I don't like Chibis, never have never will and I feel they're heavily overused. I persoally think Chibis are one of the most revolting things about amature manga, after the lack of backgrounds and theft of story.

The concept is good, you need a really whacky scene so you draw a really cartoony version of your character to fit with the mood of this scene. But what I'm usually seeing chibis used for (and what I often used them for back in the day when I didn't know better and I didn't like them then either smartass I just thought people did and I was a sellout.) anyways what I'm usually seeing them used for is "I can't draw this properly with a full body character so I'll use a chibi I'm fucking brilliant" and in that situation I'd much much much MUUUCH rather see your mangled version of this scene than some stupid baby with no hands or feet.Though the worst sin of all is the Chibis used for talking scenes where it just feels inappropriate and awkward. " your mother passed away last night" and then suddenly theres this arms waving crying all over the place freak thing. And it just doesn't look right it doesn't feel right you might aswell just have put a giant stamp on your drawing that said "I couldn't draw this so I didn't"

Theres also the heavy overuse of chibis I mean I can see a chibi when really needed just something really whacky like sliding on a banana peel or some other british or japanse "humor" thing, okay use a chibi here. But when theres 1 or more chibis on every page? dear god STOP BEING LAZY YOU PRICK.

what's your opinion on chibis?


PS: I don't hate manga so don't try to say I hate manga, I hate certain things within manga, I'm also not inlove with all manga because I'm some sort of zombie I enjoy a good story and good artwork wether its in manga-form,indy-form,Marvel-DC-type-form or super realistic and so on. I enjoy good work not lazy bullcrap from people who in my opinion are completely useless.

I'm not interested or impressed by chibi illustrations when it comes down to it. Chibi just doesn't equate cute to me. I think it's the small, simple, and rounded concept that makes us feel that way normally, similar to how people instinctively regard babies.

Eddie Jensen
anyways what I'm usually seeing them used for is "I can't draw this properly with a full body character so I'll use a chibi I'm fucking brilliant"

this is exactly the kind of thing that would make me immediately click out of the window and never look at that comic again.

it's fine to use chibis for comedic effect, or just as a cutesy extra thing, but when it's like that all the damn time it's just headdesk-worthy. what is EFFORT.

I think they can be pretty good for comedic effect, especially to indicate awkward or freaked out moments, but yeah It's hard for me to take a comic seriously when it does that. There is a fairly popular comic on SJ that does just what you said with the mother dying in a chibi panel, and funnier is the artist is getting paid(though not much) for those pages.


But It's mostly young/inexperienced comic artists taking shortcuts though. It's the same to me as people that don't clean up their drawings/art 'style' looks like a chicken craped all over it. Or choose to make 'tEh PeNGuIN of D000M!!1 ^_____^^ *SPORK SPORK*' stupid jokes in their comic because they can't handle serious writing. (i'm talking about story comics where the set-up starts as very serious, not strips where it's okay)

I don't think that jokes okay anywhere skullbie.

Chibis confused the heck out of me the first time I read manga. I didn't understand why the artist would suddenly completely change their art style for one panel.
Even when they're not used when the artist is just being lazy, they're still just a way to get a cheap laugh.

There's some comics that made 'em work. I liked how they were used in Blue Monday but they were mostly in margins of the pages and in thought balloons which in my opinion is totally excusable. In thought balloons and margins you tend to not have much space so small, simplified characters work better. There were some full-sized panels that used Chibis but they were very few.
FIGHT by Mlai and Ed Bang used Chibis at times but they were confined to word/thought balloons and brief expository narrations.
I'd say if you must use them don't use them often and don't expect anyone to take 'em seriously.

I never really thought about it, but yes, I agree. I used to do it all the time back when my art was severely anime styled. I also did the whole exaggerated expression thing and "anime falls" whatever the hell those were supposed to be. Then again, having a manga style at all was my excuse not to draw things right (not saying that it's the same for other manga artists. It was just not a style I was very good at) But eventually I took to drawing full bodies no matter how awkward they turned out, and learned that you could convey an emotion without making the expressions so exaggerated. I still find myself looking at a particular scene in my comic and being like "God, that's so manga" especially romance scenes. I always fall into the stereotypical patterns manga comics tend to take. :C

Aw... Everyone's probably hating me for my chibi love.

Eunice P
Aw... Everyone's probably hating me for my chibi love.

I love chibi and always have.
I find it cute and entertaining. I'm not being sarcastic here either- I love chibi stuff. :)

ozoneocean
I love chibi and always have.
I find it cute and entertaining. I'm not being sarcastic here either- I love chibi stuff. :)

Really? I have yet to see you draw a chibi version of your character. :D

That's because I suck at drawing chibi. I've tried and failed utterly. But that doesn't mean I can't enjoy it when others do it. :)

Ah, I could give you free lessons if you want. Then you'll be able to start popping up random chibi characters in your comic. XD

OK
Where do I start?

Okay, here's a really nice guideline on how to draw a chibi girl.
http://j8d.deviantart.com/art/How-I-draw-chibi-girl-XD-41595374

Actually, there are many ways to draw a chibi. Some artists prefer drawing the chibi character in extremely simplified form. Some chibi are drawn with details. One recognizable aspect of drawing chibi is to make the character looks extremely adorable and child-like. You don't have to show a character with extremely huge eyes that cover half the face of the character but you do have to make the face of the character roundish or squarish form depending on your preference and the eyes are usually placed near cheek level. The body size of the character can either go slightly bigger or slightly smaller than the head. And the limbs are always short but not necessary stubby. To create a well drawn chibi, your chibi will need to have joints and a body figure.

Here's a sample on how I draw a simple chibi:

Can I say that the above post picture is adorable?

I find chibis hilarious. That one that eunice p drew is ADORABLE. agh! so great.

Sure, sometimes amateur comics suck at doing chibis right- but oftentimes amateur comics just suck in general, so it's not the chibi's fault. Also, some people like Christopher Hart just suck, and it is beyond me why anyone would publish that book.



HOWEVER, anyone who's read Gravitation will HAVE to agree with me... Maki Murakami's chibis are the most hilarious things in the world. The weirdness and extremities work better than the best-drawn panels of that comic. Indeed, I prefer the shaky-lined, scribbly chibis to the more professional looking stuff. (And Gravitation's the kind of comic that goes on and on with hardly any backgrounds drawn in... I don't even care!!! In the Author Notes part, she's like: 'sorry I drew hardly any backgrounds *cute face*' )

I think chibis are cute, and can be good when used only occaisionally in a comic. My sister used to always draw chibis but over the past 2 years it's developed more into just cartoony people with large heads lol. But in some recent drawings she has drawn the cutest little chibis in the corners of the page, for example she drew a picture of Owen from Torchwood (in her cartoony style) and he was thinking 'I want a biscuit.' so in the corner she added this adorable little chibi Owen eating a HUGE cookie, and it is honestly one of the cutest things I've ever seen lol

Thanks Kristen and Confused. Chibi is my drug. Can't live without them. :kitty:

Eunice P
Okay, here's a really nice guideline on how to draw a chibi girl.
http://j8d.deviantart.com/art/How-I-draw-chibi-girl-XD-41595374

Actually, there are many ways to draw a chibi. Some artists prefer drawing the chibi character in extremely simplified form. Some chibi are drawn with details. One recognizable aspect of drawing chibi is to make the character looks extremely adorable and child-like. You don't have to show a character with extremely huge eyes that cover half the face of the character but you do have to make the face of the character roundish or squarish form depending on your preference and the eyes are usually placed near cheek level. The body size of the character can either go slightly bigger or slightly smaller than the head. And the limbs are always short but not necessary stubby. To create a well drawn chibi, your chibi will need to have joints and a body figure.

Here's a sample on how I draw a simple chibi:

haw!i tried it! whatta ya think,teach?!

PIT_FACE
haw!i tried it! whatta ya think,teach?!

OMG.
Scary O_o

I must try this, but I don't know if I've got the courage...

DO IT!

I'm not a fan of chibi's but I find it forgivable for something like Teen Titans or FLCL, but even those tend to be more on the cartoony, tex avery side. But I really hate when I'm reading or watching something that's supposed to be serious and then all the characters break into they're chibi forms out of nowhere. It's really distracting and breaks up flow for me.

Here's my chibi!