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

Swimsuit & Beach

Every summer, anime drops everything and heads to the water. The training arc pauses, the tournament gets postponed, and suddenly the whole cast is squinting at the sun on a stretch of white sand. There's a reason the beach episode is its own genre — it's the one time characters get to just exist, away from whatever plot has been chasing them. Salt in the air, a cooler full of drinks, someone inevitably getting buried in the sand against their will. This month, that's the world we're drawing.

A beach scene gives you more to play with than it first looks. There's the bright confidence of the character who lives for this day and the quiet awkwardness of the one who got dragged along and doesn't know where to put their hands. There's the rival who treats a swim race like a duel to the death, and the laid-back type who's already asleep under a parasol three panels in. Water does strange and wonderful things to light — wet skin catches it differently, reflections scatter across the surface, and a soaked shirt clinging to a shoulder is one of those details that separates a flat drawing from one that feels alive. Pool or open sea, midday glare or that golden hour right before everyone packs up, the setting is yours to decide.

For this month's challenge, draw a character — your OC, a fave, anyone — in a swimsuit at the beach or the pool. Lean into the season: the heat, the light, the easy joy of a day off. Whether it's a single figure dripping at the water's edge or a whole party causing chaos in the shallows, show us your summer. I genuinely can't wait to see where everyone takes this one.

Deadline

August 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