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Kaori Asai

What is mangAnime おひさま塾 (Ohisama Juku)?

mangAnime おひさま塾 provides learn-anywhere video courses around the clock; where you can learn Manga and Anime drawing techniques from Japanese professionals.

Manga and Anime have long been at the heart of Japanese culture, with a consistent wave of popularity between the generations. They have developed its own visual language to show a character's inner thoughts and feelings. Manga and Anime uses a minimalistic style to build character expressions.

Read more

What is mangAnime おひさま塾 (Ohisama Juku)?

mangAnime おひさま塾 provides learn-anywhere video courses around the clock; where you can learn Manga and Anime drawing techniques from Japanese professionals.

Manga and Anime have long been at the heart of Japanese culture, with a consistent wave of popularity between the generations. They have developed its own visual language to show a character's inner thoughts and feelings. Manga and Anime uses a minimalistic style to build character expressions.

In Japanese Manga and Anime, the facial expressions play a big and important role in conveying the mood and actions of the story. Successful pieces often hinge on having characters the audience strongly emotionally identifies with. How do the Manga Artists or Animators draw the cute, lovely and shy expressions of girls and charming and angry expressions of boys? Can I draw faces for expressive characters?

Yes, of course you can. All you need to do is to start with the FACE, which is the most important element in character design.

In this course, I will demonstrate how to draw faces in various views, step by step; as well as manga eyes, nose, lips, ears, and hair. I will also share with you how to enhance the overall emotional expressions by using other parts of the body.

Whether you’re a complete beginner, or intermediate at character drawing, you’ll learn things you never knew you never knew.

All videos are subtitled.

Come and join us.

Enroll now

What's inside

Learning objectives

  • Fundamental manga and anime drawing skill
  • Japanese manga drawing
  • How to draw character face
  • How to draw facial expression
  • How to draw emotional expression
  • How to create hair style

Syllabus

Able to draw a character face from different angles
Face - Side View
Face - Front View
Face - 3/4 Side View
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Traffic lights

Read about what's good
what should give you pause
and possible dealbreakers
Breaks down the process of drawing manga faces step-by-step, which is helpful for beginners looking to learn the fundamentals
Explores how to draw faces from various angles, including front, side, 3/4 view, and from above and below, which is essential for character design
Covers how to draw various hairstyles, including short, long, curly, tails, braids, and buzz cuts, which allows for diverse character creation
Explores how to express emotions through facial expressions and body language, which is key to creating relatable and engaging characters
Discusses tools used in drawing manga, which may require learners to acquire additional art supplies
Includes anecdotes about the manga industry in Japan, which may be interesting for those seeking a career as a manga artist

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Reviews summary

Japanese manga drawing fundamentals

According to learners, this course serves as an excellent introduction to Japanese manga drawing fundamentals, particularly ideal for beginners. Students consistently praise the clear, step-by-step instruction provided by a Japanese manga artist, highlighting the detailed segments on drawing faces, eyes, and hair as especially valuable. Many found it incredibly helpful for building basic skills. However, some reviewers noted that the content felt too basic and lacked sufficient depth for those seeking intermediate or advanced techniques, or more practice exercises. Overall, it is highly recommended for anyone starting their manga drawing journey.
Authentic techniques and cultural notes.
"Loved learning from a real Japanese manga artist! The cultural notes were a nice touch."
"The artist's insights are gold."
"Techniques were explained clearly."
Detailed lessons on face parts and expressions.
"I learned so much about drawing manga faces."
"Good course overall. Covers facial features well... The explanation of expressions was particularly useful."
"I've always struggled with eyes and hair, but the detailed sections here really helped."
"My faces look so much better now!"
"The segments on different facial views were clear."
Ideal for those starting manga drawing.
"This course was fantastic! The instructor breaks down complex concepts into easy-to-follow steps. I learned so much about drawing manga faces."
"Highly recommend for anyone starting manga drawing. The step-by-step approach is perfect. My faces look so much better now!"
"Good course overall. Covers facial features well... great for beginners."
"Solid introduction. Good pace for beginners."
Some wish for more exercises/assignments.
"The drawing demonstrations are helpful, but I wish there were more exercises or assignments to practice."
"More on full character drawing would be nice."
May be too basic for intermediate artists.
"It's okay... some parts were a bit basic for me."
"Disappointed. Expected more advanced techniques. This is strictly for absolute beginners."
"May lack depth for those seeking intermediate or advanced techniques."

Activities

Be better prepared before your course. Deepen your understanding during and after it. Supplement your coursework and achieve mastery of the topics covered in mangAnimeおひさま塾: Learn Manga Drawing from Jap Manga Artist ① with these activities:
Practice Basic Shapes and Forms
Reinforce your understanding of basic shapes and forms, which are essential building blocks for drawing manga characters and their faces from different angles.
Browse courses on Basic Shapes
Show steps
  • Practice drawing circles, squares, and triangles in different sizes and perspectives.
  • Transform these shapes into 3D forms like spheres, cubes, and pyramids.
  • Use these forms to construct simple objects and figures.
Read 'Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain'
Improve your observational skills and learn techniques to see and draw more accurately, which will help you capture the nuances of facial expressions and character designs in manga.
Show steps
  • Read the book and complete the exercises.
  • Focus on the exercises that involve drawing from observation and negative space.
  • Apply the techniques you learn to drawing manga faces and expressions.
Facial Expression Studies
Enhance your ability to draw a wide range of facial expressions by practicing drawing them repeatedly from reference images.
Show steps
  • Find reference images of various facial expressions in manga and anime.
  • Practice drawing each expression multiple times, focusing on capturing the key features.
  • Experiment with exaggerating the expressions to create more dramatic effects.
Four other activities
Expand to see all activities and additional details
Show all seven activities
Create a Character Emotion Chart
Solidify your understanding of emotional expression by creating a chart that maps different emotions to specific facial features and body language cues.
Show steps
  • Choose a character and identify a range of emotions you want to depict.
  • Draw the character expressing each emotion, paying attention to the eyes, mouth, eyebrows, and posture.
  • Label each drawing with the corresponding emotion and any relevant notes about the expression.
Read 'Manga for Dummies'
Gain a broader understanding of manga drawing techniques and storytelling principles, which will help you create more compelling and expressive characters.
View Manga For Dummies on Amazon
Show steps
  • Read the book and focus on the chapters that cover character design and facial expressions.
  • Practice the techniques demonstrated in the book.
  • Experiment with different styles and approaches to find what works best for you.
Design a Manga Character with Expressive Emotions
Apply your knowledge of facial expressions and body language to design a unique manga character with a distinct personality and emotional range.
Show steps
  • Develop a backstory and personality for your character.
  • Sketch different poses and expressions for your character, reflecting their personality and emotions.
  • Refine your sketches and create a final character design.
Create a Short Manga Comic Strip
Integrate your drawing skills and storytelling abilities to create a short manga comic strip that showcases your character's emotional range and personality.
Show steps
  • Develop a short story idea that highlights your character's emotions.
  • Plan the layout of your comic strip, including panels and dialogue.
  • Draw the panels, paying attention to facial expressions, body language, and composition.
  • Add dialogue and sound effects to enhance the story.

Career center

Learners who complete mangAnimeおひさま塾: Learn Manga Drawing from Jap Manga Artist ① will develop knowledge and skills that may be useful to these careers:
Character Designer
Character designers create the visual appearance of characters for various media, such as video games, animation, and comics. This course is directly relevant for a character designer as it teaches the fundamentals of character design, focusing on facial anatomy, expressions, and hairstyles. The course's emphasis on drawing faces from various angles directly addresses the need for dynamic character design. A character designer will find that this course provides a foundation of skills in character drawing.
Manga Artist
A manga artist creates original stories and artwork in the style of Japanese comics. This course directly addresses the core skills needed to become a successful manga artist by focusing on character design and facial expression. With a firm foundation in drawing faces from multiple angles, and creating a range of hairstyles and emotions, you will be well prepared to create compelling characters for your own stories. This course may be useful for aspiring manga artists who wish to learn these skills.
Comic Book Artist
A comic book artist translates scripts into sequential visual narratives. This course will help a comic book artist develop their skills in drawing expressive characters, specifically facial features, hairstyles, and emotional cues. The course's focus on different face angles and expression will prove invaluable when creating dynamic panels for comic books. This course is particularly useful for improving the quality and expressive nature of character drawings.
Graphic Novel Artist
A graphic novel artist creates complete narratives in the form of graphic novels. This career involves in-depth character design, a central element of this course. The course will help you develop a strong understanding of how to draw a character's face, including various expressions and hairstyles. This course directly supports the kind of visual storytelling a graphic novel artist is concerned with. This course is valuable to a graphic novel artist.
Illustrator
An illustrator creates visual content for a variety of media, often including books, magazines, and websites. This course’s focus on drawing faces from different angles and creating expressive characters, aligns perfectly with the work of an illustrator. The course will help you develop a strong grasp of character design, and is useful for those who want to enhance their portfolio with compelling figures. This course may be useful for an illustrator wanting to develop skills in this area.
Freelance Artist
A freelance artist works independently, taking on various art-related projects. This course directly enables the development of a specific skill set in drawing character faces and styles. The ability to draw faces and expressions from different angles, as well as to use hairstyles to enhance character design are all of benefit to a freelance artist. The skills gained in this course are useful for a freelance artist that wishes to expand their service offerings.
Webcomic Artist
A webcomic artist creates and publishes comics online. This course helps a webcomic artist design compelling characters. The course teaches drawing faces from various angles and creating emotional expressions is directly relevant for this career. A successful webcomic artist must be able to draw expressive characters, and this course provides help in this area. This course may be useful to a webcomic artist.
Animator
An animator brings characters and stories to life through motion. This course addresses character design, facial expressions, and emotional cues which are essential to animation work. An animator must know how to communicate character feelings, and this course focuses on drawing faces to convey these emotions. Learning to draw faces and expressions from different angles, will help animators create dynamic scenes. The skills provided by this course may be useful for an animator.
Game Artist
A game artist creates artwork for video games, including characters, environments, and user interfaces. This course assists a game artist by providing instruction in drawing character faces, which is important when crafting the visual aspects of a game. It's focus on facial expressions and the emotional communication of characters is valuable to game developers. This course may be useful to a game artist.
Concept Artist
Concept artist is responsible for creating the visual style and mood for various creative projects. This course provides training in drawing character faces from various views, and in depicting emotional expressions. The knowledge gained in this course helps concept artists create character concepts that have emotional depth. A concept artist may find this course useful in developing their skills.
Storyboard Artist
A storyboard artist creates visual representations of scenes for films, television, and animated projects. The ability to draw expressive faces and characters is critical for a storyboard artist, and this course focuses on this skill. The course’s instruction on drawing faces from various angles and on conveying emotions through expressions will prove valuable. This course may be useful to a storyboard artist.
Art teacher
An art teacher instructs students in various art techniques. This course can help art teacher strengthen their fundamentals in character design in the Manga and Anime style. This course provides a guide to teaching fundamental Manga and Anime drawing skills, focusing on facial expressions and hairstyles. An art teacher will find this course useful in their own professional development and instruction.
Visual Development Artist
A visual development artist contributes to the overall look and style of animated or live-action productions. This course is beneficial to a visual development artist, providing training in character face design, including different angles, expressions, and hairstyles. This course focuses on the specifics that a visual development artist uses in their work. Visual development artists may find that this course helps build a foundation in skills they depend on.
Tattoo Artist
A tattoo artist creates permanent designs on people's skin. This course, which focuses on drawing faces and character design, may be useful in developing an artist's ability to create interesting and expressive images. Instruction on drawing faces and creating emotional expressions can help a tattoo artist design unique tattoos, especially those involving characters. A tattoo artist may find this course useful in expanding their artistic range.
Fashion Illustrator
A fashion illustrator renders clothing and accessories in a visually appealing way. While this course focuses on character faces, it may be useful in creating stylized figures that showcase fashion designs. Training in how to create different hairstyles can also be relevant to depicting clothing worn in an eye-catching way. A fashion illustrator may find this course to be useful in developing their artistic abilities.

Reading list

We've selected two books that we think will supplement your learning. Use these to develop background knowledge, enrich your coursework, and gain a deeper understanding of the topics covered in mangAnimeおひさま塾: Learn Manga Drawing from Jap Manga Artist ①.
Provides a comprehensive introduction to the world of manga drawing. It covers a wide range of topics, including character design, storytelling, and panel layout. It is particularly useful for beginners who are looking for a step-by-step guide to creating their own manga. This book adds breadth to the existing course.

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