Drawing dynamic action poses without tracing
Everyone starts by copying. That's fine. But there's a moment when you have to let go. Here's a simple three-step method mentors use with beginners.
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Manga art studio · Ages 13+
Where young manga artists find their line.
Yume Lines is a friendly online studio and community for teen artists who draw manga. Share your pages, get real feedback from mentors, and grow — at your own pace, in a safe space.
Enter the studio Who we are
4,200+
Young artists
38
Countries
160+
Weekly workshops held
2019
Drawing since
私たちについて
A small studio with a big notebook.
Yume Lines started in 2019 as a shared sketchbook between five friends in Kyoto who loved drawing manga. One of them scanned a page, posted it online, and the little group grew into a weekly workshop — then a community of thousands.
Today we run online classes, portfolio reviews, and a moderated forum where young artists can be honest about their work without worrying about harsh comments or spam.
- Safe space, moderated by real people — not bots
- Feedback from working manga artists, not anonymous ratings
- No AI-generated art. Every page here is drawn by hand.
- Free to join — nothing hidden behind paywalls
先生たち
Meet the mentors
Working artists who review portfolios, run workshops, and answer questions in the forum.
АЮ
Ayumi Hara
Lead Mentor · Inking & Panels
Ten years as a background artist for two Tokyo-based studios. Teaches the Saturday inking workshop.
ДМ
Daniel Moreau
Story & Composition
Former editor at a small independent manga press in Lyon. Runs the monthly storyboard clinic.
ЛВ
Lea Vogel
Character Design
Illustrator and art teacher from Berlin. Leads the Character Lab and portfolio feedback sessions.
МТ
Mika Tanaka
Community & Safety
Reads every new post in the forum. If something feels off, she's the one who steps in first.
スタジオ
Inside the studio
Four things you can do here — all designed for young artists who want to improve their craft.
Weekly Workshops
Live 60-minute drawing sessions every Saturday. We cover everything from basic line weight to page composition, with replays if you miss it.
Portfolio Reviews
Send three pages, receive detailed written feedback from a mentor within a week. Honest, specific, and never harsh.
Community Forum
A moderated space for ages 13+. Post sketches, ask questions, join monthly drawing challenges, and make friends who care about manga.
Character Lab
A guided course on designing original characters — personality, silhouette, expressions, and how they move on the page.
ジャーナル
From the journal
Short essays and tutorials from our mentors. Written for beginners — no gatekeeping. Tap any card to read.
How to read a manga page like an artist
You can enjoy manga as a reader — or you can slow down and see how a page actually works. Panels, gutters, eye flow. Once you notice them, you can't unsee them.
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Inking with a cheap pen: a beginner's guide
You don't need a 200-euro brush pen to make good lines. Our mentor Ayumi shows what you can do with the pens most students already own.
Read article
よくある質問
Frequently asked questions
Short, honest answers. If yours isn't here, write to us — we add new ones every month.
Yes. The forum, the weekly workshops, and the drawing challenges are free and always will be. We do not run ads, we do not sell user data, and we do not have a hidden subscription. The studio is funded by a small grant from a Kyoto arts foundation and by occasional donations from members who want to support the work.
The community is designed for teenagers aged 13 and older, and for adults who draw manga or teach it. Every new post is read by a human moderator before it goes live. We remove anything cruel, spammy, or inappropriate within hours. If you're a parent, you're welcome to write to us directly and we'll explain exactly how we moderate.
No. Most of our members draw with a cheap notebook and a ballpoint pen. The "Inking with a cheap pen" guide in the journal was written specifically for people who don't want to spend money on tools before they know whether they enjoy manga. If you have a pencil and paper, you already have everything you need.
Once a month, you can submit three pages of your work through the studio form. A mentor reads them and writes back within a week with specific notes: what works, what could be stronger, and one practice exercise to try next. Reviews are free, but slots are limited — we usually have around forty available per month.
You keep full copyright of everything you post. We never use member artwork for promotion without written permission, and we never feed it into AI training tools. If you want a post removed later, it's removed permanently — we don't keep hidden backups.
Absolutely. Members currently join from 38 countries. The forum is in English, but mentors can also reply in Japanese, French, German, or Ukrainian if you write in those languages. The Saturday workshop has English subtitles.
声
Voices from the studio
Notes from young artists who joined us over the past year.
"I used to think my art was bad because nobody said anything about it. The first portfolio review I got here explained exactly what to practice next. That changed everything."
"The Saturday workshops feel like hanging out with friends who also draw. Nobody makes fun of you for not knowing something. I've learned more in three months than in two years alone."
"My parents were worried about online art communities, but this one is genuinely safe. There's a real person reading every post, and the vibe is just… kind."
お問い合わせ
Come say hi.
Whether you're a young artist, a parent, a teacher, or a librarian — we're happy to hear from you. We usually reply within two working days.
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StudioShijo-dori 218, Nakagyo Ward, Kyoto 604-8143, Japan
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Emailhello@yumelines-example.com
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Reply hoursMon–Fri, 10:00–18:00 JST
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SafetyCommunity open to ages 13+. Parents welcome to write us directly.