During the final weekend of the exhibition This is MANGA – the Art of URASAWA NAOKI, Japan House London invites guests and aspiring mangaka to a beginner’s manga class led by UK-based artist KUTSUWADA Chie.

Workshop participants can learn more about manga as an art form and its distinctive features while acquiring basic manga drawing skills under the guidance of a professional manga artist through a series of demonstrations and hands-on exercises. This workshop is aimed at people who are starting to approach the art of manga and no previous drawing experience is required.

*Basic materials such as paper, pencils, erasers and rulers will be provided by Japan House, although participants are welcome to bring any additional drawing equipment that they would like to use.

About the artist

KUTSUWADA Chie was born and brought up in Japan. After graduating from the printmaking department of the Royal College of Art, London, she is now based in Brighton, working as a professional manga artist. Her work Moonlight (2008, collected in The Mammoth Book of Best New Manga 3 by Constable & Robinson) was shortlisted in the Manga Jiman competition organized by the Japanese Embassy in the UK. One of her latest projects is a series of illustrated columns for Mainichi Weekly (published every two months by one of the major Japanese newspaper companies) about life and culture in UK. Her books are available in most English-speaking countries and Japan, and some are translated into Turkish, French, Italian and Spanish. Besides creating manga comics, she runs manga workshops at schools, libraries, and museums, such as the British Museum, the British Library and Victoria and Albert Museum. She has also have worked on projects for Channel 4 and CNN.

Booking Essential; Admission Free

*Please note that there are only 20 places per workshop, so booking will be on a first-come-first-served basis.

**Participants must be over 10 years old