THIS MONTH’S ART CHALLENGE DETAILS

Next Monthly Art Challenge | Anime Art Academy

All submitted artworks will be featured on the Student Art page, in our email newsletter (100,000+ subscribers), and across our social media — including our Facebook page with over 300,000 followers. Your work will also be seen by manga industry professionals in Japan.

⭐ Paid course students: Your submission will be shared individually with manga editors at Japanese publishing houses. Don't miss this chance to get your art in front of real industry eyes.

Details

This Month's Theme

Idols — Male & Female

Idol anime is having a moment. Actually, it's been having a moment for years — and it keeps getting bigger. *Oshi no Ko* broke through to people who had never touched the genre before. *Ensemble Stars* built one of the most dedicated fan communities in recent memory. *Aikatsu!* has been running so long it's basically a rite of passage.

What makes idol characters so good to draw is the contrast. The polished center who hides something underneath that smile. The rookie who hasn't locked in their stage persona yet. The veteran who has been doing this for years and still gets nervous before the curtain goes up. The wild-card member who doesn't fit the mold and doesn't care.

Male, female, solo, group, underground, mainstream — any direction works. The idol concept is wide enough that your character can feel completely original and still land as instantly recognizable.

For this month's challenge, draw your own original idol character. Their costume, their energy, their story — all yours. Are they mid-performance, practicing alone at 2am, or just before the show starts and everything goes quiet? Show us the idol only you could create.

Deadline

June 10th, 2026

How to Submit

You can submit your artwork in one of the following ways:

When submitting, please include:

  • Your artwork (JPG or PNG file)
  • Your name
  • Title of your artwork (optional)

Your name (and title, if provided) will be displayed along with your image here on the Student Art page.

Guidelines

  • Format: JPG or PNG
  • Maximum width: 1500px
  • Keep it family-friendly (PG-13) – no NSFW content
  • Must be original work only – No AI-generated images
  • Fan art is welcome if it fits the theme
  • Do not submit direct copies of anime/manga scenes (no tracing or panel reproductions)
  • All skill levels are welcome – from beginners to pros!
  • One submission per participant