This short tutorial demonstrates how to draw manga and anime ears from both sides from the front and back and shows where to place the ears with respect to the head.
Manga and anime ears differ in their styles, from more realistic to extremely simplified, but there’s no standard method of drawing manga ears.
It can be difficult to get clear guidelines on drawing ears due to the fact of their unique shape. The best thing to do is simply to examine some examples illustrated in this tutorial or even look at photographs of actual ears if you prefer a more realistic look.
If drawing an anime ears from a side view, it is beneficial to imagine it as an egg or an oval that is tilted towards one side.
The example above is for more realistic or serious anime that tends to bring the ear closer to the art of the past. Some styles may reduce the ear to some lines.
Placement of Anime Ears on the Head
The ears of anime tend to be placed lower on the forehead than actual ears. One way to position cartoon ears is to trace a line horizontally between the middle and the forehead and after that draw a horizontal line between the lines and the cheek. Draw the ears in between the two lines.
To place the ear vertically, draw a line across the middle of your head. move the ear away from the line.
If you’d like to draw smaller ears, you could move them a bit away from the upper line.
If you want to draw more elaborate and more stylized “chibi” anime heads you can draw your ears lower on the head.
To draw horizontally, place the top of your ears towards the lower part of the forehead. The lower part of the ear is near the bottom of the nose.
Conclusion
Sometimes manga and anime ears are drawn similar to real ears, and at times they are very simplified, based on the style of anime that the artist has in mind. The location of the anime’s ears may be altered in accordance with the anime style.
For more information on how to draw anime’s facial characteristics, you might want to check out:
- How to Draw Anime and Manga Male Head and Face
- 8-Step Anime Woman’s Head & Face Drawing Tutorial
To draw characters using the ears of animals, see:
- How to Draw Anime Wolf Girl Step by Step
- Tips on How to Learn How to Draw Anime & Manga