Embarking on your path to mastering anime and manga drawing is thrilling and demanding. Given the variety of unique styles and characters, it’s clear why so many people desire to craft their anime or manga drawings. However, if you’re a beginner, where do you start? This article will walk you through the basic steps to start drawing anime and manga independently.
Learn to draw anime and manga on Medium.com
Step 1: Master the Fundamentals of Drawing
Before leaping into anime and manga, understanding fundamental drawing techniques is essential. Even though anime and manga are stylized, having a strong grasp of basic drawing principles will help you improve faster. This means grasping key concepts like perspective, proportions, and anatomy.
Practice Shapes and Forms
Everything you draw can be broken down into simple shapes. Whether it’s circles, squares, or triangles, being able to draw these forms well will serve as the foundation for all your future drawings. Try to practice drawing these shapes from different angles and perspectives.
This exercise aids in developing a sense of depth, an important skill when drawing characters on a 2D surface.
Step 2: Study Anime and Manga Styles
Once you’re comfortable with basic techniques, move on to studying anime and manga-specific styles. Anime and manga have unique traits like exaggerated facial expressions, large eyes, and dynamic poses. Get familiar with these traits by reading manga or watching your favorite anime shows.
Break Down Your Favorite Characters
A great exercise for learning how to draw in the anime style is to break down your favorite characters into their most basic forms. Pick an anime or manga character you like and try drawing them using basic forms. This will give you a better understanding of how these characters are constructed.
After deconstructing, gradually build up the details like hair, clothes, and facial features. You’ll start to see how even the most complex-looking characters can be created using a few simple techniques.
Step 3: Master Drawing Anime Faces
A character’s face is one of the most important elements in anime and manga. It’s usually the first thing viewers notice and conveys most of the character’s emotions.
Focus on Eye Styles
One of the main features that sets anime apart is the large, expressive eyes. There are many different ways to draw anime eyes, ranging from simple to highly detailed. A good place to start is by practicing drawing different eye shapes and experimenting with different expressions.
Anime eyes can show a range of emotions, from happiness to sadness, and everything in between. Mastering anime eyes will bring your characters to life.
Practice Proportions
Anime faces often have different proportions than real-life human faces. The eyes are larger, the nose and mouth are smaller, and the overall head shape may be more exaggerated. Practice these proportions by sketching the face from various angles like front, side, and three-quarter views.
This exercise will help you become comfortable drawing faces from different perspectives.
Step 4: Practice Drawing Anime Bodies
While faces are important, learning to draw the body is essential for creating dynamic and believable characters. Anime bodies, like faces, often have exaggerated proportions. The limbs may be longer, and the characters may have more defined or stylized physiques.
Study Simple Anatomy
Even if anime bodies are not entirely realistic, it’s essential to understand basic human anatomy. This knowledge will help you create more believable poses and movements. Study things like how the joints move and how the muscles stretch.
Once you have a good grasp on anatomy, you can start experimenting with more stylized and exaggerated poses.
Step 5: Make Drawing a Daily Habit
To get better at drawing anime and manga, consistency is crucial. The more you practice, the better you will become. Try to set aside at least 30 minutes to an hour each day for drawing.
If you make drawing a daily routine, you’ll notice steady improvement over time. Keep a sketchbook with you at all times so that you can practice whenever inspiration strikes.
Join Online Art Communities
Besides tutorials, online art communities are great for receiving feedback and encouragement. Platforms like DeviantArt, Reddit art communities, or Instagram are great places to connect with other artists and share your progress.
You can stay motivated by sharing your art and watching others’ improvement too.