Anime comes with its own set of rules when it comes to art, and drawing heads for your characters is no exception. There are several distinct steps you’ll need to take to make sure your figures look realistic, engage viewers, and maintain their anime style. Here’s how to draw heads anime.
First, you’ll want to start with the basic shape. A circle is an important fundamental when drawing heads anime – it will outline the face shape and ensure the proportions are correct. Then you can draw the main features, like the eyes, nose, and mouth. For straight line features, use ruler lines so they stay symmetrical. Keep in mind that eye sizes vary depending on the character.
Next is the shading and coloring. Start by lightly outlining the features and shading with a pencil. The more creative you are with the way you color and shade the figure, the better. This is when you can begin to experiment with different colors and textures. You may use bold colors, vibrant textures, and even a range of anime-style patterns to craft the character’s facial expression.
Finally, you’ll want to add creative touches to your character’s face. Go beyond the basics and add emotion and authenticity to the drawing. You can use heavy eyeliner, shadows, light highlights, and any other factor that will help capture the character’s spirit. Give them a smirk, or give them a bright smile – anything to make the character come to life.
These tips can be applied to any style of anime, such as shoujo, shounen, or gekiga. From everyday school life to mysterious adventure stories, the guidelines tend to stay the same. Before any other step, remember to start with the basic shape. Outline the features concisely, add color and shading, and go beyond the basics to create an emotional and engaging character.
Once you have the head outlined, it’s time to move onto the hair. Start by outlining the most basic shape of the hairstyle, such as a bob or ponytail. This ensures that the hair looks the way you want it to look. Then create a frame for the hair with outlines, and use pencil to roughly shade in the bottom part of the hair. Make sure to erase the extra lines so that the hair looks neat and precise.
The next step is to add depth to the hair. A few touches of light highlights around the face, and different shades of shadows to emphasize the texture of the hair can make a big difference in the overall look. This is a great opportunity to experiment with layers as well – adding different colors or fading from light to dark can bring a lot of life to the hair.
To make the hairstyle look even more accurate and creative, you can use thickness and length. Make sure to draw at least two strands of hair so the character looks realistic. It may also be helpful to add some light shading for dimension to the hair strands. It’s important to focus on the details and make sure to erase any unnecessary pencil marks.
Finally, it’s time to color the hair. You can include different colors and patterns to add a unique touch. Don’t be afraid to experiment – you may use pencils, watercolor, or markers to make the hair as detailed and vibrant as you’d like.
Creating a unique, engaging anime character can be a challenging yet rewarding experience. If you keep in mind the basics of drawing, use colors and patterns to make the figure stand out, and don’t forget to have fun with it, your characters can come alive. Follow these steps and you’ll be drawing heads anime in no time.
