mangaartist,whytmanga Details
Intro
From Ideas to Powerful Shonen Manga Pages
What if your characters didn’t just look technically correct, but felt dynamic, expressive, and full of impact, like the ones in your favorite shonen manga that give you that sense of energy and thrill?
Led by Odunze Oguguo, also known as “WhytManga,” an award-nominated manga creator, this class brings together a self-taught perspective and real industry experience shaped through years of trial and error. Rather than focusing only on fundamentals, you’ll learn to approach character design through a shonen lens, where composition and storytelling work together to create characters that feel alive and powerful.
Through a structured, exercise-driven curriculum, you’ll begin to understand how your decisions, from silhouette and pose to color and even your workflow, shape the final result. As you progress, you’ll build a process that helps you create characters that stand out in both design and narrative impact.
More importantly, you’ll walk away with a stronger foundation and the confidence to keep improving long after the class ends, so you can create manga that captures attention at first glance.
Through a structured, exercise-driven curriculum, you’ll begin to understand how your decisions, from silhouette and pose to color and even your workflow, shape the final result. As you progress, you’ll build a process that helps you create characters that stand out in both design and narrative impact.
More importantly, you’ll walk away with a stronger foundation and the confidence to keep improving long after the class ends, so you can create manga that captures attention at first glance.
Class Perks
Special Gift from WhytManga
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Access Every Class FileIn-Class Working Files -
Study the Artist’s WorkflowBonus Content -
Build a Strong Reference LibraryReference Materials
Class Material Details
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Shonen Manga Clip Studio Paint Files- All illustration files created throughout the course
- Provided in Clip Studio Paint format for direct use and study
- Ideal for understanding workflow, layering, and structure in detail -
Shonen Manga Bonus Video- A bonus video featuring selected works from the instructor
- Breaks down key creative decisions made during the illustration process
- Learn directly from the artist’s thought process and better understand the “why” behind each choice -
Shonen Manga Reference Pack- A curated set of reference images for inspiration and study
- Use as a foundation to explore your own ideas and direction
- Support your character design workflow with ready-to-use visual references
Recommendation
Who should take this class?
Beginner artists
Who are at the start of their creative journey and want to learn how to draw dynamic, action-driven shonen characters inspired by their favorite series. This class helps build a strong foundation so you can move from studying to creating your own ideas with confidence.
Hobbyist Artists
Who enjoy shonen manga and anime and are curious about how dynamic, action-driven character illustrations are created. This class provides a clear and structured process to help you create your own characters and scenes for personal projects or creative exploration.
Intermediate Artists
Who are currently on their creative journey and want to take their work further toward becoming full-fledged shonen or anime artists. This class helps you move beyond technical execution by focusing on stronger poses, composition, and design decisions that take your work to the next level.
Expert Manga Artist WhytManga's Portfolio
Why Take This Class?
Bring That Shonen Energy Into Your Work
This class focuses on helping you create characters that feel bold, engaging, and full of presence, not just clean or well-constructed. Rather than treating design, composition, and storytelling as separate steps, you’ll learn how they are interwoven to build characters that fit seamlessly into action-driven scenes.
Taught by Odunze Oguguo, known as WhytManga, a globally recognized manga creator with over 550K+ subscribers on YouTube and a strong following across multiple platforms, the course reflects both real industry experience and a deeply personal, self-taught journey. Alongside practical techniques, he shares reflections from his creative process, offering insight into how ideas develop and how to navigate your growth as an artist over time.
Through a structured, hands-on curriculum, each lesson is designed to connect with the next, helping you understand how decisions made throughout the workflow, from early concepts to final execution, shape the overall visual impact. By the end, you’ll not only create stronger character designs, but also develop a clearer, more intentional approach to your work, so your shonen characters truly POP.
Get Ready for the Real-World
17 Class Exercises
Part 1. Build Your Shonen Character Foundations
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Silhouette ResearchStudy silhouettes of popular characters and identify what makes them clear and recognizable. -
Silhouette Character DesignCreate 5 original character silhouettes using shape language to build strong and memorable forms. -
Character Iteration SketchesSketch multiple iterations of a character design to explore different visual directions and refine your ideas. -
Applying Character Design PrinciplesApply key design principles to create a complete shonen character.
Part 2. Shape Identity and Structure
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Symbolism in Character DesignResearch visual symbolism in shonen characters and document 3 examples that stand out to you. -
Lore-Based Character CreationCreate a character inspired by your roots, such as your personal background or culture. -
Proportion and Style ExplorationDraw male and female characters with accurate proportions while experimenting with different stylistic approaches. -
Dynamic Pose PracticePractice drawing a dynamic pose with and without reference to improve accuracy, speed, and confidence.
Part 3. Develop Movement, Workflow, and Core Designs
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Original Dynamic PosesCreate original poses with strong composition, including poses involving multiple characters. -
Digital Art ExplorationApply the instructor’s digital techniques in Clip Studio Paint to explore your workflow. -
Shonen Lead Character DesignDesign and draw your lead shonen character(s) based on your concept. -
Villain Character DesignCreate a villain or group of villains with dynamic poses. -
Mascot Character DesignDesign a mascot character and define the reasoning behind your design choices.
Part 4. Bring Your Shonen Characters to Life and Complete Your Work
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Expressive Character StudyDraw your character with an exaggerated facial expression to explore emotion and acting. -
Dynamic Character IllustrationCreate a fully colored illustration of your original shonen character in a dynamic pose. -
Multi-Character Cover IllustrationCreate a dynamic multi-character illustration composed like the cover of your manga’s first volume. -
Progress Review and RefinementCompile your work, review your progress, and refine your designs through repetition and iteration.
Final Product Examples
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Fully Colored Shonen Character Illustration -
Multi-Character Dynamic Cover Illustration
Highlights
Class Highlights
Character Design Principles to Make Your Art Pop
Learn how to apply core character design principles such as silhouette, color symbolism, shape language, and more to build stronger, more visually impactful characters that stand out.
A Practical Approach to Consistent Improvement
Learn effective practice methods to improve your drawing skills across anatomy, dynamism, and composition. Explore how to approach your studies with more structure and intention so your progress feels clearer over time.
Harness the Energy of Shonen Manga
Capture that jolt of energy and excitement found in your favorite shonen manga. Learn how to bring that intensity into your own work, creating illustrations that feel dynamic, engaging, and full of life.
