Develop techniques for crafting manga: from idea to storyboard
9 Live Sessions • 18 Hours • Weekly Assignments • Video Replays • Weekly Personalized Feedback for Participation Seats
“Manga Storytelling Fundamentals” is a practical live workshop that guides you through each stage of developing a manga story: creating its main characters, shaping the story, planning its pacing and page composition, and producing a clear, readable storyboard using professional manga production methods.
The workshop is suitable for beginners and intermediate students, as well as more experienced artists and writers who want to strengthen their manga storytelling.
Its approach is informed by my professional experience as a manga artist and by the methods and editorial guidance I have received through working with Japanese editors.
Two types of workshop access are available: Participation Seat students and Audit Seat students
- Participation Seat students can ask questions during the live classes, access video replays of all sessions, and submit their assignments for review. Each student will receive weekly personalized video feedback, recorded separately from the live sessions and shared through a link. All their feedback will be available in one place to revisit throughout the workshop and afterwards.
The feedback will highlight what is working well and explain what could be improved and why, focusing on each student’s characters, pages, and storytelling choices. Inspired by the ongoing dialogue between manga artists and editors in Japan, this individual guidance will help students grow faster (Limited availability). - Audit Seat students receive access to the full series of live classes and video replays, allowing them to revisit each topic and apply what they learn to their own projects at their own pace.
Students will be guided step by step through identifying the dramatic core of an idea, writing an effective logline and understanding narrative structure. Particular attention will be given to the nemu, the rough storyboard used in manga production to test pacing, page flow, layouts, shot selection, speech bubbles, and emotional rhythm before moving to final artwork.
The workshop is suitable for artists who want to strengthen their narrative skills and for writers, including those with a background in comics or other forms of storytelling, who want to understand how writing for manga differs from writing for other formats. Drawing abilities are welcome but not required: storytelling and structure remain the central focus.
By the end of the course, students who complete the weekly assignments will have developed original character profiles, a story logline, several yonkoma, and a polished nemu of 4 to 8 pages ready to be drawn.
Who is this course for?
The workshop is suitable for beginners and intermediate students, as well as more experienced creators. It is designed for artists who want to strengthen the way their stories communicate on the page and for writers, including those with a background in comics or other forms of storytelling, who want to understand how writing for manga differs from writing for other formats.
Learning the visual and narrative language of manga is a skill in its own right, even for confident artists and experienced writers.
The course focuses on storytelling and structure rather than drawing technique, so advanced drawing skills are not required. Students who already draw are strongly encouraged to take their assignments as far as they can and can also ask for guidance on how to strengthen the artwork.
Schedule: 🗓️ Starts October 19, 2026 (2 Hour Sessions)
- Week 1 (October 19 at 12pm PT) - Manga Mantra: What Makes Manga, Manga
- Week 2 (October 26 at 12pm PT) - Building Strong Characters
- Week 3 (November 3 at 12pm PT) - Logline & The Core of the Story
- Week 4 (November 9 at 12pm PT) - Building Your First Short Manga Pages: Kishōtenketsu and Yonkoma
- Week 5 (November 16 at 12pm PT) - The Power of the Nemu: Crafting Flow, Rhythm, and Emotion
- Week 6 (November 23 at 12pm PT) - Hikigoma - Speech Bubbles and Pacing for Impact
- Week 7 (November 30 at 12pm PT) - Panel Transitions, Unit of Panels, Speed Lines and Kakimoji
- Week 8 (December 7 at 12pm PT) - Delivering a Satisfying Story
- Week 9 (December 14 at 12pm PT) - Final Meeting Q&A
About me
I’m Elena Vitagliano, an award-winning manga author with more than a decade of professional experience in manga and sequential art. My work has received multiple international awards, including the Grand Prix at the Silent Manga Audition, first place in the MAGIC International Manga Contest, and first place in Manga Jiman. My one-shot Miriam of the Skulls was published by Shueisha on Shonen Jump+ and MANGA Plus, making me the first European woman to publish a manga on both platforms.
My understanding of manga has been shaped by a combination of academic study and professional experience: university studies in Japanese art, culture and language, a year spent living and working in Tokyo, advanced training through the Master Class of Japanese publisher COAMIX, and close work with professional editors from Shueisha and Kodansha.
My manga have been published and exhibited in Italy, the United Kingdom, Indonesia and Japan.
No. The course starts from the fundamentals, making it accessible to beginners, but it is also suitable for intermediate students and more experienced artists or writers who want to strengthen their understanding of manga storytelling.
Yes. The course is designed for both artists and writers. Writing for manga differs from writing for other forms of comics, particularly in the way the story is planned visually and paced across the page. Writers will learn how manga storytelling works and how to turn a script into a clear, effective storyboard as even a very simple storyboard is an important skill in manga creation and is commonly expected in the Japanese industry.
No. Drawing skills are welcome but not required. The course focuses primarily on storytelling, character development, structure, and the visual language of manga. Simple sketches are sufficient for the exercises and storyboards. However, students who enjoy drawing and wish to develop this aspect of their work will be encouraged to do so and will receive guidance on which areas to focus on to improve their skills.
You will develop and refine an original short manga, from the initial concept and character development to a polished nemu, the rough storyboard used to plan manga pages before producing the final artwork. Students who already have drawing skills and wish to take the project further will also be encouraged to develop finished manga pages beyond the storyboard stage.
You can work traditionally with paper and pencils or digitally with drawing software and a tablet. Clip Studio Paint is recommended for digital work, as it is particularly well suited to manga creation. A scanner or phone camera will be useful for submitting traditional work.
