This tutorial will show you how to draw manga and anime characters for males. This tutorial includes eight examples of popular characters with three versions of each.
This tutorial is all about personality. This tutorial shows you how to take an anime-style male face and make it look different by changing the hairstyle and facial features. This video also shows you how to draw the facial expressions that these characters might use.
These are the character types that this tutorial covers:
See:
Tutorial Drawing Anime 3DVKARTS.NET Characters
It’s a good idea first to analyze the characteristics of male anime characters before you start drawing them. Although there are many variations in anime and manga styles, most anime characters have big eyes, small noses, and simplified mouths.
Manga and anime male characters often have the same faces as their female counterparts. Older male characters will have larger faces, wider chins, and narrower eyes, but still bigger than the average. This tutorial will use a generic male face. It can either be a high school student, or an older adult.
You can break down the generic male anime face shape into the three basic shapes shown in the above example.
These are the default proportions to which the characters will refer in this tutorial. This is what you will see when someone says “draw the eyebrows lower” or “make your eyes narrower”.
These guidelines are meant to help you create male characters that look anime-style. This drawing template might not be applicable to every anime/manga style.
This guide will show you how to draw a male anime face.
Drawing Manga and Anime Male Heads and Faces
Below is a brief overview of how the facial features are placed and the steps involved in drawing them.
The eyebrows should be slightly higher than the eyes.
See:
How To Draw Male Manga Eyes
These characters have hair drawn by:
Step by step Drawing Male Hair for Anime
The “average guy” character is someone viewers can identify with or cheer for. If the protagonist is a woman, these are usually the protagonists in anime and manga.
These characters often have messy, medium-length hair.
Draw the male “protagonist” character using their normal expressions.
A light smile will make your character friendly.
This type of character can have a happy smile. This is usually a smile that the main male character gives to a character they enjoy, such as the female protagonist.
Draw the smile of an “average guy” by raising your eyebrows and squinting your eyes. Smile. Keep the mouth open and smile.
Another expression this character could use is “What am I gonna have for dinner tonight?” This is a relaxed/wonderful expression that goes along the lines of “What’s for dinner tonight?”
To create a relaxed, slightly puzzled expression, raise the eyebrows slightly at the inner corners and draw your pupils higher (to make your eyes look rolled up).
The mouth should be in an “O-shaped” shape. The jaw can be drawn lower because the mouth is open. However, this is an option. The jaws of many anime characters are drawn in the exact same spot, even though the mouth is open.
This is the look that most “main villains” in sci-fi and fantasy shows and manga have. They are intelligent, strong, and calm, confident.
These men often have long hair.
The villain’s normal look is to have the inner eyebrows slightly lower than the rest. The irises should be slightly smaller than the “protagonist” eyes. Make the pupils smaller.
In light upside-down curves, draw the mouth and hint of the bottom lips.
Combining the facial features in this way will give the “villain’ a confident, but unfriendly/stuck-up look.
This is a common expression that villains use when they get angry/angry/upset.
To create an angry look, draw your eyebrows closer together. To further signal that the eyebrows are being squeezed together, add a hint of wrinkles in between them. Draw your eyes narrowly and make the iris smaller than normal.
The eyes will appear colder and less caring if they are not drawn to reflections.
The mouth should be drawn open, and the shape of the mouth should look like the number 8 that has been turned on its side. The mouth can be made slightly wider on one end and a hint of the split between top and bottom teeth by using curved lines.
See:
How to Draw Hand Poses Step by Step
Another expression that a negative anime/manga character will likely have is the scheming/plotting expression. This is the face they use to anticipate their success.
Draw a clever expression by raising the eyebrows at the inner ends. Then, look down and lower your top eyelids. Add a hint of the split between the top and bottom teeth to draw a smile on the mouth. This will make your smile appear more friendly and more like you are grin.
A “delinquent” character is usually a bully or a thug. These characters are often negative and cause trouble for other characters in anime or manga.
A goatee and wild hair can make a great combination for the delinquent.
Here’s a tutorial for drawing facial hair anime style:
How To Draw Anime Facial hair – Beards and Mustaches
Draw the eyebrows in their natural positions to give the delinquent a normal appearance. The eyes should be drawn with the lower eyelids curving down. Draw the pupils smaller than normal. You should leave enough space between your irises (and the bottom of your eyelids) to allow for proper spacing. A pair of small, curved lines can give the appearance of bags under your eyes.
Draw the mouth in an upside-down curve. Next, draw the bottom lip.
Combining facial feature adjustments with a skewed look will give the delinquent an unfriendly, slightly crazy, and dumb appearance.
When they see someone they like, a thug/delinquent is likely to smile.
Draw a grinning expression to the deluded character by lowering the eyebrows.
Draw the mouth smiling, but with a hint about the teeth (same for the villain).
When they are able to corner their target, the bully/thug will likely use the “bullying smile” expression.
One eyebrow should be raised and one lowered for the “bullying” face of the delinquent/thug. You should squint the eye below the lower eyebrow and open the eyebrow slightly wider than usual.
The drawing should be done with the smile/grin tilted to one end. Draw the top of the mouth upside-down (as opposed to the previous example).
The “henchman”, which is the most common-looking character in manga and anime, is probably the most boring. They all look pretty much the same if there is more than one. These characters are often minor minions or security guards.
These characters may benefit from a “buzz cut”.
Draw the “henchman” character, with the eyebrows at their normal level. Draw your eyes slightly lower than normal, and with the iris smaller than normal. By only drawing one small reflection per eye, you can make the eyes appear less caring. A pair of curved lines can give the appearance of bags beneath your eyes.
Draw the mouth upside-down.
This combination will give the character a non-caring, unfriendly, and somewhat tired appearance. This could be a guard who has been working a long shift.
The “henchman” characters will get the “alarmed” look when they notice a break-in or are guarding something.
To create an “alarmed” look, place the eyebrows lower on the head and closer together. However, one should be slightly higher than the others. To show how they are squeezed together, you can draw wrinkles between your eyebrows. The eyes should be drawn slightly to the side, one eye opens wide and one closed.
Draw your mouth with an even more upside-down curve than usual.
After seeing that the intruder/s are too much to handle, the “henchman’ can make a scared face.
Draw the “henchman” in a scared expression with their eyes open and eyebrows raised. Draw the iris smaller than usual, leaving some white space between them and the top and lower eyelids.
The mouth should be drawn in an “8” shape, with the teeth visible and the bottom of the lip in an upside-down curve.
The “friendly guy”, or positive support character, is often the protagonist’s best friend.
For the “friendly guy”, a short, messy hairstyle can work well because it can reflect a laid-back personality.
Draw the eyebrows as they are in the natural state for the “friendly guy” look. Make the eyes larger (longer) and the iris and all of it bigger than the example at the beginning.
Give your mouth a gentle smile.
A friendlier appearance will be achieved by having larger eyes. A light smile will add to this effect.
A friendly person is more likely to smile contently after helping someone.
Draw the “friendly guy” with his eyebrows raised and his eyes closed for a happy, content look. The closed eyes are hair with dark curves that are similar to the eyebrows.
Make a bigger smile with your mouth than in the previous example.
You can draw anime eyes in various states by visiting:
Drawing Closed, Closing, and Squinted Anime eyes
They are light-shocked faces like they meet their friend unexpectedly.
To achieve the “lightly shocked” look, raise your eyebrows slightly wider than usual and open your eyes slightly wider.
With your jaw open, position your chin slightly lower so that only the top row is visible.
This will give the character a “happy to bump into” look.
Characters who are “wealthy guys” tend to be wealthy and successful. They often tend to look down upon those of lower status around them.
The eyebrows should be slightly lower than the “wealthy man’s” normal face. Draw your eyes slightly lower than normal, and the irises slightly smaller than normal.
Draw the mouth with a hint or a smile, but instead of one curve drawing it, draw it with several curves (one curve for each side).
Combining these features will give the character a confident, but slightly sly appearance.
When they see someone or something they find beneath them, the “wealthy”, the archetype of character tends to give a disgusted expression.
Draw the “wealthy man’s” face with a disgruntled look by drawing the eyebrows in the opposite direction to their normal curves. Draw the eyebrows closer together by raising the eyebrows’ inner ends. The eyes should be slightly squinted.
Draw your mouth upside-down, with the teeth visible. You can also flip the bottom lip upside-down.
Another expression that this character is known for is a fake smile. If the character is well-known, they will often do this in front of their fans.
This expression is similar to the friendly guy content look. The closed eyes can be drawn with curves that are similar to those of the eyebrows.
Draw your mouth with a smile, but add a few teeth to each side to make it appear a little friendlier.
Male loner characters can be shy, socially awkward, or just plain dislike other people. These characters can have positive or negative effects depending on the story.
The “loner” look is achieved by raising the eyebrows slightly. The top eyelids should be slightly lower than the bottom. Draw the curves on the bottom of the eyelids. Keep the iris small. Add a few curves to the underside of the eyes to show bags (as if the character has not slept in a while).
Draw the mouth upside-down.
These combined features will give the “loner”, a slightly uncaring, and unfriendly appearance.
Another expression that is common for loner characters is the tired face. They may play online games all night and wake up tired the next morning.
To create a “loner’s look, draw your eyebrows upside-down with the inner ends raised. Draw the upper eyelids in the opposite direction of the normal curves, lower down.
The mouth should be the same as normal.
This is the most common expression that anime/manga loners make. This could be when they are bullied, or when they are uncomfortable (such as having to socialize with other people).
To give the loner a nervous/nervous appearance, raise the eyebrows (especially the inner ends) in the opposite direction to their normal curves. With smaller than usual irises, open your eyes wide. The eyebrows should only cover the top of your irises.
Draw your mouth with the teeth showing the number 8 on the side (similar to the previous example). In an upside-down curve, add a hint of the bottom lips.
Manga and anime don’t necessarily portray a weak or shy male character as the “intellectual” type. These characters can often be both intelligent and physically strong. These characters are often the president of the school council or another type of leader.
Draw the eyebrows naturally with eyes slightly wider than the default character at the beginning of the tutorial to create the “intellectual” look. Also, make the iris slightly smaller. A character with smaller or narrower eyes will look more serious.
To make the character more serious, draw the mouth in an upside-down curve.
The “intellectual” character will likely make the concerned expression or “thinking” expression.
Draw the eyebrows closer together and lower than normal. The irises should be slightly rolled and positioned closer together.
Draw your mouth upside-down, but slightly higher than normal.
When they make a discovery, the “intellectuals” might make a surprised face.
Draw the surprised look of the “intellectual” character by raising your eyebrows (especially the inner ens). Then, open the eyes wide with small pupils. The mouth should be drawn in an “O” shape. Optionally, you can draw your jaw slightly lower because the mouth is open.
This tutorial will show you how to draw some of the most popular manga and anime male characters. It also shows examples of their facial features, expressions, and hairstyles. There is so much to draw, that it’s difficult to show all of it in one tutorial. You can look at the manga and anime you like to see more examples. You can also play with the characters’ personalities by combining facial features from one character and seeing what results you get.
You can find more tutorials about male anime characters at:
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