not today either

... was there any time for drawing or anything creative (can't be creative with bookkeeping ...or rather don't want to take that risk). I've had a quick look in a book I found about "Manga Masters" though. Could see their working spaces and read their lists of materials.

So far I've had no response when it comes to my Manga workshops. Is this to be yet another thing leading nowhere?

drawing ...

... has not been part of today's fun activities. No: just numbers and calculations (bookkeeping and closure). And now it's time for more administration (invoices to write etc). This is not the way to live as an artist - I dream of the day when I can pay someone else to do these things for me!

planting seeds

I bought 150 envelopes today. I'm sending papers about my workshops to libraries. I do a lot of things these days that are like planting seeds. I might get no result - or a lot. You never know.

death

Instead of watching TV at night I'm having fun making some more material for my Manga workshops. (never been much for TV) Her scythe needs some more work though and her coat should be darker.

little red riding hood

ink on paper

It's been several weeks since I taught my last Manga class so I felt the urge to sketch this lady to not forget. Not totally Manga though - more "inspired".

manga: chibi

Teaching is good. I learn so many new things (or relearn) by doing it and get new ideas and influences in my art. Take the manga; I learn more and more about Japanese culture and art, I take up working with ink again - and I get the impulse to teach my watercolour students about Japanese/Chinese ink paintings.

The latest thing for me is chibi - which in Japanese means short person or small child. In anime (animated manga) chibis are very often cute little characters with big heads and small bodies.

I can't resist - suddenly I spend time - more than I need for the manga class - in my studio working on my own little chibi characters ... smiling ...

at Willem Kerseboom you can find a lot of really good Chinese art obviously influenced by chibis: Han Yajuan, Yin Jun, Zhang Zui and the famous Yoshitomo Nara (Japanese). More about him at Wikipedia.

more teaching manga

This Manga drawing (more realistic style) is based on a promotional picture for Ang Lee's movie Lust and Caution. I've made it to show my students how you can base your work on photos.

I thought this week would be less work, but no. I've been asked (last week) to give a Manga workshop for children on Friday. (which is great!) This is also including tutorial material for a class before - and after my workshop. It's just that right now I feel a bit overworked. Late nights. Working. In front of the computer.

Akino Kondoh makes manga style art, animations - and manga.

going manga

On Thursday nights I'm teaching kids (10-15 years) how to draw Manga - and to become Mangaka (the one who draws Manga). To be pedagogical I've designed my own Manga character: Ayano. The strip above (under construction) shows how I introduce my heroine.

Yoshitaka Amano is right now exhibiting at Gallery Michael Janssen in Berlin.

My art classes spring -08

Next year - 2008 - I'll be teaching the following classes at Medborgarskolan, Göteborg.

• Watercolour Wed 10:00-12.15 (ten times)
• Watercolour advanced level Wed 17:30-19.45 (ten times)
• Oil painting Thu 13:30-16:30 (five times)
• Manga Thu 17:00-19:15 (seven times)

All courses start the last week of January.

manga tutorial

Manga is based on human features - by applying simple rules it's possible to change humans into Manga characters. There are some tutorials online - like Manga University - but I miss the link (not internet link!) to real drawing which can help you to develop a more independent character for the Manga cartoon. SO - I'm making my own tutorial - like the step from child to cartoon above. I used to teach portrait drawing. But there is not much demand for that - Manga on the other hand is much more popular.