This is a quick and simple tutorial on how to draw manga or anime-style neck, shoulders, and collar bones.
Step 1 – Draw the Neck & Shoulders
Necks in anime are generally thinner than actual necks (especially for female characters). The more stylized the anime character, the tinier the necks become as compared to a head. There are instances of this, especially in the case of extremely strong anime characters. Sometimes, they have larger and more robust necks than what is actually the case, however, in this guide, we’ll concentrate on the most popular types of anime necks as well as shoulders.
It is possible to draw the neck slightly smaller at the top and widening as it descends (though some anime necks are depicted with the exact size throughout). The muscles that run from the neck towards the shoulders, you will find those muscles called trapezius. It is important to draw these using an upward slope. It is possible to ignore them in the side view when drawing similar to the illustration.
For the side view, be aware that the neck, the neck is tilted to the left however in anime with more stylized characters, this might not always be the case.
Draw the shoulders as close as an inch when looking from the front. Draw them close to the half circle on the other side.
To draw arms in different positions, and in various views, refer to:
How to Color an Anime Character Step by Step
Step 2 – Draw the Collar Bones
In anime, the collar bones are not always displayed at all but are usually depicted in close-ups.
Create the bones of your collar beginning near where the shoulder’s end and the trapezius muscle (mentioned earlier) begin. Draw them to the mid-section of the chest, and downwards even further towards the center of your body.
In the view from the side, you can draw a line that is sloped which ends with bumps that indicate the presence of a collar bone.
Step 3 – Draw the Neck Muscles
The muscles of the neck that are often depicted in animation are the sternocleidomastoid muscle which is SCM which stands for short.
The SCM extends from the middle of collar bones, and then behind the ears.
In drawing your SCM in anime style, it is not necessary to display them fully. You can provide a hint by drawing lines that show their outer edges. These lines will go approximately halfway to the neck.
It is also possible to read:
- 8-Step Anime Woman’s Head & Face Drawing Tutorial
- 8-Step Anime Boy’s Head & Face Drawing Tutorial
Conclusion
Drawing the typical shoulders and necks for anime characters isn’t difficult. Much depends on the degree to which you wish to reduce the complexity of your drawings. Drawings that are detailed can be more realistic to the real shoulders and necks. However, very simplified drawings may leave out a lot of the details such as the collar bones and the muscles altogether.