Character Design Boot Camp

Character Design Course

This course is open to beginners in digital illustration. Participants will learn step-by-step techniques such as background processing, character creation, and drawing. At the end of the course, each participant will complete their own character and take it home with them, for example, to use as a smartphone wallpaper. Professional character creators and university professors will provide hands-on instruction.

Lectures by Manga Creators

You will meet manga artists in-person at lectures and exchange events and can view plenty of real manga manuscripts and autographs at the Niigata Manga Animation Museum.

Guided Tour of Niigata

Enjoy a guided tour of Japanese culture as it appears in various manga, including a visit to a traditional Japanese house and garden, Furumachi Street. You will also tour the Niigata Manga Animation Museum, as well as experience an AR adventure unique to the City of Manga and Anime.

Niigata City, Niigata Prefecture, where the Manga Boot Camp is held, progressively promotes urban development as The City of Manga and Anime. Niigata Prefecture is home to many manga artists such as Shuichi Shigeno (Initial D), Takeshi Obata (Death Note), and Fujio Akatsuka (Osomatsu-kun) to name a few , and as such, Niigata City has established The Niigata Manga Animation Museum and The Niigata City Manga House. Furthermore, home to Kaishi Professional University's Faculty of Animation and Manga and the Japan Animation and Manga College (JAM), Niigata City continues to demonstrate its presence as Japan’s heart of manga.