Seven Seas Entertainment announced on Friday that it has licensed Akiko Higashimura's semi-autobiographical manga Blank Canvas: My So-Called Artist's Journey (Kakukaku Shikajika) manga. The first volume is slated for physical release with a large trim size on May 21, 2019.

Seven Seas describes the manga:

High schooler Akiko has big plans to become a popular mangaka before she even graduates, but she needs to get much better at drawing if she ever wants to reach her goal. Looking for an easy fix, she signs up for an art class, thinking all her problems will soon be solved. She's in for a surprise: her new instructor is a sword-wielding taskmaster who doesn't care about manga one bit. But maybe this unconventional art teacher is just what she needs to realize her dreams!

Higashimura ( Princess Jellyfish, Tokyo Tarareba Girls ) began the series in the debut issue of Cocohana , the relaunch of Shueisha's women's magazine Chorus, in November 2011. She ended the manga in January 2015. Shueisha published the series in five compiled volumes.

The manga won the grand prize at the Ministry of Cultural Affairs' 19th Japan Media Arts Festival Awards and the eighth Manga Taisho award in 2015.

Kodansha Comics publishes Higashimura's Princess Jellyfish and Tokyo Tarareba Girls manga in North America.

Source: Seven Seas Entertainment