Learn to Draw Boyfriends

by refrainbow

Learn to draw your favorite characters from the popular webcomic series with behind-the-scenes and insider tips exclusively revealed inside!

Boy meets boy . . . meets boy . . . meets boy!

Explore the heartwarming and hilarious world of WEBTOON Originals Boyfriends series, a webcomic about getting yourself a boyfriend... or multiple boyfriends! Learn to Draw Boyfriends brings fans closer to the heart of the story with exclusive content and offers aspiring artists the tools to master the art of drawing lovable characters.
 
For the devoted fan or the casual reader, Learn to Draw Boyfriends offers a treasure trove of insights and exclusive behind-the-scenes content to discover. Gain a deeper understanding of Goth (Felix), Prep (Vincent), Nerd (Adrian), and Jock (Kevin), their quirks, and the inspirations behind the tender, romantic webcomic. Laugh-out-loud funny and always heartwarming, Boyfriends is filled to the brim with moments of pride big and small.
 
Beyond being a delightful treat for existing fans, this book caters to the aspiring artists who wish to capture the essence of the college boys' charm. The step-by-step tutorials and expert advice empower readers to hone their artistic skills and perfectly recreate the cute characters' distinctive features—from their faces to their bodies, to expressions and group dynamics.
 
Its unique blend of character exploration and artistic guidance makes it an essential guide for anyone captivated by the world of Boyfriends. Whether you're a devoted fan or a budding artist looking to create your own charming romance, this book is a must-have companion.

Genres: Art, Romance, Queer, Graphic Novels, Graphic Novels Comics

96 pages, Paperback

Published April 9, 2024

About the author

Refrainbow, whose real name is Ray, is an Indonesian debut author who draws boys kissing for a living.

Reviews

[Elle · Rating 3 out of 5]

After a basic drawing introduction, step by step is given for each of the boyfriend’s characters’ head, body, and chibi.

[Haley Ivey · Rating 5 out of 5]

As a huge "Boyfriends" the WEBTOON fan, I am SO glad I got to read this book early!! I will 100% be buying my own copy of it when it publishes next month because this one of my fave WEBTOON series to follow! It was one of the first series I found on the app and I immediately fell in love with the artistic style and character dynamics. I was so happy that they included the bios into each of the characters at the front half of the book. I've really wanted something like this for a while because I really love all of the characters in this world (both The Boyfriends & The Girlfriends).

As for the drawing portion of the book, I thought the process info and step-by-step sketching methods made sense to me! And being a fan of the series, I loved the little author notes in this section! I appreciated how this felt like a fan book and not only drawing instructions. Being a creative myself, I particuarly enjoyed that about the book. Giving insights and details into why various decisions were made during the creative process!

To conclude... Boyfriends is THE cutest poly boyfriends couple out there and you should be reading their story because Refrainbow did a fantastic job with it. Can't wait to pick up my copy!

Thank you to NetGalley & WEBTOON for providing me with this e-arc in exchange for my honest thoughts.

[Indra Lei · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is less of a “how to draw” book and more of a cute behind-the-scenes look at the webcomic Boyfriends. The book is organized into seven sections that can be grouped into three larger ones: 1) introducing the series and characters, 2) drawing basics and simple step-by-step instructions for drawing the boyfriends, and 3) a brief overview of WEBTOON and creating webcomics.

Even though I haven’t read Boyfriends. yet, I love refrainbow’s art style and have followed him for a while on Twitter, so I was excited to take a peek behind the curtain. This book is layed out clearly and attractively, and refrainbow’s art pops on the page. The text is simple and doesn’t go into much detail, which is why I say this isn’t really a book that’ll teach you how to draw. It’s more aimed at fans of the series who already have some drawing skills and want to get a few tips for drawing the boyfriends. I especially liked the inclusion of the character and series color palettes with hex codes.

Thank you to NetGalley and Walter Foster Publishing for the opportunity to review this book.

[Kenzie · Rating 4 out of 5]

It’s been so long since I’ve picked up a How-to-Draw book!

With a mix of old school Anime Drawing books and the modern day art style set up, it was quite the pleasure to read! I even pulled out my sketchbook and did a bit of drawing myself. The tips are very helpful for anyone interested in learning to draw anime or starting their own Manga or Webtoon. It also includes tips on how to make your characters reflect their given personality, whether that be in their facial expression or in their wardrobe.

It was such a blast from the past and I loved getting to relive my early drawing days!
My thanks to Walter Foster Publishing and NetGalley for the opportunity to review this book.

[Sophy · Rating 4 out of 5]

This webtoon how to draw boyfriends characters is very well done. Not only does it have some really good information and step by step how to draw the characters. I do wish that since they showed the female counterparts that they would have been more how to draw them as well. However over all this was a great how to draw book.

[Autumn · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was super cute and really reflected the comics, so I think this is a must have for fans! The tutorials are helpful and informative. I think this is a great guide for anyone wanting to learn to draw comics!

[Stella Z · Rating 5 out of 5]

Well done, cute, and informative. I enjoyed the insight into the artist's process and inspiration sprinkled throughout. I thought the basics were explained fairly well. I feel that even beginner artists could feel confident following along and drawing their favorite characters.

[Rachel · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have been a fan of this webcomic for a long time and I’m so glad that it’s come out in a published compilation. It’s one I’m going to buy for my home library. I’m not much of a print artist (I make my art with fabric and yarn) so I wasn’t sure how much I would get out of a ‘learn to draw’ book. But I loved the subject matter so I checked it out anyway.
It’s got so much more than just a drawing book! I loved seeing the various concept sketches and hearing about Refrainbow’s process in creating their characters and giving them styles. It also includes sections for all of the Girlfriends too. It was really cool learning more about their fashion and color choices. And I liked the dynamic poses that were given for their drawings. It’s not what I would consider a total beginner’s learn to draw book, but it’s an excellent guide if you want to try dabbling in the world of Boyfriends.

Read This If You - Love the Boyfriends story, like art and drawing, appreciate learning about an artist’s process, love character design or want to learn more about it, like adorable pastel polycules.

[Mehsi · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received this book from Edelweiss/the publisher in exchange of an honest review.


This book was SO HIGH on my list of books I wanted to read in 2024 so I was HYPED when I saw it up on Edelweiss and I could read it early, eep!

I had this series in my sights for a while but in December 2023 I went on a reading spree and read the first two volumes of Boyfriends. And so when I found out about the art book I had to have it. More boyfriends, yes please!

This book is not just how to draw the Boyfriends but also gives us some more insights in the characters (their traits, the colours the artist uses, and various fun illustrations, height, and more) + give us more information about the artist and their drawing progress and how they started and how it is going now in regards to the series. I really enjoyed all these parts of the book, plus, that we also got some more deets on the Girlfriends (I still would love love a spin-off with the girls).

And the the drawing starts. Materials that you need, some basic drawing instructions, eye shapes and expressions + more. I just loved that we didn’t just head right into drawing the boys, but got a little extra bonus drawing lessons to get us really started. Of course often adding our boys to show us their shapes and more. And then it really starts. From heads to chibi we learn all about drawing the boys and I was just invested. I haven’t yet tried (writing this at the end of January) to draw, but I would like to try it when I feel more confident/more OK about starting drawing again. I also loved that next to drawing the boys we got some more information about them, like did you know Prep’s spiky hair was inspired by popular anime protagonist who have a sense of superiority. Or more deets on Prep’s accessory choices. I really loved that those were added!

All in all, this was a treasure trove of fun and cute moments along with drawing lessons and I learned some new things about my boys. I would recommend this to all who love the series!

Review first posted at https://twirlingbookprincess.com/

[Katelin · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a really solid guide to all the characters and their unique personalities, looks, colour palettes and different styles! As an illustrator myself I found the instructions to be perfectly clear, and the range of topics covered such as proportions, art styles, clothing etc. comprehensive yet helpful for beginners!

Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review.