Q&A for How to Draw an Anime Body

The legs start right below the torso, and remember, they are slightly longer than the body with the thighs thicker at the start and slimming down at the knee. Also, the calves on females are thinner while the calves on males are more muscular.

Remember that hair has volume and is often layered. Don't make it too perfect, because real hair is not like that.

Try to draw a more slender look to your character, and maybe soften his facial features, in order to make him look feminine.

Try using softer lines for females and more angular lines for males. Also, try to make the arms more slender on females, and more muscular on males.

Basically use 'swish' lines. Draw the contact stage of a martial arts movement and then draw curved lines from where the limb was before. This illustrates the direction from which the limb has moved.

You should shade under the chest (breasts, to be specific), and where the lightning isn't pointed to.

You would probably make them 3 to 4 heads tall, and they usually would be more stubby than a teen or an adult. Their fingers would be shorter, and their legs would only be a little longer than their torso.

You would draw it the same way that you would draw female hair, just a bit shorter if you do not want the male to have long hair.

The arm is split into three categories. Drawing a deltoid is similar to drawing a tear drop. The point of the tear drop should be pointed in the direction of the arm. The humerus can be drawn as a cylinder. It should come down no further than the navel. The forearm kind of looks like a baseball bat. It should extend down to the groin where the hand will start. Make sure when you connect the forearm to the humerus that the pinch is not as tight as the pinch in the wrist. The hand is kind of like a trapezoid, with the wider spot being where the fingers extend. The wider spot shouldn't be too much wider than the wrist.

Look at the work of your favorite anime artists to understand their approach, and you can also draw inspiration from other artistic styles that appeal to you. Start by drawing the character's basic form, and then sketch out the clothing and shadows you want to include. If your character is wearing tight clothes, remember that this will require fewer folds than baggy clothes.

First, do a silhouette of the torso of the person. The silhouette gives you a space where you can detail. Then go over the silhouette, drawing in shoulder muscles, neck bones, pectoral muscles, breasts, and such. Afterwards it's all about envisioning what you want to person to be doing. If the silhouette of the torso is flat on the water, maybe they are doing a backstroke. Then erase the silhouette layer and make new silhouettes for the other body parts.

See How to Draw Anime Hands for guidelines.

Reference wikiHow article Draw a Realistic Eye .

Once you've drawn the head, erase some space for the neck. You want just a little space to show the shadow of the jawline and head.

Yes, but it is more difficult unless you are an expert at drawing.

To draw a female body, try using circles and ovals, as females tend to have rounder figures than males. Try repeating the instructions above, but making the hips wider, the waist thinner, and the shoulders, neck and arms more slender. To add breasts, draw a pair of ovals. Make sure that the breasts aren't sticking out from the collarbone or set too low on the chest, and have them droop a little.

Yes. After all, manga is always black and white, unless you get special versions.

You erase the original lines, and then draw your desired clothing. However, you should make it form-fitting so the character does not look larger than he/she actually is.

Try to use shapes: draw a square shape for the "palms" and skinny rectangles for the fingers. Once you have done that, go over it to make it more realistic.

Go over the clothing outline with something darker that won't smudge (black colored pencil, pen, etc.). Using a small eraser (the tip of one attached to a pencil), or turning a large one so that you're using only a thin edge can also help. Finally, take your time, and be prepared to touch up a few bits.

You could use someone to model for you, or imagine it in your head. Search for pictures of body motions to help you, and practice.

First, draw the male and female sideways. Make sure to draw them at the same time so you can adjust their features as you go. Then, erase the head of one of them and draw it a bit tilted, like a compressed egg. Their lips should bulk up a bit and connect. You can adjust their eyes and arms in different positions. The male should be a bit taller than the female.

Draw them where the clothing is stretched or scrunched up. If you need more help, you can watch videos online or find other tutorials.

Follow the instructions listed in the article above, but adjust the proportions to make a baby.

Keep practicing!

If you can do a female's head to the side, try that but make the face more masculine.

Sketch pad paper is used by intermediate- and expert-level artists, but for beginners, notebook paper works well because it's easier to erase.

It might help to use your own body for a reference. See where your body curves in the position. You can also use other reference pictures!

You mainly just need shading under the larger creases in the clothes and under the breasts.