How to Make Your Own Lucky Star Character
Lucky Star is an anime series created by artist Kagami Yoshimizu. Because the characters are drawn in a unique chibi style, many new anime artists can develop their skills by creating their own drawings of these characters. It is often challenging for beginning artists to create the proper proportions of the characters while keeping the unique style of Luck Star. The best way to overcome this is to break down the drawing process using the principles cartoon and figure drawing. Once an artist does this, he can create Lucky Star pictures with relative ease.
Other People Are Reading
Things You'll Need
- Lucky Star character reference picture
- Pencil
- Drawing paper
- Eraser
- Black pen
Instructions
-
-
1
Review your reference picture of the Lucky Star character you've chosen to draw. Make note of distinct characteristics found in the character's costume, hair and facial details.
-
2
Sketch the rough draft of your character. Draw a circle for the head and sketch the vertical line down the center of the circle to map the character's facial features. Create a line extending from the bottom of the circle to map out the spine. Make the torso and hips of your character by drawing two boxes along your spine. Map the pose of the arms and legs by drawing two lines extending from the torso and two lines extending from the hips.
-
-
3
Draw the basic outline of your character. Start by sketching the shape of your character's head and hair. Draw the cheeks and chin smooth. Create the neck of your character thin and short. Capture the Lucky Star drawing style by making the character's body, arms and legs thin. Avoid adding too much curve to the character's body and hips. Sketch the basic shape of the character's clothing over the outline of their body. Erase any part of the character which is now covered.
-
4
Pencil in the facial details of your character. Draw the eyes large and round. Map their placement using your vertical guideline drawn previously. Make the nose of your character by adding a dot below the eyes. Draw the mouth and eyebrows small to capture the Lucky Star art style. Position the ears of the character so their tips are equal to the middle point of the character's eyes. Give your character thick hair strands by drawing vertical lines down your character's hair. Make sure the bangs of the character don't overlap their eyes.
-
5
Erase the markings of your rough draft. Draw the details of your character's outfit such as bows, color patterns and wrist wear. If your character is wearing a skirt, create its pleats by drawing a series of vertical lines across the skirt. Use your reference picture as a guide. Draw folds into the clothing of your character for a realistic look. Review your picture and erase any extra smudges and pencil markings.
-
6
Review your drawing and correct any mistakes. Ink your drawing by tracing over your lines slowly with a black pen. Make the the outline of your character thicker than the lines of the inner details. Erase all your pencil markings for a clean look. Complete your picture by shading the darker parts of your character using a cross-hatching method with a pen.
-
1
Tips & Warnings
Practice drawing anime regularly. The more you practice, the better your artwork will become.
Always use a reference picture when drawing Luck Star characters. Drawing them from memory is extremely difficult.
Explore different methods and techniques to create your anime drawings. Some methods work better than others.
To get inspiration for your work, study other artists' work and the styles they use to create anime drawings.
