An Easy Guide to Anime Face Drawing

In this tutorial, we will break down the fundamentals of creating interesting anime face drawings. As we learn how to draw anime faces, we will look at how to create variation within anime girl faces as well as anime boy faces. This tutorial will demonstrate the process through a few simple steps, providing us with the toolkit for creating beautiful anime girl head and boy head drawings.

This tutorial on how to draw anime faces is done with a digital device, however, all drawing processes can be followed with traditional drawing materials. You can use whatever materials you have available as we will be covering the basics of anime base head formations and details in the face.

Step-by-Step Guide on How to Draw Anime Faces

In this tutorial on how to draw anime faces, we will be looking at how to formulate various styles and shapes of anime base heads and faces. This will help us gain an understanding of the construction method used to form an anime girl face and anime girl head in various ways, as well as male faces and head shapes. We will utilize some simple rules from the Loomis method to establish the placement of different features, and then look at how to give them unique anime-like qualities in the context of their unique head shapes.

Drawing a Female Character in a Simple Cartoon Style

We are going to start by drawing an anime girl’s head in a very specific style utilizing some guidelines from the loomis method to help us with the placement of the different facial features. Anime can shift from more cartoon-like features to more realistic features.

Let’s start simple with some basic cartoon-like features in our first anime base head drawing.

Step 1: Forming the Head

We want to start by understanding the basic formation process of anime-based head structure. There are many ways to do this, in this case, we will be using the Loomis method to establish the various features. You can find more information on the Loomis method through the link: insert link

Step 2: Drawing the Facial Features

As we continue, we will first draw a female character, starting with the eye. Eyes can be drawn in many ways and depending on the shape convey different expressions. In this case, we can make a shocked expression by a circular eye shape.

We can use the concept of basic shapes to help us understand how to shape different features in the face. In this case, we can have circular shapes to determine a unique shocked expression.

We can also keep the nose petite, as well as work a hairstyle around the structure of the head. The eyelashes can also be elongated to give a more feminine quality and the hair can be styled according to the perspective from which the character is seen.

Step 3: Refining the Details and Features

We can now start to incorporate some shading to our character, as well as bring more shape to the various details. There are many ways to create more feminine qualities, such as a petite nose, and elongating the lashes and the hairstyle.

With anime characters, they are often androgynous, so all the features collectively create a unique feminine or masculine quality within the character. Naturally, we can keep these details or simple to create different anime styles

Drawing a Female Character With More Detail

There are many ways to learn how to draw anime girl faces, and now that we understand the basic formation process, let’s take a look at another character in a completely different style.

This time, the character will have different details and unique attributes that change the style of the overall anime aesthetic.

Step 1: Forming the Head

Once again, the Loomis method is effective in helping us establish a unique perspective for various anime faces and heads. In this case, we form the head from an above perspective utilizing these grid lines.

We can then start to establish the placement of the various features in their most basic shapes. Again, thinking about more feminine qualities in each feature is essential.

With anime girl faces, the features are often quite meek to suggest innocence. However, sometimes we can play around with unique combinations between expressions to create more nuanced expressions.

Step 2: Drawing the Facial Features and Refining the Details and Features

In this case, we can utilize the circular shape to suggest a feminine eye quality.  However, to maintain neutrality in the expression, we can also make the eye shape more oval, suggesting that the eyes are less innocent or childlike. We can also add more volume to the lips with shading, creating an older more voluptuous quality in the face. The eyebrows can also remain quite neutral in shape, making the character seem more discerning.

The hairstyle also plays a large role in establishing the maturity within the character, which can give more adolescent or adult-like qualities. This is where we want to consider the combination of feature styles and how they create a unique aesthetic.

Drawing a Male Character With a Simple Style

From various genres of manga to more modern styles of anime, there are many ways to define a character with a simple set of features.

In some cases, it is also about the use of linework and how that implies the style.

Step 1: Forming the Head

Once again, we choose the angle at which we are drawing the character, and in this case, we can draw a character from a side view. The idea is to think about the personality of the character when forming the head structure.

Step 2: Drawing the Facial Features

With male characters, we can keep the eyes quite neutral in their shape, something more square or rectangular. We can also make the nose ridge slightly larger and the mouth quite linear and simplified.

Step 3: Refining the Facial Features

We can also play around with the hairstyle, naturally, the hairstyle will have a large effect on the overall aesthetic. We can also consider the shape of the jaw and how we might change it to be more masculine.

With masculine characters, the jaw shape is generally more large and square.  However, we can make a character seem younger by defining a slightly more triangular shape in the face. This is a more basic approach to a male character.

Drawing a Mature Female Character

Utilizing some of the tips and tricks we have learned, we can now apply these to a new character design.  Anime characters tend to be quite androgynous.

The overlap between masculine and feminine details can be used strategically to represent more mature anime characters.

Step 1: Forming the Head

Let’s draw a character by utilizing the grid system of the Loomis drawing method again. We want to establish the grid for a more correct positioning to create a  realistic shape in the different features.

In this case, let’s work with. more square-like shape to the eyes, creating more neutrality in them. We can keep the nose petite, to give it a more feminine quality, and the mouth can be large as well to suggest a more feminine quality.

We can also consider the shape of the hairstyle and how it defines the shape of the face. Again, hairstyles are always a major contextualizing feature of the overall appearance of the character.

Step 2: Drawing the Facial Features

We can now start to draw in the facial features, working with some elongated lines in the lashes to create a more feminine shape. Again, the eyes may be neutral, but the elongation of the lashes makes them more feminine, resulting in a mature look.

The nose can remain more simplified with slightly more elongation in the ridge. The mouth can be quite large, with some shading to suggest volume in its shape.

Step 3:  Refining the Facial Features

We can refine the facial features by adding some highlights to the eyes to suggest a reflection on the glossy surface. We can also add some shading along the face to provide more dimension.

Slowly, we can work in more tonal values to the anime face drawing, creating more structure along the facial features and hair. When learning how to draw anime girl faces, we find that the combination of features can create age variations.

Drawing a Mature Male Character

Most often male characters tend to be quite androgynous, however, in some manga, we can find a lot of masculine characters that are distinctly male. This is by the utilization of all the right masculine feature combinations.

Let’s take a look at how we can create a male anime character in a few simple steps.

Step 1: Forming the Head

Once again, the intention is to form the head from an angle that is interesting or unique, in this case, we will form a character from the side angle.

Step 2: Drawing the Facial Features

In this case, we can be more direct with the masculine aspects, such as a square jaw, strong nose, thicker eyebrows, and narrow eyes. This will create quite a strong aesthetic in the facial quality of the male character.

The intention is to always play around and consider how different features pair in unique ways to have unique results in the anime character.

Step 3:  Refining the Facial Features

Once we have the general features, we can then start refining them with details and linework. Again, the tools you use and the types of lines will have an aesthetic effect on the character as well. We want to always consider all aspects of the character, this means the features and how they are represented through the use of unique details and linework.

Slowly, we will see how the character unfolds through the combination of unique shapes and lines within the various features.

As we start to bring more shape to the different features, the character becomes more refined and distinct in its unique style.

We can then proceed by incorporating some shading to bring more tonal variation and dimension to the character. This is where we think about thicker darker lines for hair and softer shading along the facial features.

Drawing a Realistic Female Character

Let’s take a look at one last character, where we consider a unique position and pose in the head shape. We will also look at how linework and shading can be used strategically to give a more realistic quality to the character design.

You will also see the more realistic side of anime drawing here.

Step 1: Forming the Head

Once again, the Loomis method can be used to shape different poses within the head. This is helpful for the placement and scaler of various features and how they form along the surface area of the head.

Using the grid lines, we can work from the main circular shape and start developing the rest of the facial features from that shape. This is where we can consider a slimmer face for a feminine character.

Step 2: Drawing the Facial Features

Using the grid lines, we can apply the various facial features accordingly, thinking about the shape and scale at this point.

Once again, we can consider our preferred combination of shapes for the various features. We can also start to establish the structure of the hair and how it will form along. the head. Taking our time we can think about the personality of the character and how the features will affect their aesthetic. With female characters, we can always make the lips slightly more defined to suggest volume in their shape. The idea is to always consider the combination of the features in conjunction with one another.

For more neutral expressions, rectangular eyes will always suggest a more discerning quality in the face. Another major factor is the hairstyle, which helps to both shape the head and define the maturity of the character.

Step 3:  Refining the Facial Features

From here, we can begin to think about shading and linework as a way of refining these features to create a more distinct shape.

This is where we can refine the shape of the facial features, giving more length to the eyelashes and refining the shape of the face more distinctly. We can also add some volume to the lips with some shading to suggest volume.

The use of highlights is also an effective way of creating tonal variation within the face of the anime character.

The positioning of the face in relation to the body of the character can also imply the personality and mood. Once again, the hair will always affect the aesthetic and personality of the character.

Utilizing Color for Anime Character Design 

Now that we know a few tips and tricks on how to draw anime faces and heads in various ways, we can consider how color affects the overall character design.

Let’s take a look at some fundamental concepts to think through around coloring an anime character design.

Tonal Values

With anime characters, tonal value changes a lot and is generally a highly contrasting tool to help with character moods. This is a drawing representation of lighting and how it will affect the character design. In some cases, color can neutralize or emphasize aspects of the character. However, this. is where we consider the spectrum of the used colors and how the various shades are used strategically to create dimension.

For instance, in a monochromatic sense, we can use a single color’s full spectrum to define shapes and shadows along the surface area of various features.

This is also an exercise in understanding the direction from which the light source is coming. This will determine the areas that are most illuminated and the areas with more shadow. This is also a good way to bring shape to the smaller details around shadows, such as the brows and how they cast a shadow over the eyes.

Color Choices

Already, by the simple integration of color, we find that it changes the mood, personality, and overall aesthetic of an anime character. The intention is to always consider the shape and structure of a character, how color can be used to shape the character, and the dimensions of the facial structure.

And that is how to draw anime faces and heads! A simple guide on the formation process, thinking about shape, and the unique combinations of features to define masculine and feminine qualities.

Tips and Tricks to Remember

• First, understand the placement of various facial features. Once you understand the positions of different features, you can then change them to suit the character.
• Accentuate features for more feminine qualities. Emphasizing features can define a more feminine quality.
• See hair as a contextualizing feature. Hairstyles will always define the character and help to shape their head.

There are many ways to learn how to draw anime faces. It’s a matter of style choice, which is defined by linework, details, and shape. As you learn how to draw various anime girl faces and male faces, you will see that different approaches achieve different aesthetics.

Frequently Asked Questions

How to Distinguish Anime Boy Faces from Anime Girl Faces?

There are a few ways that we can use facial features to create distinctions between male and female anime characters. For one, the anime girl head often has a more petite and triangular shape. We can incorporate this quality into male characters as well, and create a feminine quality in male anime characters. We can also consider accentuating features for more feminine aesthetics. With anime girl faces, we find that the eyes are generally enlarged, the lashes elongated, and the lips large. For male characters, the features tend to be more simplistic, square, and sharp to maintain a neutral look.

How to Draw Anime Eyes for Boy and Girl Faces?

With anime girl faces and boy faces, we always want to consider the way the eyes express the mood. Naturally, the eyes will determine the expression quite significantly, and we can start with simplistic shapes. This is where we think about squares, rectangles, circles, and other fundamental shapes that define unique expressions. In the case of more neutral expressions, we want to think about shapes that cut the eye slightly, such as rectangles and squares. For more surprised expressions, circles work well to convey that kind of emotion. Then it is a matter of refining the shaping of these simple shapes with emboldened lines to represent the lashes. With female lashes, we can elongate them with longer and bolder lines, whereas for male characters, we can keep them fairly neutral and thin.

The post How to Draw Anime Faces and Heads – An Easy Guide% first appeared on Art in Context.

Step-by-Step Guide to a Pikachu Drawing 

This visual compilation illustrates each sequential step leading to the ultimate outcome. Follow the guide, and you’ll be equipped to skillfully draw and paint your very own Pikachu!

Step 1: Draw the Head of Your Pikachu Sketch 

Begin your Pikachu Sketch by drawing a circle to represent the head.

Step 2: Draw the Main Body

Overlapping the bottom of the head, draw the main body represented by a square.

Step 3: Add the Arms and Feet

Within the top area of the main body, draw two angled oval shapes to represent the arms. Beneath the main body, draw two horizontal laying oval shapes to represent the feet.

Step 4: Draw the Ears on Your Pikachu Drawing

Above the head, draw two angled oval shapes to represent the ears of Pikachu.

Step 5: Include the Facial Guidelines and Eyes

Within the face, begin by drawing a center vertical line and three horizontal guidelines. Between the two top horizontal guidelines, draw two circles to represent the eyes.

Step 6: Outline the Main Body on Your Pikachu Sketch 

Utilize the construction lines drawn earlier as a guide for outlining Pikachu’s overall shape. Start from the lower part of the main body and follow through to define the face and head.

Step 7: Outline the Arms and Feet

Use the lines you drew before to help outline Pikachu’s arms and feet. Just follow along from the existing guide to shape the details.

Step 8: Continue to Outline the Ears and Tail

Continue to outline the ears, the top of the head, and the zig-zag-shaped tail. Finish the process by removing any remaining visible construction lines.

Step 9: Draw the Facial Features

Take a fine, sharp brush and black paint to fill in each eye, leaving a half-moon gap at the bottom and a circle at the top. Refer to the guidelines for drawing the nose and mouthline. Conclude this step by sketching the cheek spots and removing any remaining visible guidelines.

Step 10: Apply the First Color Coat

Using the same brush, cover the entire Pikachu evenly with yellow paint.

Step 11: Color the Ears and Cheeks on Your Pikachu Sketch

With a fine, sharp brush and black paint, color the tips of each ear halfway. Apply orange paint to both the cheeks and lower eye areas using a soft brush. Repeat the process with red paint. Finish this step by using a small soft brush and black paint to add gentle shading to the right cheek circle’s side.

Step 12: Shade and Highlight Your Pikachu Drawing

Apply a darker shade of golden-yellow paint with a small, soft brush to create a secondary coat along Pikachu’s ears, head, neck, main body, and tail. Repeat the process using a fine sharp brush to introduce a rougher pattern to the coat. Follow the same steps with black paint to incorporate soft shading areas. Utilize a blending brush to spread and soften the coats in the same direction as the pattern.

Finish by using a fine sharp brush and white paint to add multiple highlight spots.

Step 13: Apply a Ground Shadow to Your Pokémon

With a small, soft brush and black paint, add shading beneath Pikachu. Then, use a blending brush to effortlessly spread and soften the shading in a circular motion, extending outwards.

Step 14: Finalizing Your Pokémon Drawing

Utilize a fine, sharp brush and black paint to follow all the discernible outlines, inner texture, or detail lines, bringing your Pikachu artwork to completion. You have just completed our tutorial on how to draw Pikachu! 

Congratulations on completing your Pikachu drawing journey! Your dedication and creativity have brought this beloved Pokémon to life on your canvas. Remember, each stroke tells a story, and yours is a tale of artistic triumph. Embrace the unique character you’ve infused into your Pikachu—it’s a reflection of your style and passion. This is just the beginning of your artistic adventure, and your talent is boundless. Keep exploring, keep creating, and let your imagination run wild. Pikachu would undoubtedly be proud of the masterpiece you’ve crafted. Cheers to your artistic prowess, and may your future drawings be as electrifying as this one!

Frequently Asked Questions 

What Are the Basic Steps to Draw Pikachu?

Learning how to draw Pikachu is fun and easy! Begin by sketching a large oval for the head and a smaller circle for the body. Connect them with curved lines to form Pikachu’s distinctive shape. Add the ears, ensuring they have a slight tilt, and then sketch in the facial features, including the eyes, nose, and mouth. Pikachu’s eyes are particularly expressive, so pay attention to their size and shape. Complete the drawing by adding the arms, legs, and the iconic lightning bolt-shaped tail.

Which Features Should You Focus on First When Drawing Pikachu?

Start by outlining Pikachu’s head and body, establishing the basic structure. Pay close attention to the placement and proportions of the ears, ensuring they have that characteristic point. Once the overall shape is defined, move on to the facial features – Pikachu’s eyes are a key element, and capturing their size and shape accurately is crucial. From there, proceed to sketch the arms, legs, and tail, ensuring they complement Pikachu’s playful and dynamic appearance. Remember to have fun with it, as Pikachu’s charm lies in its cheerful demeanor!

The post How to Draw Pikachu – 14 Steps to Capturing the Playful Spirit% first appeared on Art in Context.

An Easy Guide on How to Draw a Chibi

The Genre of anime and chibi drawing can seem complicated at first, however, we will find that the simplified aspects of drawing chibi-styled characters make the drawing process quite easy and fun. We’ll look at how to represent a character with some iconic chibi art style features, that will result in a unique chibi anime character. Drawing chibi-styled characters is really fun, and once you understand the chibi art style drawing process, you can play around with creating a variety of unique chibi-style drawings of your characters.

Necessary Materials

This tutorial on chibi drawing is done with a digital device, however, all drawing processes can be done with traditional mediums. Learning how to draw a chibi character doesn’t require fancy materials, so you can use whatever tools you have available to you.

Step-by-Step Guide on How to Draw an Anime Girl

In this tutorial on how to draw a chibi character, we will first break down the process of understanding proportions and unique features associated with a chibi character design. We will look at how to draw facial features and how to form clothing around the character within a female chibi drawing. Once we understand the basic principles of constructing a chibi character, we can then apply these concepts to another character with color. This time we can see how to utilize these principles to draw a male chibi anime character. applying these concepts to a male chibi anime character will help us to understand how these principles are easily applied to any character design and therefore how to create a variety of chibi character anime designs.

How to Form a Chibi Character

The process of forming a chibi character is quite simple once you understand the basic principles. Chibi characters are a more simplified version of anime characters with exaggerated features that emphasize their unique quirky characteristics. The process of creating a unique chibi anime style is simple, so let’s take a look at how we construct a female chibi character.

Step 1: Shaping the Body Parts in Three Segments

We start by establishing three evenly sized circles on top of one another, which will simplify the body into three even segments. These three even segments will reduce the shape of the body into these basic forms.

The three different segments will establish the placement of the head, body, and legs. The head of the chibi art style is generally a rounded bean-like shape, whereas the body is more of an elongated bean-like shape.

The legs of the chibi character will extend from the bottom section of the body bean shape into the lower third circle. The arms of the chibi character will also extend from the body but from the sides of the body bean shape.

Step 2: Adding Features to the Head

The head of a chibi can be drawn in many ways, however, we can play around with the hairstyle and how it sits on the head. The hairstyles tend to be quite playful and cute to emphasize the quality of cuteness.

The eyes of a chibi are generally large to exaggerate the baby-like quality of the chibi drawing. This makes them often quite circular in shape, and large in proportion to the head. The large eyes are an iconic feature of the chibi art style, and are therefore really important.

The eyes will be the largest feature on the face, however, we can play around with how the hair may slightly fall over the eyes. We can also keep the mouth quite petite, generally the mouth is much smaller in scale compared to the surrounding features.

To emphasize the baby-like features, we can add highlights to the eyes of the character to enhance their glossy nature. The eyes also tend to merge onto the eyebrows, however, you can play around with the shape of the brows for various expressions.

We can also add light shadowing to suggest a nose, as well as some highlights to the hair. The nose is optional and in many cases, chibi characters don’t have a nose. However, if you do add a nose, a good idea is to keep it very subtle. 

You can play around with shadowing under the hair as it falls on the face. We can also add highlights, which further emphasize the textural qualities within the hair.

Step 3: Shaping the Features of the Body

The body of a chibi character is quite doll-like or baby-like, meaning that the features are generally stubby and minimalistic. This is why we use a bean-like shape to create the body structure. We want to keep the features simplistic and stubby, like a baby doll.

Step 4: Adding Clothing to the Chibi Character

Clothing is another major aspect of a chibi character that will define the character’s style and contextualize their identity. The chibi clothing design is really about how it emphasizes the personality traits of the character.

We want to think about body formation and how different attire forms around the shape of the body. This can be a combination of a button shirt and skirt to enhance the feminine quality of a female chibi character design. 

In many ways, clothing is another aspect of contextualizing the identity towards either more feminine or masculine qualities. Chibi characters can be quite androgynous, making the clothing a major contextualizing feature.

Try to think of forming the clothing in different segments, utilizing the shape of the bean-like body parts to assist you. Try to imagine how the clothing would form around the bean-like character.

Once you have worked out the shape of the different items of clothing, you can then start to enhance them with some linework and tonal variation to bring more shape to the garments.

As we work our way down to the feet, again, keep the feet quite simplified. Try to think of the feet being a little more stump-like and petite, especially for female chibi drawings.

Step 5: Outlining the Chibi Character Features

Lastly, we can proceed by going over all the details of the character one last time, outlining and shading the various features to finalize their shape and form.

Creating a Chibi Character in Color

We can now create another chibi character, this time making a male character. However, now that we understand the principles of a chibi character design, we can apply these concepts to a male chibi drawing and integrate some color to see how it completes the design of the chibi-style drawing.

Step 1: Shaping the Character

We start once again by establishing three evenly sized circles on top of one another. From here, we can already start to draw in the bean-like shapes of the various features. Try to keep your sketch quote light at this point while you work out the different features of the character.

Once again, the intention is to allow yourself to play with the identity of the character with the previously learned principles. Think about hairstyle, enlarged eyes, and clothing as contextual features for your male chibi drawing.

Step 2: Refining the Character

We can now start to refine the character by going over the different features, starting with the head. Again, this is where we think about how the hairstyle affects whether the character may be more feminine or masculine.

We want to maintain the quality of enlarged eyes to represent the bay-like features in the face. However, we can play around with expressions on the face and the choice of clothing on the character.

Step 3: Playing Around with Color Combinations

When it comes to filling in the colors of the character, you want to think about how different colors have different effects on the character. We also want to think about how different colors work with different clothing styles.

In this case, we can see that having a blue coloration in the pants gives the impression of denim, and therefore represents a more casual quality in the character.

We also want to think about how the clothing sits slightly differently on a masculine chibi character, and how it suits the rest of the attire.  In this case, we see that a pairing of a more casual top section works well with denim-like pants.

Step 4: Tonal Variation for Shape

With clothing, we also want to think about shadowing and how it makes the clothing more three-dimensional. We still want to maintain a quality of shadowing within various features of a chibi character, especially within the clothing.

By integrating darker tonal values of the different colors represented, we maintain the right coloration whilst creating shape within the fabric. We want to think about emphasizing these qualities through the shadow formations in the clothing.

When it comes to facial features, we can apply the same concepts, by working with various tonal values. We can add a variety of different layers to the hair and facial features to emphasize their structure.

With the eyes, we can create a gradient shift that becomes lighter from top to bottom. We also want to maintain a highlight within the eyes, to further emphasize the big baby-like eyes.

The idea is to work through the character and add color to the various features, to represent highlights and shadow formations. Take your time playing around with different color combinations.

Remember, we want to maintain a shadow formation within all features of the character, from head to toe. Keeping tonal variation in all areas will create consistency in the three-dimensional quality of the character design.

Lastly, there are no rules to how you color in your character, which means allowing yourself to experiment with different color combinations as well. Just keep in mind that the clothing style in conjunction with color choice will affect the personality of the character design.

And there you have it! how to draw a chibi through a few simple steps. Once you know how to form them, the process of creating variations in your chibi anime characters becomes quite easy.

Tips and Tricks to Remember

• Start with the proportions. Once you understand the proportions, you can tweak the features for a more unique aesthetic.
• Refine the shapes into features. Work with the bean-like shapes to represent the various features of your chibi character.
• Keep the features simple and baby-like. You always want the features to represent toddler-like proportions.
• Play around with clothing design. Clothing choice will always affect the character design, so take your time with drawing chibi-styled clothing.
• Experiment with color variations. Think about how color will affect your chibi anime character’s style.

A chibi drawing is quite simple once you understand the basic principles. The idea is to always keep them looking quite doll-like and simplified in their features. A consistent feature is that the eyes remain large in chibi art, whilst the rest of the body can be modified to represent different character styles.

Frequently Asked Questions

How Do You Draw the Eyes of a Chibi Anime Character?

The eyes of a chibi art style drawing are often very large, so much so that they are much larger in proportion compared to its surrounding features. The idea around large eyes is that it emphasizes the doll-like quality of the character. There are many ways to draw the eyes within a chibi-style drawing, however, the intention is to always keep them fairly large in scale. In many instances, a more circular shape to the eye is a great way to emphasize a more innocent and playful expression within the face. This is an effective way to keep the doll-like aesthetic, which is iconic of the chibi art style.

How to Distinguish Between Male and Female Chibi Characters?

Anime and chibi drawings are often androgynous unless they are contextualized by other surrounding features.  There are many ways to create a distinction between the two anime character design styles, and a good place to start is often with the hairstyle. The hairstyle can be a great way to define a more feminine or masculine quality. Another way to create a clear distinction is in the thickness of the eyelashes, with female characters having thicker eyelashes. Then lastly, we can define a more masculine quality in the clothing and how the clothing defines the shape of the character. The idea is to work with all features collectively defining either a masculine or feminine quality in the character.

The post How to Draw Chibi – Easy Drawing a Comic Character% first appeared on Art in Context.

Create a Fearless Demon Slayer Sketch

If you’re about to draw a demon slayer, there are a few things to keep in mind. First, pay attention to the character’s unique design, including his outfit, hairstyle, and facial features. Tanjiro Kamado, for example, wears a distinctive green and black outfit with a white pattern on his coat. His hair is styled in a traditional Japanese fashion, and his scarred face adds to his tough, battle-hardened appearance. Additionally, consider the character’s personality and demeanor. Tanjiro is a brave and determined warrior who fights to protect his loved ones and avenge his family. Try to capture his spirit and energy in your drawing by incorporating dynamic poses or action scenes. Finally, don’t be afraid to add your personal touch to the character. Whether you’re creating a traditional sketch or a digital illustration, let your creativity shine through, and have fun with the process! 

Check out the below collage which demonstrates each step you will take to draw a realistic demon slayer! 

Step 1: Draw the Head   

Begin your easy Tanjiro Kamado drawing, draw the oval shape to represent the head.

Step 2: Draw the Main Body 

Below the head, draw the main body represented by a slightly slanted rectangle shape.

Step 3: Add the Lower Body to Your Demon Slayer Sketch 

Attached to the previously drawn main body, draw the lower body. This should look somewhat like a dress shape.

Step 4: Draw the Legs 

Beneath the previously drawn shape, draw the two short ends representing each visible leg.

Step 5: Add Shoes to Your Demon Slayer Drawing 

Attached to the bottom of each leg, draw the shoes. The left leg should have more of a side view of the shoe and the right leg should have more of a front view.

Step 6: Draw the Arms

Attach the head to the main body, by drawing the necklines leading onto the shoulders and crossed arms. 

Step 7: Add the Facial Guidelines to Your Demon Slayer Drawing 

Within the face, draw a center vertical line and three horizontal crossing guidelines to aid in the placement of the facial features. 

Step 8: Draw the Facial Features 

Use the guidelines previously drawn to aid you in drawing two eyes and a nose at a realistic angle. Complete the step by drawing the ear represented by an oval shape.

Step 9: Shade the Face of Your Demon Slayer Sketch 

Using the construction and guidelines to aid you, draw the face outline within the head but around the facial guidelines.

Step 10: Draw the Hair 

In this step, draw the hair shape by drawing two hairline splits, leading down the face from the top of the head. Follow this, by drawing the rest of the hair spikes. 

You are starting to create a realistic Tanjiro Kamado Drawing! 

Step 11: Add the Collar to Your Tanjiro Kamado Drawing                             

Surrounding the neckline, draw the shirt collar, enhancing the shoulder line.

Step 12: Outline the Sleeves

Use the arms construction lines drawn in step six to aid you in outlining the baggy-looking sleeves on your demon slayer sketch.

Step 13: Outline the Arms 

In this step, outline the visible portions of the arms and hands, using the previously drawn construction lines. 

Step 14: Begin to Outline the Skirt  

Surrounding the lower body’s construction lines, outline the demon slayer skirt. Draw the tied belt to wrap around the body using fine hairlines curving around the lower body.

Step 15: Outline the Legs and Shoes  

Outline the legs and shoes using the previously drawn construction lines to aid you.

Step 16: Draw the Armor Plates

Down the center area of the demon slayer skirt, draw the rectangle armor plate layers. On the top half of the body, draw two lines separating the shirt and draw oval shapes to represent the buttons.

Step 17: Draw the Headhand on Your Demon Slayer Sketch  

On the side of the head, draw the visible headband. Complete the step by adding seam lines to each shoe.

Once you have completed this step, you may now erase any construction lines and guidelines that are still visible.

Step 18: Detail the Facial Features 

Use the facial feature construction lines to aid you in outlining the eyes, nostrils, mouth, and ear. Begin by outlining the outer eye outlines and draw an inner oval shape within each eye. Above each eye, draw an eyebrow. Continue by outlining the nose and mouth lines. Draw the inner earlobe and outline the ear. Complete the step by drawing the wrist bracelets.  

Step 19: Apply the First Color Coat

Select a fine, sharp brush and a shade of light peach paint, and evenly coat the face, arms, hand, and visible leg areas.

Step 20: Add Color to the Outfit 

Use the same brush as previously and switch to green paint, and evenly coat the sleeves, and skirt including the buttons and collar.

Step 21: Color the Armor of Your Demon Slayer Sketch 

In this step, evenly coat the armor and the inner collar area, using a thin brush and dark gray paint. 

Step 22: Apply the Second Coat on the Armor  

Continue using the same brush and switch to a lighter gray paint, and begin to coat the top half of the outfit and separate the armor plates. 

Step 23: Color the Hair    

With a thin brush and maroon paint, evenly coat the hair on your demon slayer drawing.

Step 24: Add Color to the Shoes  

Begin this step by evenly coating the shoes on your drawing, with a thin brush and a dark shade of green paint. Continue using light brown paint to evenly coat the belt. Paint the bracelets and hair band with a shade of gray paint. 

Step 25: Color the Eyes of Your Demon Slayer Drawing 

With a fine, sharp brush and white paint, color around the iris. Continue using bright green paint to color the iris. Finish off using black paint to color the eyebrows and top eyelids. 

Step 26: Shade the Skin  

Begin to apply contouring along the edges of the visible skin areas such as the face, arms, hand, and legs, using a small, soft brush and maroon paint. Switch to a blending brush to soften and spread the shading. Complete this step, using a fine, sharp brush and white paint to add several highlight spots along the facial features.

Step 27: Add Shading to the Outfit of Your Tanjiro Kamado Drawing 

Add fine brushstrokes to enhance the structure and texture lines of your demon slayer’s outfit, using a fine, sharp brush and black paint. Mainly focus on enhancing the crease lines between the shoulders and arms.

Continue by using a small, soft brush and black paint, and apply soft shading within the outfit and on the outer areas.

Step 28: Highlight the Armor  

In this step, select a fine, sharp brush and white paint, and apply soft brushstrokes along the collar and lower armor. The first gray color coat should still be visible as a casted shadow.

Step 29: Texture the Hair on Your Demon Slayer Drawing  

Use the same brush as previously and switch to black paint, and add fine brushstrokes leading with the curvature of the hairlines. Repeat using a small, soft brush and add shading to enhance the structure of the hair. With white paint, add subtle highlights to the demon slayer’s hair. 

Step 30: Shade the Shoes 

Begin to evenly add a second color coat to the shoes, using a thin brush and white paint. Repeat once more using a small, soft brush and black paint to softly apply shading to each shoe.

Continue using black paint to apply shading to the belt, and add fine streak lines within the belt. Switch to a small, soft brush, and softly shade each of the wrist bracelets.

With a soft brush and black paint, and shading to the hair band. Repeat using a fine, sharp brush and white paint to apply dots as the highlights.

Step 31: Detail the Eyes 

Select a thin brush and black paint, and begin to color the pupil and around the iris. Using a small soft brush, apply soft shading to the left side of each eye. Finish this step using white paint to add a shimmer near the pupil. 

Step 32: Add a Ground Shadow 

Apply shading beneath each shoe, using a soft brush and black paint. Continue using a blending brush to spread and soften the edges of the shading. 

Step 33: Finalize Your Demon Slayer Drawing 

You have reached the last step of our tutorial. To finalize your drawing, erase any harsh outlines that are still visible. Where this is not possible, simply select a fine, sharp brush and the corresponding colors to trace those areas to achieve a final seamless result!

Congratulations on finishing your demon slayer drawing! Your hard work has paid off, and you should be proud of the results. Take a moment to admire the details you’ve included, such as the character’s outfit, weapon, and expression. You’ve captured the essence of a brave and determined warrior, ready to face any challenge that comes his way. As you look at your drawing, consider adding some finishing touches to make it even more impressive. Perhaps you could add shading or highlights to create a sense of depth and dimension, or add some additional details to the background to give your artwork more context. Remember, this is your creation, and you have the freedom to make it your own. Keep practicing, and you’ll continue to improve your skills and create even more impressive artwork in the future! 

Frequently Asked Questions 

What Are Some Tips for Shading My Demon Slayer Drawing?

Shading is a crucial element in any drawing, and it can make your demon slayer artwork look more dynamic and realistic. To shade your demon slayer drawing effectively, there are several tips that you should keep in mind. Start by choosing a light source and consider where the shadows and highlights should be in your drawing. Begin with light shading and gradually build up your shading by adding more layers to create contrast and depth. Pay attention to the texture of the materials in your drawing and use shading to create the illusion of texture. Blend your shading with a blending tool to create a smoother transition between light and dark areas. Lastly, remember that shading takes time and practice to master, so keep practicing and experimenting with different techniques and materials! 

How Do You Capture the Character’s Unique Design in a Demon Slayer Drawing?

Capturing the character’s unique design in a demon slayer drawing requires a few key considerations. Firstly, take the time to study the character’s appearance carefully, paying attention to their distinctive features such as their hairstyle, outfit, and weapon. Secondly, focus on the proportions of the character’s body, paying close attention to their height and build. The demon slayer character designs tend to be highly stylized, so it’s important to capture these unique features in your drawing. Thirdly, think about the character’s personality and try to convey this through their expression and posture. Finally, don’t be afraid to put your spin on the character’s design, adding your personal touches while staying true to the overall look and feel of the character. 

The post How to Draw a Demon Slayer – An Easy Step-by-Step Guide% first appeared on Art in Context.

An Easy Guide to Drawing Anime Anatomy

Anime anatomy is really simple once you break down the process of human anatomy and how the body is divided into its different segments. Having a knowledge of human anatomy, you will find that the process of creating different anime styles becomes much easier.

Necessary Materials

This tutorial is done with a digital device; however, you can apply all these concepts to traditional art mediums. We will be breaking down the simple concepts of anime anatomy, so we will only need some basic materials such as a pencil, and pen. We will want to have a ruler for measurements, as well as a sharpener and an eraser for any mistakes that might need fixing. All materials can be found through the links below:

• Pencils
• Ballpoint Pen
• Ruler
• Sharpener
• Eraser
• Good Paper (200 g/m – 250 g/m recommended)

A Guide on How to Draw Anime Anatomy

In this tutorial, we will look at some basic human anatomy concepts that are important for understanding the proportions and scale of the body. We will look at both female and male human anatomy and then how we can’t change and emphasize features to resemble a more cartoonish and anime-styled character design. Now that we know what to expect, let us go through some basic anime anatomy drawing concepts.

Understanding Human Proportions

When drawing anime characters they often exaggerate the human anatomy, so it is important to know the proportions of human anatomy as a body base of your anime. This will help you to form anime characters more adequately, providing you with an understanding of the segments of different body parts.

The Male Figure

With male figures and female figures, we will find that the body is broken up into eight equal segments. We can establish these segments with a grid that is divided into eight equal segments, with a single vertical line divided into two halves.

From here we can lightly erase this grid, this will help us to draw over it, whilst still using it to guide our drawing process.

In the first segment is where the head will be drawn of the male figure. We want to make sure that we keep the body parts proportional and symmetrical along the vertical line.

The shoulders will form from the trapezius muscles, which extend into the second segment. Here the chest will overlap into the third segment, flowing into the stomach and abdominal area, where the hips will form in the fourth segment.

We will find that the crotch or pubic bone determines the center or halfway point of the figure. The bisects will form alongside the ribs and stomach, where the forearms will flow into the fourth segment next to the hips.

the hands will form in the fifth segment, placed alongside the thighs of the figure. With male structures we can emphasize the muscles slightly more, giving a more masculine and broad stature to the figure.

The knees will form in the sixth segment near the bottom section, which then will flow into the shins and feet, between segments seven and eight.

The feet will be drawn at the very bottom of the eighth and last segment, where the ankles will also be drawn. This is the basic scale of the male figure and how to draw the anatomical proportions correctly within their corresponding segments.

The Female Figure

We can do the same for the female figure, where we establish a grid with eight evenly divided segments. We can also draw a vertical line through the center of the segments to divide them into two halves.

The formation of the female stature is the same, where the head and neck flowing into the shoulders and breasts, from the first to the second segment. However, the breast will start to flow into the third segment.

We will find that the hips of the female figure will form within the fourth segment, however, we can give them more width to suggest a more feminine structure.

The pubic bone will also be drawn at the fourth line between the fourth and fifth segments as the halfway point between the head and the feet. The arms will form alongside the figure, with the hands meeting at the hips in the fifth segment.

The knees will start to form in the sixth segment, which will be the dividing point between the bottom and the top of the knees. With the female structure, we can be more subtle with the muscles to suggest a more feminine physique.

The legs will continue into the seventh and eighth segments, where the feet will be drawn in the eighth and last segments. The ankles will also be drawn within this segment.

The hands will be placed within the fifth segment of the anatomy drawing, we want to make sure that all these features are placed in their correct corresponding segments. The process of drawing the female structure is the same as that of the male structure.

Human Proportions Comparison

We will find that both male and female structures follow the same segmentation process. This places their features in the same sequence of scale according to their respective heights.

However, we will find that different body shapes are always going to have subtle differences from one another. This segmentation process is a matter of creating a reference to work from.

When we want to draw male and female figures together to determine height and scale differences, we follow the same method. However, this time we can make the segments slightly larger for the male and slightly smaller for the female, and vice versa if we want the male figure to be smaller.

Emphasizing Human Features for an Anime Style

As we have now worked out human proportions, we will find that they serve as a really good body base for your anime drawings. This is because anime is often just an exaggeration of normal human anatomy, this means that if we have the knowledge of basic human anatomy, we can exaggerate these features to create more anime body anatomy drawings.

Exaggerating the Female Body to Create Female Anatomy Anime

The process of drawing female anatomy anime can be done by using the human anatomy drawing as a reference. This time we can start to define the features a little more, such as broadening the shoulders or making the bosom more robust.

This can be applied to all features, where the muscles of the figure become more prominent and exaggerated. This establishes a more unrealistic and heroic figure that is common within anime anatomy drawing.

The same can be done within the hips, where they are more curved and broader. As you progress with a female anime anatomy drawing, you can simply emphasize each feature as you go.

This is true for all the muscles of the character, as they often seem prominent through clothed characters as well. Anime characters often fill out their clothing, which means we want to emphasize the muscles.

We can also give more harsh edging to the character, which means we can make their structure slightly more geometric in form. This provides an extract cartoonish element to the anime body anatomy.

By giving more harsh edging or sharper outlines to the character we start to animate the character further. This is also a matter of stylistic preference, according to how you would like to stylize with your female anime anatomy drawing.

Exaggerating the Male Body to Create Male Anatomy Anime

The same process of exaggerating features can be applied to anime male anatomy. Again, anime is simply a more unrealistic and exaggerated version of human features. However, we still want to maintain correct proportions, which is why human anatomy should be the body base of your anime anatomy drawings.

This also allows us to play around with positioning and posing, using the segments as a. Basic guideline for building an anime male anatomy drawing.

The muscular aspects of the character become more prominent to suggest a more heroic and competent stature in the anime character design. This means all muscle groups become slightly larger.

This applies to all muscle groups, however, the human anatomy provides a good anime anatomy reference, because it keeps the composition of the character proportionally correct.

This means that we can play around with how much we would like to exaggerate our anime anatomy drawings and their muscle stature. As long as we stick to the eight segments, the anime anatomy drawing will seem proportionally correct.

Basic human anatomy provides a really good anime anatomy reference because anime characters still look proportionally correct. Having a reference point to work from will make the drawing process much simpler.

Then, once we start to contextualize the body with faces with anime features, the body starts to make more sense as an exaggerated structure that fits within the genre of anime.

This is the basic process of anime anatomy drawing and how to build up a character’s physique from the ground up. Using human anatomy and the even segmentation of different body parts is a helpful way to draw anime characters in different styles.

It’s all a matter of understanding the basic anatomy of both male and female figures. From there, your stylistic choices come into play, whether you want your characters to be subtle or more exaggerated in their features. Once you understand the basic anatomy of human proportions, you then can experiment with character design.

Tips to Remember

• Use the eight segments. The eight evenly-segmented sections of the body are the most accurate way to draw proportions correctly for anime anatomy drawing.
• Human anatomy is simply an anime anatomy reference. This means we can change the scale and proportions as we choose.
• Use sharp and harsh lines for more animated aesthetics. Giving the anime drawing bold and sharper lines gives it a more cartoonish aesthetic.
• Experiment with character designs. Once you know the proportions, play around with different body types for both male and female anime anatomy.

Anime anatomy is far from normal human anatomy when it comes to proportions. This is why human anatomy provides a good body base for your anime drawings and can be a good anime anatomy reference to work with. Once you understand the proportions, you then can play around with creating different anime character designs!

Take a look at our how to draw anime anatomy webstory here!

Frequently Asked Questions

Do You Need to Know Human Anatomy for Anime?

Anime is an art genre that has various art styles, which means that there is no singular way to draw anime characters. However, when you want to explore female anatomy in anime and how this compares to anime male anatomy, understanding human anatomy can be a good foundation. This is particularly true when you want to create a specific styled anime where there is consistency in character design. Human anatomy provides a good framework to work from, and can then become a point of reference for exploiting distortion in anatomy to suit your particular anime style.

How Do You Draw Anime Proportions?

Anime proportions are drawn in various ways; however, the anatomy of human bodies is often broken up into eight segments. The pubic area becomes the halfway point, which breaks up the body into two main parts. This is the same for anime characters, that being said, anime characters tend to be more exaggerated in their features which gives them their unique anime quality. Anime proportions can be drawn normally with human proportions as a guide. Playing around with emphasizing features for more length and shape in various features is just a stylistic choice. Once you understand the eight segmentations within the body and how this divides the body into two main sections, you will find that the drawing process of anime characters follows the same process. 

The post Anime Anatomy Drawing – Create the Body Base of Your Anime% first appeared on Art in Context.

An Easy Guide to Drawing Anime Hair

In this tutorial on how to draw anime hair, we will find that the drawing process is quite simple and allows for a lot of creative exploration. Once the drawing process is broken down into its basic fundamental steps, you can then play around with changing hairstyles for various anime characters.

Necessary Materials

This tutorial is done with a digital device; however, it also applies to drawing processes that utilize traditional mediums. You will want to have some basic materials, such as a pencil for sketching, pens, and markers for coloring. Once you have the necessary materials, you can then find a space that will be conducive to focusing while you go through the drawing process. All necessary materials can be found through the links below:

• Pencils
• Ballpoint Pen
• Ruler
• Sharpener
• Eraser
• Good Paper (200 g/m – 250 g/m recommended)

A Guide on How to Draw Anime Hair

In this tutorial, we will learn how to draw both anime girl hair and anime boy hair. We will learn how to establish the face in its basic structure, and then proceed to the drawing process of creating a hairline for both the female and male anime hairstyles. We will learn how to form the hair in a way that looks natural and seamless on the anime characters. We will look at two unique anime hair drawings for both males and females, this way we can explore different styles and how they fit with anime characters. Now that we know what to expect, we can get into the tutorial on how to draw anime hairstyles.

Step-by-Step Guide on How to Draw Girl Anime Hairstyles

Let’s look at a more realistic hair formation, where we explore the potential of line work to bring emphasis to the structure of the hair. We want to look at how the character can be enhanced by the addition of a hairstyle, which can transform the overall aesthetic of the character.

Step 1: Sketching the Face of the Anime Character

Drawing hair is not an isolated task within the genre of anime. We want to know what our character will look like and how the hair can add to their overall aesthetic. We can begin with a simple drawing of a circle and grid to establish the different features.

We then can lightly erase that grid and use the ghost lines of that grid to help us establish features on the face. It’s always good to start with the eyes of the character, as well as forming the facial structure.

We want to make sure that we give the eyes some detail, this is because we will be drawing hair with detail. You want to make sure there is consistency in the character design.

 

We can start to draw in the nose and eyes of the character, remember, with feminine qualities we want to make sure that the lips have more volume. We also want to make sure that the nose is quite subtle and the jawline is sleek and petite.

Making sure that our female character has feminine qualities is going to contextualize the hairstyle as feminine. Of course, a hairstyle can do this on its own, but working with more than a single factor in character design is going to emphasize the hairstyle a little more.

Step 2: Sketching the Hairline of the Anime Character

Once we have a basic sketch of the character we can now draw in the hairline. Drawing the hairline allows you to establish how the hair will form around the head and facial structure.

We can also add in surrounding features such as the ears, as this will give more context to how the hairline forms on the side of the head. The hairline and the ears become a reference point for drawing in the hair. From here we will start to work on light sketching of the hair structure.

Step 3: Sketching the Hair of the Anime Character

As we draw in the hair of the character, starting with the fringe. We always want to draw the hair slightly floating above the scalp as this will suggest volume and height in the hair. We can also start making general strokes of strands that fall alongside the face.

In this case, let us give the character bangs and ponytails by drawing a fringe and hair tied up on each side of the head. We want to make sure that the hair always extends beyond the scalp because female hair is generally long and voluminous.

We can draw in some general directional lines of how the hair will fall alongside the character from her ponytails. We want to make sure that each segment of hair flows in the direction it is tied up in or falls in.

We can also draw hair that flows from the ponytails and falls on each side of the face, this way we give some length to the tied-up hair. Try to keep the lines quite loose and vague, we don’t need to work in too much detail.

We now want to lightly erase our drawing because we will now use these ghost lines to make a more refined drawing. By doing this we create a better and more refined drawing with a more detailed layer of sketching.

Step 4: Refining the Face of the Anime Character

Now we should have a basic guideline sketch of how the face and hair work together to create a unique character design. This is where we can start working on some more refined sketching details to emphasize all the features of the anime character.

We want to work on all the features of the face making sure we build the character so that the hair does not look out of place. In many ways anime hair is not just about the hair itself but how it suits the anime style and therefore the character’s features.

Step 5: Refining the Hair of the Anime Character

This is where we can start to work in some bold lines that give the hair a more distinct outline, making it a little more animated. We can also start to use ghost lines to assist us in making more refined lines in the correct directions.

We can also start to embolden lines in their different sections to create distinctions, such as the outlining of the fringe and the hair at the back of the head that is tied up. Try to keep outlined lines slightly bolder than the lines within each segment.

You can also keep the fringe hair a little more detailed to suggest that it is sitting in the foreground, and the ponytails a little less detailed. This is a great way to bring a more realistic quality to the anime hair drawing depth between the long anime hair and the shorter hair.

Lastly, as an extra bit to bring more texture to the hair, you can work in some lighter shading in the different segments, to suggest variety in the layers. This gives the long anime hair more three-dimensionality and volume, which is good for anime girl hair.

Otherwise, that is it, a basic few steps on drawing long anime hair in the context of a female anime character. Anime hairstyles are interchangeable between male and female characters. This particular method is more of a realistic way of drawing girl anime hair step-by-step.

Step-by-Step Guide on How to Draw Boy Anime Hairstyles

We will proceed to do a similar anime hair tutorial, where we look at how to draw boy anime hair step by step. We will work on a more cartoonish style of drawing hair for this particular anime hair tutorial, this way we have an understanding of two different approaches to drawing anime hairstyles.

Step 1: Sketching the Face of the Anime Character

Again, we want to start by drawing the face of the character, we can do so by establishing the shape of the face with grid lines for different features. Again, we want to start with the eyes to center the character’s features.

Making sure we have a character’s face fleshed out will determine what type of hairstyle will suit the character. The eyes are particularly important as they carry a lot of emotions for the character.

Take your time working on the features of the male anime character. Some ways to give a masculine quality to the character is to make the eyes more square and the jawline more squarish.

Another way to do this is to be less emphatic with the lips, this way they seem more muted which is a common characteristic of male anime characters. Try to keep them quite simple with linework.

Step 2: Sketching the Hairline of the Anime Character

Play around with how you would like the hairline to fill in on the forehead of the anime character. Try to imagine what the character would look like with a buzz cut as a way of determining the hairline. We can also add in the surrounding features, such as the ears to emphasize the hairline and where hair will fall once drawn in.

We can also try to work with a more defined jawline, this way we give a more masculine quality to the anime character. Try to work a little on the features to make sure you are happy with them so that once we erase the drawing slightly, we have a good reference to work with.

Step 3: Refining the Face of the Anime Character

 This is where we can slightly erase the features of the character to now start working over it with more refined details. Again, working in layers is a great way to capture the qualities as best as possible with a more refined sketch with each layer.

Once we have done this we can work over the eyes, nose, and mouth just to make sure that we are completely satisfied with how the features appear. We can also start to sketch in some hair along the hairline, to start establishing the positioning of the hair.

Step 4: Drawing Less Detailed Hair on the Anime Character

This time we are going to do a more cartoonish and vague hair structure on the anime character. This particular anime hair drawing style is quite common and gives the character a different aesthetic.

We can draw this hairstyle by establishing the fringe with a basic zig-zagged pattern. Once we have done this, we can start to fill in that pattern to create a less detailed effect in the hair.

What starts to give the hair more definition is the outline of the hair structure and how it sits on the head. This means we can fill in the entire hair structure and keep adding these jagged edges to create shape in the hair.

This is where we can play around with how the hair sits around the head and how messy or neat the hair can appear by how many jagged edges we add to the hairstyle.

This is a great way of giving an anime character a hairstyle without too much line work. It becomes a little more animated and cartoon with less realistic lines, but can work well with specific anime styles.

Lastly, as a last resort to give it a little more shape, you could add in some highlights. These can be very simplistic light lines or shapes in the hair, which can work well to shape these types of vague anime hairstyles.

This can be a great addition to anime hairstyles that is super simple and more shape-dependant than detail-dependent. This way of drawing anime hairstyles can work well as a way of emphasizing other features of character as well.

That is it! This is a different way to draw an anime boy’s hair or an anime girl’s hair, in a way that is a little different and more cartoonish. Different anime hairstyles are going to have different effects on the character. So you want to make sure you have options for your anime hair drawings.

Tips to Remember

• First, establish the shape of the head. You want to start from the basics, such as head shape, facial features, and ultimately the hair.
• Work out the features of the character. Hair is never an isolated structure on anime characters, which means we want to make sure that we work the hair into an established drawing.
• Make sure you have established the hairline. Draw in the hairline for your anime hair drawing, as this way you can establish the hair more accurately on the character.
• Consider how hair affects the character. Knowing different hairstyles will enable you to be more creative with your hair choices when it comes to drawing anime characters.

Whether you are drawing long anime hair or short and spiky hair, you always want to make sure you have different references. This anime hair tutorial is a great anime hair reference to work out different anime hairstyles and is useful to come back to when you need to understand the drawing process a little better.

Take a look at our anime hair drawing webstory here!

Frequently Asked Questions

How Do You Draw Different Anime Hairstyles?

The first thing to do is to explore various anime hair references. Looking at anime hair references is going to help you gain an awareness of how different hairstyles affect the character. Anime hairstyles can range from realistic to cartoon- it all depends on what style you would like to draw your anime characters in. If you are going with a more realistic effect, you will find that layering becomes more of a strategy to achieve this aesthetic in your anime hair drawing. However, if you approach a more cartoon-styled anime hair drawing, you will then be more loose and vaguer with your hair formation. This means you can keep lines a little less smooth and organic by drawing them quite geometrically around the head of the anime character.

How Do You Distinguish Between Girl and Boy Anime Hairstyles?

In many ways, anime characters can be androgynous-looking; therefore, it can be difficult to distinguish between male and female characters. However, there are subtle facial features, wardrobe choices, and specific facial characteristics that can define a character as a male or female character. Hairstyles can do this as well and in the most obvious ways, we can use anime hairstyles to distinguish between male and female characters. The obvious ways are  length, where male characters often have shorter hair and female characters often have longer hair. This is a great way to determine gender when the facial features are neutral and androgynous.

The post How to Draw Anime Hair – Learn Drawing Various Anime Hairstyles% first appeared on Art in Context.

How to Draw Anime Characters for Beginners

In this anime drawing outline, we will learn how to assemble both female and male characters through a set of a few simple steps. Anime characters are quite similar in process for both male and female characters, as they often have similar faces due to their androgynous features. This tutorial will demonstrate how you can create a distinction between the two with subtle nuanced differences within the features of the face. We will find that the process of creating anime characters is quite simple and easily adjustable when shifting between male and female characters by changing simple details.

Necessary Materials

This tutorial will require only a few simple tools, as it is intended to give you the basic process for sketching anime characters. This tutorial will be done within a digital medium, however, all drawing processes seen within this tutorial are easily transferable between mediums. If you do not have a digital drawing tool, all materials necessary can be found through the links below:

• Ballpoint pen
• Micron pens
• Pencil
• Eraser
• Paper

A Guide on How to Draw Anime Characters 

In this tutorial, we will be going through the process of creating both a male and female anime character. We will break the process up into a few simple steps that help you to establish guidelines for feature placement. This process will be the same for both the female and male characters, showing you how simple it is to create both characters utilizing the same method. We will learn how there are subtle differences and little tricks in anime drawing that can help to create both female and male characters.

How to Draw a Female Anime Character

Anime can be drawn in various styles, and once you understand the basic drawing process, you can then tweak and change your character to suit your interests. Anime characters are really simple to draw and this set of steps will provide you with the necessary fundamentals for constructing a female anime drawing.

Step 1: Shaping the Face

We want to start by creating a basic shape, we can do this by drawing a circle and adding a sharp jawline beneath the circle. Keeping the jawline sharp and small is a great way to give the face a feminine shape. We can also add some guidelines that will provide segments for the different features.

Step 2: Drawing the Eyes

Once we have the general face shape, working on the eyes first is a great way to start with the features. There are many ways to draw the eyes, but making them slightly larger is a little hack that gives a feminine touch to the face. you want to start by drawing the basic shape, on which you will sketch a more refined eye shape.

From here, a good suggestion would be to start with the eyelashes. Anime eyelashes tend to be a dark lining along the upper and lower areas of the eyelids. In the case of female anime characters, we can make these features slightly darker and thicker.

We can also make each eyelash slightly elongated and extend outward from the eyes. There is little difference between male and female characters. The eyes will have pupils, but again, we want to make sure that they are slightly large.

At this point, you can also play around with the positioning of the eyebrows. eyebrows are also quite simple in shape; however, you can play around with positioning to suggest different expressions on the face.

When you fill in the pupils you can leave some moments of negative space as this will give the impression of reflection in the eye, and it is a unique feature of anime style. We can also add shading along the upper eyelid to suggest a shadowing in the eye.

Some anime eyes are very detailed and others not so much, it is more a matter of preference and how far you would like to lean toward the realistic side of anime. Again, explore different eye and eyebrow shapes to see how the facial expression changes.

Step 3: Drawing the Nose and Mouth

Another way of feminizing the character is by making the nose more subtle and having less of a ridge. We can also make the upper lip more voluptuous by giving it more volume and curvature.

Step 4: Drawing the Hair

The best way to start with hair for anime character drawings is by drawing in the hairline. drawing the hairline is going to establish the structure of the hair, and where it will be placed along the forehead.

From here, you have the freedom to explore variations of hairstyles to see how they complement the character. you can play around with different hairstyles and how they form along the face.

You can play around with bob-haircuts, fringes, bangs, and various other styles. Hair is one of the most contextualizing features of anime characters and can give your anime character drawing a unique trait.

We also want to make sure that when we draw hair along the top of the head, moving towards the back of the head, it sits a little above the skull. This is a more realistic and accurate representation of hair and how it forms on the head because of its volume.

But again, playing around with different hairstyles is going to affect the character and their character traits. however, make sure you start with establishing a hairline first.

From there it is a matter of preference and playing around with how you style your anime character drawing.

You want to make sure that you also work with linework around the hairline to give the anime character a realistic hairline. adding strokes of lines that flow into the hair makes the character more interesting as opposed to a block placed on their head.

Another way to enhance the hair is to work with highlighting in the hair. In anime character drawing, the best way to do this is to create moments of negative zig-zagged shapes in the hair to suggest highlights.

Step 5: Tweaking the Features

At this point, we have the basic features established within the anime character drawing. From here you can play around with proportions and scales of different features.

Step 6: Adding Contextualizing Features

We can also begin to add some shading to emphasize the features, this is a step further that can enhance the character. We can also draw in the neck, which is usually thinner for female characters. otherwise, that’s it! the basic steps for drawing a female anime character.

How to Draw a Male Anime Character

The process of creating male anime characters is the same, however, to give the male character more masculine features we will be changing some aspects of the face. We will find that it is just as simple but each feature has a subtle alteration to create a distinction between the female and male anime character drawings.

Step 1: Shaping the Face

We start with the same process of forming the face by drawing a circle and adding a jawline beneath the circle. This time we can make the jawline slightly longer and elongated as this will give a more masculine touch.

We can also add different guidelines to establish the areas in which the various facial features will be drawn. We want to make sure we then give our drawing a light erasing before adding in features.

Step 2: Drawing the Eyes

we can then start with the eyes once again; this time let’s try to give them a smaller and thin shape. We can do this by first establishing their basic shape, which can be hexagonal.

From there we can slightly erase the basic shape and then start adding in a more refined eye shape by drawing the eyelashes to form the eye. With a male figure, we don’t need to accentuate the eyelashes too much, which is another aspect of giving a masculine effect to the eyes.

We can also start playing around with eyebrow formation and how high or low we would like to place them near the eyes.

Once we have the eyebrows in place we can start working on the features of the eyes, by drawing the pupils and iris. Again, we want to make sure that they are not too large and also that they flow behind the upper eyelid.

as you fill in the pupils, make sure that you leave some negative spaces in the eye to suggest highlights. This gives the eyes more life and provides an interesting characteristic to the anime character drawing.

Step 3: Drawing the Nose and Mouth

with the nose, we can make the length slightly longer and the nostrils slightly wider. These are subtle changes between the female nose but will make all the difference in giving the character a masculine quality. We will also work with shading to emphasize the ridge of the nose.

With the mouth, we draw in a slit that establishes the mouth area. However, this time we don’t draw in an accentuated upper lip, just another way of keeping the anime character drawing masculine.

With the nose, we want to make the ridge quite strong by adding some shading along one side to emphasize its shape. This isn’t the case for all anime characters, but it is a great way to give a strong masculine quality when sketching anime characters’ faces. 

Step 4: Using Shading for Shaping Features

we can extend the shading of the nose into the upper eyelids, and beneath the eyebrows, to suggest a shadowing cast by protruding features. we can add shading beneath the lower lip as well to better define the lips of the anime character drawing.

We want to use shading as a means of defining the features a little more. Especially near the nose and mouth, shadowing is what will give the nose and mouth more structure.

Step 5: Drawing the Hair

Again, the best way to draw the hair is to first establish the hairline, you can play around with how you would like the hairline of the character to look. This will have a significant effect on their overall aesthetic.

Once you have established the hairline of the character you then can start to imagine different hairstyles, using the hairline as a starting point.

From there you can play around with different hairstyles and see what will suit the character’s overall aesthetic. When drawing disheveled anime hair, you want to keep the lines spikey and zig-zagging.

We can also play around with the crown or partitions in the hair, this is important to bear in mind for creating realistic hair qualities. We want to also make sure that the hair flows a little above the skull to suggest volume.

You also want to consider if the hair flows behind the ears and flops onto the forehead of the character. try your best to consider how hair forms on the head of a real person.

Once you have the hair structure drawn, you can then start to fill in the hair. However, you want to consider some highlight qualities within the hair which will give the hair a more realistic interaction with light.

By creating moments of highlights in the hair we give more layer and depth to the hair, this just gives the hair a more realistic quality. We can do this by leaving negative spaces in the hair that function as highlights in the hair.

Step 6: Drawing Contextualizing Features

Once we have the main features of the character drawn, we then can start to draw in contextualizing features such as the neck and shoulder areas. For male characters, you can make the neck slightly thicker.

You can also make the shoulders slightly broader and then how you clothe your character will be up to you at this point.

You can also tweak and change anything that you feel might need to be slightly different. otherwise, that is it!  This is the basic process of creating a male anime character drawing.

Tips to Remember

• Make sure that the anime drawing outline is established. You want to make sure the facial outline is either feminine or masculine by the suggestions above before adding in features.
• Take your time with the eyes. Eyes are perhaps the most iconic aspect of anime character drawings, so consider the suggestions for female and male characteristics in the eyes.
• Use shading to enhance features. This is particularly true for male characters as they have stronger features in the face.
• Establish the hairline for hair. Once you have done so, it makes it much easier to draw the hair onto the character.
• Experiment with your anime drawings. Play around with different feature shapes and styles to create your unique anime character drawings.

Anime character drawings are really fun because there is no right or wrong way to do them. All the steps and suggestions are merely just that, so you can experiment and deviate from these suggestions if you choose to. Allow yourself to take these guidelines and experiment with your anime drawings!

Take a look at our anime characters drawing webstory here!

Frequently Asked Questions

How Do You Draw and Shade Anime Hair?

With anime hair, the best way to start is to establish the hairline first. Once you have drawn the hairline, this will guide you in placing the hair on the head and how it flows around the face. Make sure you consider the length of the hair, especially near the back of the head. You want to make sure that the hair sits slightly above the skull to suggest volume if the hair is long. From there, you can fill in the hair as you please, however, play around with negative space as a means of creating highlights in the hair. This way the hair doesn’t look flat or completely two-dimensional.

How Do You Differentiate Female and Male Anime Eyes?

Male anime eyes and female anime eyes have a very androgynous aesthetic because they are cartoon representations of eyes, and often need to be contextualized by surrounding features. The best way to create a distinction, however, is to lean into the generalizations of common male and female eye features. This means we can add more lashes and rounded shapes to the eyes of a female anime character, whereas for the male character, we can make them a little narrower with fewer lashes. These are some effective ways to influence the identity of the eyes. 

The post How to Draw Anime Characters – Sketching Anime Characters% first appeared on Art in Context.

How to Draw Comic Book Characters for Beginners 

In this tutorial on how to draw comic characters, we will learn about the fundamental steps that are required to assemble characters successfully. There are many ways to draw characters and in this tutorial, we will break up the process into the most digestible and doable drawing process. We will learn how to work with proportions, poses, enhancing features, and unique character traits.

When it comes to creating a comic book character, we will find that it doesn’t have to be as difficult as it seems. 

A Guide on How to Draw Comic Characters  

We will break up the process of drawing comic characters into their main steps that can be used to assist you in your process of creating a comic book character. We will look at the proportions of the body and how to scale a character. we will then look at position and poses, which is how we give characters a dynamic quality. From there, we will look at how to add features and enhance them to give our character a comic-like stature. 

From there, we can explore how to incorporate iconic features, which might be attire, hairstyles, and tools. This tutorial will provide you with the basics of creating a comic book character. 

Proportions 

Understanding basic human proportions is the first stage of learning how to draw comic characters. Once we understand basic anatomy, this will allow us to manipulate characters and their body. We need to understand that figures are divided into eight even segments. 

These eight segments establish the different body parts and how proportional they are to one another. However, there is a characterization of figures in a comic style, which means that these proportions are not hard and fast rules.

They do, however, help to establish characters in a more realistic stature. 

Poses 

Once we understand the eight different segments, we can use them quite loosely to arrange figures in various poses. We can use the eight segments loosely to build character poses in a way that makes sense. 

This is particularly true for the early stages of establishing how your comic character will look proportionally whilst setting a good foundation to work from.

Having the skeletal proportions established also gives you more freedom to deviate and change features, starting from a good base. 

Again, this is not a rule to hold fast, but it does provide a good base from which you can work, especially when you start to change and enhance the features of your character. You want to be able to build the character up from the skeleton as if you were layering the character, eventually arriving at the point of clothing them. 

Enhanced Features

Once you have set up a character, we will find that it is always helpful to set the pose in its skeletal form, making sure all proportions are correct.

Once we have done that, we can lightly erase that skeletal structure and begin drawing over it.  

This is where we start to sketch the figure over the skeletal structure to establish the body of the character. We can allow ourselves the freedom to work out how emphasized the muscle mass will be to give the character a heroic stature. 

This point is about lightly sketching the body parts over the skeletal structure with the vision of how large, slim, lean, or large we would like our character to be.

A good suggestion would be that you start thinking about the identity of the character at this point. 

Again, allow yourself to be quite loose and not precious about perfect proportions as this will start to give your character a unique stylized aesthetic. Once we allow for the creativity of our figure representation to take over, it becomes more comic-like and less realistic. 

You can work on building up your sketch at this point, slowly enhancing your character more and more with each sketching process.

Drawing comics is all about creative interpretation of how you would like the character to look, which means that there are no rules. 

Once you understand anatomical proportions, you can play around with emphasizing features to give your character an emboldened look. However, try to work out the features with a light pencil sketch first. 

Making sure you work out the different features with a pencil sketch first will make it easier for you to add in shading and line work with darker tools. 

Again, try to think about the identity of your character and what type of build would suit them. Is your character swift? Are they tremendously muscular? Or do they completely contradict the stereotypes and appear quite normal? 

Once you have worked out the basic anatomical structure on top of the skeletal frame, you can now lightly erase this to prepare to work with shading and emboldened lines. 

Emboldened Features 

When it comes to comic character drawings, there are many styles to draw inspiration from. A good suggestion would be to scroll through Pinterest and explore different comic styles. You want to start giving yourself the creative freedom to explore drawing styles to find your unique aesthetic. 

Again, the comic character drawing process is playful and open to the interpretation of visuals. This is true for how we represent both the anatomy and clothing of characters.

At this point, we can play around with how we dress the character. 

Clothing and Attire

This is perhaps one of the most iconic aspects of comic character drawing. It is good to note that characters don’t always have to be wearing skin-tight suits, as this is only one of many ways of clothing a character. Clothing is all a matter of how it suits the character’s identity. 

This unique feature of the character will establish a lot about the character’s identity and is a playful opportunity to do as you please.

They could either follow the conventional route of a skin-tight suit or perhaps be a Hawaiian T-shirt-wearing superhero; remember, there are no rules!

With clothing, we can allow ourselves to be quite dramatic with the line work and shadowing. It is good to keep some sort of light source present from a singular direction, to maintain continuity in the shadow formations. 

Remember that, with clothing, you are constructing the clothing around the figure. This means that we want to imagine how the figure’s pose will distort the fabrics around them. 

A good general rule for tighter areas of clothing is that there is bouncing off the fabric in the areas of the body that bend. This can be any area in the body with mobility such as the armpits, ground, knees, and so on. 

Again, we build the character up from skeletal structure to clothing because it is helpful to place clothing on a figure than to try and imagine clothing on a figure and then try to draw it.

This will also affect shadowing and, therefore, your shading and linework.

You can also consider different types of fabrics and how they shift and change in different ways. Some materials are slightly stiffer, whereas others are slightly more loose-fitting.

This is an element to consider if you were to clothe your character with different materials. 

This is particularly true in comic character drawings when there is a clear difference in the fabric of the pants versus the shirt. The pants tend to look more blocky due to the fabric being slightly thicker and heavier. Whereas shirts have more rounded linework as they tend to be softer. 

This also applies to the headwear of your character and how you would like to represent their facial identity.

Play around with different hairstyles, masks, and other headwear that might contribute to the identity of the character. 

The best way will be to establish the character’s body first and then to cloth them as this is not only easier but will give a more accurate representation of clothing and how it forms on a figure. 

You can also play around with how dark or light you would like the shadowing to be. Again, there are many ways to establish shadowing in your comic character drawing.

These could be bold lines, fine line work, or however you choose to define the shadowing. 

You want to take your time with clothing characters and work on the form and shadowing of the clothing. Try to consider what direction your character is moving in as well, as this can also have an effect on the clothing. 

Unique Attributes

This would be where we start to think about the hands and what kinds of weapons, tools, or powers our character will have. This is a unique part of drawing comic characters that allows you to consider powers and abilities and how we might be able to represent this in the character. 

We can play around with weapons, energy beams, or nothing at all. Again, we don’t need to follow any specific criteria of what makes a superhero, and we can easily deviate from the guidelines as we choose. 

These are the basic concepts to consider for superhero drawings or comic character drawings. Starting from the ground up, working with skeletal structures and then body shapes, and lastly, clothing is the easiest way of creating a comic book character.

Additional Enhancements

Once you understand the process of creating a comic book character, you then can consider inking and coloring and how this will ultimately complete the comic character drawing. This can have a major effect on the outcome of the character and contextualize them in a certain way. 

Simply the choice of skin tone, clothing color, or the color of their powers will frame your character in a particular way and can make them more brooding, light-hearted, and so on. Colors are powerful representations of various concepts, so consider how the character would be colored.

And there you have it – how to draw comic characters through a few helpful concepts to consider!

Tips to Remember

• Take your time building your character from the ground up. Imagine it as if you were assembling a body from the skeleton, all the way to clothing the character. 

• Don’t stick to the status quo, explore character design. Once you have the proportions and poses, play around with how you would like your character to look. Don’t be afraid of bold lines. Explore some bold and contrasted shading to give your character a dramatic aesthetic. 

• Allow your character to be a little exaggerated. It’s okay if the proportions aren’t perfect- at the end of the day it’s a comic character drawing, and it can be weird!

• Have fun! Practice with these concepts in mind and try creating a variety of different characters. 

Comic character drawings are not all the same and there are no specific criteria. Once you understand the fundamental concepts, you then can play around with how you represent these ideas in your superhero drawings. Learning how to draw superheroes is a fun task and should be played and experimented with. 

View our Comic Character Drawing web story here.

Frequently Asked Questions

How Do You Draw Comic Character Proportions Correctly? 

Learning how to draw comic characters in correct proportions requires you to first understand the anatomy of the human figure. For both male and female characters, there are eight equally divided segments that define the proportions of the body. However, once you understand these eight segments, you then can manipulate figures in your drawing to create a variety of different poses. It is important to note that proportions aren’t necessarily the most important aspect of character design, and allowing some distortions can be a great way to create unique stylized comic character drawings. 

How Do You Draw Comic Characters in Different Poses?

Once you know the basics of anatomy, you then can explore creating a variety of different poses in their skeletal form at first. Once you break the character down into their fundamental form, you then can build up the body of the character to suit the frame of the skeleton. From there, you will find that forming limbs and features around the body becomes easier, as you have a frame of reference to work with. This is the best way to draw different anime poses as it allows for the manipulation of characters, causing them to move in different ways. 

The post How to Draw Comic Characters – A Guide to Superhero Drawing% first appeared on Art in Context.

How to Draw Anime Eyes for Beginners

This tutorial on how to draw anime eyes for beginners will help to break up the drawing process into easy-to-follow steps. We will learn the fundamental concepts that are necessary for drawing anime eyes effectively, which we will then apply to our own anime eyes drawing.

By the end, we will have a working knowledge of how to draw anime eyes, which will give us greater confidence for our anime drawings from here on out.

A Guide on How to Draw Anime Eyes Step by Step

In this tutorial on how to draw anime eyes, we will first go through the fundamentals of drawing anime eyes. We will break down the essential concepts into stages that help us understand how to form an anime eye. From there, we will explore how to utilize these concepts and apply them to a few drawings of different anime eyes. 

Now that we understand what to expect, let us get into this tutorial on how to draw anime eyes.

Understanding the Fundamentals of an Anime Eyes Drawing

We first want to understand how to construct anime eyes through the fundamental building blocks that go into drawing anime eyes. Once we understand the fundamental stages of constructing anime eyes, we then can apply this to our own anime eyes drawing.

Shape

Differently-shaped eyes in anime often correlate with different emotions and interactions. To describe this process more clearly, let’s work with three simple shapes: a circle, a polygon, and a rhombus.

These three shapes often appear in anime and can be used to describe a broad range of emotions in the character.

So, shape is the first fundamental concept we want to think about.

Form

Once we have the basic shape, the intention will then be to slowly form the eye so that it takes on a more realistic and natural shape. We do this by refining the outline of the eye as well as working with the eyelashes as a way of contextualizing the form.

We will find that the eyelashes are always thickened near the outermost edges of the eye.

The Iris

The iris is the next component of the eye that we want to get right. We can play around with different sizes, however, a good rule of thumb is to cut off a bit of the upper section for eyes that are slightly more narrow.

The Pupils

The next aspect of the eye also carries a lot of emotional weight within the genre of anime, as it describes the responsive nature of the character. Larger pupils can often represent awe, whereas smaller pupils could suggest crazy or fight mode.

Pupils are a great little part of the eye that can define a character’s vibe.

Highlights

Once we have established the basic form and shapes of the essential aspects of the eye, we now can start to add details. Highlights are super essential, as they give more life to the eyes as well as a more realistic interaction with their environment.

Shading

This is perhaps the aspect that starts to solidify the natural quality of the eye. We always want to keep shading along the upper area of the eye, as this will suggest that the upper eyelid is casting a shadow onto the eye.

We can also be playful by adding in some shading around the pupil inside the iris.

Surrounding Features

And lastly, we can add in some surrounding features to describe the form of the eyelids a little more. This is just another way of further contextualizing the form and shape of the eye in the skull.

Applying the Fundamental Concepts to a Drawing

Now that we have an understanding of what goes into drawing anime eyes and what fundamental concepts to apply, we now can use these to construct our own anime eyes.

Let’s go through a set of three differently styled eyes using the aforementioned stages of constructing anime eyes to assist us step by step.

How to Draw Surprised Round Anime Eyes

Let us start with the classic rounded eye shape, this shape is a very popular eye style in the anime genre and is nice to have in your anime eye drawing. Let’s go through the basic construction steps of how to draw anime eyes in this style.

Step 1: Creating the Eye Shape

 Using a compass or any tool to assist you in making two perfect circles, let’s begin by drawing two identical circles next to one another.

Using a ruler to set your eyes on the page correctly is just a great way to keep symmetry. The same goes for using a single rounded object or compass, as it makes the eyes more proportional.

Step 2: Forming the Eyes

 We now want to use our pencils and start lightly sketching over the curve shape to create a slightly more natural eye shape. The best way we can do this is by creating thickened eyelashes that are bolder near the outer edge of the eye.

We will always want to make the outermost edges of the upper eyelashes bold. This is a great way to form the eyes into a more anime-like aesthetic and is iconic to the anime eye aesthetic.

We can do the same for the bottom lashes, but not as much as we do for the upper lashes.

Step 3: Drawing the Iris

We now can draw the iris of the eye, but note that we want to draw the iris quite large. We also want to keep it slightly towards the inner side of the eyes.

We can also make the iris more oval-like for an interesting character quirk.

Step 4: Drawing the Pupils

 Once we have drawn the iris, we can move on to drawing the pupils. The pupils can be slightly large in this set of eyes, we want them to not be too large compared to the iris.

Step 5: Creating Highlights in the Eye

 You want to include the highlights as you draw the pupils when sketching anime eyes. We do this by drawing negative spaces into the pupil, which we then can leave blank.

We will find that this is an easier way to make highlights, as we can just fill in the pupil around these shapes.

You also don’t want to overpower the pupil with highlights, especially when the pupils start to get smaller. Another good suggestion is to keep the highlight the same for both eyes, which will suggest a realistic reflection in the eye.

Step 6: Shading the Eyes

 We want to make sure we add shading along the entire upper section of the eye. This means we will shade along the white areas in the eye, including the iris. However, we can slightly darken the iris a bit to create more contrast between the iris and the white areas of the eyes.

The reason we make the iris slightly darker is to create a subtle distinction between the white part of the eye and the iris.

Step 7: Shading the Eyes With Pen and Marker

 Once we have established the sketch, we now can start going over these details with a marker and pen. Starting with the lashes, we can start making them darker and thicker, giving the eye more form.

We can also start to form the eye a little better with a pen, slowly going over the pencil sketch. A good suggestion is to avoid making the bottom of the eye too dark, but we want the upper lashes to be thick and sharp near the edges.

We can also start to fill in the pupils, making sure that we don’t fill in the highlights.

We want to be careful as we draw around the highlighted shape within the pupil. Be sure to take your time with the pupils – you want to make sure you don’t make the mistake of coloring over the highlighted areas.

We can also start to add some shading along the upper section of the eye with a ballpoint pen.  We want to use the pencil sketch as a way of guiding us as we add in pen shading. Try to keep it light, and slowly work layer over layer.

We want to make sure we shade along the entire upper section- under the top eyelid-  as this will suggest that the upper eyelid casts a shadow along the entire upper section of the eye. You can make the iris slightly darker in shading to create a difference in the features of the eye.

Take your time working on these shading details and from there, you can add subtle lines around the eyes and you should be done.

How to Draw Neutral Polygon Anime Eyes

The next set of eyes we will draw is another very popular set of eyes within the anime genre. These polygon eyes are really common and are often associated with neutral and resting positions of eyes, which work great for keeping characters neutral in a situation, or perhaps to suggest that they are mentally preoccupied.

Step 1: Creating the Eye Shape

We want to draw a set of eyes, so let’s start by drawing demarcation lines to give us parameters to work within. Just try to make each polygon more elongated in a horizontal direction rather than a vertical one.

We also want to make sure that are about the same size, so try to use a ruler and measure them to have equal-sized polygon shapes.

Step 2: Forming the Eye

 Again, we want to start forming the eye shape by using the lashes as an aesthetic tool that gives the eye its shape. We want to make sure that the upper lashes are sharp and bold near the outermost edges.

Step 3: Drawing the Irises

When drawing the iris in a neutral eye, we want to make sure that we cut off a little bit of the top part of the circle. This is so the eyelid seems to fall over the eyeball, resulting in a realistic effect.

Try not to cut off too much of the iris when sketching it in.

Step 4: Drawing the Pupils

 When drawing the pupils, we also don’t want to draw them in the lower area of the iris. We want to make sure that we are drawing them in the center of the iris, which will make them see close to the upper eyelids.

Step 5: Creating Highlights

When sketching highlights, you want to do this before filling in the pupil. This is because we want to draw negative spaces in the form of little shapes in the eye, which we will color around. 

We also want to make sure the highlights are identical in both eyes. 

Step 6: Drawing the Pupils

Then, lastly, we will want to add shading to the eye, making sure it is mostly formed along the upper section beneath the top eyelid. This will give the effect of a shadow cast by the top eyelid. Remember, we can slightly darken the iris for contrast in the eye.

Step 7: Shading the Eyes With Pen and Marker

 Once we have established our anime eyes sketch, we can now start to slowly work in more defined pen and marker details. Starting with the lashes, we want to make sure they are quite bold and dark.

At this point, you should have a basic understanding of how to integrate these features with a pen and marker. Working on one eye at a time is also a great way to effectively create these features in the eye.

An important note to remember is that regarding the pupils and highlights, we want to make sure we fill in the pupils slowly, making sure we leave the highlights blank.

We also want to make sure that we are being strategic with our shading along the upper area of the eye. We want to shade along the entire upper area beneath the eyelid. However, we can make the iris slightly darker for a more interesting aesthetic.

We also want to make sure we add features along the bottom section of the eye. We want to embolden the bottom lashes as well, making sure they are dark a refined. However, always keep the bottom lashes smaller than the upper lashes.

Take your time when working on these details – going through them slowly is going to be a much more effective way of achieving a beautiful anime eyes drawing.

Once you feel you have completed one eye and it looks good, you then can replicate this process in the other eye. By working on one eye at a time, you also direct your attention to a single eye, focusing more on the drawing process and details required. You could also add additional eyebrows for more realism.

Slowly take your time with the following eye, allowing the first drawn eye to guide you in the drawing process of the next eye.

You can use the eye as a reference to maintain symmetry in all aspects of the eye.

How to Draw Angry Narrow Anime Eyes

Anime eyes come in so many different shapes, and the narrow rhombus-styled eyes are another iconic shape that often conveys anger, disinterest, and many other interesting emotions. We will also find that the change in pupil size is another aspect that defines a character type as we go through the process of how to draw narrow eyes.

Step 1: Creating the Eye Shape

We want to start by drawing two rhombuses next to one another, we can also use our rulers to establish some guidelines.

This will give us a more symmetrical aesthetic in our anime eyes drawing.

Step 2: Forming the Eye

You should, by now, have a basic knowledge of how to form the eye into a better realistic eye shape. We want to make sure that the top eyelashes are bold and thick towards the outer edge of the eye.

Step 3: Drawing the Irises

Remember, as we draw the irises, we want to make sure we cut off a bit of the upper section of the circle. We want the eyelid to fall over a bit of the iris for a more realistic effect of the eye’s mechanics.

Step 4: Drawing the Pupils

When we draw pupils this time, let us draw them small, as this will have a unique effect on the character. Contracted pupils are often associated with shock, anger, or fright. So, having smaller pupils can often be a great way to convey a particular emotion in the character. 

Be sure to add a small highlight near the pupil.

Step 5: Shading the Eyes With Pen and Marker

Now that we have the eyes sketched out, we can proceed as we have before by using our pens and markers to further emphasize the details in the eye. Start by shaping the eye with the eyelashes.

Remember, we can also work on one eye at a time for more focused attention to detail. As we add in the pupils and shading, we want to be conscious of the little highlights, making sure we keep them blank.

We also want to make sure that we keep the shading along the upper section of the eye, even when the eye is narrow. We will also start to see that as we color in the small pupil, the character starts to have a crazy look about them. Once we have completed one eye, we can then proceed to replicate the process in the other eye by using the previous eye as a reference.

Try to keep symmetry within the eyelashes, as it creates a cool aesthetic in character.

Make sure to also shade along the entire upper section of the eye, not just the iris. It is almost as if we are trying to create a strip of shading along the upper section of the eye that is cast by the upper eyelid.

Allow yourself to take time and work on these details with patience, and you should be done. And there you have it, a comprehensive guide on how to draw anime eyes!

Tips to Remember

• Consider the details that enhance the eye. Highlights, shading, or even pupil size- all the little details matter when you want to make unique attributes to the eyes, so really consider all of them.
• Break up the process into its fundamental stages. You want to make sure that you slowly construct the eyes through each stage without rushing.
• Experiment with your own anime eyes drawings. Once you have the knowledge of the fundamental concepts, you can refine and tweak them to create your own unique anime characters.
• Have Fun! Everything about anime is fun, so enjoy the process of learning this epic skill.

Anime eyes are really great to have in your drawing repertoire because they are so applicable to so many different character designs. The fundamental knowledge of anime eyes drawings can also be adapted for other character design ideas. This tutorial on how to draw anime eyes step by step provides a really useful toolkit for considering an essential aspect of faces for character design. We also have an article about drawing manga which you can have a look at.

Take a look at our anime eye drawing webstory here!

Frequently Asked Questions

How Do You Shade Anime Eyes?

When shading anime eyes, it’s important to consider the actual real biological features of the eye. This means that we want to consider how the eyeball sits under the eyelids. This will inevitably create a shadowing that falls along the upper section of the eye, just under the upper eyelids. We want to keep the shading predominantly in that area, as it creates a nice contrast between the lower and upper sections of the eye. We can also add darker shading to the iris to create a distinction between the white areas of the eyes and the iris. Generally, an iris has coloration, so we want to represent the coloration in the iris by shading it slightly darker than that of the white areas in the eye.

How Do You Create a Distinction Between Female and Male Anime Eyes?

What’s really great about anime eyes is that they are very androgynous and often are not masculine or feminine in isolation. In order to capture the feminine and masculine qualities of anime characters, we must contextualize them through the rest of their features. In many instances, anime characters can be difficult to distinguish between male and female, unless clothing, body shape, and other visual factors are included to create a particular type of character. This is really great because it frees us to be more playful with eye choices and how to utilize them for different character types.

The post How to Draw Anime Eyes – Master 3 Eye Expressions% first appeared on Art in Context.

Understanding the Manga Art Style

Have a look online at different anime and manga animations to get a really good idea of what you are in for. You will notice the eyes immediately, but remember, you have full control of your character’s eye size! You will notice the style used in our example images is quite childlike – the characters all have the typical manga style elements, such as large heads, little noses, and massive eyes!

Remember, when using a computer program to draw, first make sure that you are familiar with it. Using a graphics tablet has so many fantastic advantages, especially for manga drawing! So, without further ado, let us learn how to draw manga!

Materials You Will Need to Draw Manga

Obviously, choosing to do your drawings on a digital platform is not the most affordable, especially in the beginning. That said, once you have made the initial purchase of a graphics tablet and the appropriate software, you will not need any other tools! In particular, there will be no purchasing of costly art supplies! You will also have the awesome advantage of being able to correct any silly errors or mistakes much more easily than if you were using a pen and paper.

Of course, using a drawing tablet takes practice, just like regular drawing does! So be patient and keep practicing.

The Basics of How to Draw Manga

You are here to learn how to draw anime characters, and as mentioned before, there are a few different manga styles you can choose from. There are also various techniques. Here, we will cover all the basics while using a graphics tablet for our manga drawing tutorial. You should learn everything quite quickly and relatively easily!

Manga Drawing Style

The majority of manga characters represent humans, and there is really only one actual anime style. When you learn to draw manga, you will notice that, aside from a few variables, this art form embodies the basics of realistic artwork and drawing. Other than the larger-than-average heads and eyes, the rest of the anime characters’ body proportions all make sense, and light and shadow have the same effect as other art. With anime, background artwork is also very realistic most of the time. In fact, it is quite beautiful, as is anime-style food!

Early Stages: Rough Manga Sketching

Alright! Let us get going with our manga tutorial! We will be doing a digital drawing of Shiro, the cat girl. Of course, we are not using paper, so the first thing we have to do is create a rough sketch of our manga drawing.

This sketch will allow for proper planning of proportions, getting a good perspective, and the achieving the right composition for your anime character’s figure.

The head is the first part we will start with, and is probably the most important part of your anime figure! To begin, draw a basic circle with a chin attached to the lower part. This forms the shape of your character’s head. By drawing your horizontal and vertical axes, you can easily determine which way your anime character is facing. All that this takes is two simple lines (see image 2).

The next step is where you will decide the eye’s position as well as the eye’s angles. All you do is draw two simple circles (see image 3) above the horizontal axis. The eyes are always a big focal point in any anime character! Often, they are larger than they should be, particularly when drawing females. The small-sized mouth comes next, as well as a little nose. They are kept small to help the face appear to be more delicate. More often than not, the nose is merely indicated towards as opposed to appearing as a proper facial feature.

Once the rough sketch of your head is done, you can start on the body. The body, once again, is smaller than it would usually be, especially in comparison to the large head. The body is first drawn without any clothes on, using a series of shapes like cylinders and circles, to begin with. You will also need to choose a direction for the body to be turned, using an axis as you did with the face. You can also begin to draw clothing and hair on your anime figure.

Do not forget the basic rules of anatomy! Just because you are drawing a “cartoon” does not mean the arms and such should be disproportionate. Anime is usually quite on point with this and follows most anatomical conventions.

Detailing Characteristics: Working Out Your Anime Sketch

When you feel that your anime figure has a good pose and perspective, you can begin adding more details and fleshing out the drawing. The beauty of digital art is that you are able to reduce the opacity of the sketch lines, and you can also duplicate your rough sketch in other colors to help you distinguish the lines properly.

You will also need to rework sections of the face, such as the eyes. Take each step slowly, especially while learning how to draw anime hair and how to draw anime eyes. Do not forget the reflection of light inside your character’s eyes, especially if you want it to have a real, classic anime look about it!

Background and Foreground: Creating a Mood and Atmosphere

At this point, if you are creating a background and/or foreground, you can begin sketching some elements. Because you are working digitally, you will do this on a separate layer. To help create shadow and light relations, work with your background. Create a layer above your rough sketch while in multiply mode.

Now, you can choose where your shadows fall in a color that is lighter than that of your sketch. You can add a soft light mode layer with some white, which will bring in light. You can now plan your drawing a little bit better, as your sketch will still be visible. While learning to draw manga, the perfect background and the right atmosphere is as important as the character itself!

A helpful tip is to keep order by using folders within your layers tab. This will help you to identify individal layers quickly when you need to make an edit or adjustment. 

Anime Line Art

Your anime figure should now be taking shape! Once your character has been well prepared, you will start to clean it up with line art contours. Your sketch will be much wilder-looking, so just go over the most important lines. The result will be a far cleaner drawing.

A useful tip here is to use strokes in varying lengths, which will help to liven up your linework.

What this means is that you should use lines of varying thicknesses to create more nuance in your artwork. Using omissions can also look really good, especially later on when they start to complement the colored-in areas.

Base Coloration

After the line art, you will begin the coloration of your base. When you start with this step, you should first choose the colors for your character. Using a few different “selection” tools as well as the function for “fill bucket”, you can start to color in-between your lines with a wide range of vibrant colors!

A handy tip for this section is that when you are using and working with lighter colors, you should add a layer with a dark color under it – this will help you to see if you have filled in the line art properly.

The base of your picture is now ready to work as a primed foundation for the rest of your coloration. The subsequent colors you use will all be based on the color of this foundation. It can be helpful to apply each color as an individual layer, as this will benefit you when it comes to shading.

Depth and Shadow Coloration

As you can see, our example image still has a rather flat, two-dimensional appearance. Shading will help to fix this! This is a very important and essential stage of anime drawing. A useful tip for shading is to be aware of light strength, as well as the light’s angle and direction. Think about what sort of light it is – natural, cold, warm, or artificial light – each will create a slightly different shadow.

When shading, try to create either a clipped layer or clipping mask over the layer of the respective coloring area. Using a darker color, you will now be able to draw shadows without having to worry about coloring over unwanted areas. If you look at the dress in the above image, you will be able to see how the shadow varies, getting darker and darker at each level. You can use this same method to shade your background.

Light Coloration

With darkness and shading must come light, and the addition of highlights will create a more striking effect. You will need additional layers for your light reflections, which can be created by using white or simply a light color, depending on the strength of your desired light. Eyes look especially great once light reflections have been added and highlighted.

If you want to achieve vivid color, you may find it helpful to add color reflections as well. Do not overdo it, though, or soon it will just look like spots of color!

Softening the Lines

You may feel that drawing your line art in black is too harsh and hard. You can soften it up a bit by giving it a little color. Using a simple brown tone is often best, but you should be objective and adaptive when choosing the right tone and shade for this, bearing in mind the enclosed color and of course, light.

Placing your Figure Correctly

Does your anime character appear to be randomly floating over the beautiful background you created? Add more shadow to help it blend into its environment a little better. Remember to set the layer to multiply mode. Now your figure will look less awkward and more as though it belongs! You can also do this with other elements within your image too.

Corrections and Final Touches

Have you made an error? Do the colors appear grey, or perhaps the image is lacking in color direction? You can now fix up any issues and correct them. By using correction layers, you will be able to give your entire image the perfect mood.

Depth of Field

Depth of field is important! Give your anime figure more of this to help it look more natural overall. Using a blur filter over some elements of both the background and foreground will help with this tremendously. You can also try adjusting the filter strength according to how close or far the blurred objects are.

Frequently Asked Questions

How Do You Draw Anime Eyes?

To learn how to draw anime eyes, you must remember that they are usually bigger and oversized. They are also filled with much detail. We suggest adding some light reflection if you want your eyes to be more alive in appearance. You can draw your eyes in absolutely any color you want to – even purple!

How Do You Draw Anime Hair?

When you learn how to draw anime hair, you will begin by creating the basic outline and shape of your desired hairstyle. After this, you will start adding some layers to create more realistic hair. Just like the eyes, anime hair can be any color at all! But, do not forget to add elements of shadow and light, as shading is always needed when you draw hair.

Well done! You have now finished your manga drawing! We hope that this manga drawing tutorial has everything you need to be well on your way to creating many more awesome anime characters! Be creative and think out of the box, and most importantly, have fun!

The post How to Draw Manga – A Guide on How to Draw Anime Characters% first appeared on Art in Context.