How does Kazushi Hagiwara draw Bastard!!?

The early chapters were drawn by Hagiwara essentially alone, on a weekly schedule. From the start he used screentone far beyond decoration: layered tones model shadows, skin, and magical effects, giving the linework a rounded, almost sculpted depth. As the staff grew (at its largest, a team of up to six assistants handling backgrounds, inking, and tone) he personally trained them in the technique, and its use only increased after the series left the weekly grind.

His reference habits are a collector’s: cosplay photographs and an extensive figurine collection feed the costumes and anatomy, and color work is done in analog media, Pantone and Copic markers, with only brief experiments in digital coloring. The proof of the method is in the gallery: put volume 1 beside volume 21 and the same hand is drawing a different art form. Twice, he has gone back and physically rebuilt the early art, for the pilot-era chapters and the Complete Edition (see the editions page).