Manga drawing

Page updated November 10, 2008

Manga Drawing

Manga 1 Drawing — For ages 10 and Up— Monday, 4:00 to 5:30 p.m. — 1.5 Hour class
Manga 2 Drawing — For ages 12 and Up — Saturday, 1 to 2:30 p.m. — 1.5 Hour class

MANGA, is the Japanese word for comics or printed-cartoons. But that is a remarkably simple definition for an art form that has evolved into a multi-layered, cross-cultural art and social movement. Manga appeals to young children, teens and adults, and is now represented in different "styles" that are favored by individual age and social groups. All of our Manga classes will teach conventional realistic-drawing techniques (which are all part of Manga style animation) but with a twist. All the subject matter will feature Manga characters, scenarios, design, lighting and more. It's the best of both worlds for kids that love Manga. They develop skills that translate to any kind of realistic drawing: light and shadow, line and tone, perspective and foreshortening, hands, faces and body action, yet they are able to learn while drawing the content they want....Manga!

CHIBI MANGA is what we recognize as Pokemon-type characters that are cute, grotesque, or even bizarre representations of people, animals, and even supernatural creatures. This kind of Manga is favored by kids in the 6 to 12 year old range, but a majority of Chibi fans are 8 to 10 years old. Our Saturday morning Manga Chibi class will focus on learning to draw Manga, but with the added goal of developing core drawing skills that apply to any kind of drawing. (This class is NOT CURRENTLY SCHEDULED).

MANGA 1 DRAWING, will be modeled after Shoujo/Shonen style manga which is frequently favored by pre-teens and teenagers alike. These characters are much more lifelike in appearance and behavior although there are many story lines that feature supernatural people and creatures. Gender becomes much more of a factor at this level since boys are attracted to Shonen (competition, sports, warfare, supernatural characters, etc.) stories, and girls favor Shoujo (socialization, relationships, dating, fashion, etc.) stories. The literal translation of Shonen is "boy" and Shoujo is "young girl". Manga 1 will be held on Monday from 4 to 5:30 p.m.

MANGA 2 DRAWING will be a follow-up class to MANGA 1. Students will have to take MANGA 1 previously or submit samples of their artwork to join this class. The class will assume prior skills and develop more sophisticated aspects of drawing, plus use advanced techniques that require more time to complete. New students who wish to join this class-level will need to submit samples prior to placement. Contact John Goodnough at 978-266-1600 to learn how to proceed. Manga 2 is held on Saturday from 1 to 2:30 p.m.

ActonArt is a member of the National Guild of Community Schools of the Arts.