how to draw in a anime style

by Saul Rath 9 min read
image

Beginner Guide to Drawing Anime & Manga

  1. Make Light Line Drawings First. Draw using light lines first and then trace over them with darker lines once you are sure that everything is in the right place.
  2. Use Guide/Construction Lines. Use guide lines to help yourself draw. ...
  3. Plan Out Your Drawing & Draw Larger to Smaller. Estimate your proportions before you start drawing. ...
  4. Keep Different Parts of Your Drawing in the Same Stages of Completion. Try and keep the various objects in your drawing in roughly the same state of completion. ...
  5. Draw Things That Are Hidden. It’s sometimes a good idea to draw things that are hidden by something else. ...
  6. Do Drawing Exercises. As a beginner artist you can really benefit from some fairly simple exercises of drawing lines and basic geometric shapes.
  7. Study the Anime Style. To make art that looks like anime and manga you have to understand their defining characteristics. ...
  8. Check for Mistakes. If you are having trouble spotting your mistakes turn your drawing upside down or hold it up to a mirror.

5 Simple Steps to Drawing Anime
  1. Step 1: Create the Basic Structure of the Face.
  2. Step 2: Add Facial Features.
  3. Step 3: Draw the Hair.
  4. Step 4: Add the Body.
  5. Step 5: Add Details and Ink the Drawing.
Apr 22, 2021

Full Answer

How do you draw yourself in anime?

Beginner Guide to Drawing Anime & Manga

  1. Make Light Line Drawings First. Draw using light lines first and then trace over them with darker lines once you are sure that everything is in the right place.
  2. Use Guide/Construction Lines. Use guide lines to help yourself draw. ...
  3. Plan Out Your Drawing & Draw Larger to Smaller. Estimate your proportions before you start drawing. ...
  4. Keep Different Parts of Your Drawing in the Same Stages of Completion. Try and keep the various objects in your drawing in roughly the same state of completion. ...
  5. Draw Things That Are Hidden. It’s sometimes a good idea to draw things that are hidden by something else. ...
  6. Do Drawing Exercises. As a beginner artist you can really benefit from some fairly simple exercises of drawing lines and basic geometric shapes.
  7. Study the Anime Style. To make art that looks like anime and manga you have to understand their defining characteristics. ...
  8. Check for Mistakes. If you are having trouble spotting your mistakes turn your drawing upside down or hold it up to a mirror.

How to draw yourself as an anime character?

How to Draw an Anime Character Step 1: Draw the Head. Step 3: Draw Anime Mouth. Step 4: Add the Final Touches. Step 1: Outline the Face.

How to draw a beautiful anime girl step by step?

How to Draw a Beautiful Anime Girl Step by Step.

  • Step 1 – Draw the Center Guide Line & The Top of the Head. Beautiful anime girl head top drawing. Star by drawing a vertical line through the middle ...
  • Step 2 – Draw the Bottom of the Head.
  • Step 3 – Draw the Neck/Shoulders.
  • Step 4 – Position the Eyes Horizontally.
  • Step 5 – Space the Eyes Horizontally & Draw Their Basic Outlines.

What is the best software for drawing anime?

Top 9 Free Manga Drawing Software

  • Photoshop – Our choice
  • Corel Painter – Seamless textures
  • Paintstorm Studio – 50+ custom brushes
  • OpenCanvas – For manga and comic artists
  • Clip Studio Paint – 36 comic templates
  • Smith Macro Manga Studio – Advanced vector tools
  • My Paint – A collection of 100+ overlays
  • MediBang Paint – 800+ thematic anime backgrounds
  • Artweaver – To create textures from scratch

image

How do you draw like an anime style?

8:2616:43How to Draw Faces for Beginners | Anime Manga Drawing TutorialYouTubeStart of suggested clipEnd of suggested clipWe have the line that. Goes across again just letting us know where the mouth is going to be andMoreWe have the line that. Goes across again just letting us know where the mouth is going to be and that that line kind of starts where the jaw. Kind of starts to come together.

How can I draw myself in anime?

6:5918:08Drawing Myself into Three Anime Screen Captures! - YouTubeYouTubeStart of suggested clipEnd of suggested clipWhen trying to make characters look like myself i draw them with very round. Eyes because i think myMoreWhen trying to make characters look like myself i draw them with very round. Eyes because i think my eyes are pretty round i also do things like give them a similar hairstyle.

What do anime artists use to draw?

Manga artists use Clip Studio Paint for drawing, paneling, and layering their drawings and Photoshop, PaintTool SAI, and Corel Painter for editing, cleaning, coloring, and formatting. Manga artists access this software using a drawing tablet.

Is drawing anime style hard?

At first, anime may seem like an easy drawing style, but it is not as easy as it looks; anime drawing is rather hard. Anime is hard to draw because it requires the artist to have proper knowledge about anatomy, perspective, value, and many other drawing fundamentals, which aren't easy to master.

How can I draw better anime?

11 Tips To Get Better At Drawing Anime – Step By Step GuideGet Into A Drawing Routine.Learn Basic Anatomy.Learn To Draw In Perspective.Learn About Value (Light and Dark)Practice Mindfully.Learn From The Pros By Using References.Learn About Composition.Study Different Drawing Styles.More items...

What's a good anime character creator?

Bitmoji The last name we have on the list of best anime creator in 2022 is Bitmoji. It allows you to create your avatar and share them with your friends. Besides, it has a massive library of stickers to create a realistic depiction of you.

Why is anime called anime?

The dispute typically begins here: the word “anime” (shortened from “animēshon“) is the Japanese pronunciation of the word “animation.” In Japan, the word is often used as a blanket term for all animated content no matter where it's from.

What are the 3 types of pencil?

Different Types of PencilGraphite pencils. ... Solid graphite pencils. ... Liquid graphite pencils. ... Charcoal pencils. ... Carbon pencils. ... Colored pencils, or pencil crayons. ... Grease pencils. ... Watercolor pencils.More items...•

What colored pencils are best for anime?

Prismacolor Pencils The Prismacolor colored pencils are also a staple for manga art. These pencils come in richly-pigmented specialty colors that are made especially for manga artists.

Why is drawing anime hair so hard?

Hair is a very complex subject to draw, because it's like a substance that can take many shapes and forms. Because of this, manga artists have developed a special method of simplifying hair.

Is anime harder than realism?

Realism. “Anime isn't a good way to show skill, because it's a lot easier than realism is.”

How long should a drawing take?

Drawing one hour a day works, but some drawings can take you 10 or 20 hours to finish, or even more.

How to draw anime head?

1. Draw an oval and divide it into 4 sections. This will be the basic outline of your anime character’s head. The proportions don’t have to be exact, but make the oval narrower at the bottom since that will be the chin. Once you’ve drawn the oval, draw a horizontal line through the center of it. Then, draw a vertical line through the center ...

How to draw a nose in anime?

To draw your character’s nose, draw a short, simple vertical line along the center of the face at the halfway point between the horizontal line and the chin.

How to draw hands well?

Community Answer. The best trick for drawing hands well is to study your own hands first. Notice the shape, color, texture, angles, etc. Draw your hand in dozens of different positions and in different lighting. This isn't a shortcut, per se, but it's an exercise that will improve your drawing.

How to draw a stick figure?

Make the hands about 1/5 the length of the arm, and make the feet about 1/6 the length of the legs. To get the proportions right, make your stick-figure outline about 7 times as tall as your character’s head. Have the arm lines start about 1/5 of the way down the line you draw for the torso.

How to draw a short hair character?

However, if your character’s hair is going to be short, draw a narrow oval on each side of the head. Have the top of the ears line up with the horizontal line running through the center of the face, and have the bottoms line up with the bottom of the nose. Then, draw the flaps of the ear inside each oval.

How to make your character's nose bigger?

Make the line longer if you want your character’s nose to be big. Make the nose the smallest feature on your character’s face. The nose will overlap with the vertical line you drew. To see it better, make it darker than the vertical line, or erase the vertical line around the nose.

Can anime characters draw hair?

The hairstyle you choose for your character is up to you, but generally, anime hair features pointed ends and distinct sections. You can draw a short, buzzed hairstyle, a medium-length style, or long, flowy hair. Whichever hairstyle you choose, avoid drawing individual strands of hair.

Why are proportions important in anime?

Anime drawing and character design is unique in that it allows for open-ended creativity while still remaining within standard design principles, like proportions.

Is it easier to draw anime feet or hands?

According to Skillshare instructor Pluvias, drawing anime feet is actually easier than learning how to draw anime hands. In this course, she will show you how to create feet for your anime character from different angles and positions. 14. Anime Clothes.

What are the features of manga?

Common features in manga drawing. Manga drawing techniques adopt their own visual shortcuts, including: A giant bead of sweat on a character’s head – they’re exasperated or frustrated. A snot bubble coming out of someone’s nose – they’re asleep.

What are the two most prominent categories in manga?

In Japan, manga was historically segmented into categories by gender and age group. The two most prominent were: Shonen – for young boys. Shojo – for young girls. The lines between those categories have become more blurred in recent years and are generally non-existent outside of Japan.

What is the purpose of cartoons and comics?

Comics and cartoons use a visual shorthand to convey emotions, actions and ideas. In Western comics and cartoons, a sleeping character might have a few Zs coming from their mouth or a light bulb appears over their head when they get an idea.

What is manga in Japanese?

What is manga? Manga is a catch-all term for Japanese comics. Like comic books from across the Americas and Europe, manga includes a near-infinite array of genres and styles. It includes science fiction, such as the cyberpunk dystopia of Katsuhiro Otomo’s Akira, historical fiction like Osamu Tezuka’s Buddha, and superhero action comedies like ONE’s ...

What does it mean to grow as an artist?

For Young, growing as an artist means embracing your mistakes. Working through the challenges of what you draw imperfectly is how you develop your own manga drawing style. “With cartooning, comics, and storytelling, you’re telling the story with hundreds of illustrations,” Young says.

Is there a right style for manga?

Whatever style you develop, there’s room for it in manga. Manga is many things, from samurai to steampunk to cat girls. There’s no single “right” style, and that means — with exploration and practice — you can find a place for yours.

How to see mistakes in drawing?

If you are having trouble spotting your mistakes turn your drawing upside down or hold it up to a mirror. This will give you a fresh “perspective” making it easier to see them.

How to draw a symmetrical face?

Use guide lines to help yourself draw. For example if you want to draw a symmetrical head/face from the front view you can first draw a horizontal line though the middle of where you want to draw the face. This line will help you make sure that both halves of the face are even in width. You can then draw a horizontal line (or several lines) to help you make sure that both eyes and both ears are on the same level.

How to keep different parts of your drawing in the same state of completion?

Keep Different Parts of Your Drawing in the Same Stages of Completion. Drawing consistency example with anime eyes. Try and keep the various objects in your drawing in roughly the same state of completion. If for example you are drawing eyes than draw the outer shape of each eye and then draw the shape of each iris.

Can you combine shapes and lines?

For example you can draw a square than inside it draw lines going from one corner to another followed by two more lines going through the intersection point of those lines followed by drawing a circle inside the initial square.

Introduction

Hello! In this tutorial, let's learn how to draw some anime or manga styled portraits! Please note that I mainly specialize in female portraits (at least for now ;u;)

Anatomy

For drawing pretty and anatomically correct faces, let’s see how the famous loomis head method works. Here is a step by step process of how to use the Loomis head method. This method is a baseline to a typical head and does not serve as a concrete rule to varying head shapes and proportions!

Hair

For the hair, I recommend visualizing the hair as flat strands that twist and turn in 3D space. This is definitely more of a simplification that I use when drawing in anime style rather than realistic. But this helps with drawing hair shapes that seem convincing! ;) I also imagine the back layer of hair as mostly in shadow (pink).

Facial expressions

Although I typically don't draw strong facial expressions, here is a rough representation. Lifting of eyebrows and bottom eyelids usually indicate a happy or laughing emotion (1).

Poses and props

For female figures or characters, I like to include flowers or accessories as props for a more elegant pose. Below are examples of poses with props such as single flower stems and drinks. Even without props, in half body or full figure portraits, the hands and arms play important roles in achieving expressive poses that convey certain attitudes.

Composition

Situating facial features or body parts where lines of the rule of thirds lie will direct more attention to those areas and less to areas that are not on the lines. This is why aligning the eyes at the first horizontal line of the rule of thirds can do justice to a portrait.

Painting portrait demonstration

First, make a sketch (for me, my first sketch will be my final line art). I use dae pen 4 for sketching, which can be downloaded here. Today, I decided to just go with a typical school girl for an anime styled / semi-realistic bust up portrait!

What is anime style coloring?

Anime-style or Cel Shading coloring is a style that mimics how traditional anime was animated. It applied simple shading without blending to make it easier to animate. To enhance this kind of coloring style, you can use other tools like gradients or effects.

What does "all layers" mean in Photoshop?

All layers: will refer to all layers on the canvas. Reference Layer: will only refer to the layer that you set as a reference. Selected Layer: will only refer to the layers currently selected. Layer in folder: will refer only to the layers in the current folder. Please use them as needed.

What brushes can I use to color in Clip Studio?

There are also lots of other brushes you can use, such as airbrushes for simple gradients and decoration brushes for making patterns. Additionally, you can also download more brushes from Clip Studio Assets. Once you’ve finished your inking, use the pen tool and the fill tool to color.

How to create a tool in AutoCAD?

To make your own custom tool: 1 Start by selecting a default tool to use as a base. 2 Click Create a copy of currently selected sub tool (the small icon with two squares and a + symbol at the bottom of the sub tool menu), and you will be able to make a new tool. 3 Rename and change its icon and color so you can easily find it.

Can you use subview to draw character?

If you’re drawing a character from a reference image, you can use the subview to show the reference image and the color picker to make sure you are using the same colors as your reference. This is a very handy feature you can use instead of opening multiple reference images and switching through them.

image