Manga Art School: Complete Anime and Manga Drawing Course from Udemy

What is Manga Art School all about?

Manga Art School is a complete video course where you learn to become adept at drawing professional and authentic Japanese Manga and Anime character stylization. I’ve hand-crafted the Manga Art School: Anime and Manga Style Character Drawing course to be the only course you need, to learn all the core fundamentals and advanced stylization and proportional knowledge needed to draw and sketch Manga and Anime style characters well. If you’re an absolute beginner or you’re already at an intermediate level, the course will advance your current ability to not only a professional level, but help you achieve an authentic and appealing manga or anime style in your character work. You won't end up with Anime or Manga characters that don't look "quite" like true manga style - no, this course will show you how to achieve a real Japanese Anime and Manga stylization of your work.. The course is a comprehensive 6 module guided video course, where the only limit to your progression is your determination and engagement in learning the concepts and engaging in the rewarding assignments.

Whether you want to draw stylized characters for Manga, Anime, or Manga genres such as Shoujo, Shounin, Bishoujo, your own Doujinshi, or Kodomo manga style characters, this is the course you need to get you there.

I’ll teach you to draw in a true manga style without fear. I’ll teach you to draw an authentic manga style well.

Finally, Learn Manga and Anime Style Drawing Well

Whether you’re a complete beginner, or intermediate at drawing Manga styles, you’ll learn things you never knew you never knew. Immense time and research, as well as years of drawing experience have gone into creating a course that distills the core information you need to know, in order to draw convincing and authentic manga or anime style characters. I’m so convinced of this, I’ll give you a no-questions asked refund if you’re not satisfied.

Clear, Easy to Understand Lessons

Crystal clear in fact. Learning Manga and Anime stylization effectively means having information presented in a logical and coherent way. The Manga Art School Course is modular by design, easy to grasp, and allows you to learn in a well paced, structured way. Engage in the course chronologically, then revise each module at your leisure. Grasp concepts faster than you ever have before – there’s no fluff here. (and really, this no fluff promise is in all of my courses. )

Assignments that are Rewarding

Bridging the gap between theory and practice, each module’s assignments have been designed to both reinforce theory, and feel rewarding. I’ve taken the core of the theory, and purpose built each assignment to help you rapidly progress, and you’ll see the difference in your own work almost immediately. Art is about doing, so let’s get started.

What's Your Style?

Anime and Manga is not simply one single style, but has many, many variants. This course teaches you the foundational stylistic rules that are common among all styles, allowing you not only to draw authentic manga and anime characters, but create your own style that is still true to the original Japanese principles. I'm not teaching you a 'method' or a 'way' to draw the styles, I'm teaching you to be a fundamentally good Manga and Anime style character artist.

What's inside

Learning objectives

How to draw manga
How to draw manga hands, bodies, proportions and faces
How to draw manga characters to a professional level

How to draw out of your head and quickly
Draw manga in an authentic style
How to draw manga and anime style and stylization

How to draw manga
How to draw manga hands, bodies, proportions and faces
How to draw manga characters to a professional level
How to draw out of your head and quickly
Draw manga in an authentic style
How to draw manga and anime style and stylization

Syllabus

Welcome to the Course!

Introduction

Manga Style Workflow and Roughs

Introductory Assignment

Traffic lights

Read about what's good

what should give you pause

and possible dealbreakers

Develops artistic skills, including sketching and drawing, which are core foundational abilities in the fields of art, design, and illustration

Examines drawing concepts such as proportions, perspectives, and stylization, which are integral to creating realistic and engaging artistic work

Taught by Scott Harris, an experienced artist with over ten years of experience in the anime and manga industries

Provides hands-on assignments and exercises to reinforce learning, allowing students to practice and improve their drawing skills

Covers a comprehensive range of topics, from basic fundamentals to advanced techniques, making it suitable for both beginners and experienced artists

Requires basic drawing materials and a computer, which are widely accessible and affordable for most learners

Reviews summary

Comprehensive manga & anime drawing fundamentals

According to learners, this course is a game-changer for aspiring manga and anime artists, offering a strong foundational understanding. Students frequently praise the clear explanations of core concepts like proportions, facial features, and line art fundamentals. Many find the instruction on achieving authentic Japanese stylization particularly valuable. While largely geared towards beginners, some intermediate artists also find it beneficial, though a few note that certain sections, like initial proportion lessons or timelapse demos, can feel fast-paced, potentially requiring extra effort or pausing.

Offers actionable techniques supported by helpful demonstrations.

"The instructor's demos are fantastic, especially the real-time drawing sections."

"The section on line art fundamentals transformed my digital drawings. I always struggled with line weighting, but the techniques taught here are incredibly useful."

"The expression drawings demo was particularly insightful."

"I found the complete start-to-finish drawing demos incredibly helpful for my workflow."

Helps achieve a true and appealing Japanese manga aesthetic.

"I feel like I'm finally drawing authentic Japanese style characters."

"It focuses on authentic stylization rather than just copying."

"You won't end up with Anime or Manga characters that don't look 'quite' like true manga style - no, this course will show you how to achieve a real Japanese Anime and Manga stylization of your work."

"I learned to draw in a true manga style without fear, achieving authentic results."

Provides excellent clarity on fundamental art principles.

"This course is a game-changer! I've tried other resources, but none explained proportions and stylization for Manga as clearly as this."

"Absolutely loved this course. As a beginner, I found the pace perfect. It builds skills step-by-step, starting with foundational concepts..."

"I appreciate how the course breaks down complex topics into manageable modules. It's not just about copying; it teaches you *why*..."

"I gained a very strong foundation in the fundamentals required for drawing in the manga style."

Heavily features digital tools, less explicit for traditional artists.

"It relies heavily on digital drawing tools for the demos, and as a traditional artist, I sometimes found it hard to translate directly."

"The digital line finishing technique is well-explained, but I primarily work with traditional media, which wasn't as emphasized."

"I noticed most examples and demonstrations were conducted using digital software, which is fine, but good to know for traditionalists."

Some sections are fast-paced, potentially lacking advanced depth.

"While comprehensive, some parts, especially the initial proportion lessons, moved a bit fast for me, requiring frequent pausing."

"I found the course to be quite basic and didn't cover as much depth as I expected, especially for someone who claims to be at an intermediate level."

"Some of the timelapse demos were too fast without enough commentary to truly understand the process in real-time."

"I was hoping for more advanced techniques beyond fundamental proportions."

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 Manga Art School: Complete Anime and Manga Drawing Course with these activities:

Read Scott McCloud's Understanding Comics

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This book provides a detailed study of the medium of comics, which will help students understand the storytelling techniques used in Manga and Anime.

View The Cartoonists Club: A Graphic Novel on Amazon

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Read the book.
Take notes on the key concepts.
Apply the concepts to your own drawing.

Watch tutorials on drawing Manga and Anime

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Watching tutorials will help students learn from experienced artists and pick up new techniques.

Browse courses on Manga

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Find a tutorial on a topic you want to learn.
Watch the tutorial and follow along.
Practice the technique on your own.

Review key anatomy concepts

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Reviewing anatomy will help students better understand proportions.

Browse courses on Anatomy

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Identify the major muscles of the face.
Understand how the body is structured.
Practice drawing basic body shapes.

Four other activities

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Practice drawing eyes and mouths

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Practicing drawing these features will help students create more expressive characters.

Browse courses on Facial Expressions

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Find a reference photo of an eye or mouth.
Draw the eye or mouth on paper.
Repeat the process until you can draw the eye or mouth from memory.

Create a character sketch

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Creating character sketches will allow students to express their own style while using the rules of Manga and Anime.

Browse courses on Character Design

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Choose a character to sketch.
Sketch out the basic shapes of the body.
Add details to the sketch, such as eyes, hair, and clothing.

Write a short story featuring your character

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Writing a story will help students develop their character's personality and backstory.

Browse courses on Character Development

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Decide on a plot for your story.
Introduce your character and their motivations.
Develop the conflict of the story.
Resolve the conflict and end the story.

Create a portfolio of your Manga and Anime drawings

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A portfolio will help students showcase their skills and track their progress.

Browse courses on Portfolio Development

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Collect your best drawings.
Create a website or online portfolio to display your work.
Share your portfolio with others and get feedback.

Career center

Learners who complete Manga Art School: Complete Anime and Manga Drawing Course will develop knowledge and skills that may be useful to these careers:

Anime Artist

Anime Artists use the style of manga and anime to create visual works. These can be used for a variety of purposes, such as tv shows, films, and video games. This course can help you become an Anime Artist by providing you with the essential skills and knowledge needed to accurately draw anime and manga style characters.

See salaries and explore the career path for Anime Artist

Manga Artist

Manga Artists use the style of manga and anime to create visual works. These can be used for a variety of purposes, such as tv shows, films, and video games. This course can help you become a Manga Artist by providing you with the essential skills and knowledge needed to accurately draw anime and manga style characters.

See salaries and explore the career path for Manga Artist

Webtoon Artist

Webtoon Artists use the style of manga and anime to create visual works for the web. This course can help you become a Webtoon Artist by providing you with the essential skills and knowledge needed to accurately draw anime and manga style characters.

See salaries and explore the career path for Webtoon Artist

Character Designer

Character Designers are responsible for creating the visual appearance of characters in a variety of media, including animation, video games, and comics. This course can help you become a successful Character Designer by showing you how to create authentic and appealing manga and anime-style characters.

See salaries and explore the career path for Character Designer

Comic Book Artist

Comic Book Artists use their artistic skills to help tell stories through sequential art. This course can help you become a Comic Book Artist by teaching you how to draw manga and anime style characters. These skills can be applied to a variety of comic book genres.

See salaries and explore the career path for Comic Book Artist

Storyboard Artist

Storyboard Artists create visual representations of a film, television show, or other visual media. This course can help you become a Storyboard Artist by teaching you how to draw manga and anime-style characters. These skills are essential for creating visually appealing storyboards, which will help you succeed as a storyboard artist.

See salaries and explore the career path for Storyboard Artist

Illustrator

Illustrators create visual images to support written content. This course can help you become an Illustrator by teaching you how to draw manga and anime style characters. These skills are essential for creating visually appealing illustrations.

See salaries and explore the career path for Illustrator

Concept Artist

Concept Artists use their artistic talents to create visual concepts for a variety of entertainment and design projects. This course can help you become a Concept Artist by teaching you how to draw manga and anime style characters. These skills can be applied to a variety of design projects.

See salaries and explore the career path for Concept Artist

Visual Development Artist

Visual Development Artists create visual representations of characters, settings, and objects for a variety of entertainment and design projects. This course can help you become a Visual Development Artist by teaching you how to draw manga and anime style characters. These skills are essential for creating visually appealing visual development work.

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Tattoo Artist

Tattoo Artists use their artistic skills to create permanent designs on the skin. This course can help you become a Tattoo Artist by teaching you how to draw manga and anime style characters. These skills are essential for creating visually appealing tattoos.

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Game Artist

Game Artists use their artistic skills to create visual elements for video games. This course can help you become a Game Artist by teaching you how to draw manga and anime style characters. These skills are essential for creating visually appealing video games.

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Graphic Designer

Graphic Designers use visual communication to create visual concepts, using computer software or by hand. This course can help you become a Graphic Designer by teaching you how to draw manga and anime style characters. These skills are essential for creating visually appealing graphic designs.

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Art Director

Art Directors manage the visual aspects of a variety of projects, including films, television shows, and video games. This course may be useful for aspiring Art Directors by teaching you how to draw manga and anime style characters. These skills can be applied to a variety of art direction projects.

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Producer

Producers manage the artistic and technical aspects of a variety of projects, including films, television shows, and video games. This course may be useful for aspiring Producers by teaching you how to draw manga and anime style characters. These skills can be applied to a variety of producing projects.

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Director

Directors manage the artistic and technical aspects of a variety of projects, including films, television shows, and video games. This course may be useful for aspiring Directors by teaching you how to draw manga and anime style characters. These skills can be applied to a variety of directing projects.

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