How To Draw An Anime Character In Photoshop

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Anime is a popular blitheness and drawing way that originated in Japan. Cartoon anime characters can seem overwhelming, especially when y'all're looking at your favorite anime that was fatigued by professionals. Fortunately, anyone can learn how to draw anime characters, and the process is fairly simple if you break information technology down into small steps.

Example

1
Draw an oval and divide it into 4 sections. This will exist the bones outline of your anime character's head. The proportions don't have to be exact, merely brand the oval narrower at the bottom since that will be the chin. Once yous've drawn the oval, draw a horizontal line through the center of it. Then, describe a vertical line through the middle of it that intersects with the horizontal line. Later, y'all'll use these lines equally guides to depict the facial features.^[1]
- If you lot desire your graphic symbol to accept a wider face, widen the bottom of the oval so it's just slightly narrower than the elevation. Or, if you want your character to accept a slender face, brand the bottom of the oval even narrower than the top. At that place's no single head shape used for all anime characters, so yous can experiment until yous find i you like.
2

Draw the optics underneath the horizontal line. Anime optics are big and exaggerated, and they commonly take upwards about ane/4 to 1/5 of the elevation of the face. To depict i, commencement by drawing a thick upper lash line merely underneath the horizontal line y'all drew and on ane side of the vertical line. Then, draw a semicircle coming downward off the upper lash line, and draw a black pupil in the center of information technology. Next, describe a narrow, horizontal line underneath the circle for the lower lash line. Finally, shade in the circle around the pupil, leaving some white infinite so it looks like light is reflecting off of your character's eyes.Do the same affair on the other side of the vertical line to brand the other eye.^[2]

Tip: Adjust the shape and size of the optics depending on whether you're drawing a masculine or feminine anime graphic symbol. For a feminine grapheme, make the eyes taller and rounder, and add a few thick eyelashes coming off the upper lash line. For a masculine grapheme, brand the optics shorter and smaller.

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three
Sketch the eyebrows above the horizontal line. Draw a long, downwardly curving line for each eyebrow. Make them slightly longer than the upper lash line you drew for the eyes. And so, thicken the ends of the brows that are at the center of the face.^[three]
- If yous're drawing a feminine anime character, make the eyebrows adequately thin. For a masculine character, thicken the eyebrows and then they're more prominent on the face.
iv
Add the nose halfway betwixt the horizontal line and the chin. Anime noses are subtle, and they're usually merely divers when yous're looking at a character from the side. To depict your character'due south nose, depict a short, unproblematic vertical line forth the center of the confront at the halfway point between the horizontal line and the mentum. Make the line longer if y'all want your character's nose to be big.^[four]
- Make the olfactory organ the smallest feature on your graphic symbol'due south face.
- The nose will overlap with the vertical line you drew. To see it better, make information technology darker than the vertical line, or erase the vertical line effectually the olfactory organ.
- Masculine anime characters sometimes have noses that are more pronounced, just that'southward not always the example. If you desire your character's olfactory organ to be more noticeable, draw a short horizontal line under the vertical line to represent the bottom of your grapheme's nose. Also, draw a triangle-shaped shadow on the side of the olfactory organ so it looks like the lite is hitting your graphic symbol from the side.
- For certain styles of anime, like chibi, you don't even demand to draw a nose at all!
v
Draw the rima oris about halfway between the olfactory organ and chin. Like to anime noses, anime mouths are uncomplicated and subtle. To draw your graphic symbol's oral cavity, draw a horizontal line that's near equally long as the infinite between their eyes. Don't worry about cartoon lips. Make the mouth the second smallest feature on your character'southward face, later on the nose.^[5]
- Curve the line upward if you want your character to be smiling or down if y'all want them to exist upset.
- If you lot desire your character to be smiling and showing their teeth, describe an upward curving line underneath the horizontal line you drew for their mouth. The white space between the curved line and the horizontal line should be about half as tall as the oral fissure is long. That space volition exist your graphic symbol'south teeth.
6
Add the ears to the side of the caput. If you desire your character to take long hair that'south covering their ears, skip drawing the ears. Still, if your character'due south pilus is going to be short, depict a narrow oval on each side of the head. Have the tiptop of the ears line up with the horizontal line running through the eye of the confront, and have the bottoms line up with the bottom of the nose. Then, describe the flaps of the ear within each oval.^[6]
- Experiment with the size of your character's ears if you want them to be bigger or smaller.
seven
Draw the pilus on your grapheme's caput. The hairstyle you choose for your graphic symbol is upwardly to yous, but mostly, anime pilus features pointed ends and distinct sections. You lot can draw a short, buzzed hairstyle, a medium-length style, or long, flowy hair. Whichever hairstyle you choose, avoid drawing individual strands of hair. Instead, draw big sections of hair, like 4 or five spikes at the ends.^[7]
- If your character has long hair, yous could describe 2 pigtails, i at each side of the head, with spiked ends. Or, yous could draw their hair pulled upward with a circular bun at the top. Alternatively, you could give your graphic symbol bangs past drawing iii or 4 distinct sections of pilus coming downwardly over their forehead.
- For a shorter hairstyle, you could describe three or 4 distinct sections of hair swooping to the side over your grapheme'southward forehead. Or, you could draw a hairstyle without whatsoever bangs and describe a few lines running from their hairline to the dorsum of their head so it looks similar their hair is combed back. Alternatively, you could draw a mentum-length bob that's divided into several thick sections.
8
Erase the horizontal and vertical guidelines yous drew. Erase them carefully so you lot don't remove any of the facial features by fault. Utilize a pocket-sized eraser and then y'all're less likely to make mistakes.
- Once you erase both lines, your grapheme'due south caput and face are finished!
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i
Draw a stick-figure outline of your character'southward body. Apply directly lines for the arms, torso, and legs. Brand the artillery and torso similar in length, and brand the legs about 1/iii longer. Then, draw triangles or ovals for the easily and anxiety. Make the hands about 1/five the length of the arm, and brand the feet nigh 1/6 the length of the legs.^[eight]
- To get the proportions correct, brand your stick-effigy outline well-nigh vii times as tall as your character'south caput.
- Have the arm lines start about 1/5 of the way downwards the line you depict for the trunk.
- Have the stick-effigy outline of your graphic symbol capture whatever pose you want them to be in. For example, if you want your character to be sitting, depict their legs so they're bent. Or, if you want your character to be waving, draw i of their arms so information technology's bent.
2
Outline the general shapes of your grapheme's body. Drawing over the stick-figure outline y'all made, sketch a rough outline of your character's torso, arms, hips, and legs. Don't worry well-nigh making the outline precise notwithstanding. At this point, y'all simply want to correspond the different parts of the trunk with basic shapes.
- Draw ovals for the upper and lower arms and legs, and then draw a circle at each joint for the knees and elbows. Proportionally, make your graphic symbol'southward upper and lower arms the aforementioned length and size. Make their upper legs thicker than their lower legs.
- For the torso, draw a quadrilateral (a iv-sided shape) that'southward wider at the top and narrower at the lesser. Eventually, the wide corners at the top will become your character's shoulders.
- To outline the hips, depict an oval over the signal where the torso and upper legs meet.
- Anime characters tend to be tall and thin, but yous can experiment with different heights and torso shapes!
3
Connect and refine the general shapes you lot drew. Trace around the outer edges of your character'southward body so you have one seamless outline. At this indicate, start refining the different parts of the body so they wait more realistic, like your character's hands, shoulders, hips, and cervix. When you lot're finished, you'll have a full, detailed outline of your character's body around the more abstract outlines y'all drew before.^[9]
- To connect and refine the legs, draw around the outer edges of each shape that makes up the legs (the ovals for the upper and lower legs, the circles for the knees, and the shapes you drew for the anxiety) and so you have one seamless outline of each leg. Brand the outline smoothen (without any gaps) so the legs wait realistic.
- For the upper body, yous'd do the aforementioned with the arms and torso. Round out the corners of the torso for the shoulders, and depict 2 lines curving up away from the center of the body for the cervix. Also, connect the shape you drew for the hips to the torso and the upper legs.
Tip: If you're drawing a masculine anime character, augment the chest, waist, and shoulders. If you're drawing a female person anime grapheme, narrow the shoulders, make the hips wider, and outline the breasts. Also, have the waist in then it's narrower.
four

Erase the stick-figure outline and shapes you drew. Exist careful erasing and so you don't accidentally remove any of the refined, final outlines that y'all drew. When you're finished, you should exist left with a neat, seamless outline of your character's torso without any of the original guidelines yous drew inside of it.^[10]
five
Add your anime character's wearing apparel. Depict the clothes over the outline of your character's torso. For example, for your character's shirt, describe the sleeves over their artillery and the body of the shirt over their trunk. Then, erase any lines that are within of the clothes since those parts of your grapheme'due south torso are covered up. For case, if your character is wearing shorts, erase the outline of their upper legs that'due south inside of the shorts since you wouldn't be able to run into that part of their legs.^[11]
- As you're drawing the dress, think about where they would naturally crease and fold if someone were actually wearing them. Then, depict the creases and folds to brand the clothes look more than realistic. You can also look at images of dress online to see how they crease.
- You can choose any kind of outfit for your anime graphic symbol. Some conventional anime outfits you might consider include schoolhouse uniforms, formal dresses and suits, and traditional Japanese attire.
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Add New Question

Question

How tin I draw the pilus so that it looks good?

When drawing hair, remember that hair doesn't always hug the skull. Endeavor to make information technology expect fluffy by having it extend over the sides of the face. Also, don't endeavor to depict every single strand; bones outlines or "clumps" works ameliorate. Lastly, consider making the hair announced more dynamic past drawing it blowing slightly to one side.
Question

How do I get the artillery/eyes to look symmetrical?

Depict them together, instead of finishing one side before moving to the other. Lightly sketch out all your shapes first to ensure symmetry before getting as well far into pieces of your drawing.
Question

How can I improve my anime-cartoon skills?

The best way to improve is to keep practicing. You can spotter anime to get an idea of how anime characters look. Another way to amend is to draw with friends, and so they tin give you lot new tips and techniques.
Question

Can a kid draw anime?

Totally! It will take some time and a lot of practice to get good, simply think how not bad you lot'll exist by the time yous're an developed if you start now!
Question

What is a trick for drawing hands well?

The best pull a fast one on for drawing hands well is to study your own hands kickoff. Notice the shape, color, texture, angles, etc. Draw your hand in dozens of dissimilar positions and in different lighting. This isn't a shortcut, per se, but it'due south an exercise that will improve your drawing.
Question

How exercise I make an anime comic?

Come up upwardly with a story first. Then, you'll need the ability to draw out that story. If yous need any more than assistance, you can go to any volume store and find manga to give you a wait on how a good story is written out. Or, infringe some manga from your library. Keep practicing, as it can accept time to get all the pieces sorted.
Question

How exercise I draw lines on apparel without making the character look beaten?

Mrs.Spooks

Community Answer

Draw light, curved lines virtually places like the sleeves, the bottom of the shirt, and near the inside of the pant legs.
Question

Would this look good on lined paper?

It probably won't await not bad because y'all don't want anything else covering the drawing, but if it's the only newspaper y'all accept, then use it.
Question

How do I know what hair goes with the body?

You can draw the pilus yet you lot'd like to for your character. If you desire to brand information technology more than realistic, maybe add together a few curls or stray hairs.
Question

How would I go about purchasing top grade drawing newspaper?

Check the form you want to buy online or on in your favorite local art supply store's website. If you cannot notice the grade, ask the retailer to supply it. If they cannot, and then endeavor a different retailer who knows their newspaper grades.

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Article Summary X

To depict an anime character, make their optics big and exaggerated, since the eyes are always the biggest facial feature in anime. And then, depict a short, simple vertical line for the nose, and add a horizontal line under it for the mouth. Don't worry nigh adding details to the olfactory organ or lips, since they're the smallest and to the lowest degree noticeable features in anime. When you're finished drawing those, describe an oval on each side of the head for the ears, or skip the ears if your character is going to have long hair anyhow. Finally, draw your graphic symbol's hairstyle, like pigtails, bangs, or a bob. Avert drawing individual strands of hair, and instead draw big, choppy sections. To learn how to describe your anime grapheme's trunk, roll down!

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