In this guide, you’ll get step-by- guideline illustrations as well as instructions for drawing female characters in manga and anime styles.
Below is a description of the drawing process for an anime model from both the side and front perspectives.
To draw female anime characters in three quarters, you can refer to:
How to Draw an Anime School Girl in 6 Steps
Step 1 – Draw the Overall Shape of the Female Body
The most crucial aspect to consider when drawing the complete figure is the proportions or the relationship of an individual body part to the other. Every part must be in the proper proportions otherwise, your figure will appear strange.
Certain styles can intentionally exaggerate specific proportions (like the large eyes in anime for instance) however there are guidelines to follow when drawing.
In order to draw the face image of the girl, you need to begin by drawing an upward line. This will create all sides more equal. If you’re drawing two different views at the same time, you can include horizontal lines to ensure that the various body parts coincide in both views.
Drawing both perspectives at the same time is a great way to practice. If you’re good at drawing a specific body area in one view, but not in the other, this could help you.
Drawing the Head
Begin by drawing your head, leaving out any little aspects. In the front view, you can draw circles to help to determine the form of the head’s top. When looking from the side, it will be slightly oval.
For more information about drawing anime head and face cartoons, look up:
- How to Draw an Anime Girl’s Head and Face
- How to Draw Different Styles of Anime Heads & Faces
Drawing the Body
If we were to draw an authentic style the body would be roughly the size of two heads stacked side-by-side (not including hair). But since we’re drawing anime, we draw the head a little larger than the other, and the body is smaller.
The body’s shape (when taking the perspective of the back) must be similar to that of an hourglass.
You can draw small circles to help determine the form of the shoulders. Then, we’ll draw these circles to mark joints.
Drawing the Arms
Draw your arms starting at the shoulders and begin to work to the lower part of the arms. It is possible to draw circles to mark the joint’s position.
For the proportions and a complete breakdown of drawing arms, refer to:
How to Draw Anime & Manga Arms Tutorial
Drawing the Legs
The legs should measure approximately 50% of the body.
Foots (when making the view from the sides) should be the length of the distance from wrists and elbows.
For more details on drawing the legs, check out:
How to Draw Female Anime Legs Tutorial
In the front view, the feet are slightly over the vertical alignment line that runs down the bottom. This is not an error. This is because if you turn the person around in the same direction, her feet would be closer to the viewer in the front view, but not on the other side.
The Basic Drawing Technique for Perspective for Beginning Students and how it relates to Animation could provide some insight into this.
Step 2 – Clean Up Your Drawing
Make sure to clean up your drawing once you’ve established the fundamental design of your body. It is also possible to add small features like neck collar bones, and an indication of knees in the view from the front.
For more information on drawing anime necks, see:
How to Draw Anime Neck & Shoulders
Step 3 – Draw the Details
Drawing out the details like the hair and facial features.
We won’t get into the specifics of drawing these in this tutorial since they are covered in another tutorial on this site. It is possible to refer to the below for further information:
- How to Draw Female Anime Eyes Tutorial
- How to Draw Anime & Manga Male & Female Hair
- How to Draw Anime and Manga Noses
- How to Draw Anime and Manga Mouth Expressions
Step 4 – Draw the Clothes
To design the clothes, we’ll sketch a few items. We will draw shorts, a shirt, and socks.
If you’d wish to draw shoes, look:
How to Draw Anime shoe Step by Step
Since these kinds of clothing are quite tight and thin, they’ll follow the overall outline and form that the human body has.
Begin by drawing lines to indicate each piece of clothing. Draw these lines with gentle curves that conform to the form of the body. (For instance, the front of your socks must not be straight lines but a curve that shows how the material of socks actually wraps around the leg.)
You could also incorporate some simple folds to make your clothes appear more natural.
For more illustrations of anime costumes drawn, look here:
Step 5 – Add Color & Shading
To finish the look, give some basic shading and color.
In this video, we’ll draw our character as if she is in normal lighting conditions outdoors or indoors, and is facing toward the light source which is located above her.
Any area of the body more illuminated will appear darker.
In this instance, is the possibility of adding one of the following:
- Neck/shoulder region
- The inner parts of the legs (front view)
- The arms’ sides (front view)
- Below the knees
- The back on the leg (side view)
For a more thorough guide on coloring an anime character, you can check out:
How to Color an Anime Character Step by Step
For some shade tips, refer to:
How to Shade an Anime Face in Different Lighting
Conclusion
There are a lot of things to remember when drawing the entire body of the character of an anime. It is essential to draw proportionately while keeping the overall style. Fortunately, most anime-style body types are somewhat like real body parts, therefore you can view images of real-life people if you’re looking for some inspiration.
For drawing manga or male anime characters, see:
- How to Draw an Anime Boy Full Body Step by Step
- How to Draw an Anime Guy Step By Step Tutorial
