How to draw anime for Beginners

Anime has influenced us all in some way or another. 

In fact, games and shows from Japan were one of the biggest reasons why I started drawing in the first place.

So today I want to teach you how you can progress quickly as a beginner learning to draw in an anime style.

When we say anime, we’re talking about an entire genre. Anime is a catch-all term for Japanese animation, meaning there are literally hundreds of styles from hundreds of shows and dozens of studios producing them.

So what I want you to learn from this is how to take ANY anime style and break it down use fundamental or basic drawing tools. 

Let’s start with some of the most famous anime:

Dragon Ball Z is really heavily focused on anatomy and musculature, albeit very stylized. 

Then we have say, Pokémon, where it’s much more about shape design and simplicity.

Finally, let’s look at a more modern anime like Attack on Titan. 

Attack on titan draws closer to realism in many ways than Dragon Ball Z, and definitely more than poke’mon— which adds to the mature feeling of the series overall.

So what do you need to know in order to draw in these styles?

First, you have to be able to break things down into two things:

Proportions and shapes. 

Once you understand how the artists of each anime utilize proportions and shapes, you’ll have a much easier time mimicking or learning from the style.

Let’s take Ash Ketchum vs Eren Yeager for Example.

We can see that Ash’s shapes are more simplified. There are less lines and more big, easy-to-see shape like his hair, his hat, even his cloths. There aren’t a lot of folds or anything like that, even the limbs and anatomy are largely basic, building off of forms like cylinders and rectangles.

With Eren Yeager we can see that there’s a lot more detail, and the proportions are closer to realism as I said before. There are more folds in the clothes, more details and shapes to draw everywhere from the facial features to the limbs. 

So how do we actually begin to draw in these styles if we’re just starting out?

Well, the shapes we noted can be taken in isolate, like so:

Draw a bunch of different mouth shapes from poke’mon screen caps of Ash or other characters, and do the same for eyes, noses, mouthed, hair, etc…

This is called studying. Duh, right? 

Like studying for a spelling test or a science quiz, you’re spending time learning how the shapes look for different features, meaning that when you’re not looking at the shapes directly they’re becoming imprinted in your mind through your hand.

If you want, you can try drawing his face a bunch of different ways all in one setting, and even try to do so with his half or all of his body.

Do you sense the theme here? 

We’re breaking it down, using mostly shapes and proportions. Proportions are how we measure how big, small, close, or far the shapes are as they relate to one another. 

After filling a few pages with notes and sketches, you can try to draw the character from your head in a new pose using a mannequin or basic type of figure as a starting point.

I teach you how to do all of these things and more in my beginner drawing courses!

Then you can try to put together your own characters using what you’ve learned from your studies.

It takes a lot of work to get to this point, but it doesn’t always have to feel like work. Your attitude, approach, and drive will largely determine how quickly you’re able to ascend in skill and expression— that and how well you understand the fundamentals of drawing.

Anyway, that’s a solid approach to drawing anime for beginners. With enough study you’ll be well on your way to drawing anime like a pro.

P.S. - To easily learn your favorite anime styles, and even develop your own, you can learn everything you need from The Beginner Drawing Course 2nd edition.

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Imagine illustrating dynamic scenes and iconic characters with confidence. Our course offers comprehensive lessons that break down complex forms into manageable parts, making it accessible for beginners. You’ll discover techniques for developing expressions, poses, and styles that reflect the anime aesthetic you love.

Whether you’re a fan of action-packed shounen, enchanting shoujo, or any other anime genre, our course will guide you through the process of creating stunning art pieces. Join a community of fellow anime enthusiasts, exchange ideas, and showcase your progress as you develop your skills.

Don’t miss out on the opportunity to turn your passion into art. Enroll in The Beginner Drawing Course 2nd Edition today, and start your journey towards illustrating the anime worlds you cherish!