How to Draw Anime Character Outfits
If you have ever drawn anime, you may have found that it can be a challenge coming up with your own outfit designs. The best way to break through this barrier is to think of the costume as an extended part of your anime character. Because anime outfits aren't bound to the rules of gravity or proportion, each item of clothing can be completely creative and unique. Using the basic skills of figure drawing and design, an artist can create unique and eye-catching outfits in no time.
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Instructions
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Mapping Your Outfit
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Write a brief character description of your anime character. Be sure to include where he lives, what his personality is like, if he is human or a different race, and how he was raised. Quickly sketch a basic outline of your anime character's body next to your description.
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2
Brainstorm for different clothing designs that would fit your character's personality. Cypher through different clothing styles such as formal dress wear, handmade clothing, science fiction clothing, fur and any other ideas that accurately fit your character.
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3
Lightly sketch a rough draft of a costume design over the outline of your character. Review your reference picture of cloth to understand how to draw the folds and flow of your outfit. Experiment with the size and fall of the costume design you have chosen.
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4
Sketch the outfit's folds and texture designs. Press lightly and work as quickly as possible. Practice drawing the back and side views of your outfit to become more comfortable with its structure.
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5
Work the outfit over until you are satisfied with your rough draft. Do not try to create a finished picture; focus on creating a simple design you can memorize.
Drawing Your Anime Outfit
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6
Sketch a basic outline of your anime character lightly with pencil. Do not draw any clothes onto your outline; focus on creating the proportional body of your character. Press lightly and erase any extra markings left by your outline before drawing your outfit.
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7
Create the basic shape of your outfit. Follow the outline of your character to map how the clothes will fall. Do not draw any of the folds, textures or ornaments of the outfit. Focus on sketching the organic shape of the clothes on your character. Erase any part of the character's body now covered by your outfit.
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8
Review your outfit and correct any mistakes. Sketch the details of your outfit lightly with pencil. Erase parts of clothing as needed to create areas for zippers, or to shorten parts of the outfit. Create texture patterns, logos and ornaments such as shoulder pads or utility belts.
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9
Erase any smudges and extra pencil markings. Sketch the folds of cloth by drawing curving lines at the joints of your character's body. Look over your outfit and adjust any details as needed. Darken your outfit by tracing over your lines hard with a pencil.
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10
Add the facial details of your character, such as hair and eyes if desired. Ink your entire picture by tracing your lines with a black pen. Work slowly and correct any other mistakes found before inking. Erase any pencil markings for a professional look. Shade your drawing using a cross-hatching method with your pen to complete your outfit design.
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Tips & Warnings
Study outfit and costume designs whenever possible to get new designs.
Look at other artists' work and see the type of designs they've created for their characters. This will help you develop different and new outfits.
Practice drawing real clothing. Doing so will give you a better understanding of how certain types of cloth fall.
Draw frequently. The more you draw, the better your drawings will become.
Be creative with your outfit designs. Push yourself by trying to draw new design schemes.
References
- Photo Credit Comstock/Comstock/Getty Images
