, go online and look up a reference.
It will make your art look so much better.
Look up poses, look up props, look up environments.
Do not try to draw something out of your head, because you will miss important
details.

3. Use guidelines.
I used to hate guidelines when I first started, and it took me awhile to warm up to
them � but trust me, guidelines help.
They help you quickly put down a pose and compare the body shapes and sizes.
Artists who use guidelines are less likely make anatomy errors.
Every professional � and I do mean every professional � always starts with a
skeleton before they draw their character.
If you haven�t been using guidelines yet, I advise that you do.

4. Do not just copy your favorite artist.

There is a fine line between studying your favorite artist and copying them.
What ends up happening when you copy other artists is you end up copying their
flaws, purposefully.
You need to break down what parts of their art you like and examine why you like
it.
You don�t want to be a carbon copy of someone else.

5. You need to be OK with criticism.

This is probably one of the harder ones.
Artists say they are OK with criticism, but what they mean is they are OK with
having it go through one ear and out the other.
Every critique is valid even if phrased in an impolite way, because it means
something was off about your art that made someone have to point it out.
Don�t just say, �It�s my style.� Your style may just be wrong.
You don�t have to take every piece of criticism, but you need to listen.

6. Do not listen to friends and family.

Friends and family will always say your artwork is perfect, and I�m here to tell
you they are lying.
Sometimes, artists end up feeding into too much positive feedback and they get too
content with their artwork and they stop improving.
Always seek out people that will give you an honest feedback instead of �oh, that�s
cute� or "that�s really nice."

7. Avoid shortcuts.
You shouldn't just avoid drawing any parts of the body that you don�t want to draw,
such as hiding the hands or always drawing characters from the waist up.
It�s better to at least draw it, be bad at it and keep improving then ignore it
altogether.

8. Avoid character discrimination.

If I had my way, I�ll just draw the same characters all the time.
We all have a certain "type" of character like to draw.
We also have a specific gender preference we like to draw.
I want to tell you there are infinite types of people you can draw; don�t just
stick to just drawing pretty girls, pretty boys, teenagers, etc.
You should learn how to draw everyone.

9. Don�t get discouraged.

Sometimes it�s easy to get discouraged when you see other artists who are better
than you � especially the younger artists.
But trust me: everyone had to start somewhere.
Try to use them as inspiration instead of getting yourself down.

10. Have fun!

Getting better at art can be frustrating and sometimes it may feel like I�m
scolding you, but drawing should be fun!
Unless you are getting paid by someone else to draw something, no need to panic.
Just relax and do your best.

Manga drawing exercise to help you get better

-Draw at least 2 characters' full bodies. They can be whoever you want, but try to
pick two fairly different characters.
-Write down 10 skills or techniques you want to improve in your manga drawing.
Focus on those things whenever you draw.