How to draw a Manga / Anime style head

 

In this tutorial, we will learn how to draw a manga/anime style female head. First we'll start off with a slightly more realistic head and then erase and make it a more authentic anime face.

 

First, we should think about the basic shapes that make up the head and shoulders. Although I like to draw close ups of the face, the neck and shoulders are very important because they support the head, physically and visually. We will draw a straight on frontal view, because this is the easiest to understand, and once you learn this, you can start drawing heads from many different angles.

 

Let's start off with two shapes that are the same size, a circle and a square (the square is just for measurement). You can draw these shapes, but they will not be a part of any artwork. We are only working in our minds.

 

 

As you look at the square, imagine dividing it in two and creating a circle -half the size as the first that will fit exactly in the upper half of the square:

 

 

Now imagine a line that wraps around both circles. The only purpose of this mental exercise is to make it clear that the head is like 2 circles, one circle half the size of the other...

 

 

Because there are so many types of heads, I don't want to give a formula for measuring the face. If you're a left brained person, you may crave some kind of mathematical way of separating facial features, but I don't think this is the best way. It is not artistic and it is also not accurate. Some people have big chins or long narrow faces and others have wide faces. It would be frustrating to try to use the same formula for everyone, and you would be turning an emotional experience into something cold and mechanical.

 

However, just to find a reference point, I like to imagine a horizontal line through the center of my imaginary top circle to find where the eyebrows might be located. We can also imagine the tip of the nose positioned in between the two circles. You can use the bottom circle as a guide to where the neck might be located. Remember, in nature there are no straight lines so don't think of the neck as straight.

 

Now that we have a visual concept of the human head, lets start drawing.

 

I will start off with a light gesture sketch (loose scribble) of the head. People who have mastered the art of gesture sketching will scribble the entire face capturing energy and emotion. Alberto Giacometti was known for his powerful gesture sketches which eventually became very expressive sculptures.

 

Notice that I lightly scribbled two circles, but I don't really pay too much attention to them. For some reason, I drew the eyes where the eyebrows should be and the rest of the face is moved up. I basically did what Luke Skywalker did when he turned off his 'device' and took a successful shot at the death star. Always feel free to ignore everything you've ever learned in art class. If you are a sensitive person and genuinely love art, what you 'feel' will guide you.

 

If you're a left brained type person, turning the drawing upside down may help you 'see' better. Do what ever it takes to turn on the right hemisphere of your brain...

 

Notice that the eyes are about 1 eye length apart. I've drawn huge pupils which in anime represent excitement or wonder. Also, notice the lines in the eyes which will become highlights and shadows...

 

 

Lightly I draw some eyebrows with all the hairs moving away from the nose. Since my wife is Chinese, I'm pretty good at drawing asian eyes. To create the effect, all I do is leave out the top of the eyelid fold and extend the eyelid line further down beyond the tear duct. It's not that asians do not have the eyelid fold, it's that they're hard to see because of a fatty area above the eyes. You can draw an eyelid fold, but it must be very close to the top of the eye to look asian.

 

I've added some shading to create the illusion of mass. You can get interesting shadows by having someone sit and pose in front of a window and asking them to move after you've photographed or sketched them. The old portrait masters were obsessed with window lighting.

 

 

Anime / Manga hair is usually spiky and messy. Anime characters always look like they just woke up after a long bus ride. It's interesting to note that asian hair is very different from other races. If you look at an asian follicle under the microscope, you'll find that it is actually flat like fettuccine instead of round (spaghetti ) like non asians.

 

Here I just draw some interesting spiky shapes...

 

 

Now I add tons of lines and try to create the illusion of depth by making the hair darker underneath the spikes. Well, this is sort of my version of a anime/ manga head. To draw the kind of head we're all use to seeing...

 

 

Let's erase the face and start over with some anime features...

 

If you want to draw a more traditional manga head, not only must you deconstruct realism, you must achieve true minimalism and abstraction of shapes. Here is the genius of Japanese animators. The eyes are now a visual representation but do not resemble reality. The mouth is just a couple of small lines and the nose is just one carefully positioned mark.

 

 

Introducing Manga / Anime girl.

 

 

Now it's your turn.
If you want to draw a quick manga / anime style head you can start with a more compressed circle and just add the facial features. Notice how I make the thin neck and narrow shoulders (about the same size as the head).

 

 

The hardest part will be the eyes. Notice the large pupil and 3 distinct highlights and some lashes...

 

 

Introducing your Anime / Manga girl. Hmmm, yours looks better than mine :-)

 

 

 

Thanks for stopping by, email me if you have any questions.

 

Carlos