I am convinced, no matter how much wannabe-anime style art I've seen, that one has to at least have some Asian in them to draw the anime/manga style. Yes, it's also cultural, but culture and genes go hand in hand. The "L/R" misconception is actually the ear and brain processing the letters a certain way, and Japanese people are also more responsive to higher pitched sounds rather than low bass, as seen in a lot of their music. So call me a eugenics Nazi, I don't care.
Most US or Europe art tends to have square or straight eyes, to denote seriousness or "toughness." The anime round eye style seems to be a perception of femininity, a welcoming of it even in males, that allows the character to look naturally gentle or naive. The sense of 2D moving fluidly in 3D is also different in some way. US animators tend to focus on the whole body at once, from disney to Hanna Barbera to South Park to any show made for Adult Swim.
The closest thing to anime art is Pinup girls of the mid twentieth century (when females could be oggled without complaint) and some US comics, especially Image, but even these aren't pure manga style (they are unique, but some try to resemble anime).
There is some perception of what a character "should" look like to manga artists, which creates the style, and can be seen in Korean anime style art where the heads are wider or more squished. Somehow, the us perception of what a charracter should look like in 2D either ends up very two dimensional, or like Furry art. Something in US artists makes a lot of them predisposed to drawing Furry art, or cartoon animals, but not humans. Humans have always been the most awkward, strangest things to draw, and either must look photorealistic as in fantasy art, or be abstract and cartoony.
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Anonymous2006-10-08 15:52
Dumbass
Anime means animation,so therefore Americans CAN draw Anime
Outside Japan, the term most popularly refers to animation originating in Japan, with distinctive character and background aesthetics that visually set it apart from other forms of animation
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Anonymous2006-10-08 18:25
>>161
Influence on Western animation
Eventually some Western animators will emulate anime at the professional level. Some Western animation use anime methods described in anime physics. Such examples exist in Totally Spies and The Boondocks. In addition, works such as Avatar: The Last Airbender featured Asian themes. While these examples are not particularly considered as anime, they are best noted for being "influenced by anime".
TO OP:
Genetic? Do you draw at all? As has been said, art and illustration both have more ties to cultural understandings and visual & artistic "norms" than genes. Read an art history book. I command you. (Though I do agree that Americans tend to focus on showing the body rather than just the face and expressions when we animate, it ain't freakin' genetic.)
Also:
>Something in US artists makes a lot of them predisposed to drawing Furry art, or cartoon animals, but not humans. Humans have always been the most awkward, strangest things to draw, and either must look photorealistic as in fantasy art, or be abstract and cartoony.<
Hilarious thing is, if you look at the history of Western art compared to the history of Japanese art, generally speaking our humans look LESS abstracted (until the last century or so).
And just to be a pretentious ass...
a--you're using "photorealistic" wrong. "Naturalistic" would be right in this case, or perhaps "Humans drawn in a more realistic style". "Photorealistic" describes ONLY art that looks 100% like a photograph. It does exist, some crazy fanatic artists DO paint like that.
b--"Anime", "Cartoons", "Comics", etc, are generally not considered Art (with a capital "A"). They are considered Illustration. If you want to argue that some of the finer pieces in a Shirow or Clamp illustration book rival the works of actual contemporary artists, go on ahead (I kind of agree in a way)... B-U-T. Straight up animation or straight up comic book work isn't "Art" anyway.
While art now in the western world is all about breaking that last wall and just creating beauty/meaning/Art with the basest elements of art, illustration in the western world tends to move in funky "loops" around what is and isn't popular. Oddly enough "weeaboo" crap is currently pretty damned popular. Mostly because the sad and sorry doodlers don't understand general anatomy and bring those issues into their illustrations, and these issues eventually become conventions. Like the funky on-the-cheek mouths. Expressions used for the hell of it. Etc.
Anyway that's enough for now; chew on it if you feel like.
You should shut the fuck up, you're overloading the internet with such stupid cunt-talk.
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Anonymous2006-10-27 1:15
well the only ppl i've ever seen that draw pretty good anime who are none japanese are asians and hispanics, i have no fucking idea why that is but white ppl generally suck balls at anime, i've found some talented none japanese anime artist and they're usually chinese or from brazil or some shit.
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Anonymous2006-10-30 19:08
I don't think people should try to draw anime. The style doesn't allow much room for creativity
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anon2006-11-21 10:54
I have a friend who is american who con draw better than some japanese manga shows!!! :( Screw you all!!!
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anon2006-11-21 10:56
I have a friend who is american who can draw better than some japanese manga shows!!! :( Screw you all!!!
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anon2006-11-21 10:59
I apologize for being so rude but my friend is very good at drawing anime and it angers me for you to say that so sorry:(
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anon 2006-11-28 10:46
I still dont like what you say about americans not being able to draw anime
>>166
You're going to have to to alot better than that. How about learn to draw, rather than make excuses for why you can't draw as good as some Japanese dude.
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Anonymous2007-01-03 20:15
2 words: bix-nood.
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Anonymous2007-01-03 20:50
Look at TokyoPop's stuff. If you want to see the best of what America has to offer in regards to "manga," sadly, that's about all there is. It's not much.
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Anonymous2007-01-05 16:55
I am British. I can draw anime pretty damn well. Still learning, but I'm at a level where my stuff looks like what it's actually meant to look like. As in, anime/manga style of artwork. Not complete shite. Yay.
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Anonymous2007-01-07 2:15
>>189
It's hard to draw when you have to stop yourself from drooling on your own paper. Gay retard.
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sammie2007-01-10 16:49
Im america and i can draw anime perfectly fine, no forget fine, i can draw anime as good as any Japanese artist. im the best drawer in my school, im in 7th grade too! if you could see my art you would stop saying this shit.
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sammie2007-01-10 16:54
you have some good points but some americans can draw anime(not Japanese american either) and i have had alot of practice. i dont use no stupid 'How to draw Anime/Manga' shit. i get it from my ability to see things the way they are and draw them the way i see them. i dont copy either.
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Anonymous2007-01-10 17:01
I can draw anime.
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Anonymous2007-01-16 12:06
FUCKING GOONS
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Anonymous2007-02-25 10:07 ID:7M1r8g+I
DEY CA DRAW ANINEME< BUT NO MAKE AMNIEM!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!