NormalCompact SlideShow Draw Sheet

Details

Uploaded:	October 5, 2010
Artist:	Kyyhky
Difficulty:	Intermediate
Steps:	19
Updated:	October 5, 2010
P.O.V:	3/4
Favorited:	12 Times

Interact

How to Draw Anime Males

STEP 1.

Hello everyone! In this tutorial I’ll show you my way of drawing anime male bodies. First of all, we’re going to talk about proportions. The ideal human body contains 7 ½ heads from top to bottom, and 2 ½ heads from left to right. This can vary depending on the style you want to give to your finished piece. For this pose, these are the basic lines for drawing the head. The vertical line determines the position of the head and the direction of the look. It’s a very important line! So when you have finished the lines of the head, you can determine the height of the character.

STEP 2.

Now with the body. Basically there are a few lines that determine the pose and the attitude of the body. Those are the shoulders line, the hips, the feet and the neck-spine-legs (it could be separate lines, depending on position, but in this case you can count them as one). Anime characters are always stylized, so the best way to highlight this fact is to draw the legs a little longer than they usually are. So, draw the hips line around the start of the fourth head.

STEP 3.

With those basic lines ready now you can sketch the final pose. Do it with simple lines for extremities and circles for the articulations. The knees should be placed at the start of the sixth head. This will make the femur measure only 2 heads. “Why? The femur is the longest bone in the body; it should be longer than the tibia and fibula!” Yup, that’s right. But to make the legs look more stylized it’s better to draw femur a little shorter that it should be. Notice that the width of the shoulders and the hips must be the same.

STEP 4.

Now let's start with the head details. The facial features that distinguish a male face from a female face are a more marked jaw and a squared or pronounced chin.

STEP 5.

The nose must be drawn in the intersection between the vertical line and another auxiliary horizontal line that will determine the angle of the head. Eyes are, I think, the most important part of the face. They give life to the characters. There are thousand ways to draw eyes, so it's up to you and what's the look you want your characters to have. Now with the mouth. Men usually have bigger mouths than women. Draw a little line down the mouth to make the lips look meaty and manly.

STEP 6.

Some eyes

STEP 7.

Where to place the ear? It must start where jaw intersects the auxiliary line for the nose you made before. Don't do them too big or too small, just the right size for your character to wear glasses so they can stay on the eyes line. Hair usually starts in one point of your choice. Every strand of hair should start there following the round head shape.

STEP 8.

Now that the head is finished, you can add a step of choice before start drawing the body. If the blue lines were the skeleton of your character, now the pink lines are the muscles and skin. This way you can start figuring out the contexture of the body.

STEP 9.

Let's start drawing. KEEP THIS IN MIND EVERYTIME YOU DRAW A HUMAN BODY: Every body, from females to males and children, has very slight curves that give the body its naturalness and fluency. REMEMBER than even if you're drawing in a 2D format, what you're trying to represent it's a 3D figure so you must make it look like it. Think of the human body as an assembly of cylinders of different sizes and shapes. Start with the collar and shoulders.

STEP 10.

Like cylinders.

STEP 11.

Go on with the torso. At this time add the collar bone lines: these lines are more marked on males than females. Also make a slight line on the chest to give idea of pectorals; and following that line, place the belly button. ANOTHER IMPORTANT THING: Make sure to draw a very slight waist!! Men are NOT refrigerators! The male body also has its curves!!

STEP 12.

The legs are a little difficult to draw without making them look like two branch coming out under the torso. First keep in mind where the body weight is placed. That leg will look more tense and rigid than the other one. Another important thing is that the upper legs tend to narrow at the knees and then they widen again because of the calves. Male calves are bigger and more marked than females. It gives a nice touch to add some lines to place the kneecap.

STEP 13.

We're close to finish! The arms. They should end a little down the crotch and the arm is a little bit longer than the forearm. Male arms are muscly and wider than females.

STEP 14.

Think of the arm as a zone where the muscles stand out depending on the position of the body. If the arm is extended, the biceps will be relaxed and the triceps contracted, and vice versa.

STEP 15.

Foreshortening. This is how it's called when a part of the body covers another part in a perspective angle. It's very difficult to make well. But here I want to highlight the pronounced elbow.

STEP 16.

The hand again, front and back.

STEP 17.

Finally, the feet! Even bare and standing feet have curves.

STEP 18.

Okay, your character body's done! Make sure to erase the auxiliary lines while you're drawing or it'll look all messed up at the end.

STEP 19.

He, I added a censoring towel. When you practice enough to feel comfortable with the human body, start skipping steps so you can incorporate the drawing skill. And observe. A lot. Observe other artist's drawings, and anatomy drawings and even people in the street! Only practice and observation are your best friends when it comes to improve drawing skills!