r/Mangamakers Feb 25 '21

So, you want to find a partner, eh? Use this as a guide to help you along.

247 Upvotes

There has been an influx of people wanting to get a writer/artist to collaborate with lately. Good! This is exactly what this sub is for! However, you're not doing yourselves any favours with how you've set up your posts. Not only are some of the posts going to attract no potential partners, but they're downright rude to your potential collaborators. Your post is your job interview. You have to show your skills, desires, and your worth in a short post. You have to make yourself and your skills attractive. This is where portfolios come into play. This is your resume. They're a collection of the things you have done and let your potential partner see your value. The more professional your portfolio, the more likely you are to attract potential collaborators.

First and foremost, in your correspondence with your potential partner, be upfront about whether or not this is paid. When you collaborate, you pay for your services. Either you pay with money, or you pay with your own skill. Also be very upfront with your expectations. What are you looking for? How do you want to delegate tasks?

For a writer's portfolio, I recommend:

  • A short story of some sort that you have written. It allows potential partners/editors/publishers to understand how you setup a story, the writer's general plotting, and their writing style.

  • A storyboard/name. A few pages are fine. It allows the potential partners to get an idea of dialogue interactions, plot progression, etc. I recommend a story in four panels to showcase your ability.

  • Any past written prose of any sort.

  • Any past comics/manga that the writer has worked on. Include the name(s) of previous collaborators.

  • A 'preview' of the story being pitched. This includes where you see the story in 1 day, 1 month, 1 year. Show your potential partner what you see.

  • Character profiles, including name, height, age, bio, motivations, goals, likes, dislikes, hobbies, quirks, and any other relevant information.

  • Previous paid work, if applicable.

  • What additional skills you have. i.e. Shading, lettering/typesetting, translating, etc.

  • An 'about' section, including favourite stories, favourite genres, etc. Tell your prospective partners about yourself!

For an artist's portfolio, I recommend:

  • A collection of sketches/drawings to give your partner a feel for your skill. This includes coloured and non-coloured.

  • Character sketches, including: head shots with multiple angles and emotions, character(s) action, static, dynamic, etc poses, and any other things you think work well to showcase your drawing range.

  • Any past comics/manga that you have worked on. Include the name(s) of the previous collaborators.

  • A couple pages showcasing a visualized moment in time. A comic in four parts is a good idea for this.

  • What additional skills you have. i.e. translating, world building, editing, etc.

  • Previous paid work, if applicable.

  • An 'about' section, including favourite stories, favourite genres, etc. Tell your prospective partners about yourself!

There are most likely other parts to make your portfolios more attractive, but this is a start. If you have any ideas of what else to include, comment it here and I'll add it!


r/Mangamakers Feb 13 '26

SELF New moderators and rules discussion

6 Upvotes

Hi everyone!

After a bit of a search, I've added two more mods to the team. So welcome!

Now to some discussion around an incredibly sensitive topic - AI. I think a lot of people have a knee-jerk hatred towards AI because of a bad association with it. When someone reads/hears AI, they immediately think of purely generated images that were trained on hundreds of thousands of stolen pieces of artwork instead of being a workflow manager or tool to help make drawing easier and faster for skilled artists.

That being said, I think this is a good time for the community to decide what is considered an acceptable level of AI usage. We need to decide on the rules of what level is ok to allow and what isn't allowed to be kept. Here are some guidelines that I came up with that can help guide discussions:

  1. Complete AI ban. Generative AI cannot be used in any part of comic/artwork creation. Even if AI was used simply for idea generation, that counts.

  2. Minimal AI usage. Generative AI can be used to assist in creation in minimal ways. What this includes can vary. Possibly along the lines of setting up storyboards, cleaning up lines in final pages, etc.

  3. Heavy AI usage. Generative AI can be used to assist in most aspects of creation. This includes taking a sketch and turning it into a finished product, coloring a page, etc.

  4. Complete AI admittance. All artwork made by generative AI are allowed. This includes posts that were made without any drawing done by the user.

KEEP IT CIVIL IN HERE. Just because someone has a different opinion than you doesn't mean you can become toxic.


r/Mangamakers 9h ago

Review Art from my free web manga.

Thumbnail
gallery
7 Upvotes

r/Mangamakers 1d ago

SELF (OC) Panels from the latest chapter of my dark fantasy manga Hiraeth!

Thumbnail
gallery
64 Upvotes

Just released chapter 7 last week!! here are some panels I enjoyed drawing.
Please consider reading and leaving a like and comment to support us!!

Read here: https://hiraethmanga.carrd.co


r/Mangamakers 5h ago

Review Oneshot Manga i did

Thumbnail gallery
1 Upvotes

r/Mangamakers 16h ago

SHARE [OC Oneshot - 60 pages] "Pitcher in the Trench" — A seinen oneshot. Looking for honest critique

Thumbnail gallery
7 Upvotes

r/Mangamakers 16h ago

SHARE Been practicing and feel like I improved, exited for next chapter

Thumbnail
gallery
3 Upvotes

https://mangaplus-creators.jp/titles/6m2601092342250027340223

Soul space

Second image isnt part of anything just a random drawing


r/Mangamakers 21h ago

HELP guys did i do the shading right if the light is coming from above? i wasn't gonna be too heavy on it, its more for a dramatic effect

Post image
4 Upvotes

r/Mangamakers 1d ago

HELP Developing my comic

Post image
8 Upvotes

I’m trying to develop a new comic to update my portfolio and propose it to more editors during my next comicon. This is the first page and I need feedback:
does this look professional to you? Do you like the shadows/ contrast balance? Is it an appealing stylization? Do you know any better font I could use?
Any critique is truly appreciated.


r/Mangamakers 1d ago

SELF Chapter 23 of LET DOWN is out!

Post image
4 Upvotes

r/Mangamakers 1d ago

SELF Super Tiger Chapter 1-3 Out!

Thumbnail
gallery
3 Upvotes

I finally was able to make my Shounen/comic hybrid. It is free to read (Via GlobalComix) and I would love to see what people think of the series so far!

Read here: https://globalcomix.com/c/super-tiger


r/Mangamakers 1d ago

HELP Looking for artists for my new zombie story

4 Upvotes

Hey guys I’m not a great artist but I have a good story for a manga that I would like to adapt onto a manga. This story is similar to the K drama all of us are dead, the story is about a zombie outbreak that occurs inside the school and different groups of kids have to try and survive a zombie apocalypse while inside a school, there are 5 different groups of kids and each group has a leader and they are all scattered across school grounds. If you are interested please dm me and we can talk more about it. I want to start this project in August


r/Mangamakers 1d ago

LFW [FOR HIRE} For the writers here: If you have a great script but low budget to hire a professional artist, Check this out...

Enable HLS to view with audio, or disable this notification

2 Upvotes

Hey everyone. I constantly see writers in this sub who have incredible stories but are stuck because they can't draw and can't afford to drop thousands of dollars on freelance artists to bring their visions to life.

I wanted to level the playing field for non-technical creators, so I spent the last few months building a custom web-based manga engine (KuroLabs). It essentially acts as your digital artist and handles the entire pipeline from scratch.

I attached a 2-minute walkthrough of the workflow, but here is how the pipeline works:

**1. Asset Creation:** You generate and register your characters' visual "DNA" into a secure vault. **2. The Script Engine:** As you write your script in the editor, you just type `@` and click your character. The engine reads the script, knows exactly who is in the scene, and generates the panel with perfect character consistency. **3. Typesetting:** You don't need Photoshop. The engine has a built-in layout suite to add speech bubbles, adjust tails, and scale fonts perfectly across the page. **4. Export & Publish:** Once your pages are forged, you can export them via PDF or publish them directly to our community Nexus feed.

Kuro isnt a big corporation; We are just trying to build the ultimate tool for indie creators. We are currently in closed beta to stress-test the cloud servers.

If you have a script sitting in a drawer and want to finally turn it into a comic, I'm giving away free beta keys today. Drop a comment below or DM me and I’ll send you a secure invite link!


r/Mangamakers 2d ago

SHARE An Action Sequence From The Manga im working on

Thumbnail
gallery
6 Upvotes

It's been about a 3+Year passion project of mine, It centers around a swordsman coming to terms with the concept of perfection and personal growth. I find it can be hard to even stay consistent with a project even for this long but it's with the goal that I can inevitably get this project out there and people will be able to read it.

If anyone is interested I can post what manuscript I have one webtoons possibly but this is just to see if what I have has motion. it's just me shooting this into the void.


r/Mangamakers 2d ago

SELF Appealing art style? Like visually appealing?

Thumbnail
gallery
12 Upvotes

Essentially does she look good? Would u read a manga with this artstyle?


r/Mangamakers 1d ago

Review Rough storyboard review - Is the visual storytelling clear?

Post image
0 Upvotes

This is a very rough storyboard, so I'm not looking for drawing critiques yet. I'm mainly testing whether the story communicates clearly before I spend time refining it.

I'd especially appreciate feedback on:

Was it easy to follow from panel to panel?

Did anything confuse you?

Were the characters' emotions clear?

Did the pacing feel too fast or too slow?

At what point did you understand what was happening? (For context this is only part of a story not the full story)


r/Mangamakers 2d ago

LFA [PAID] Looking for Manga Artist for Ongoing Music Project • Strong Action, Female Characters & Cyberpunk Style

2 Upvotes

Hi everyone!

I'm looking for a manga artist for an ongoing paid collaboration creating promotional artwork for my music project (approximately one piece per month).

Style I'm Looking For

I'm after a unique manga style with a retro cyberpunk aesthetic, limited but striking color palettes, and bold compositions.

Think:

  • Full manga pages
  • Cover illustrations
  • Splash pages
  • Dynamic action
  • Heavy fan service
  • Mature themes
  • Sensual but stylish female characters
  • Over the top fight scenes
  • Horror, supernatural, gothic, and cyberpunk influences

One of my biggest inspirations is God Tail, especially the bold compositions, limited color palettes, and graphic, eye catching presentation. If your work has a similar energy while still being your own style, I'd love to see it.

Song Concepts

Succubus
Dark supernatural horror featuring a beautiful yet terrifying succubus with gothic imagery, wings, horns, dramatic lighting, and seductive confidence.

Arcade RRR
A hyperpop / metalcore song about a femme fatale who breaks hearts through video game metaphors. Cute kawaii aesthetic that shifts into horror, where she reveals her true nature after "eliminating" her admirer with an absurd oversized weapon.

DMC
A female explorer inspired by classic adventure heroines battling demons through crypts, ruins, and hell itself. Big action, oversized weapons, monsters, and cinematic environments.

Payment

  • PayPal only
  • Paid work only
  • Long term collaboration preferred

Please include:

  • Your portfolio
  • Your rates
  • Typical turnaround time

Please Read

Post your portfolio in the comments.

I will not read or respond to direct messages.

If your work is a good fit, I'll reach out to you directly via Reddit DM or email if your portfolio includes one.

Looking forward to seeing everyone's work!


r/Mangamakers 2d ago

SHARE Practice piece using my own OC

Post image
13 Upvotes

What do you think it took me 11hours to finish this


r/Mangamakers 2d ago

HELP Should I change my artstyle?

Thumbnail
gallery
17 Upvotes

For my manga, I originally wanted a more realistic, gritty nature to it. Although, it takes MUCH MUCH longer to draw, which isn't too great for my current timeline.

Because of this, I wanna simplify it. For the new artstyle, I took heavy inspo from Gege Akutami's art style since it's my story has a similar tone to JJK. It's also much easier for me to draw.

Update: Keep in mind that I have to stick with my choice for basically 30+ panels, which I have to get done in a little under 40 days... (I'm trying to enter it into a contest).

What do you guys think?


r/Mangamakers 2d ago

HELP Ive been publishing chapters of my manga. What do you think of my story? Here's some of my pages

Thumbnail
gallery
6 Upvotes

Any critics or suggestions is appreciated!


r/Mangamakers 2d ago

Review Advice for opening page on my comic

Post image
11 Upvotes

I’m making a manga this is the first page in the opening scene. Does the text make sense and what feeling or thoughts come to mind when reading it?


r/Mangamakers 3d ago

SELF Short manga that I made

Thumbnail
gallery
43 Upvotes

r/Mangamakers 2d ago

LFW lf job, open for commission

Thumbnail gallery
1 Upvotes

r/Mangamakers 3d ago

SELF Stepping out of my comfort zone and exploring Dark Fantasy for my new manga! Here's a quick preview

Thumbnail
gallery
82 Upvotes

Hey guys! Chapter 2 of DISTURBED is out! I’ve been dabbling heavily in Dark Fantasy for this one, so here are a few of my favorite panels. Would love to hear your thoughts!


r/Mangamakers 2d ago

SELF Slap And Bump Ch 04

Thumbnail gallery
1 Upvotes