How to Draw a Manga Character
The Head
- Draw an oval shape. Now divide the oval in half by drawing a vertical line. Draw three horizontal lines across the circle to indicate where the eyes, nose, and mouth should be.
- Mold the oval into the shape of the face you intend your character to have. It could have a pointed chin or prominent jaw lines, or it could be a fat character with double chins. It's all up to you.
- Draw two circles along the horizontal line for the eyes. Manga characters usually have large and round eyes. They may look exaggerated, but remember that the key in drawing manga characters is exaggeration.
- Manga noses need not be detailed. A single line would sometimes suffice. The angle of the head determines how much of the nose needs to be shown.
- A single line would usually suffice for a mouth. Your character could be smiling or frowning. It all depends on what mood you want to give your character.
- Draw the hair. You can give it any look you fancy. As you may have observed, most manga character have hairstyles that defy the laws of gravity. Again, the key to drawing manga characters is exaggeration.
The Body
The most difficult part of drawing the body is getting the proportion right. First, the body should be proportioned to the head. Second, the shoulder width, body length, arm length, and leg length should also be proportional. This may take quite some time to learn, but eventually you'll get it right.
The Outline
- Step 1: From the head draw a neck. Then draw a horizontal oval shape to represent the shoulders and the chest.
- Step 2: On both ends of the chest draw oval shapes to represent the arms. Always remember the proper proportions. On both end of the arms, draw circles to represent the hands.
- Step 3: Draw a circle to represent the body. Again, proper proportions are important.
- Step 4: Draw another horizontal oval at the bottom of the body to represent the hips.
- Step 5: Draw two vertical oval shapes to represent the legs, and on both ends draw two circles to represent the feet.
- Step 6: Fill in the details. As you already have the outline of the body, the proper proportions would be set. Drawing details like the shirt and jeans and shoes would now be easier.
- Step 7: Clean up. Erase any unnecessary lines that you used as guides, and you are set. You could now add some colors to give it the full manga effect.
Congratulations! You have just created your own manga character.
