Foreword

Hello there! Welcome to the party!

"Party?" you say? Yes! Whenever I use Manga Studio EX 5 to create one of my illustrations or comics, it feels like a party. That's how much I enjoy Manga Studio EX 5 (or Clip Studio Paint Pro). I turn on some classic rock and roll, open up Manga Studio, and let the creative juices flow.

If you've made it this far with Manga Studio EX 5, then you know what I'm talking about. In my opinion, there is no better tool for creating comics and graphic novels than this software. And the key to my success with Manga Studio EX 5 has been my work with Elizabeth Staley, the author of this book you just purchased.

Elizabeth Staley creates a wonderful comic called Adrastus, which is about a robot and the young lady destined to operate it. For the past couple of years, she and I have worked together on her comic. She writes, draws, and inks the comic. Then, I come in and add the colors and shading. It has been a great collaboration, and it has taught us both a lot about how to create better-looking comics.

I am self-taught as an artist. I also joined this party later in my life. I drew comics in my high-school and college years, but put the pencils down until I picked them up again in 2007, at the "young" age of 50. Then, I knew that to succeed in today's digital environment, I better learn new drawing techniques. I tried out a variety of drawing software packages, but it was Manga Studio that hit the mark for me. I struggled at the beginning, mostly as I was not only learning the software but also relearning how to draw.

I quickly joined Twitter and connected with a diverse group of comic creators. This led to me forming the Webcomic Alliance in 2010. This alliance is a group of artists who have decided to share the ups and downs of their forays into digital comics, or webcomics. A huge portion of this journey was made possible by Manga Studio.

When Manga Studio 5 and EX 5 were released, they changed the game significantly. Now, there was a single tool for drawing, inking, and coloring my comics and illustrations. The push was on learning even more about Manga Studio EX 5.

Enter Elizabeth Staley. Elizabeth Staley helped me discover the tools and processes in Manga Studio EX 5 that would help me improve and streamline my drawing processes. Her first book, Mastering Manga Studio 5, Packt Publishing, has been a big success, and now she's assembled an awesome set of "recipes" for Manga Studio EX 5. The "recipes" in this book will help you improve your drawing process over time, just as they did for me. From simple to complex, every method outlined in this book will bring you closer to becoming a Manga Studio master yourself.

The proof of this claim is the fact that I'm writing this foreword. Thanks to Manga Studio and her expert training, I was recently hired by NBC Sports to produce a set of illustrations for use in NBC's coverage of NASCAR races. Manga Studio made it possible for me to create an extremely large set of drawings (over 6 feet tall) in a short time span to meet NBC's deadlines. They were so pleased with the results that they hired me to make even more illustrations for them. Without the right tools and training, none of this would have been possible.

So, since 2007, I've grown from a "want-to-be" comic artist to a successful illustrator and comic creator. I've been hired to provide demonstrations on Manga Studio as well as illustrations for NBC Sports—all of that in 8 short years. I am also going to Manila in the Philippines to demonstrate Manga Studio EX 5 at an upcoming major comic convention in 2015. None of this would have been possible without Manga Studio and Elizabeth Staley.

Now, it's time for you to get cracking. Take each of the chapters and recipes crafted masterfully by Elizabeth Staley, and slowly add it into your drawing process. Over time, you too will see improvements in your work. Perhaps one of your drawings will be noticed by a TV network, and you'll be on your way to becoming a successful illustrator and comic creator too. Only time will tell.

Rock on!

W. Byron Wilkins

Artist/Owner of TR1 Studios, Creator of 1977 the Comic, and Co-founder of the Webcomic Alliance

Montgomery, Illinois, USA