Drawing Experiment: How to Make Manga
How I make my manga
Things have changed significantly since the release of ChatGPTImages2.
1. I use my iPad mini to photograph old manga I have left at my parents' house, ranging from doodles in my elementary school notebooks to manga I even inked in high school.
2. I upload the photos I took into ChatGPT. If there are more than 10 photos, I upload them in multiple batches.
3. I have ChatGPT analyze them and reconstruct the rough storyboard.
4. Based on the doodles and rough character designs I uploaded,
5. After that, I upload the rough storyboard and character design images, use them as a basis to draw one page at a time with ChatGPTImages2, and repeat the process of retakes and redrawing until it is complete.
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REFERENCE IMAGE RULE
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All uploaded images are VISUAL REFERENCE ONLY
They must NOT be used as frames
Do NOT copy composition
Do NOT reuse camera angles
Do NOT freeze on them
Every frame must be newly generated
Example of the specific creation process
1. I create characters with Images2 while chatting with ChatGPT.
2. I have ChatGPT create a storyboard prompt while chatting with it. This can be done almost entirely in Japanese.
# "Tekuteku"
## Storyboard Prompt (1 page total, 4 panels)
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Page Specifications
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・1 page total
・A-full vertical
・1684 pixels wide x 2384 pixels high
・Full color
・Late Showa era (around 1988–1989)
・Japanese 4-panel manga style
・No page numbers
・No panel numbers
・No furigana
・No garbled text
・No cut-off panels
・Full bleed
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Fixed Layout
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Canvas size
1684x2384px
Margins
Top 72px
Bottom 72px
Left 72px
Right 72px
Panel width
1540px
Panel height
520px
Panel spacing
20px
Panel placement
1
X=72
Y=72
1540x520
2
X=72
Y=612
1540x520
3
X=72
Y=1152
1540x520
4
X=72
Y=1692
1540x520
Layout must be
┌──────────────┐
│ 1 │
├──────────────┤
│ 2 │
├──────────────┤
│ 3 │
├──────────────┤
│ 4 │
└──────────────┘
Vertical 4-panel strip.
No left-right splitting.
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Fixed Protagonist
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Use only the uploaded character design sheet as a reference.
Same person in every panel.
Features
・Beige cap
・Square glasses
・Black mustache
・Short beard
・Red plaid scarf
・Navy jacket
・Dark navy vest
・Brown trousers
・Black leather shoes
Face, clothing, and physique must be completely consistent in all panels.
No changes allowed.
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Background/Era Setting
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Around 1988–1989 (Showa 63–64).
JR Omori Station.
Showa-era station interior.
Showa-era station front.
Showa-era arcade.
Showa-era shopping street.
Showa-era bookstore.
Emphasize the Showa atmosphere.
No LED signs.
No LCD ticket machines.
No smartphones.
No modern-style shops.
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Yakiniku Set Meal
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Use the uploaded photo as a reference.
Contents
・Beef kalbi yakiniku
・White rice
・Shredded cabbage
・Corn
・Miso soup
・Black tray
No beef bowls (gyudon).
Do not copy the photo itself;
use it only for composition and content reference.
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Panel 1
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Inside JR Omori Station.
Matsuya entrance.
Protagonist staring at the beef kalbi yakiniku set meal menu photo.
Meal ticket in right hand.
Draw the Showa-era station interior carefully.
[Narration]
Thirty minutes since I started walking.
My stomach was already craving meat.
[Monologue]
...Meat again, huh?
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Panel 2
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Inside Matsuya.
Protagonist eating the kalbi yakiniku set meal.
Steam rising.
Satisfied expression.
Depict the yakiniku set meal based on the uploaded photo.
[Sound Effects]
Chomp
Munch
Sizzle
[Dialogue]
...It's delicious, as expected.
[Narration]
The taste of the station.
Still, part of the journey.
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Panel 3
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Showa-era bookstore in front of the station.
Protagonist browsing.
Magazine shelves lined with late-Showa-style magazines like:
・GORO-style
・Weekly Post-style
・Sharaku-style
*Do not replicate actual covers;
use original designs that look like Showa magazines.
[Narration]
The magazine covers were waiting for the Heisei era.
[Sound Effects]
Flip...
Flip...
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Panel 4
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Showa-era Omori Station front.
Arcade entrance.
Delicatessen.
Fishmonger.
Greengrocer.
Lined with individual shops.
Protagonist walking away, seen from behind.
Warm evening air.
[Narration]
Eat, read, and walk again.
That's the basis of 'Tekuteku'.
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Text Placement
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Narration
Top right of each panel.
Dialogue
Near the character's head.
Sound effects
Near the object.
Do not overlap text.
Readability is the top priority.
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Drawing Specifications
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・Draw manga backgrounds in detail
・Cel-shaded anime style
・Warm Showa-era colors
・Character proportions based on the design sheet
・No background omission
・Give the station interior and shopping street a lived-in feel
・Place Showa-era signs and shops in the background as well
・Faithfully maintain the uploaded protagonist design
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Prohibitions
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・No 2-column layout
・No missing panels
・No changing panel sizes
・No text cut-offs
・No changing the protagonist
・No beef bowls
・No modern equipment
・No smartphones
・No CG
・No 3D
・No photo-realistic style
・No excessive noise
・No sepia processing
・No background simplification
・No modern-style bookstores
・No modern-style shopping streets
・Do not draw magazines with modern designs
・Do not change the yakiniku set meal to a beef bowl
・Do not change to a design other than the uploaded protagonist
3. I upload the storyboard prompt and character design images, use them as a basis to draw with ChatGPTImages2, and it is complete.
