Seattle and Raleigh-Durham marketing, graphic and brand design studio Design Kompany

Design Kompany got a very endearing piece of mail from nine-year-old LS in Matherville, IL. Thanks for sending us your awesome drawing of Temari, L!

L also has a special request for Design Kompany:

Of course I want to make this happen, so next Monday for Designers’ Korner I’m asking fellow design friends and colleagues to bring your best set of drawing pens.

Already started looking into getting together some reference drawings.

Here’s what I’ve found Naruto kinda looks like in various situations:

In ready stance:

Being threatening looking:

Pensive:

You guys on for this with me? Who’s in?

I’m ready to make a drawing book and send it back to Illinois!

Bring your best anime and talented manga drawing friends, and let’s see what we can do! —DK

Designers Korner
Drawing Naruto
Monday, May 5
6:30pm-9pm
@Stumbling Monk
(unless Cinco de Mayo makes for craziness, but that’s not Belgian, is it?)
BYON

UPDATE: May 8, 2008

What a fun session at Designers’ Korner! Lots of different drawing styles and bits of advice for LS. Design Kompany got together with animators, graphic designers and friends over many pints at Stumbling Monk to create a bunch of Naruto drawings for L. We even put in a request to MM, a real manga artist in Japan whom Akira’s known forever. Once that comes through, bang! We’ll have the packet ready!

Collection on the table:

This one’s by MV:

Here are some links to Flickr of creative outpourings from past Korner drawing sessions, posted by Narisa. Thanks Narisa!

Series 4
Series 3
Series 2
Series 1

UPDATE: June 2008

Japan-based manga artist Marita Morita—referred to above as MM—contributed to the mix!

Check out MM’s work and other links about the monthly happy hour Designers’ Korner:
Manga artist Marita Morita’s drawings of Naruto
More about Designers Korner and why Design Kompany hosts it
Other graphic artists’ Naruto sketches from May Designers’ Korner