Art, music & makingAges 8–144 min read
By Amelia ·
How to Draw Anime: A Beginner's Guide for Ages 8–14
A step-by-step start for young anime artists: the head, eyes, hair and body, a simple practice plan and the mistakes most beginners make.
Your child fills notebooks with big-eyed characters and gets cross when the faces come out lopsided. Anime drawing follows a small set of rules, and once a child knows them, their drawings improve quickly.
Start with the head, then eyes, then hair, then the body. Ten minutes a day on one part beats an hour of drawing whole characters. All it takes is paper, a pencil and an eraser.
What you need to begin
Plain paper, a pencil, a good eraser and a black fineliner for finished lines. Coloured pencils or markers are a bonus. A tablet is not needed to learn.
Draw lightly at first. Guidelines are meant to be erased, and pressing hard makes them permanent.
Step 1: the head
- Draw a circle.
- Add a vertical line down the middle, extending below the circle.
- Mark the chin on that line, about a third of a circle below.
- Join the sides of the circle to the chin with two gentle lines for the jaw.
- Draw a horizontal line halfway down the whole head. The eyes sit on it.
The most common beginner mistake is placing the eyes too high. Eyes sit near the middle of the head, not near the top.
A live class on this1-on-1 Anime Art Portfolio Coaching for TeensAges 13–18Step 2: the eyes
Anime eyes are large, with a thick upper lash line, a thinner lower line and one or two white highlights. Leave the space of one eye between the two eyes.
| Change this | To show this |
|---|---|
| Tall, round eyes | A younger or gentle character |
| Narrow, angled eyes | A serious or older character |
| Brows tilted down in the middle | Anger or determination |
| Small pupils, wide eyes | Shock |
Practise by drawing the same eye six times with a different expression each time.
Steps 3 and 4: hair and body
Hair
Think of hair as a few large shapes, not single strands. Start from a point on the top of the head and draw clumps flowing outward. Hair sits above the skull, so leave a little space.
Body
Use a stick figure with circles for joints, then add thickness. A teen character is usually six to seven heads tall. A chibi character is two to three heads tall, which makes chibi an easy place to start.
Hiding hands behind the back in every drawing. Hands are hard for everyone. Drawing mitten shapes first, then fingers, makes them manageable.
A two-week practice plan
- Days 1 to 3: ten heads from the front.
- Days 4 to 6: eyes and six expressions.
- Days 7 to 9: three hairstyles on the same head.
- Days 10 to 12: stick-figure poses, then bodies.
- Days 13 to 14: one full original character, inked and coloured.
Keep the pages. Comparing day one with day fourteen is the best motivation there is.
Is copying favourite characters all right?
Yes, for practice. Artists have always learned by copying. Encourage your child to label fan art as fan art, and to design characters of their own as well. Changing one thing at a time, such as hair, outfit or expression, is a gentle bridge from copying to creating.
What parents can do next
- Set out paper, pencil and eraser where your child can reach them.
- Follow the two-week plan, ten minutes a day.
- Date each page and keep them in a folder.
- If your child stalls on bodies or poses, a short class can unblock them.
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between anime and manga?
Manga is comics on the page and anime is animation. The drawing style is shared, so the same basics apply.
Does my child need special pens or a tablet?
No. A pencil, eraser and fineliner are enough. A tablet can come later.
Is anime drawing real art practice?
Yes. It uses proportion, anatomy, perspective and expression, the same foundations as any figure drawing.
How long before my child sees progress?
Usually within two weeks of short daily practice, most visibly in faces.
Find an anime drawing class
Live classes give step-by-step demonstrations and feedback on your child's own characters.
