How to Draw Anime Elves

An Anime elf girl.

Anime has been growing in popularity for several years now. Thanks to popular Anime like "Lodoss Wars," Anime's original take on the design of elves has also been brought into mainstream pop culture. Anime elves are beautiful and mysterious, just like their Western counterparts, but also contain some differences that make drawing them fun and challenging.

Things You'll Need

• Paper
• Pencil
• Pen
• Black ink pen
• Kneaded eraser

Instructions

1. 

   Begin by drawing a frame for the head and shoulders. Draw an oval that's wider at the top than the bottom for the head. Make sure this comes to a point at the chin. Add a cylinder for the neck and a curved line for the shoulders.

2. Add a cross or "t" shape on the face. Draw a dash about halfway down from the middle of the cross. Add another dash just below this. Together, the cross and dashes will serve to mark out the eyes, nose and mouth.

3. 

   Mark out some guidelines for facial details. Add some triangular oval shapes for the eyes on the horizontal line for the cross. Draw eyebrows with curved lines above the eyes. Add the distinctly Anime elf ears by drawing long sideways triangles on the side of the head.

4. 

   Create more details on the Anime elf. Make hair by drawing a circular shape around the head. Add bangs by using jagged lines across the face. Don't be afraid to let this overlap with the eyebrows. Draw the irises inside the eyes with semi circles.

5. Add the Anime-style nose with a small triangular shape on the across the first dash line on the cross shape. Add a chin shadow with a small triangle under the mouth dash line.

6. Complete the Anime elf's eyes. Add pupils with dark circles inside the irises. Draw an eyelid across each eye and make eyelashes with small lines around the outside of each eye. Draw small shading lines across the iris and gradually make these smaller down the iris. Add a small circle inside each eye and erase all the pencil inside to make the eye appear shiny.

7. Draw the inside of the ear with a line going the length of the ear inside each ear. Add a small triangle inside each ear as well. Add the natural jewelry of the elf by drawing a maple leaf necklace. Draw a band around the neck and then complete the maple leaf with five triangular-shaped leaves fanning outward. Add lines to indicate the clavicle with small lines that curve near the center of the chest.

8. 

   Erase all the guidelines. Add a line under the chin for a shadow. Thicken the eyebrows slightly with some pencil lines. Add three pencil lines on each cheek.

9. 

   Ink the entire drawing. Let the ink dry and erase all the pencil lines. Darken in the shadow line under the chin. Add shadows around the ears and necklace. Now you have completed your own drawing of an Anime elf. The techniques you have learned in this article will allow you to draw other Anime characters and Anime elves. See if you can come up with your own unique designs for these beautiful and mysterious characters.

Tips & Warnings

• Make sure that your elf's ears are pointed sideways. This is a telltale characteristic of an Anime-style elf.

• Make the eyes of the character large. This is a classic style for eyes in Anime.

• Be sure to let the ink dry before you erase and pencil!

Resources

• Anime news network's page on "Lodoss Wars."