How to Draw Anime Ninjas

Among the vast number of characters that inhabit the world of anime, very few rival the anime ninja. This can be intimidating to aspiring artists trying to reproduce one. However with some careful observation and a handful of steps, you will be able to craft your own anime ninja using a few drawing tools and a little imagination.

Difficulty: Moderate

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• White paper (preferably a drawing pad or sketch book)
• Sharp pencils
• Ballpoint pen or brush pen

How to Draw Anime Ninjas

1. Observe. Drawing anything can be difficult without the right research and observation. In the same way, drawing an anime ninja is no different. Anime is a visual art style emulated by such TV series as Dragon Ball Z, Pokemon and Cowboy Bebop. The first step to drawing your own anime ninja is to watch anime. You can find these resources at many local libraries and online. Pay attention to how to how the ninja moves and how he or she is dressed. As you watch, allow yourself to sketch ideas and take note of things you like or dislike about the characters you are observing.

2. Pencil draw your character. After observing anime characters, it's time to begin crafting your own anime ninja. Take out your drawing paper and pencil. Begin by drawing the outline of the character's body. Depending on the character, its body may very in size. Do your best to emulate the strong bold lines of anime; however do not darken. Using your light penciled lines, fill in your character's body outline with clothes. Traditionally, anime ninjas are dressed in tight black clothes and wear a mask. Do your best to duplicate this clothing.

3. Ink your character. To best bring out the anime style of your ninja it is important that you take your pen and trace over your penciled lines. Be careful not to lose your place and ink a line you do not wish to be black. Do not be afraid of drawing bold dark lines, as this is sometimes a trait found in anime. Once you've completed this step you can begin to darken the inside of the ninja's clothes. Once again, be careful not to ink anything you wish to remain white.

4. Practice. You've done the research, you've drawn your character but somewhere along the line something didn't quite work out. Perhaps your lines were too thick or not thick enough, or maybe your just sneezed during the process and drew a big fat line through your character. Not a problem. The more you draw your character the more refined it will become. When struggling with drawing your anime ninja one way to refine your character is to find a picture of an existing anime ninja and practice by copying this. Once you feel more comfortable drawing in the anime style, begin creating your own anime ninja again. Most importantly, have fun.

Tips & Warnings

• Be patient. It takes time to perfect your drawings.
• Make sure your pencil is sharp. One of the worst things an artist can do is use is a drawing pencil that is dull or broken.
• Make sure your pen has ink.
• Take a break. Sometimes you'll find that after drawing for a long period of time you'll begin to make mistakes due to fatigue. Get up and take a walk, eat something or just do something else for a little while before returning to your drawing with a new point of view.
• If you copy an existing anime character from film or print, do not attempt to sell your drawing as these characters are not yours and you will be guilty of copyright infringement, which is against the law.