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"Manga Mania!"

The Purpose: Many young artists find a particular style or genre of art that really excites them, and most would agree that manga (or Japaense comics) is by far this decade's style du jour.  Sometimes, though, young artists feel as if their chosen style is dismissed by the "traditional" art world.  By embracing the passion of manga fans and giving them the opportunity to take traditional art lessons that will improve their mastery of the medium, we can give these young artists a chance to feel included and learn that all styles of art are connected by basic principles.

The Project: The attendees had a brief discussion about manga, and then rotated among four different art classes: visual storytelling, model drawing, head studies and chibis, and ink techniques.  The classes were taught by four talented local artists--Heidi Arnhold, Vanessa Sebastian, Misha Kantartzis and Scott Mohrmann--and a live costumed model was available for the students to draw.
Manga Mania! poster

This project was made possible with the combined efforts of the Art Station - Big Shanty, Cobb County Parks Recreation and Cultural Affairs Department, McClure Middle School, local artists, and a generous grant from the Grassroots Arts Program.
Learning about neck sizedrawing and listening
Vanessa tells us all about eye shape!"No, not 'talking heads,' talking about heads..."
Carefully drawing...Hard at work
A lovely horned character and chibiVanessa explains it all...
Dutifully drawingHard at work
A closer look at that horned girl...Carefully trying out new tricks
Concentrate, now, lads, this is important...Intently studying the model...
Working hard...Sketching out for fun...
Trying out the new inksDrawing is serious business
how will you ink?Hard at work
What should he try next?It's an inking party!
Artists, start your engines!A lovely live sketch by Misha
Misha teaches the kids about drawing models from lifeMer was adorable in her cafe maid outfit!
I wonder how long she can hold that pose?Study the model, see the forms...
Concentration was really on a rollMaybe the hat helps him draw?
It's an odd way to hold the pencil, but she's getting great results!Seriously, it was quiet in there...
Willing the drawing onto the page works sometimesMer eventually got tired of standing perfectly still
Punked out and sketched outManga: crossing all boundaries
Even the cool kids like manga.Proof that you can get middle school boys to do something other than video games
The backlighting was kind of roughGotta measure...
Learning to "sight" is a valuble toolOoo, a raised elbow--that's gotta hurt!
She really held that for a long timeThe kids, they concentrate so well for their age!
Drawing carefullyCharacter creation is always a blast
What will your character do?"Entranced" is a good word here, I think...
Doodle, puppets, doodle!Working on the action now!
Developing the story some more!Heidi asks questions, and the answers make up your character--in this case, Mountain Mike
What will Mountain Mike do?Gleefully creating characters!
(c) 2007 The Art Station - Big Shanty :: 2050 Kennesaw Due West Road, Kennesaw, GA 30152 :: allison.frink@cobbcounty.org