How to Sketch Anime Characters: A Step-by-Step Guide
This article was co-authored by Renée Plevy and by wikiHow staff writer, Marcus Pruitt, BS. Renée Plevy is an Internationally Acclaimed Portrait Artist from New York/Palm Beach who has painted The Grand Dames of Palm Beach and various celebrities and community leaders. With over 50 years of experience, Renée specializes in painting realistically in oil and capturing the soul of the person. She has studied under internationally renowned portrait artists John Howard Sanden, David Leffel, Robert Beverly Hale, Clyde Smith, and Leonid Gervits. Renée is featured in over 68 shows and galleries including a one-woman museum show at the Paterson Museum. She has garnered numerous awards including “Artist of the Year” from The Bloomfield Art League and First Prize from the Boca Raton Museum Artist’s Guild. Renée has even painted a portrait of celebrity, Vanilla Ice. She also teaches at the Boca Raton Museum Art School — formerly at SVA in Manhattan.
There are 12 references cited in this article, which can be found at the bottom of the page.
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Drawing anime characters can seem overwhelming, especially when you’re looking at your favorite anime that was drawn by professionals. Fortunately, anyone can learn how to draw anime characters, including you! The process is fairly simple if you break it down into small steps, which we do for you in the article below. We also include helpful advice from professional artists Renée Plevy and Arklight Blues.
Example Character Drawings
Section 1 of 2:
Drawing an Anime Head and Face
Draw an oval and divide it into 4 sections. This will be the basic outline of your anime character’s head. The proportions don’t have to be exact, but make the bottom narrower, since it’ll be the chin. Once you’ve drawn the oval, draw a horizontal line through its center. Then, draw a vertical line that intersects with the horizontal line through its center. Later, you’ll use these lines as guides to draw the facial features. [1] X Research source
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Internationally acclaimed portrait artist Renee Plevy says “You have to truly see the face in front of you before you start to draw.” Refer to magazine photos to figure out the right position for the person you’re drawing. [2] X Expert Source
- Leave some white space so it looks like light is reflecting off your character’s eyes. Do the same thing on the other side of the vertical line to make the other eye.
- Anime eyes are big and exaggerated, and they usually take up about 1/4 to 1/5 of the height of the face.
Tip: Adjust the shape and size of the eyes depending on whether you’re drawing a masculine or feminine anime character. For a feminine character, make the eyes taller and rounder, and add a few thick eyelashes coming off the upper lash line. For a masculine character, make the eyes shorter and smaller.
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- If you’re drawing a feminine anime character, make the eyebrows fairly thin. For a masculine character, thicken the eyebrows so they’re more prominent on the face.
- Make the nose the smallest feature on your character’s face. Anime noses are subtle, and they’re usually only defined when you’re looking at a character from the side.
- Sometimes, masculine anime characters have more pronounced noses, but that’s not always the case. To make your character’s nose more noticeable, draw a short horizontal line under the vertical line to represent the bottom of their nose.
- Draw a triangle-shaped shadow on the side of the nose so it looks like the light is hitting your character from the side.
- For certain styles of anime, like chibi, you don’t need to draw a nose at all!
- Curve the line upward if you want your character to be smiling or downward if you want them to be upset.
- To draw your character smiling and showing their teeth, draw an upward curving line under the horizontal line you drew for their mouth. The white space (their teeth) between the curved and horizontal lines should be about half as tall as the mouth is long.
- Experiment with the size of your character’s ears if you want them to be bigger or smaller.
- If your character has long hair, draw 2 pigtails, one on each side of the head, with spiked ends. Or, draw their hair pulled up with a round bun at the top.
- Alternatively, give them bangs by drawing 3-4 distinct sections of hair coming down over their forehead.
- Alternatively, draw a chin-length bob that’s divided into several thick sections.
- Once you erase both lines, your character’s head and face are finished!
Color your character to bring it to life. After drawing your character’s face and head, pick out some colors and fill in their face and hair. Don’t be afraid to experiment with colors! If your character is from another planet, consider coloring their skin or hair something that’s not commonly seen on Earth, like green, purple, or blue.
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Digital manga artist Arklight Blues says depending on the type of hair you want your character to have, you need to adapt your style. For example, black hair is easier and more efficient to draw than other colors. [9] X Expert Source
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Section 2 of 2:Sketching an Anime Body
- To get the proportions right, make your stick-figure outline about 7 times as tall as your character’s head.
- Have the arm lines start about 1/5 of the way down the line you draw for the torso.
- Have the stick-figure outline of your character capture whatever pose you want them to be in. For example, if you want your character to be sitting, draw their legs so they’re bent.
- If you want your character to be waving, draw one of their arms so it’s bent.
- Draw ovals for the upper and lower arms and legs, and then draw a circle at each joint for the knees and elbows. Proportionally, make their upper and lower arms the same length and size. Make their upper legs thicker than their lower legs.
- For the torso, draw a quadrilateral (a 4-sided shape) that’s wider at the top and narrower at the bottom. Eventually, the wide corners at the top will become your character’s shoulders.
- To outline the hips, draw an oval over the point where the torso and upper legs meet.
- Anime characters tend to be tall and thin, but you can experiment with different heights and body shapes!
- To connect and refine the legs, draw around the outer edges of each shape that makes up the legs (the ovals for the upper and lower legs, the circles for the knees, and the shapes you drew for the feet) so you have one seamless outline.
- Make the outline smooth (without any gaps) so the legs look realistic.
- Connect the shape you drew for the hips to the torso and the upper legs.
Tip: If you’re drawing a masculine anime character, broaden the chest, waist, and shoulders. If you’re drawing a female anime character, narrow the shoulders, make the hips wider, and outline the breasts. Also, take the waist in so it’s narrower.
Erase the stick-figure outline and shapes you drew. Be careful erasing so you don’t accidentally remove any of the refined, final outlines that you drew. When you’re finished, you should be left with a neat, seamless outline of your character’s body without any of the original guidelines you drew inside of it. [13] X Research source
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Plevy says that when trying to improve at drawing human anatomy, do a lot of reading, sketching, and reach out to a teacher who will help you see what you’re missing. [14] X Expert Source
- Think about where the clothes would naturally crease and fold if someone were actually wearing them. Or look at images of clothes online to see how they crease. Then, draw the creases and folds to make the clothes look more realistic.
- Choose any kind of outfit for your anime character. Some conventional anime outfits to consider include school uniforms, formal dresses and suits, and traditional Japanese attire.
- Experiment with colors, too! Give your character cool skin or crazy hair and have fun.
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Community Q&A
How can I draw the hair so that it looks good?
Community AnswerWhen drawing hair, remember that hair doesn’t always hug the skull. Try to make it look fluffy by having it extend over the sides of the face. Also, don’t try to draw every single strand; basic outlines or «clumps» works better. Lastly, consider making the hair appear more dynamic by drawing it blowing slightly to one side.
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If wikiHow has helped you, please consider a small contribution to support us in helping more readers like you. We’re committed to providing the world with free how-to resources, and even $1 helps us in our mission. Support wikiHowHow do I get the arms/eyes to look symmetrical?
Community AnswerDraw them together, instead of finishing one side before moving to the other. Lightly sketch out all your shapes first to ensure symmetry before getting too far into pieces of your drawing.
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If wikiHow has helped you, please consider a small contribution to support us in helping more readers like you. We’re committed to providing the world with free how-to resources, and even $1 helps us in our mission. Support wikiHowHow can I improve my anime-drawing skills?
Community AnswerThe best way to improve is to keep practicing. You can watch anime to get an idea of how anime characters look. Another way to improve is to draw with friends, so they can give you new tips and techniques.
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Reader VideosLearning the basics of drawing, like shapes, proportions, and different angles, is extremely helpful for improving your art skills.
Buy anime drawing guidebooks to help improve your skills, as well.
Tips from our Readers
The advice in this section is based on the lived experiences of wikiHow readers like you. If you have a helpful tip you’d like to share on wikiHow, please submit it in the field below.
- Look at anime art references and sketches to help guide your drawing. Don’t worry about perfection — just keep practicing and you’ll improve over time.
- Anime characters with bigger, rounder eyes tend to seem more cute and youthful. Characters with smaller, thinner eyes appear cooler and more mature.
- You can trace your first eye on onion or tracing paper, then flip the paper and trace again to make sure both eyes match. This creates symmetry.
- Study real life references as well as other anime art. Most drawing is based on real things. Use a mix of realism and imagination.
- When sketching the outline, use basic shapes as guides — circles for hips, ovals for limbs. This helps anatomy and proportion.
- Draw lightly at first in case you need to erase mistakes. You can always go back and darken lines once you finalize shapes.
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References- ↑https://howtodrawforkids.com/how-to-draw-a-simple-anime-face/
- ↑ Renée Plevy. Portrait Artist & Educator. Expert Interview
- ↑https://youtu.be/bgI8pqezB-c?si=FfFX6yrgualYRtJI&t=174
- ↑https://youtu.be/bgI8pqezB-c?si=Q3SUgBUoKovtEr_o&t=135
- ↑https://youtu.be/bgI8pqezB-c?si=g3xbymvaAUKWIeEU&t=191
- ↑https://youtu.be/bgI8pqezB-c?si=YeOX2xit2b_n4L5f&t=206
- ↑https://howtodrawforkids.com/how-to-draw-an-anime-ear/
- ↑https://www.drawingforall.net/how-to-draw-anime-hair/
- ↑ Arklight Blues and Sea Cucumber. Digital Manga Artist and Manga Expert. Expert Interview
- ↑https://www.drawingforall.net/how-to-draw-an-anime-girl/
- ↑https://www.drawingforall.net/how-to-draw-an-anime-girl/
- ↑https://www.drawingforall.net/how-to-draw-an-anime-body/
- ↑https://www.drawingforall.net/how-to-draw-an-anime-body/
- ↑ Renée Plevy. Portrait Artist & Educator. Expert Interview
- ↑https://youtu.be/U57e8qDR6gc?si=Y8N3UvE8gO3nESyG&t=109
About This Article
Co-authored by:
This article was co-authored by Renée Plevy and by wikiHow staff writer, Marcus Pruitt, BS. Renée Plevy is an Internationally Acclaimed Portrait Artist from New York/Palm Beach who has painted The Grand Dames of Palm Beach and various celebrities and community leaders. With over 50 years of experience, Renée specializes in painting realistically in oil and capturing the soul of the person. She has studied under internationally renowned portrait artists John Howard Sanden, David Leffel, Robert Beverly Hale, Clyde Smith, and Leonid Gervits. Renée is featured in over 68 shows and galleries including a one-woman museum show at the Paterson Museum. She has garnered numerous awards including “Artist of the Year” from The Bloomfield Art League and First Prize from the Boca Raton Museum Artist’s Guild. Renée has even painted a portrait of celebrity, Vanilla Ice. She also teaches at the Boca Raton Museum Art School — formerly at SVA in Manhattan. This article has been viewed 1,784,795 times.
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Updated: February 19, 2026
Views: 1,784,795
Categories: Drawing Anime CharactersModern anime, or Japanese animation, originated in the 1950s and ‘60s, and has since become popular all over the world. There are many different anime styles. However, when most people think of anime, they picture characters drawn with youthful features and big eyes. To draw an anime head and face in this style, start by sketching an oval shape that’s widest on the top and narrower at the bottom. Divide the face into quarters by drawing one vertical line down the middle and one horizontal line halfway between the top of the face and the chin. Next, sketch in the eyes just below the horizontal line. Make the eyes big enough so that they take up about ¼ of the height of the face. Draw a thick, curved line for the upper lashes, then draw in a semicircle under the lash line to represent the iris. Add a pupil and shade in the iris around it, but leave a white space to represent light reflecting off the eye. Then, add a thinner line under the iris for the lower lash line. Draw a pair of eyebrows just above the horizontal guideline. For female characters, make the brows fairly thin, but make them heavier if you’re drawing a male character. Next, add a new horizontal guideline about halfway between the first one and the bottom of the face. Draw a small vertical curve right where the new horizontal guide crosses the vertical one to represent the character’s nose. Noses on anime characters are usually very small, but you can experiment with making the nose bigger or giving it a more distinct shape if you like. Another popular technique is to draw a small triangle-shaped shadow on one side of the nose to give it a more three-dimensional look. Now, add a third horizontal line halfway between the nose and the chin, and draw the mouth on that line. The mouth can just be a simple horizontal line. Curve it either up or down, depending on what kind of expression you want your character to have. Finish up by drawing in the character’s hair. Keep it simple, and don’t worry about making individual strands. Instead, draw the hair in sections, and add a few spikes at the end to suggest strands. When you’re done, erase the guidelines. If you want to draw a full figure with a body, start by creating a stick figure in the general pose you want, then sketch in the basic shapes of the head, torso, and limbs. Anime characters tend to have more childlike proportions than real adults, so aim to make your character about 5 to 7 heads tall instead of a more realistic 7 to 8. Once you’ve drawn in the guidelines and basic shapes, connect them together with a seamless outline, and fill in details like your character’s clothes. When you’re done, erase the guidelines. To learn how to draw your anime character’s body, scroll down!