How to Draw an Anime Girl
Here I explain the core methods of building a female figure in anime, manga, and chibi styles, and show how to draw an anime girl.
How to Draw an Anime Girl: Introduction
Anime characters have their own recognizable features, and the image of an anime girl is one of the most popular subjects among young artists. The proportions of the face, large expressive eyes, and stylized hair make this character interesting to practice, while also teaching important basics of stylized drawing.
In this lesson on how to draw an anime girl, I will show you a simple step-by-step method based on the main techniques used by professional anime and manga artists, but in the most simplified form.
When drawing an anime girl, it is important to pay attention to the proportions of the head and body. The eyes should be large, the hair should be really simple, and the overall silhouette should remain minimalistic.
To make the tutorial more complete, I will also show a few variations with different hairstyles, eye shapes, and clothing styles. This way, you can adapt your anime girl drawing to match the look you want to create.
Anime Girl Drawing Tutorial
Materials
- Pencil
- Paper
- Eraser
- Coloring supplies
Time needed: 35 minutes
How to Draw an Anime Girl
- Create the simple manga figure shape.
Every anime and manga drawing begins with the main structure, and here it’s important to set up the proportions of the head and body. Anime characters often have larger heads compared to their bodies, so sketch a rounded shape for the head a small bean-like shape for the torso.
- Draw the long anime hair outline.
Anime characters are usually recognized instantly by their hairstyles, which is why many manga artists design the hair before refining the rest of the character. Draw the outline of long hair that frames the face and falls down past the body, then add straight bangs across the forehead.
- Sketch the large anime eyes, nose, and mouth.
The eyes are the focal point in anime drawing, often larger than in real life. Place two big, rounded eyes across the face. Sketch thin eyebrows above them and keep the nose as just a tiny dot or line, since most manga artists minimize the nose. Add a small curved mouth below the nose.
- Outline the collar and top of dress.
Many anime characters wear recognizable outfits that help define them. Even in simple designs, artists use uniforms or costumes to quickly signal personality. Here, draw the top of the school-uniform style clothing with short sleeves and a sailor collar.
- Sketch the bow and complete the dress.
Accessories like bows are often used in anime designs to make the character look more recognizable, so draw a bow under the collar. After that, sketch the rest of the dress, using long and smooth lines. Anime artists often simplify clothing into simple triangle or trapezoid shapes, so don’t add too much detail.
- Draw the slender anime arms.
Sketch slender arms from the top of the body. You can draw them straight or add some curve. End each with small, simple hands. Anime and manga artists often keep hands very simplified in easier styles, so you don’t need to draw every finger.
- Sketch the legs and shoes.
From the bottom of the dress, draw two smooth and gently tapered shapes for the legs, keeping them close together. Add small rounded feet at the bottom. Don’t worry about shoes or detailed toes, since most simplified anime figures use just a basic form.
- Refine the sketch into smooth outlines.
In manga production, clean outlines are very important because they’re later inked or scanned, so removing messy construction lines is an important step. Carefully erase any overlapping guides and extra marks, then go back over the main lines with smoother, stronger strokes.
- Color the hair, skin, and clothes of the girl.
Color is what gives an anime drawing its final look, which is why anime artists often use flat, simple tones with just small highlights. Fill in the hair with a solid shade like brown or black. Add soft skin tones to the face and arms, then choose any color for the eyes. Keep the dress and bow simple.
Additional Content
And as always, I want to present a PDF version of this tutorial, where I’ve combined the main steps in a very simplified format for offline use. It also includes additional materials, like a coloring page, tracing worksheet, and a grid drawing worksheet. This file is free to download and can be used anytime, even without internet access.
How to Draw an Anime Girl: Alternative Methods
If the main tutorial has helped you draw a basic anime girl, you may find it useful to look at a few additional variations. Each of these tutorials is built in the same step-by-step structure but introduces different features and proportions.
How to Draw an Easy Anime Girl
This drawing method presented in the second illustration that shows a very simple method. To draw and anime girl with this approach, it is important to first define the head shape, since all other proportions will depend on it.
Draw a rounded outline for the head, adding bangs and side hair sections. Extend the hairstyle with pigtails on both sides. Mark the eyes with large oval shapes, placing them low on the face for the anime style. Add pupils and small highlights.
Draw a small nose and mouth. Below the head, construct a triangular torso with a slightly flared skirt shape, then add zigzag lines for decorative details. Extend narrow arms and small oval hands, followed by simple legs. Keep the body shorter than the head. Refine the outline, erase overlaps, and then color the figure with hair, clothing, and skin tones to complete the drawing.
Advanced Level of Drawing Anime Girl
Here, the chibi-style anime girl is also illustrated, representing a more advanced approach with a greater number of steps.
To draw an anime girl in this style, it is important to organize the construction carefully. Outline the head with an oval, then position the eyes, placing them lower on the face. Shape the hair with smooth curves around the head, using straight edges for bangs and rounded lines for the sides.
Sketch the body downward with a trapezoid torso, keeping the shoulders narrow. Add clothing details such as a collar and pleats with straight lines. Draw the arms as narrow extensions on both sides, finishing them with simplified hands.
Add the skirt with wide, rounded lines, then sketch the legs proportionally to the torso. Once the figure is complete, refine the lines, erase guidelines, and add clean edges. Use flat tones for hair, clothing, and skin to finish the drawing in the anime style.
How to Draw a Cute Anime Girl
To draw this anime girl, it is useful to use only simple shapes since the closed eyes and easy pose do not require heavy detail. Outline the head with a rounded shape, then mark the eyes as curved lines to show them closed.
Add short eyelashes, then place a small curved line for the mouth. Draw bangs across the forehead with pointed segments, followed by a round hair outline framing the face. Extend the hairstyle into long pigtails on each side.
Construct the torso with a simple trapezoid dress, adding a collar at the neckline. Widen the lower part of the dress with rounded lines to convey fabric. Sketch narrow arms, then add thin legs below. Erase construction lines and smoothen the contours. Finish by coloring the hair, skin, and dress in light tones.
Conclusion
To continue with similar topics, you can try the anime character drawing tutorial to study different design variations, or the manga boy drawing tutorial to practice another common figure in this style. Share your work, leave comments, and check back for new tutorials.
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