How to Make Japanese Cartoon Art
“Manga” and “anime” are two terms used to describe Japanese cartoons, comics and animation. Manga is a Japanese term for all comics and print cartoons, and anime is a Japanese term for all animation. Outside of Japan, people use these terms to describe Japanese-drawn cartoons, comics and animation. Manga characters have a distinct look, with large eyes and small noses and mouths. Manga is often used to make anime, so the terms are sometimes used interchangeably to describe the distinct look of these characters. Making manga is as simple as drawing cartoons in the manga style. First, learn to draw a basic manga character face. Once you master the basic manga face, you can adjust the proportions of facial features to create new characters.
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Instructions
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Draw a circle. Make the circle large enough to be your character’s face. Draw a vertical line down the center of the circle. Draw two horizontal lines across the circle, cutting the circle into thirds.
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Draw a short horizontal line under the circle. The distance between this line and the bottom of the circle should be about the same distance as the lower third section of the circle. This is the chin line. The length of this chin line will determine the width of character’s chin and face.
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Draw a line from the right side of the circle to the right edge of the chin line. Then, draw a line from the left side of the circle to the left edge of the chin line. These lines are the guidelines for each side of the face. Round out the sides of the face by drawing two triangular shapes with rounded corners on each of these lines. The wide end of the triangle should sit on the face line and the rounded tip of the triangle will point outward and become the cheekbone.
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Draw eyes in the lowest third of the circle. Draw the outer shape of the eye first. The eye can be a round shape or an almond shape. After you draw the outer shape of the eye, draw a smaller circle inside of the eye and add a dot for a pupil. Add eyelashes or eyebrows to the eye, depending on the type of character you wish to create.
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Draw a nose where the vertical center line meets the bottom of the circle. The typical manga nose is a sideways V. Vary the height and width of the nose to fit the type of character you wish to create.
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Draw a mouth between the nose and chin. The typical manga mouth is a simple line curved upwards for a smile or downwards for a frown. Draw another line under the mouth, measuring about one-fourth of the length of the mouth line. This lower line defines the lower lip of the mouth.
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Erase the vertical center line, horizontal lines and the straight lines drawn as a guide for the sides of the face.
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Tips & Warnings
You can adjust the look of your anime character by adjusting the proportions of the face. Instead of dividing the circle into three equal horizontal sections, you can draw one section larger than the others. You can also change the placement of the chin line and change the shape of the sides of the face. Each variation creates a new look and provides options when creating a new character.
References
- Photo Credit Comstock Images/Comstock/Getty Images
