Part 1: Style

Lesson by Animagess

The first step in drawing "anime style" is just that--style. What kind of character are you drawing, and for what purpose?

For example, a magical schoolgirl will have a different facial structure and body proportions than, say, a villain.

...Not to mention clothing, posture, and the fact that not all magical girls or villains will look like these examples. these are just basic guidelines to ensure that you don't end up with a magical schoolgirl with the body proportions of a DBZ character (unless, of course, that is what you want. There are no real rules when it comes to drawing anime).

Style is completely a matter of preference, but it's a good idea to be aware of some of the main archetypes before going on to facial structure and body proportion.

Here are some examples

• Cute - Round cheekbones, large eyes, facial parts set close together.
• Evil - Drawn more 'realistically'. Sharp cheekbones, very small pupils.
• Shoujo - Sharp chins, huge expressive eyes, elegant nose bridges, slender body.
• Stupid - Round head and body, very simplistic features, tiny little eyes.
• Fighter (a la DBZ) - Simplistic features, exaggerated body proportions, small head.

But to draw all these characters, you must first know the basics of facial and body structures...