The Art of Manga: Drawing Unique Characters

Start by getting to know Natalia, a Swedish manga artist and your teacher for this course. She shares her creative journey that led to her work being published throughout Europe and the US. Hear about the artists and artwork that inspire her and have influenced her work.

Get an overview of the materials needed, and how to use them. Learn about manga history and its character archetypes. Dive into the practical part of the course, and learn basic sketching and drawing techniques. Natalia shares her tips for making drawing a habit, and how to overcome creative blocks.

Next, Natalia teaches you how to draw the facial features of your manga character. She takes you step by step through drawing proportions and how they can change depending on age, gender, and personality. Learn how to draw your manga character’s eyes exactly how you envision them. Explore drawing facial expressions and how to give your character a unique hairstyle. Then, learn how to draw your character’s head in different positions.

Move on to drawing your character’s body by exploring different body types and choosing the one that best suits your style. Hone in on the finer details of your character by learning how to draw their hands. Discover the different ways to draw the poses of your character, as well as how to draw them in motion! Give your character a fashion sense by learning to illustrate their clothing.

Natalia then shows you how to make a character sheet, which comes in handy if you want to make a manga story with your character. Bring your character to life by giving them a personality. Natalia wraps up the course by guiding you through the process of writing about your character to make them relatable.