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Drawing Anime Humans: An Exercise in Thinking
By Candace Seu (http://maruchan.sandwich.net)
NOTE: If you're looking for step-by-step instructions, try Part 2 of this article.
As you may already know, thinking can be a very beneficial activity - and it's something that doesn't happen often enough. This is why I want YOU to make up for everyone else, and start thinking about...YOUR ART!
No, really, I'm serious -- if you want to increase your technical competency and confidence in drawing, you should probably try to understand how and why you draw things the way you do. This means two things:
First, you should have the ability to observe how things are structured, and then learn how to effectively use this knowledge in your drawing. Understandably, this sort of practice is a little harder to apply to anime, as the genre usually implies a non-realistic style and objects that don't appear in the real world. However, it can, and should be done for all styles of art, anime or not.
Second, since most artists become acquainted with an anime style only by copying other works, you need to be able to look critically at the things you are copying. Your understanding and ability to use the style (and form your own derivative of it) will probably grow faster if you are able to understand exactly why you left out a nice, pointy nose and made those eyes so darn big.
To this end, we'll examine some of the trends found in the art of 'stereotypical' mainstream Japanese animation, and attempt to explain why these trends exist. Please NOTE: I am not saying that you should follow these trends, only that you should try to understand them. I want you to draw your lines with purpose, to know why they look the way they do.
I hope that you'll be thus inspired to draw with a dream and a wild heart. Let's begin...
Part 1A: The Art of Observation
(If you already have some background in cartooning/art, you can skip this section. I include it here mostly for those aspiring artists who might be starting out from scratch.)
Hopefully you do this subconsciously -- if not, now is a good time to start. The next time you try sketching a reference object, try asking yourself specific questions about the structure and appearance of the object. This will help you to render it more accurately. For example:
- 'What are the proportions and relative placements of the various elements that make up this object?'
- 'This object has the quality 'foo'; how does it affect the way the object looks? How do I express this in my drawing?'
- 'How does my perspective affect the way the contours of this object seem to curve?'
And this is important because...
A common reason why an aspiring artist's first attempts at anime-style drawing don't look quite 'right' (unless they intentionally don't want their character to have average features!) is because they've made a mistake in recreating the structure of the (face, body, etc.) Most tutorial sites will show you how to do the 'right' thing by demonstration, but don't explain why. That's understandable, though, because the reason is 'that's the way it is in real life!'
...Well, alright. There are some exceptions, like the 'big eyes, small mouth' phenomenon. But there are reasons for these exceptions, and we'll get to them later. Meanwhile, here are some observations that might help you to keep away from the most common mistakes:
Facial Structure
Eyes are always located roughly halfway between the top of the head and the chin -- in other words, at the vertical midpoint of the head. Some anime styles place the eyes a bit lower, especially the ones that use larger eyes.
 
Lina Inverse, the main character of Slayers. Created by Hajime Kanzaka
Taikoubou from Houshin Engi by Ryuu Fujisaki |
Horizontal spacing is usually (at least) one eye-width apart; otherwise, the pupils seem to dominate the face, creating a 'deer in headlights' look. An exception is Ryuu Fujisaki's Houshin Engi - sometimes his spacing is smaller. However, notice that Fujisaki draws his pupils so that you can see a white space between the pupil and the bottom edge of the eye, thus, the pupils do not dominate as much.
The top of a person's ears are usually level with the vertical midpoint of the head (i.e. in line with the eyes), unless their ears are elf-like.
The tip of a person's nose is then located halfway between the eye and the chin, with the mouth located halfway between the nose and chin. However, these are rough estimates and can change with a person's expression, especially since expressions are usually exaggerated in comic art. They can also change to reflect an individual's appearance or characterization; some people just have longer noses than others, and younger people have smaller noses.
One exercise that might help you is to find a front-view picture of a person's face in a magazine, cut off one side of the picture (cut along the line of symmetry!), and tape the remaining side to a piece of paper. If you assume that the person's face is perfectly symmetric, you can use the half-photo to redraw the missing side on that paper, thus creating a (mostly whole) face. This will train you to look at the shapes and positions of various features on the face.
Body Structure
We'll talk more about body proportions later, but here are some general rules:
- An adult's shoulders are generally twice as wide as his head. Make them slightly wider for muscular characters, or smaller for weaker characters and children.
- A person's arm length should usually be such that his fingertips fall to mid-thigh. His elbows should be on a horizontal line with his navel (well, mine are...)
- The length of a person's thighs are the same as the length of his calves. Similarly, the lengths of the upper arm (shoulder to elbow) and the lower arm + knuckles (elbow to knuckles) are roughly the same.
For more guidance, go ahead and hit Part 2, or try looking at actual people. A detailed understanding of anatomy isn't necessary, but it might help you avoid some pretty pained-looking characters.
Part 1B: Analysis of Common Style Conventions
Most comics and animations are simplified greatly (in comparison to a realistic drawing, that is) for a good reason: an entire project consists of many successive drawings, and simplification cuts down on time and makes it much easier to uphold consistency in appearances. However, to avoid the translation of 'simplified' into 'unattractive and restrictive', certain characteristics are exaggerated or emphasized in order to add personality to the artwork and characters.
Since most aspiring artists start out with portraits of attractive or at least normal looking characters, we're going to talk only about the most common, mainstream, 'stereotypical' anime styles, the kind that most people want to emulate*. Also, these are mostly my own guesses. Feel encouraged to think of your own reasons.
* There, I warned you. I'm not going to say anything about Tanaka-kun and his lobular office pants because most people who read this aren't interested in drawing like that, so STOP COMPLAINING, YOU KNOW-IT-ALL JAPAN-O-PHILES. Ahem.
Eyes
Anime != big eyes
The Hakkenden, by Noboru Aikawa |
It may be true that the majority of anime styles incorporate large and luminous eyes, but this shouldn't be treated as a given. The Hakkenden is a good example of a title whose character designs have more normally sized eyes. Chibi Maruko-chan (one of those childish-looking, but very popular titles) completely disregards this pretty-eye stereotype: her eyes are dots. Conversely, non-Japanese animation doesn't always use small eyes. Although most people don't notice it right away, Bugs Bunny has eyes as large as any magical girl.
So why do most animation styles use those large eyes? To use a cliche: eyes are the 'windows to the soul'. Many emotions are strongly dependent on the eyes for intensity and sincerity of expression - a fake smile may differ from a real one only by the little crinkles in the corner of someone's eye, but the feeling is a world of difference. By emphasizing a character's eyes, an artist can recreate an expression or emotion with much more ease.
Another explanation is that large eyes are used simply because they are considered more attractive than smaller ones. As Nancy Etcoff explains in Survival of the Prettiest: The Science of Beauty, large eyes suggest youthfulness, which is clearly in great demand if you think about the makeup and motorcycle industries for a bit.
Eyes and Characterization
In some shows, large eyes ostensibly suggest innocence and 'openness of heart' - we can surely see that all of their thoughts are laden with good intentions. For example, all of the 'good' characters on Sailor Moon sport large eyes, while the 'bad' or more serious characters have much smaller ones. Compare Kenshin Himura's eyes when he's lovable 'Hit Me!' Kenshin and when he's in assassin mode. The difference makes the change in mindset and the fight scenes much more dramatic, reminding us of a troubling past.
 
Sailor Mercury (left), and Prince Diamond (right),
from Sailor Moon by Naoko Takeuchi.
Apparently, small eyes may have something to do with unresolved issues. Of course, keep in mind that using eye size as an indicator of moral integrity isn't always the standard.
'How To Be A Girl'
Hikaru from
Magic Knights Rayeath. Created by CLAMP. |
Shoujo, or 'comics for girls', characteristically uses styles that incorporate large, elaborate eyes. Magic Knights Rayearth, by CLAMP, is a very good example of this. That said, female (or at least, feminine) characters are more apt to have larger eyes than their male counterparts. To be entirely stereotypical, this is probably because larger eyes allow for a larger range of emotion and a greater emphasis on emotional characterization, which has been a large defining characteristic of the shoujo genre (though the lines between genres are becoming increasingly blurred).
Evangelion's Shinji Ikari, who has been described by his creators at Gainax as 'a male Nadia', is a good example of this: his eyes are the same size and style as that of the female characters on the show - quite different from those of, say, Kaji Ryouji. The practical reason for this is that Shinji is, as his fellow characters put it, a 'spineless wimp'. With larger eyes, it is easier for Shinji to express the emotions of self-loathing and fear that make him so important to the story. Also, Kaji is supposed to be a sneaky bastard (!), and as such, his less-visible eyes say, well, 'You can't tell, but I might be thinking about doing something...BAD.'
 
Shinji (left), and Kaji (right), of Neon Genesis Evangelion. Character designs by Yoshiyuki Sadamoto for Gainax.
Which one would you expect to run around screaming, 'I mustn't run away! I mustn't run away!'? How about in a deep, manly voice?
Nose
Many Japanese anime styles use characters that have very small noses - or in some cases, no nose (for example, Digimon). In general, this lack of detail keeps the focus on more flexible features (the eyes and mouth), which can be more easily used to create facial expressions. A distinctive nose can be used for characterization: 'weird' characters may have distinctively sized or strangely colored noses. Age can also be reflected: since a person's ears and nose continues to grow throughout life, an older person will have a bigger nose and a younger (and perhaps more innocent) person will have a smaller nose.
This means that detailed noses may not be as widely acceptable. Many people have stated that the distinctive noses of Vision of Escaflowne take some time to get used to. Still, trying to pull it off can lead to the development of a very interesting style.
A variety of noses from Ch 26 of Shaman King by Hiroyuki Takei.
Manta (3rd) is the smallest and most immature. Ryuu (2nd) seems older than the others, and wears a leisure suit.
Mouth
Mouths, like noses, are usually very simple when they are closed; a properly shaped line or two should do the job. Small mouths are usually cuter than large ones; my guess is that this just operates on the principle that small things are cute, which must be one reason why babies are supposed to be cute by virtue of being a baby. Really, I don't know. However, perhaps a small mouth balances out large eyes. Women who wear makeup these days are taught to emphasize either their lips or their eyes, but not both, to avoid an overly unnatural look. Perhaps the reasoning is the same.
Lips are not compulsory (especially in more 'cutesy' styles), and are generally denoted by a smaller line or shading to suggest the way the lower lip sticks out slightly. More detailed lips are used for more 'mature' or sexually attractive characters, such as women who wear lipstick. Generally, though, mouths do not need much detail unless they contribute significantly to facial expression.
Teeth and Fangs
Teeth are much more rarely seen than lips, unless the character in question has those fangs popularized by such characters as Lum of Urusei Yatsura. In most open mouth shots (except, perhaps, for extreme close-ups), an entire row of teeth is depicted as one piece. Too much detail on something as small as teeth can create an altogether entirely 'toothy' look, which is usually not very attractive when most of the larger details on a face are simplified.
Hair
Not much to say about this. Everybody likes healthy, shiny, and full hair, so it's drawn that way. Some artists prefer to denote separate chunks or strands of hair to denote movement and bounce. Whatever the case, hair (or lack of it) is one of your primary means of identifying and characterizing characters.
Proportions
At first glance, many people tend to find the unrealistic proportions of many anime styles unnerving. However, these proportions aren't used only to scare the crap out of people; in fact, they were probably developed in order to emphasize certain body features.
If you look at many American 'superhero' comics, you'll notice that many of the characters are developed towards a certain aesthetic that gives its protagonists tall, muscular bodies. Japanese comics tend to develop towards a different aesthetic: while bodies are taller and legs tend to be longer, a lean, thin look is considered attractive.
Many drawing tutorials refer to the use of 'heads-tall' as a standard for planning out character heights. Characterization is often a factor in deciding height: Superhero-type characters often go up to eight heads tall, while dwarves and small children may be only five. Different styles tend to use different heights: Sailor Moon is seven heads tall, while Chibi Maruko-chan is about two.
Link from The Legend of Zelda by Yoshiaki Koizumi for Nintendo and
Tifa Lockheart from Final Fantasy VII by Tetsuya Nomura for Squaresoft |
No matter how tall or how short you draw your characters, it is important to remember that hands still fall to mid-thigh. As this picture shows, although Tifa is much taller than Link, their heads and torsos are approximately the same length, and arm length is adjusted accordingly to fall to the mid-thigh area. The difference in height between the two characters appears to be due to a general lengthening and slimming down of Tifa's lower body. When you draw legs of any length, make sure that the thigh and calves remain roughly the same length.
Despite the flexibility in proportions (which can go as far as to include super deform style, where a character's head is often the same size as his body), anime drawing still relies on anatomy for correct placement of parts and movement. If you don't have a basic understanding of anatomy, chances are that anything you draw, anime or not, will feel just a bit funny.
That's all!
Now that I've beaten you over the head with all of this, I'd like to say one last thing that yo momma probably told you already: There is no 'right' way to draw. Everything I've just told you can be meaningless if you find something that suits you better. If you just can't seem to get something to look right, do what most people would do for a piece in any art form: observe that which already exists around you. Keep drawing, and chances are good that you'll get it eventually. Good luck!
Part 2: Tutorials and Resources
Several people complained about this article in its first publication, saying that they wanted step-by-step instructions. Well, if you take the time to search, there are already many anime-related art resources in print and on the internet. Here's a list of the ones I find the most useful and comprehensive.
Published Books
- How To Draw Comics the Marvel Way by Stan Lee
This is a good introductory book for becoming familiar with the fundamental techniques involved in all comic/anime art. Of particular interest are the sections on layout (for comics/manga), dynamic figures, and foreshortening.
- 'How To Draw Manga' Series published by Japanime Publishing
I haven't used these myself, but there's a whole series of them. Some readers report that they're very useful. They also publish reference pose books (Live action Waitresses and Maids, anyone?) and supplies such as pens and screentones. Each book is about $20 each.
- Shonen Jump published by Shuesha
With a circulation of approximately 6 million per week, JUMP is the most popular manga weekly in Japan. Featuring a broad range of stories and styles, JUMP is useful in that you can easily see a cross-section of the newest series. Although there are many other similar weeklies, I recommend JUMP simply because it contains many popular series. You can find it in Japanese at your local Japanese bookstore, or buy the Viz-produced English translations at bookstores in North America. If you don't live near one of these, try an online store or visit the JUMP website. Be aware that the English translation isn't a back-to-front translation of what's available at Japanese newsstands at the moment, rather, it includes some of Shonen's historically most popular (some old, some new).
Tutorial Sites
- How To Draw Manga
The famous Julie Dillon tutorials. Includes drawing basics, line art, and CG with Photoshop and PSP. Also includes tutorials on specific characters (esp. DragonballZ characters).
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Anon.
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