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Photos by Lisa Allmendinger
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Keith McGuire demonstrates how to draw a Manga figure during a workshop on the Japanese comic book figures Sept. 30 at the Saline District Library.
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Manga, the art of Japanese comic book drawing, came to life at the end of about 20 pencils last week at the Saline District Library.
"For some reason, Manga is a phenomenon. The kids like it," said Keith McGuire, a watercolor artist who taught the basic drawing class to about 20 children.
He praised the art form, calling it "basically correct for doing figure drawing, and the kids are learning good fundamentals."
Heather Brockman, 16, said it was her first time drawing "Hametero," a hamster and Japanese comic book character.
"I don't draw much, but I'm interested in learning how to do it better," she said.
Jennie Baker, 12, took the class for the same reason. She said McGuire "was helping a lot because I want to work with my style."
He told the artists to work quickly, and gave each a staged, completed drawing to guide them to the finished product.
"It's not going to be perfect," he said, "You can always erase later."
McGuire said he learned to draw from comic books like "Superman" and "Batman," but Manga offers a huge selection of figures.
Many of the youth said they grew up watching anime, Japanese animated TV shows.
Kathryn Torssell, 13, of Saline said: "I used to watch 'Sailor Moon,'" a series about a normal teen-ager who fights evil.
So did Katie Schansker, 17, who said drawing "is like a hobby for me and I'm branching out into cartooning."
She said Manga was more interesting than American cartoons.
For Michael Augustyn, 12, the class was an opportunity to work in a different style.
"I love drawing. It's my favorite thing to do, and I've done them (Manga) before when I was sketching."
Sarah Frauhammer, 15, said she had created Manga cartoons before, but her favorite subject was animals.
Chris Jordon, 14, said he liked landscapes, but took the class to try his hand at something different.
Nicole Doumanian, 16, said: "I draw all the time. It's fun. When I see stuff, I like to put it on paper."
There were also experienced Manga artists such as Holly Mishina, 14, of Saline, who said she'd been sketching the figures for two years.
"They are easy and fun to draw," she said.
Staff Writer Lisa Allmendinger can be reached at 429-7380 or lallmendinger@heritage.com.
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