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

Monster Character Design

Anime has always had a thing for monsters. Not just the scary kind — the kind you want to sketch, study, carry around in your pocket, or befriend before anyone else gets the chance. The slime that turned out to be the most powerful being in the world. The half-spider girl who just wants a place to belong. The kaiju that shows up to a city and somehow becomes the most sympathetic character in the room.

Monster characters work because the rules are yours to write. They can be tiny and devastating, enormous and gentle, deeply strange and immediately lovable. You can design a creature in the classic pocket-monster style — something with a silhouette you can recognize from fifty meters away. You can go the monster-girl or monster-boy route, human enough to carry a story but with enough of the creature in them to make every panel interesting. Or you can build something that defies category entirely.

For this month's challenge, design your own original monster character. No existing IP — this one belongs to you. What kind of creature have you always wanted to draw? Give it a shape. Give it a personality. Show us what it looks like when it's trying to be scary, or when it isn't trying at all.

Deadline

July 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