キャラクターを軸にしたビジュアル・デベロップメント
SET IN GUJO HACHIMAN, TAUGHT BY AIRI PAN AND HOSTED BY BLUE GRADATION, INC.
NOVEMBER 21-23
A Travel Workshop
Illustrating a great character means more than deciding their aesthetics. It’s about crafting their story and carving out their purpose within the world you create. And what better way to learn about worldbuilding than being in the world yourself?
This special workshop will teach you the principles of character illustration and design from the idyllic countryside of Japan, as part of blue graduation Inc.’s Let’s ART IN 田舎 program. Airi Pan will be teaching live from Gujo Hachiman, the historic “Little Kyoto” of Gifu. Students will pull inspiration from the local foliage and architecture, practicing industry-standard design and painting philosophies for one end goal: create one complete character rooted in the world of Gujo Hachiman.
This is more than your typical art workshop. The 2026 edition of Let’s ART IN 田舎 will be your chance to develop your artistic skills with Airi and make unforgettable friendships.
The workshop is available for both in-person lecture and online attendance via livestream. It is crafted to suit both needs, so anyone can enjoy!
Why Gujo Hachiman?
Nestled within the mountains of Gujo, the quaint castle town of Gujo Hachiman sits amongst the clouds. Famous for it’s crystal-clear waterways and ancient shrines, Gujo is also known as the The Town of Water, or The Little Kyoto of Japan.
It’s a historic, intimate nook of the country that transports you to back to the past. With it’s strong mix of history, tradition, and nature, Gujo Hachiman presents a perfect fountain of inspiration for this course.
Recordings
of lecture
+ on-site
In person AND online (Zoom)
ENG lecture with JP translation
3 days
Gifu, Japan
9+ Lecture hours
Course Offering
SO WHAT DO WE HAVE PLANNED FOR YOU?
So glad you asked! This course is for all artists, but will discuss intermediate/advanced levels of process and ideation. An understanding of foundational drawing skills is highly recommended for this course.
Here’s how the hybrid on-site and online setup works.
Each day, the workshop is split into two sections:
In the mornings: Online live-streamed lecture and a demo for 3+ hours via Zoom. Airi will be teaching in English, which will be live-translated to Japanese.
In the afternoons: Live sketching and critique for each of the on-site students, which will be filmed and recorded.
After all three days are over, all participants (on-site and online) will get a recording of both the morning lectures and afternoon on-site critiques so everyone can experience the full course. The full recording will be delivered after ~2 weeks.
Hosts
Airi Pan
Your teacher: Airi Pan
Airi Pan is a professional concept designer and illustrator based in Los Angeles working across film, games, and animation. Her clients include Riot, Activision, Blizzard, Pixar, Netflix, Warner Bros., and more, with experience in animation feature film, triple A gaming, and TV animation.
Having grown up in both Asia and the United States, Airi brings a distinctive East-meets-West perspective to her work, blending cultural influences with a deep appreciation for storytelling, design, and the natural world. Outside of work, she enjoys sketching, camping in the mountains, and traveling to various parts of the world.
blue gradation, Inc.
Your representative: Yoriko Ito
Yoriko Ito is a Japanese-born painter and educator based in California. She spent over 30 years in the U.S. animation industry as an art director and visual development artist, working with studios including LAIKA, Illumination Entertainment, Netflix Animation, DreamWorks Animation, and Sony Pictures Animation, and contributing to numerous award-winning animated feature films.
She is also active in Japan, focusing on art education and plein air painting. Working primarily in oils and gouache, her paintings explore light, color, and visual storytelling, drawing on decades of experience creating imagery for animated films.
Instagram: @yori_anego
X: @Yorikoito1
Schedule
GOAL: To create one full character with design rooted in strong worldbuilding. You can finish it however you want; you’ll gain the knowledge to take it to the finish line.
**Note: Everything in green is live for online students + onsite students, everything else will be recorded
Day 01 - Foundations of Design
NOV. 21 JST (NOV. 20 PST)
9AM - 11AM JST (5PM - 7PM PST) [ LIVE STREAM BEGINS ]
LECTURE: What makes a great design? (live for online)
Fundamentals of iconic character design
How to integrate worldbuilding and storytelling into your character
11AM - 12PM JST (7PM - 8PM PST)
DEMO: Ideating a character (live for online)
Walking through ideation process with prompts
12PM - 1PM JST [ LIVE STREAM ENDS ]
Lunch break
1PM - 1:30PM JST
Gujo Historical Museum Visit
2PM - 2:30PM JST
AFTERNOON DEMO (for on-site students, recorded)
2:30PM - 4:40PM JST
OUTDOOR SKETCH SESSION
Students will go around Gujo the town for inspiration and draw their own character
4:40PM - 5:40PM JST
STUDENT CRITIQUE (for on-site students, recorded)
Airi will review student work and provide advice at Machinami Koryukan
7PM - 9PM JST
Dinner and evening gathering at Gunkaen
Day 02 - Detail and Execution
NOV. 22 JST (NOV. 21 PST)
9AM - 11AM JST (5PM - 7PM PST) [ LIVE STREAM BEGINS ]
LECTURE: Sketch, Lineart, and Costume
Fleshing out a character
How their story fits into Gujo Hachiman
11AM - 12PM JST (7PM - 8PM PST)
DEMO: Refining a character
Taking an idea from Day 01 and illustrating the character
12PM - 1PM JST [ LIVE STREAM ENDS ]
Lunch break
1PM - 1:30PM JST
Travel to Gujo Hachiman Castle
1:30PM - 2:30PM JST
AFTERNOON DEMO
2:30PM - 4:40PM JST
OUTDOOR SKETCH SESSION
Sketching objects at Gujo Hachiman Castle directly related to the character
4:40PM - 5:40PM JST
STUDENT CRITIQUE
Airi will review student work and provide advice at Machinami Koryukan
6PM - 9PM JST
Dinner and evening gathering at Gujo Hub
Day 03 - Color, Environment, Paint, and Industry Insights
NOV. 23 JST (NOV. 22 PST)
9AM - 10AM JST (5PM - 7:00PM PST) [ LIVE STREAM BEGINS ]
LECTURE: Color and Environment
Painting a character to be visually pleasing
How to ground a character in an environment
Industry practice on character design in games and movies
10AM - 11:30AM JST (7PM - 8PM PST)
DEMO: Character to completion
Taking a character to the finish line
11:30AM - 12:30PM JST [ LIVE STREAM ENDS ]
Lunch break
12:30PM - 1:30PM JST
DEMO
1:30PM - 3:30PM JST
OUTDOOR SKETCH/PAINT SESSION
Students will be encouraged to go around Gujo to paint their character or background
Can finish their character either during the workshop or offline
3:30PM - 4:15PM JST
FINAL SHOWCASE
Students will introduce their character illustrations, story, and talk about inspirations from Gujo Hachiman at Machinami Koryukan
Online Class Information
AVAILABLE - Sales close November 14th.
Welcome to the workshop! You’ll be joining us live for three days through a thoroughly prepared lecture by Airi. Or, watch the recording at your own pace. It will include morning lectures and afternoon demos.
Sales close November 14th to give students time to complete the pre-assignment. Please note that online students will not receive individualized feedback from Airi, but completing the assignment will best help you follow the curriculum.
$220 USD
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This course is for all artists, but will discuss intermediate/advanced levels of process and ideation. An understanding of foundational drawing skills is highly recommended for this course.
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ONE WEEK before the online workshop starts, you will receive an email with:
The lecture Zoom link.
A pre-assignment.
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Airi will lecture in English, which will be live translated to Japanese.
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The online lecture and the in-person demos will be recorded.
The recording will deliver via email TWO WEEKS after the workshop is complete.
The recording will be available for THREE MONTHS.
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No refunds will be provided for cancellations.
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Payments from the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, parts of Europe, and Australia and New Zealand can be made via card.
Otherwise, payments can be made via Paypal. Click here for the full list of Paypal’s accepted countries.
For any difficulties, reach out to Yoriko Ito’s contact, linked below.
In-Person Class Information
SOLD OUT!
Join us on the ground IN JAPAN! You'll experience the beauty of Gujo Hachiman and be face-to-face with other artists. Visiting a small, non-touristy town may be daunting, but Yoriko has worked hard to prepare the town for students. Workshop students will be guided and welcomed.
This course is for all artists, but will discuss intermediate/advanced levels of process and ideation. An understanding of foundational drawing skills is highly recommended for this course.
Fee for the onsite lectures does not include accommodation, meals, and transportation.
Spots are limited, first-come, first-serve.
¥110,000 JPY
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This course is for all artists, but will discuss intermediate/advanced levels of process and ideation. An understanding of foundational drawing skills is highly recommended for this course.
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So so excited to have you join in! Click the link below, it will lead to a google docs, that has ANOTHER link to a form to sign up
Sign up on the google forms first! And then wait for Blue-Gradation to confirm your registration request
THEN send a payment to confirm your spot
Because spots are limited, we want to make sure your spot is there before we ask you to make a payment
If you have any questions / concerns, email blue-gradation.com
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There is no waitlist for onsite workshop registration.
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You are responsible for your own transportation to Gujo Hachiman - including plane fare and local public transportation. It is recommended to arrive one day before the workshop starts!
Our recommendation: Land in Tokyo Haneda, take Shinkansen to Nagoya, and then take the bus to Gujo Hachiman. Be aware that the last bus runs at 5 p.m. (This is the same route Airi is taking)
We totally understand traveling in a foreign country can be daunting, so you can always email and ask for questions and concerns! We will also do our best to put all of the students in contact with each other if you’d like to travel together
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You are responsible for your own lodging. The price only includes the workshop.
We want everyone to stay together! We have an entire hotel prepared to only take students for the workshop, and you’ll be rooming with someone (of the same gender) - This information will be sent to you after confirmation of participation
We will do our best to put all students in contact with each other so you can coordinate travel plans together and lodging together!
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SIGNUP with the registration link below, and once we have confirmed all payments and student participants, we will send information of the hotel and such out, and try to get students in contact with each other as quickly as possible!
ONE MONTH before the workshop starts, you will receive an email with a detailed schedule and course itinerary.
THREE WEEKS before the workshop starts, you will receive:
The lecture Zoom link, in case you choose to join asynchronously.
A pre-assignment, which you will be asked to complete / submit to a google drive
In order for Airi to best know your work and critique your work, the pre-assignment will be reviewed by Airi BEFORE heading to Japan, so please complete it before your trip!
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Airi will lecture in English.
She will be live translated to Japanese by Yoriko and an on-site Japanese translator.
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The online lecture and the in-person demos will be recorded.
The recording will deliver via email TWO WEEKS after the workshop is complete.
The recording will be available for THREE MONTHS.
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No refunds will be provided for cancellations unless there is an emergency/unavoidable reason.
Use the in-person course contact link below for any refund requests.
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Payment is through the Yoriko Ito’s website, which is in Japanese.
Please click "translate to native language.”
Tickets will be handled by Yoriko Ito.
For any difficulties, reach out to Yoriko Ito’s contact, linked below.
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The button below will link you to an email, but if you cannot access it, email blue-gradation.com for any questions!
