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School girl action manga artists rejoice! With this new book, you can stop making awkward pose requests to your friends.

Generally, artists work better when they have a frame of reference. This is why art classes begin by painting a bowl of fruit that’s actually in front of you. It’s a little harder though, when your drawing requirements include people posing in outrageous situations. While there are plenty of resources online that are available for budding artists, sometimes you need something a little more relevant to your muse, thematically.

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We’ve found the perfect reference book for manga artists drawing action sequences featuring school girl heroines. It’s written and compiled by action coordinator and action director Isao Karasawa, who’s responsible for titles such as Ultraman Zero: The Revenge of Belial, Thermae Romae, and Sailor Suit and Machine Gun: Graduation.

This book features a collection of action poses by female models in high school sailor uniforms and blazers as they deal with violent situations in at least three different chapters which include brawling, flying and gun play. You won’t be limited to just girls in school uniforms though, as there are reference photos of the models in swimsuits posing in the same action shots. With less clothing, you’ll be able to see the structures of the muscles and the lines of the body…so it’s easier to draw them.

▼ Bring on the poses!

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▼ They’re still friends, even with that powerful kick to the neck.

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▼ Focus on the way the muscles move!

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▼ Jumping over someone with a gun in hand is an important pose to master.

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▼ Two high schoolers with swords, just like everyday life.

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Published by Genkosha, Real Action Pose Shots 01: The Compilation of Female High School Students (瞬撮アクションポーズ01 女子高生アクション編) can be found in Japanese bookstores for 2,484 yen (US$22.90). Make sure you fly (with weapons) to the store or else other artists are going to snap it up first, and you’ll have to go back to asking local high school students to pose for you.

Source: Artist Database
Images: Amazon JP