Screentone manga texture

Screentone is a texture technique used in manga to create shadows, gradients, and visual effects, originally transferred from adhesive sheets.

About this subject

Screentone, also known as letraset or mezzotint in the West, is a pattern of dots or lines applied to black-and-white drawings to simulate shades of gray without manual hatching. The technique gained popularity in Japan from the 1960s, with manga such as "Ashita no Joe", and quickly became an industry standard. Artists cut pre-printed adhesive sheets with various textures (dots, lines, waves, etc.) and apply them over the original, scraping or layering to create gradients. The most common pattern is the dot tone, with varying dot densities, creating the illusion of depth and volume. In Brazil, screentone was heavily used in the 1990s in magazines like "Luluzinha" and "Turma da Mônica", although many national artists now prefer digital techniques. The screentone texture is so iconic that it has become a visual synonym for the manga style itself, being digitally recreated in software such as Clip Studio Paint and Photoshop. Despite digitization, physical screentone is still valued by collectors and artists seeking the authentic finish of printed publications. The variety of patterns ranges from the classic 60-line-per-inch dot to effects of clouds, flames, and fabric textures, each with specific applications in action, romance, or horror scenes.

Frequently Asked Questions

How is screentone applied to a manual drawing?

The artist cuts the adhesive sheet to the desired shape, sticks it over the drawing area, and uses a knife to remove excess. Then they may scrape parts of the tone to create gradients or light effects.

Do professional mangakas still use screentone today?

Yes, many use digital screentone on tablets or software, but some still prefer physical for its organic texture. Digital techniques offer greater speed and easier corrections.

What is the difference between screentone and hatching?

Hatching is done by hand with parallel or cross lines. Screentone is a uniform pattern transferred from a sheet, allowing continuous tones and time savings, but with less manual expressiveness.