Carlos Nieto III, a former layout artist for The Simpsons and King of the Hill, is teaching Beverly Hills tweens and teens how to draw anime characters from scratch on Wednesday, July 15, at the public library.

The free workshop starts at 4 p.m. at 444 N. Rexford Drive as part of the city's Tweens and Teens Wednesdays summer series. It's open to kids entering 4th through 12th grade, and all materials are provided.

With temperatures across the Los Angeles area forecast to exceed 100 degrees that week under a National Weather Service excessive heat warning running Tuesday, July 14, through Thursday, July 16, an air-conditioned library offers a practical alternative to the backyard.

Who is Carlos Nieto III?

Nieto is a Southern California-based arts instructor who founded the Anime Your Way program. After working as a layout artist on The Simpsons and King of the Hill, he shifted to teaching his step-by-step drawing method at schools and libraries across the country, according to the Cartoon Art Museum. He is also working on a debut graphic novel about a Chicana superhero and has painted murals for various restaurants.

His program uses simple shapes and clear instructions so participants with no prior drawing experience can create their own anime characters by the end of the session. The LA County Library, which has hosted the same workshop, describes it as welcoming "all artistic abilities and skill levels."

Part of a bigger summer lineup

The Beverly Hills Public Library runs the Tweens and Teens Wednesdays series throughout the summer, offering two free programs per session. The next installment after the anime workshop is a DIY Nature Craft Lab on Wednesday, July 29.

Beyond the library, the city has packed its calendar with free events for residents of all ages over the coming weeks.

Upcoming community events

  • Wednesday, July 22, 7 p.m. — Shakespeare by the Sea presents a free outdoor performance of Julius Caesar at Roxbury Community Center & Memorial Park, 471 S. Roxbury Drive. Bring blankets, chairs, and a picnic.
  • Thursday, July 23 — Concerts on Canon, the weekly free summer concert series at 241 N. Canon Drive, running every Thursday through August 21. Music spans classic rock, jazz, Caribbean, Brazilian, and Persian genres.
  • Sunday, July 26, 10 a.m. — Miniature Derby Car Race at the Farmers' Market on Civic Center Drive. Participants race soap box derby cars to see whose goes the farthest and fastest.
  • Wednesday, July 29, 4 p.m. — DIY Nature Craft Lab at the Beverly Hills Public Library, 444 N. Rexford Drive. Free for tweens and teens entering 4th–12th grade.