Anime portrait sketching
Anime is an art form that originated in Japan around 1917. Since the 1980s, anime, also known as Japanese animation, has become widely popular the world over, especially in the United States. Cartoons such as Dragon Ball Z, Sailor Moon, and You Gi Oh are animated shows that feature classic anime-designed characters. If you enjoy sketching, drawing an anime portrait is a great way to showcase your talents.
Instructions
1. Sketch the outline of your anime portrait first. Anime characters tend to have sharp outlines and softer features. Draw a rounded face, then draw the hair. Instead of using small lines and coloring for the hair, draw a jagged outline to represent the hair. In anime, there is often little detail.
2. Draw expressive eyes. The eyes, wide and clear, are the outstanding feature of most anime sketches. Start each eye as a large U, then draw a rounded top over each of the eyes.. For pupils, draw a circle in each of the eyes. Color the eyes solid, then use the corner of your eraser to remove a little of the coloring. This will create what appears to be a little moisture or reflective light on the pupil.
3. Draw a nose. Anime noses come in several different styles and are easy to draw. You might draw a line extending from between the eyes down about two inches, bringing the line to a point. You might also draw two small circles for nostrils and a simple curved line over the two circles for the nose. Sketch the ears. Typically, backward Cs with an emphasis on the top curve are sufficient for ears.
4. Draw thin lines for the mouth. You can even draw a slightly curved line to represent a smile. Many anime characters feature extremely simple noses and mouths. Don't worry about shading and lines for detail, since anime style also features a distinct lack of these elements.
5. Color your portrait. Dark brown on blue, edged in black, are typical eye colors. Brown, black or yellow are typical for hair coloring. After you've applied the color pencil, use the tip of your finger to smooth and blend the color pencil to remove the hard lines and give your portrait the smooth, almost featureless look typical anime drawings.
