MangaSchool Nakano for International School
Manga School Nakano
Manga School Nakano
10 minutes walk from Nakano Station,located just one stop from Shinjuku
Please apply from the "Contact“ in this web site.
If you have any questions, please send a e-mail to "nakano@nakanomangaschool".
I'm very sorry but we do not accept inquiries by phone.

Manga School Nakano International

マンガスクール 中野
Online Lesson
General Information

Schedule Every Sunday 10:30-18:00 Japan time.

Because of Corona-virusd, we decided to accept online lesson applications on weekdays besides Sunday. If Sunday lessons are fully booked or you can't attend available time-slots on Sunday, write your preferred time and date (Japan time*) in "Request, Question" of the application form.

*Japan doesn't have summer time.

Time Zone Converter – Time Difference Calculator
https://www.timeanddate.com/worldclock/converter.html

All lessons will be held at Manga School Nakano online. (Video chat with Google Plus Hangout). This is a 50-min. private lesson.

There is no pre-requisite for enrolling into this class. We welcome students at all levels. (Our youngest student we had so far, was an 8 year old boy). Guardians are welcome to attend with students. For details, please visit our program page.

There will be a Schedule calendar with scheduled classes available for public access(Based on the handle name/initials of each student.)

Each course consists of four consecutive weekly sessions. Trial lesson is available prior to the beginning of a course. Based on the trial lesson, the instructor will recommend the student to join the most appropriate course for the individual.

Student can establish the focus of each session with the instructor. For instance, they can choose to create or design a new character, creating a story, the rendering style of one or a set of characters, etc. A goal will be given to the students for each lesson.

Student should also expect to be given some homework which will help to reinforce what was learnt.
All classes will be hosted via Google Hangout with the webcam on both the instructor side and the student side. Using a webcam, the teacher can demonstrate live drawing as necessary, and student can also share their work with the instructor in real-time. (recommended).

To enrich the one-on-one experience, course material prepared by the instructor for all private lessons and the recording of all private lessons will be made available to all students.

This is to be done so that students can maximize their learning experience. They can review the material they had covered with the instructor. And they will also get to see what are the subject other fellow students are learning!

All lessons will be recorded, and stored in YouTube Manga School Nakano Channel. This is a private channel, only enrolled students will be given a password to access the videos.

All the drawings which the teacher produced during a session will be scanned in high resolution and stored in Goodle drive. Students will be given the access to all course materials including all drawings done by the instructor during the lessons, and also the recording of all the private lessons. They can access them as well as videos. (Part of the drawing in low resolution will be posted on School website)

Students will be asked to scan and upload their work onto the Google Drive for the instructor. All scanning should be done at 300 dpi and save in JPEG format. The student can choose to share their uploaded work only with the instructor, or make it available for other students to view.

All students will be invited to join a Private Google+ Community. The purpose of this private community is to enable students to have group discussion and for the sharing of ideas and questions.

On every 5th Sunday, Manga School Nakano will host a free online Q&A session. This is available to both our students and the general public to join. Please refer to our website for the exact date. This free online Q&A session will also be recorded. The recordings of these sessions will be posted for public access on YouTube.

It will be 2 hour session with a 15 minute break in the middle.

*Students = long term students or the students who had taken more than 4 (individual) lessons.
1 month = 4 lessons, and students receive an additional session every 2 months (Q&A session).

Programs/Online Lesson

The number of lessons are shown as a rough guide. Depends on the students progress and request, it will be changed.

Practice

Pencil drawing / Inking / Tone-work

With manga tool (Manga pens, manga ink, manga paper and some screen tones) or Without manga tool (Ink with line art pens on Kent paper)

The process of manga drawing
http://www.geocities.jp/yazawanet/manga/start0.htm

Manga Tools for each steps -Black and White-

Manga Tools for each steps -Water Color-

Tools which are available at Manga School Nakano
For Beginner - Intermediate

Drawing characters

4 lessons.

After a simple lecture and Q&A session, the student draws a character (Characters) Then, using manga tools, the work will be inked and put on finishing touches (Beta, whites, tone work).

If you don’t have any idea of the character, we offer some samples as references, or you can copy one of them. Also, you can get a line art data if you’d like.

Drawing expressions
Pencil drawing - 2 lessons
Complete with manga tools - 4 lessons

How to give characters lively facial expressions. After a brief lecture with some examples and Q&A, the student will draw character faces with 4 expressions based on the example. Joy, Angry, Sad and Pleased, for example.

Drawing “chibi” characters/cute mascots
Pencil drawing - 2 lessons
Complete with manga tools - 4 lessons

Covers some tips for drawing the “chibi” characters and cute mascots seen in many Japanese manga/anime. Explains the differences between normal characters and chibi characters. Observe an artist converting a character into “chibi” style, and see how it is done. Then practice drawing a chibi/mascot character.

Drawing a scene
pencil work & inking, 4-8 lessons

After a brief lecture with examples and Q&A, the student will draw characters with backgrounds based on the example . Also: Drawing backgrounds with perspective.

Character designs
Pencil drawing, 2 lessons
Ink&tone 4 lessons

The student will create a character and draw one scene in the setting provided. Then, after a lecture about character design, the student will draw from his or her own imagination with no example supplied. I will suggest approaches and help guide the whole process, with students free to ask questions at any time.

Four-panel manga
Pencil drawing, 2 lessons

We will use a relatively easy example of four-panel manga, “Essay Manga.” After lectures using real examples to show how students how they can draw upon daily life for four-panel manga material, and how to shape that into four parts with exposition, development turn and conclusion, they will begin to draw. We will finish with inking, tone work/coloring.

Special program (For intermediate)

For students who feel they are not prepare to draw one shot manga yet, or not interested in making story but want to draw manga.

Drawing 2 spread pages manga.
Composing 4 lessons & Drawing 4 lessons

After a lecture about composing the storyboard, students compose 2 spread page manga name (storyboard), based on the script which was provided by the school. Then draw a manga from the storyboard. Because 2 spread pages a minimum segment of Manga composing, you learn the essence of manga in this way.

Students can take their own script instead of the one school provided.

Check youtube channel and subscribe! You will find some tips of how to draw!

For Intermediate - Advanced

Character designs
4 lessons

Create a character and draw one scene in the setting provided. After a lecture about character design, draw from your own imagination with no example supplied. I will suggest approaches and help guide the whole process.

Add more
Design other character(s)

Choose one person from the setting which has been provided, perhaps one of the people around the character drawn in the previous lesson. Give him or her a face. This can be one of the character’s family members or friends, for example.

Creating your own characters
For students who have manga stories or characters in their mind.Pencil drawing 4 lessons

After a brief lecture, the student will make an original character and give him or her a background (profile, settings). Students will give their character three-dimensional depth, and, if possible, draw other characters, such as friends. They will also draw one scene to illustrate the character's personality.

Drawing 4-8page short one-shot manga
Composing part & drawing part 6 lessons each.

Because it is difficult to draw short story manga, I suggest students draw based on their own experience, or a slice of everyday life. This is very much like an expanded version of the four-panel manga mentioned above.

The student will learn how the frame layout should be arranged, and how artists lead reader’s eyes, etc. The students consult me with their ideas and storyboards, and I will advise them on layouts and sketches.

(If a student has a certain idea and story, of course he or she may use it.)

Composing part : Plot, story, character design, setting, storyboard
Drawing part: Pencil drawing(character) - Inking(character) - pencil drawing(background) - inking then beta, white and screen-tone.

Coloring
4 lessons
Basic about Manga Style Watercolor painting
Digital work (1-2 classes)
(not opened yet)
Some tips with Manga Studio. I'm not an expert in this field, but there still might be something I can teach. If a student is a beginner, for example, I have plenty to teach. It also could be combined with other classes. This also covers finishing techniques (tone work, for instance) for drawing works, or for drawing a character with Manga Studio from scratch, for instance.
Check youtube channel and subscribe! You will find some tips of how to draw!

Long courses

For Intermediate - Advanced

Manga Production
Over 12 weeks - 24 weeks (3 -6 months)

Students will aim to complete a 8/16-page one-shot manga. The content is the same as the “Manga Production” course for Japanese student.

Course goals
Students will learn as they go through the manga production process by completing standalone manga works. They will experience the necessary elements behind manga production from beginning to end.

Composing

Plot submission:

Adapt your own plot to an exposition-development-climax-conclusion structure.
Outline the events, then separate them and reconstruct them with effectiveness in mind (bubble outlines).
Think about the characters’ lines (specifically speech mannerisms to match their personalities and ways to set apart their vocabularies).
※Write the profile of your main character.

Turn your bubble outline into a page list.
●Think based on each page spread (split up the pages while considering the layout in broad terms)

Thoroughly omit any unnecessary elements.
Cut out unneeded episodes/lines.
Think about how individual episodes and lines relate to each other. Make the artist’s intent clear when it comes to individual elements.

Rough character sketches

Make character designs based on the settings and stories you have previously completed. As you do so, keep in mind how you want to show characters’ personalities based on the drawings and how you want the readers to receive them. (Do you want them to be repulsed, to feel they can trust the character, to want to befriend the character?)

Making name (ne-i mu, manga jargon : Storyboard)

Settle on a flow of layouts and panels with awareness of how the reader will see the page.
Think of what you want to show for each page spread.

Think about opening up space for the parts you want to show, and boldly cutting other parts.
(You will often have to cut out sections during the naming step.)
Always be aware of the camera, of what you want to show and of how you want to show it while creating your compositions.

Drawing:

Rough character sketches + backgrounds

Be mindful of character expressions and poses. Are you using powerful expressions? Poses that conflict with the setting? Movement?

Inking characters + background (props)

Carefully select and arrange props. You can use objects to show characters’ personalities or elaborate on the story.

Rough sketches of backgrounds
Draw backgrounds with simple perspective. Learn what is typically omitted in manga and put the method into practice.

Inking backgrounds –Effects
Effect lines (集中線、スピード線、ベタフラ,eyc. Manga Special Effects.), psychological backgrounds, and more.

Finishing:
ベタ(beta)=painting black part(shinny effect, etc.) and ホワイト(White, correcting wrong lines & ink smudge with white ink)

Tone work

※Techniques will include perspective, tracing over photographs and tone work, as necessary for the individual student.

Manga Drawing Deluxe course 12 months + graduate work (For everyone)

You can take one / some subjects you like, individually. In this course, the book is required.

Manga Drawing Deluxe course 12 months

●Face 4 lessons
●Body basic 4 lessons
●Body advanced 4 lessons
●Background 4 lessons
●Background advanced 4 lessons
●Composition 4 lessons

+ graduate work (Making one shot manga 16-24 pages) About 3-6 months
(Traditional/digital)

●Plot 4 lessons
●Storyboard 4-8 lessons
●Character sketch 2 lessons
●Inking 2 lessons
●Background 4 lessons
●Inking background 2 lessons
●Tone-work 1-2 lessons

Check youtube channel and subscribe! You will find some tips of how to draw!

Time Table

10:30-11:30, 12:00-13:00, 13:30-14:30 or 14:00-15:00, 15:30-16:30, 17:00-18:00 (18:30-19:30 19:30-20:30) Japan Standard Time (UTC+09:00). () is negotiable time.
The class is open Saturday, Sunday, MondayM. (At the moment, it's closed on Saturday/Monday)
Online Lesson Schedule Page
The lesson is 60 minutes long, once a week.

Tuition (1 lesson = 1 hours) &Payment

All payment must be made at least 48-hours prior to the lesson. We accept PayPal as a payment method. The fees for weekly lessons is as follows:

6,000 yen / per lesson
(Trial class is 5,000 yen)

24,000 yen /4 lessons

72,000yen / 12 lessons

Cancellation Policy

Payment of a lesson can be put forward to a subsequent lesson if a cancellation was provided 24-hours prior to a scheduled lesson. If a cancellation was made within a 24 hours notice, only 50% of the charge will be available to be used for future classes.

There will not be a refund for classes that students have missed without prior notification. Manga School Nakano will evaluate exceptions if there are unavoidable circumstances.

Manga School Nakano will send out any cancellation notice 48 hours prior to a class((Or shorter notice in the event of unforeseen circumstances). The tuition will be carried over to the following lesson.

Refund

One month’s notice is required in advance of a student exiting the program. The remaining portion of the tuition fees will be send to the student. This will be done via Paypal or bank transfer, but the school may retain processing fees from the final balance to be paid out.

Book a lesson/course

A student can book a 1, 4, 12 lesson course. (1 week, 1 month, 3 months). Either way, he/she can pay every time before each class, or entire tuition of 1 month / 3 months.

How to apply

1) Fill in the application form: Online-course
*You can check what times are available on the School Calender.

2) After you receive a confirmation e-mail from the school, buy the voucher you need on our shop.(Don’t buy the voucher before you receive the confirmation)

Please ignore the delivery method. This product need no delivery costs. Whatever you choose, it's not counted.

3) Once you receive a payment-confirmation e-mail from the school, your booking is completed.

*At the moment, we are recruiting 6-8 people. If we have too many, applicants will be booked on a first come, first served basis.
Or we might suggest a different lesson time to you.

Please pay your tuition at least 24 hours in advance. After confirmation of payment, your booking becomes valid.

What you need to attend an Online class?
PC
High-speed Internet Access
Headset (for video chat)
Webcam
(To film the student’s work. Not strictly necessarily, but you may not get as much out of the lesson without it.)
Scanner
Pencil/mechanical pencil lead should be more than B or darker. (should be dark enough for webcam filming)
Plastic eraser (Don't use an eraser which attached to a pencil-end)

Please read this before attendance. How to participate in an online lesson

Manga Tools (Basic)
Manga Tools for each steps -Black and White-
Manga Tools for each steps -Water Color-
Tools which are available at Manga School Nakano

References
http://www.geocities.jp/yazawanet/manga/basic.htm
Preparation

1)Google Hangout. You may want to make sure you have an account ready and logged in before your session.

2)Webcam: You will need one directing toward your face and another one for your desk. The camera facing your desk will allow you to share your drawings with your instructor. You may also use additional devices as your secondary camera, as long as you can access your lesson’s Google hangout from that device.

3)Lighting: A desk lamp is important to ensure clear visibility for your instructor

4)Supplies: Depending on the agenda for a lesson, please make sure you have all your stationery or supplies ready.

5)Clear the stage. Make sure you have an area where you can draw and sketch comfortably and it is clutter-free. This can also for ease to make any adjustment during the class.

6)Soundproofing: Make sure you find yourself a location which has little or no background noise.

7)Internet connectivity. You may want to try a test call with someone ahead of time and see if you have everything ready before the lesson.

During the lesson

"Give your full attention to your teacher as you would if you were in the same room. Don't be distracted by email, social networks, Web, or texting. Try not to eat or drink so that you can be prepared if questions are directed to you."

Talking in Google Hangout should actually move at a slightly slower pace than a regular conversation or phone calls, as there maybe a lag with the audio. Make sure there are sufficient pauses after asking a question or comment. It is usually a good idea to pause for 2-3 seconds and wait for the other person to response.

Bring attention to yourself before addressing the group by signaling with your hand or saying "question" or "comment" and then waiting a couple seconds before continuing."

You should always try to make eye contact by looking into the camera. It will make conversation among the participants more natural.

Quick tips

1.Reserve 5 to 10 minutes at the beginning of your first lesson for make sure all things are setup correctly.

2.Be aware of background noise.

3.Do not multitask and avoid interruptions. It is a good idea to turn off all your online communication tools, social networks and your cellphone prior to the lesson.

4.When you are listening to the other speaker, mute yourself can help with noise reduction.

5.Audio feedback loop may happen. You can avoid that by using a headset to hear the other person. This can help avoid your microphone from catching the audio from your speaker.

6.If the connection is slow, you may want to try to take turns in using your webcams.

7.Use the Chat window in the Hangout. If you have a link or a document or anything you want to share real-time with your instructor, you can use the chat window.

The Do's

・Do make sure you are in a quiet space, background noise can be very disruptive

・Do speak clearly, check with the other person if they can hear you

・Do make sure you have good lighting on yourself and your desk

・Do give the other person a 2 to 3 second wait for their response

・Do maintain eye contact by looking into the camera

・Do keep body movements minimal, check yourself in the playback on your screen.

The Don'ts

・Don't make distracting sounds, it’s a good idea to mute yourself when you are listening to the other person.

・Don't interrupt other speakers, you can gesture to signal the other person if you would like to make a comment.

・Don't carry on side conversations, check your emails or use your computer for other purposes.

・Don't type on your keyboard. Everyone can hear you, clearly!