Wishing to make manga but lack artistic ability? Then Shonen Art Studio by Yishan Li published by Watson-Guptill Publications may be what you're looking for. This book includes a CD containing all sorts of character images, backgrounds, panel layouts, word bubbles and tones to use, allowing you to concentrate on writing the story. The book is a great introduction to the process of making manga digitally by giving readers hands on experience. However, in order to get the most out of this book it is necessary to have access to a computer, tablet, scanner, printer and some version of Photoshop (CS4 or Elements). Shonen Art Studio’s step by step instructions are easy to follow and give many useful tips such as how to turn a photograph into a background. I learned about digital coloring techniques such as cell shading which I tried out on one of my own drawings:
Although one can criticize this book for leading to the creation of generic comics, I think it can serve as starting point for novices who want to have fun making up stories and not worrying about drawing. Many of the same techniques can be applied to original artwork.