Manga donné à un fan de BD

La semaine passée, en cherchant des références photos pour dessiner des samouraïs, j’ai retrouvé un manga chinois que j’avais acheté à Hong Kong en 2001 lors de ma première visite.
La couverture cartonnée magnifique représente un jeune homme au teint rose pâle, à l’air déterminé, habillé d’une tunique claire à broderies dorées, et dont les cheveux longs ondulent au vent.
Le papier est épais et les dessins nets et soignés. L’histoire semble être celle de ce jeune homme et d’une quête mystérieuse qui l’emmène à travers je ne sais quel pays (mais il y a des campements aux tentes similaires à des yourtes, mais plus angulaires), avec une jeune fille qui lui colle aux semelles, en évita d’être au milieu pendant les combats, et qui le regarde avec des yeux pleins d’amour.

C’est un bel objet mais il ne sert qu’à remplir ma bibliothèque : je n’ai jamais été alléchée ni par ce que l’histoire semble être, ni par les dessins que je trouve ressembler trop à ceux des dessins animés pour enfants. À l’époque, c’était soit la couverture qui m’a plu, soit c’était le seul manga que j’ai pu trouver par faute de temps.

Toujours est-il qu’aujourd’hui au hasard de la venue d’un plombier pour prévoir quelques travaux, ce manga a changé de mains !

À la vue sur ma table de la BD ‘le garage hermétique’ de Moebius, le plombier m’a demandé si j’étais fan de BD et m’a dit que lui l’était. ‘Non, pas vraiment,’ lui dis-je, ‘mais j’aime Moebius. On m’a offert cette BD, et je recopie des dessins que j’aime sur mon carnet.’ C’est clairement un passionné. Il va même faire des pèlerinages en Belgique, capitale intersidérale de la bande-dessinée.

‘Si vous êtes fan de BD, vous aimez peut-être les mangas,’ lui dis-je. ‘J’ai retrouvé un manga de Hong Kong dont le style ne m’inspire pas.’ Et je prends le livre et le lui tends. ‘Vous le voulez ?’

Banco. Il a hésité juste le temps protocolaire, et est reparti avec un grand sourire. Moi aussi ça m’a fait plaisir que ce livre ait trouvé un meilleur propriétaire que moi.

Drawvember 2019 Days 11-15

This series focuses on Japanese men warriors.

Sugegasa

Warm grey ink drawing of a man seen from the side. He wears a Sugegasa (conical straw hat) and holds a sword at his side with both hands.

Sugegasa (conical straw hat).

I used a few warm grey PITT artist brush pens from Faber-Castell, and my black ink Pentel Brushpen.

Zen

Thick black strokes to draw a young man in cross-legged position, arms folded, head bent and his sword propped between his shoulder and arms. There is a large black rectangle as background.

Young man in cross-legged position, arms folded, head bent and his sword propped between his shoulder and arms.

I used a black ink Pentel Brushpen without drawing a sketch first.

Sword

Thick broad black strokes create movement around a young man with long black hair wielding a sword.

I didn’t like how this one turned out 🙁

I painted directly black ink strokes with a coarse brush to create movement, and then added detail with a black ink Pentel Brushpen.

Duel

Think black lines depicting two dueling samurais seen from above. One wears a Sugegasa (conical straw hat) and has his sword in front of him, while the other is about to unsheath his.

Dueling samurais seen from above.

I used a black ink 0.05 mm Graphik line maker from Derwent.

I’m not very good at hatching and cross-hatching, but if I ignore that aspect, I like how this one came out.

Musashi vs. Denshichirō at the Rengeōin

Black and grey ink drawing of a two samurai fighting with swords on the railing of a wooden deck by a temple near vegetation. One just missed the other who jumped high above the railing and whose sword is ready to strike.

This is how I imagine the duel between Musashi and Denshichirō at the Rengeōin (from the Eiji Yoshikawa novels). I really enjoyed doing this piece and love love love how it turned out.

I used black ink 0.05 mm Graphik line maker from Derwent, a grey ink brush pen from Kuretake, and black ink Pentel Brushpen.

Drawvember 2019 Days 6-10

This series focuses on Japanese women in traditional attire.

Lantern

Ink drawing of a woman in a dark blue kimono, seen from behind, holding a paper lantern

Lantern. Woman in kimono, holding a paper lantern. I used a grey ink brush pen from Kuretake, indigo ink Cambio brush pen, my black ink Pentel Brushpen, and a touch of red watercolor.

Tea

Two women having tea, kneeling on a platform by the water

Tea. Two women having tea, kneeling on a platform by the water. Again I used a grey ink brush pen from Kuretake, indigo ink Cambio brush pen, my black ink Pentel Brushpen, and a touch of yellow, green and red watercolor.

Wagasa

Delicate young woman, holding an umbrella and wearing a white veil over her head. Her long kimono is pale yellow outside and pale blue inside. Her obi is black with starry white motifs.

Wagasa (Japanese paper umbrella). Delicate young woman, holding an umbrella and wearing a white veil over her head. I used a Seiboku ThinLINE grey brush pen for the outline, a fine black line maker for the face and hands, my grey ink brush pen from Kuretake for the background, black ink Pentel Brushpen for the wagasa and Obi (belt), watercolor for the coat decorations and a white Posca pen for the motifs inside the coat and on the Obi.

Maiko

Grey ink drawing of a maiko (apprentice Geisha) checking her reflection in a portable round mirror, and adjusting her hair.

Maiko. Very quick drawing using a Seiboku ThinLINE grey brush pen. This maiko (apprentice Geisha) is checking her reflection in a portable round mirror, and adjusting her hair.

Onna Bugeisha

Very detailed pencil drawing of a seated Onna Bugeisha (female warrior) who carries a fan in her right hand and rests her left hand on the sheath of a sword. My iphone displaying the reference photo is at the left of my drawing. My mechanical pencil is visible next to the drawing.

Onna Bugeisha (female warrior). I got carried away sketching the detail work of her kimono, so I finished the piece in pencil and snapped a photo. But I wanted it in ink, so I erased much of it. See next.

Grey ink drawing of a seated Onna Bugeisha (female warrior) who carries a fan in her right hand and rests her left hand on the sheath of a sword.

Onna Bugeisha (female warrior) in grey ink.

Drawvember 2019 Days 1-5

One drawing a day in November: Drawvember! This time I chose to go with five-day series, exploring a particular technique or angle.

This series focuses on aspects related to trees.

Black ink drawing of two tree trunks side by side in an open artbook on a wooden surface.

Bark.

Detailing the bark of two tree trunks using a fine black pen.

Black ink drawing of a tree with three main trunks and dense foliage in an open artbook on a wooden surface.

Tree.

Finding the right shading: darker underneath.

Black ink drawing of several pine trees in an open artbook on a wooden surface.

Pine trees.

Trying to find the right repetition of lines to depict the pine tree boughs.

Black ink drawing of an alpine landscape in an open artbook on a wooden surface. The tree boughs are covered in snow. There is a waterfall in the stream and a snowy mountain in the background.

Snow.

Continuing with pine trees, and leaving enough white to suggest snow.

Black and grey drawing of a snowy forest scene where a hooded and caped character from behind stands facing a giant grey wolf.

Wolf.

Continuing with snow and trying to picture the depth of a forest with trees in lighter tones the more distant they are. I used a grey ink brush pen from Kuretake and a water brush.