Pose, Proportion, Gesture — Anatomy for Manga Artists 

6 Thursdays, Oct 9 – Nov 13, 2025, 5:30-6:30 PM ET 

Join us for this 6-session fall course to level up your figure drawing technique. We will focus on sharpening our understanding of human anatomy and how it can help us draw a variety of dynamic and complex poses. Experienced artists will benefit from mastering this foundational skill as we sketch characters from hit series—as well as our own original creations!

About Manga for Teens: Our manga courses for teens offer budding artists the chance to explore the rich world of Japan’s most popular cultural export in a group of like-minded peers and with guidance from professional artists. Students will get to draw characters from their favorite series and try a variety of popular styles, all while developing the fundamentals necessary to create original characters and manga with their own unique artistic voices. 

With several courses offered each semester, we have options suited to both complete beginners and experienced artists.

About the Instructor

Richard Ford III

Richard Ford III is a professional artist based in NYC. Inspired by Japanese anime, manga and street art, Richard works with various mediums, from digital illustration to traditional paintings, as well as murals. He is excited to share his knowledge and techniques with young artists! Richard received a Bachelor of Fine Arts in illustration from Columbia College Chicago.

Tuition

$180 Nonmembers/$145 Japan Society members. Open to middle and high school students. Space is limited; advance registration required.

Registration

Registration is accepted online (preferred) or by phone at (212) 715-1206.

Members get 20% off! Become a member today.

Please register by Friday, October 3, if possible. Seats may not be available after this date; please check the website for registration availability or contact the office.

Registrants will receive a Welcome Email and Zoom link from [email protected] on Monday, October 6, 2025.

For more information, please email us at [email protected], or call (212) 715-1206.

Additional Information

Cancellation Policy: Cancellations are accepted until 12 pm ET on the business day before the course begins. After this deadline, cancellations are not accepted and tuition is not refundable for any reason. Upon cancellation, the tuition paid minus a $20 service charge will be refunded.

Japan Society also reserves the right to cancel any course or workshop if sufficient enrollment is not obtained. In such cases, students already enrolled will receive full refunds (no service charge).

By registering for a course, you accept and agree to the above terms of the cancellation policy.

We do not record these classes, and recording of these classes is prohibited.

These courses will be conducted online via Zoom. To participate fully, you will need access to a device with internet, microphone, and camera (such as a laptop, smartphone, or tablet). Further instructions will be provided before each course begins. Please note that all times listed are New York time (ET).

Materials

The following materials for are required for these courses. Click the links for our instructor’s recommendations:

• Pencils: Standard #2 or Mechanical with HB lead
• Ink pen: Sharpie Ultra-Fine Point Marker (Black)
• Eraser: Tombow Mono Eraser
• Sketchbook: Strathmore 400 Series Sketch Pad (50 sheets)

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Japan Society School Partnerships are made possible by a generous grant from MetLife Foundation and supported by the SMBC Global Foundation, United States-Japan Foundation and MUFG Bank, Ltd.

Education and Family Programs are generously supported by an anonymous donor; an anonymous Family Foundation; Mitsubishi Corporation (Americas); ORIX Corporation USA; The Masako Mera and Koichi Mera, PhD Fund for Education and the Arts; The Norinchukin Foundation; an anonymous donor; Satoru and Hiroko Murase‡; Susan J. Onuma; and other Education and Family supporters.

Japan Society arts and culture programs are supported by the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of the Office of the Governor and the New York State Legislature, and in part, by public funds from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs in partnership with the City Council.