Part 1 Drawing the Basic Head Shape

1. Draw a circle on your paper with a vertical line running through the middle. Use a pencil so you’re able to erase your lines if you make a mistake. Lightly draw the circle in the center of a piece of paper so you have room to add features to it. Find the middle of your circle and lightly sketch a straight line that extends from the top of the circle down your sheet of paper so you know where the middle of the face is.

Start by drawing your circle large so you have room to draw the features. Otherwise, your lines may get messy and it could be hard to draw correctly. Tip: If you have trouble drawing a circle without help, either use a compass or trace something circular.

2. Make a guide line for the eyes a third of the way up from the bottom of the circle. Measure about a third of the way up from the bottom of your circle and use your pencil to make a mark. Use a straightedge to draw a horizontal line that extends past the edges of the circle to use as a guide for the character’s eyes. Don’t apply too much pressure when you draw the line since it will be hard to erase otherwise.

Your measurements do not need to be precise. If you don’t have a ruler, estimate the distance with the end of your pencil instead.

3. Put a horizontal line across the bottom of the circle for the nose line. Find the lowest point on the circle you drew and set a straightedge horizontally across it. Draw a light, straight line along the bottom of the circle so it extends past the circle’s widest point. In your finished drawing, the tip of the nose will be along this line.

4. Place a horizontal mark for the chin underneath the circle. Find the distance from the center of the circle to the line you drew for the nose. Measure down from the bottom of the circle (or the nose line) to the distance you just found and make a small horizontal mark on the vertical center line. The mark will be the tip of the character’s chin when you’re finished.

If you’re drawing a female character, place the mark at a distance equal to ⅓ of the circle’s diameter since female anime and manga characters tend to have rounder faces.

5. Outline the jaw for your character. Start on either the left or right side of the circle at its widest point. Draw a line from the side of the circle that’s slightly angled toward the vertical center line. Continue drawing the line until you reach the mark you made for the nose. Once the angled line crosses the nose guide line, continue drawing it toward the mark you made for the chin. Repeat the process on the other side of the circle to connect your jaw lines.

Female anime and manga characters tend to have rounder faces and pointier chins than male characters. Use curved lines rather than angled ones if you plan on drawing a female character.

Characters that are older usually have taller, narrower faces than younger characters. Curve the lines more when you’re drawing the jawline.

6. Sketch in a neck coming down from the head. The width of the neck depends on if you’re drawing a male or female character. If you’re drawing a male character, position the sides of the neck closer to the sides of the jawline to show a muscular build. For a female character, place the lines for the neck closer to the chin so it’s narrower. Make straight vertical lines extending from the jaw on each side of the face to make the neck.

Younger manga or anime characters will have a narrow neck since they aren’t as muscular or defined. When you’re drawing a young boy or girl character, make the neck lines closer to the chin that the sides of the jaw.

Hold your drawing out in front of you to see if the neck looks too long or short while you’re drawing it. Erase or extend the lines further depending on how it looks to you.