How to draw a person in anime style
Miscellaneous / / April 02, 2023
These simple tips will help you learn how to draw in anime style even from scratch.
How to Draw an Anime Portrait
What you need
- Simple pencil;
- eraser;
- paper - it is better to take a density of 140 g / m2. Thin paper for printing on a printer quickly warps from frequent corrections.
First, let's deal with the basic anatomy in the anime. Characters usually have a pointed chin, low forehead, small lips and nose. The main focus is the eyes. They are much larger than real people. A portrait is easy to draw using simple geometric shapes - a circle and an oval.
Draw a circle and draw a straight vertical line through its middle. It is necessary for the symmetry of the face. Add a line for the cheeks and chin. In width, it should be slightly smaller than the circle.
Draw a straight horizontal line in the middle of the resulting face. Below the line draw the ears. To make them look more believable, don't draw them as a simple oval - the shape of the ears is more complicated. The widest part should not be in the center, but slightly higher.
Find the middle of the ears and draw another horizontal line from one point to another. Between the two lines will be the eyes. In the anime, there are eyes of different shapes, but the classic version is close to an oval. Strengthen the top line and add lashes. You don’t need to draw them with separate strokes - it’s better to draw a few bold lines from the eyelid. There should be more eyelashes in the corner of the upper eyelid, and on the lower eyelid they can only be identified.
If it is difficult to achieve symmetry when depicting the eyes, work on them at the same time. That is, do not draw in turn, but outline the top line of one eye and immediately move on to the other. Then go back and mark the bottom line, and so on.
Draw an oval iris inside the eyes - it will take up about ⅔ of the space. Mark the pupils and add highlights - it is important that they are on the same side.
Outline the nose with a small triangle. It should be right in the center. Lips can be depicted as a curved line, reinforced towards the ends.
Draw the eyebrows with two thick lines that go up. Define the upper eyelids.
Add details of the ear - a curl of the auricle, a tragus. Now you can erase the auxiliary lines, and the drawing is ready!
The master class can be viewed in its entirety here.
What other options are there
From this video you will learn about three ways to draw the eyes of a female character.
This tutorial will help you draw a male portrait. The main difference from the female is that the eyes are smaller and without long eyelashes.
If you want to add a certain emotion to the character, watch this video. The author tells how to draw a joyful, angry or shocked expression.
This video shows how to draw portraits from different angles.
How to Draw Human Hair in Anime Style
What you need
- Simple pencil;
- washing machine;
- Paper.
There are different hairstyles in anime. The easiest option is to mark the hairline and add a light tone.
Short tousled hair can be depicted with separate strokes. To make the character look believable, leave room for the forehead. The hairline should be wedge-shaped, not straight.
To draw a long bang, step back to the left of the center line of the face. Draw not individual hairs, but whole strands. Make sure they all fall in the same direction.
Strive to ensure that the lines are not "shaggy". To do this, they need to be drawn in one motion. It is easier to do this if the movement does not come from the wrist, but from the elbow. Draw the hair just above the borders skullsto show their volume.
Full explanation can be found in the video.
What other options are there
The author of this video tells how to draw short hair in anime style.
And thanks to this video, you can improve your skills in drawing long hair.
Another simple explanation on how to make a hairstyle realistic. The author draws on a graphics tablet, but the principles are the same as when drawing with a pencil or liner.
How to draw a human body in anime style
What you need
- Simple pencil;
- eraser;
- paper.
Exaggeration is present in the image not only of the face, but also of the body. For example, female characters are often depicted with wide hips, very thin waists, and disproportionately long legs. The male figure is more angular, the shoulders should be wider than the pelvis.
To measure the proportions of the body, artists use the height of the head. That is, they look at how many heads "fit" into the torso, arms and legs. In anime, a ratio of 1 to 8 or 1 to 6 is more commonly used. But there are exceptions. For example, if you want to draw a character in the chibi style - with a small body and a head almost proportionate to it, the ratio can be 1 to 3. But we will look at how to create a more common option - 1 to 6.
Divide the sheet into six equal parts. Add auxiliary lines with a dotted line at a distance of 1/4 from the main ones. In the first block, draw an oval - this will be the head.
Start drawing the torso from the guide line in the second block. Mark the waist and continue the drawing to line 4. Do not make the torso too angular - in life such outlines are not found.
To get the shoulders, draw two circles at the point where the torso begins. The upper part of the arm will extend to the dotted line in the third block. Elbows can also be indicated by two circles.
Draw the forearm and hand. Fingers can be marked schematically. In the standing position, the hand will end on the dotted line in the fourth block.
To make the limbs look natural, don't draw them in one rectangle. In the anime, although there is a simplified anatomy, no one has completely canceled it. If your character does not have very muscular arms, then the upper part will be relatively uniform in width. The forearm should widen from the elbow and taper towards the wrist. Draw the neck in place between the head and shoulders.
The hips will start from the torso and up to the auxiliary line in the fifth block. The knees can also be marked with circles.
The remaining space will be occupied by the legs and feet - the latter can be schematically indicated by quadrangles.
You can find a complete guide with recommendations on how to train your hand before drawing to make confident strokes here. The video shows how to draw different types of bodies in the rest of the cells on the sheet.
What other options are there
In this video you can learn how to draw a figure from different angles.
Another instruction that will help portray the character in any position.
How to draw anime style clothes
What you need
- Simple pencil;
- eraser;
- paper.
A common beginner's mistake is to draw "levitating" clothes, on which no creases. Things don't have to look flat because people are voluminous. The direction of the clothing lines will be the same as that of the body lines. To make it easier to draw, look for references - for example, a photograph of a person wearing a T-shirt similar to the one that the character will have.
Mark the folds in the armpits and on the chest.
If your character has an impressive stomach, clothes should fit him. And if it is lean, then the T-shirt will freely fall over it and create a few more folds at the bottom.
To draw long sleeves, add folds at the bend of the elbow.
If you want to depict loose clothing, draw less folds. More in shape.
You will find detailed explanations in this video.
What other options are there
From this video you will learn what types of folds are and how they are formed.
How to color an anime character
What you need
- Colour pencils;
- liner;
- eraser;
- your drawing.
If you made a sketch with a pencil, before you start coloring, you can circle it with a liner and erase everything unnecessary.
You can color the character with any material that is at hand: watercolor, alcohol markers, gouache. But in this example, let's look at how to use colored pencils. Their advantage is that only a few colors are enough for work. In addition, a pencil drawing is easier to correct. And it is also important that the stylus is sharp - so the color will better lie on the paper.
First, paint over your face and hair with a uniform light shade. Do not press too hard on the pencil - light circular motions are enough.
Now we can start with the shadows. Their location depends on the light source. For example, if the face is lit from the left, then the deepest shadows will be on the right side, where the light does not hit.
For drawing shadows, you should not choose black or brown colors, as they will turn out to be too sharp. You can use the same pencils with which you applied the main tone, just press them harder. First, mark the shadows with light lines.
Now they can be painted over. Do not hatch randomly in different directions, because the picture will look sloppy. For a more realistic drawing, you can make soft shadows - for this you need to loosen the pressure on the pencil when moving to the light.
Add highlights to eyes, lips and hair with white gel pen.
You will find more helpful tips in this video.
What other options are there
The author of this video explains how to properly work with alcohol markers. For beautiful work, you will need many close shades that will gently flow into each other. It's also important to test markers on a draft, because you can't erase them.
Another instruction on how to draw expressive eyes with markers.
And this video will help you figure out how to mix watercolor paints to achieve realistic skin tones.
Read also🧐
- 5 ways to draw fabulous unicorns
- How to draw the face of a girl, man, girl or boy
- How to draw a child: 27 easy ways
Text worked on: author Tatyana Gapeeva, editor Tanya Chudak, proofreader Natalia Psurtseva