5 Online Beginner Courses for Drawing Manga Characters

Learn to create your own manga and anime characters with Domestika experts

Manga character drawing is a creative discipline inspired by the aesthetic and anatomical features of traditional Japanese comics. The following courses teach you how to illustrate manga and anime-style facial expressions and create kawaii characters. You can also learn coloring techniques and how to animate your creations.

If you want to perfect your technique, you may want to check your progress with a little help from these illustrators, whatever your level of experience. They will inspire you with their work and reference material, and they'll share their methods so you can develop your own manga-style characters.

Creation of Manga Characters, a course by Andrea Jen

Andrea is one of the leading manga design figures in the Spanish-speaking world. She will teach you to create your own characters from the concept idea to the character sheet. You'll get to draw male and female figures in different poses, conveying emotions of various intensity.

Digital Illustration with Manga Influence, a course by Akimaro

After taking us on a journey across manga's evolution, illustrator and graphic designer Akimaro will show you her method for drawing complex ideas easily. Firstly, you'll learn the thumbnailing process, and then you'll define your sketches digitally and apply basic colors to your images. You'll create stylish scenes with characters that transmit realistic emotions.

Color Marker Techniques for Manga, a course by Tania Oksentiuk

Artist Tania Oksentiuk, better-known as Taniidraw, will teach you to color Japanese manga using markers. She'll demonstrate how to apply color to your images' various elements, and you'll get to practice line-making and brush strokes while exploring color theory. You will bring your characters to life using simple markers and will be able to use them in your future manga comic, your portfolio, or to share on social media.

Storytelling through Watercolor Illustration, a course by Daniela López Marín

Watercolor is an excellent medium for this style. Artist Daniela López will prove this as she explains the basics of illustration storytelling. You will learn to create your own story. You will design your own color palette, and you'll paint beautiful manga characters to include in your scenes. Daniela will also show you how to retouch your images in Photoshop.

Design of Kawaii-Style Characters, a course by Estudio Kudasai

Azul Piñeiro and Carlos Higuera, real fanatics of the kawaii style, have collaborated with clients such as Cartoon Network and Disney Latin America. You'll be inspired by their passion, as they teach you to draw your own kawaii characters with their special anatomical features and facial expressions. You will get to draw your very first "Yuru Kyara." If you don't know what we're referring to, you can find out in this course.

English version by @acesarato

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