West Nyack's summer art class for kids who love anime

If your kid has filled the margins of their notebooks with wide-eyed characters and spiky-haired heroes, this class is worth a look. Starting Thursday, July 2, West Nyack is hosting an anime and manga illustration course for kids ages 8 to 13 — six sessions, meeting weekly from 4:30 to 5:30 p.m.

The format is refreshingly hands-on and low-tech. Students bring their own supplies — a pencil, a fine-point black Sharpie, an eraser, paper, colored pencils, and markers — and the instruction is individualized, meaning a kid who is just learning to draw a face gets different attention than one who is already sketching full scenes. That one-on-one approach matters in an art class, where confidence and technique tend to develop at very different paces.

The subject matter itself is a draw, no pun intended. "Manga" refers to Japanese comics, and "anime" is the animation tradition that grew out of it — together they form one of the most globally influential visual styles of the past half-century. Kids who already love characters from popular series will recognize the conventions: expressive eyes, clean linework, dynamic poses. The class uses those familiar characters as a starting point for inspiration, then pushes students to invent their own.

This kind of class tends to land well with kids who feel lukewarm about art as it is typically taught in school. The style is specific, the reference material is things they already care about, and the goal — building a personal character — gives the whole six weeks a narrative shape. It is also a genuinely useful skill. Manga-influenced illustration has a robust online community, and kids who develop even basic facility with the style often find a ready audience among peers.

The class runs through the summer in West Nyack, which puts it within easy reach for families across central Rockland — Nanuet, New City, and Bardonia are all close by. Six sessions over the summer is a contained commitment, manageable even for a packed July and August schedule.

For registration details and the full session calendar, see the full listing.