The Basics

• 1). Draw a circular shape for the head.
  
  
• 2). Draw a straight vertical line directly in the middle of the head, creating two symmetric shapes.
  
  
• 3). Draw three parallel horizontal lines to represent where the eyes, the base of the nose and the mouth will go.
  
  
• 4). Sketch in the eyes, nose and mouth. The type of eyes you draw depend on what kind of character you are trying to create. Villains and anti-heroes generally have sleek and slender eyes, whereas heroes and innocents have larger, more expressive eyes. The nose and mouth are usually the least-defined objects on the face. The nose is a slightly curved vertical line (the bridge) connected to a small half-circle (the base). The mouth is basically the same thing, except the curved line is horizontal instead of vertical and the half-circle is centered underneath the line instead of connected to it.
  
  
• 5). Start to sketch out the body. Draw a straight horizontal line under the base of the face to indicate where the shoulders belong.
  
  
• 6). Complete the rest of the body using very linear lines. The torso should end up looking box-like and the limbs should be cylindrical.
  
  
• 7). Draw an ellipsis wherever there is a joint on the body (shoulders, knees, fingers). For example, a hand should be a square-shaped object (the palm) with five slender rectangles (the fingers) jutting out of it. Wherever there is a knuckle or joint, there should be an ellipsis. These indicate both depth and three-dimensionality.
  
  
• 8). Erase all the unnecessary lines and add curves to your character's body (shoulders, arms, legs).
  
  

Fleshing It Out

• 1). Do not put too much detail into your character's design. Anime characters are drawn with a very open style and only have the bare minimum when it comes to detail. Basic folds in the clothing and shadow effects are necessary, but you shouldn't draw every single sinew of muscle on the character's body or draw cheekbones on his face.
  
  
• 2). Drawing body shapes depends on the character. Heroes are usually broad-shouldered, but have smaller waists. The main villain is usually drawn in the same way, except sometimes they are a bit bigger in stature. Slender character are usually one straight shape from their shoulders to their feet.
  
  
• 3). Give your characters lots of personality. Anime characters usually have little idiosyncrasies that define who they are. They have a scar across their nose. They wear a cowboy hat and bifocals. They have a chain wrapped around their wrist. Just give your character anything that makes them instantly recognizable.
  
  
• 4). Drawing drapery is a fun exercise and it makes you learn about dimensions and gravity at the same time. Drapery is also very eye-catching and many characters are given long coats, scarves, and/or bandaging to give them more of a stylish appearance.
  
  
• 5). Giving your character the right kind of hairstyle is very important. Wild, spikey hairstyles are always popular, especially in anime for younger audiences. Longer hair never goes out of style, especially if your character is the enigmatic type. However, this is another case where less is more, because you don't have to draw every strand and every piece that is sticking up. This also another case where stylishness weighs in, since your character can have their hair whipping in the wind or hanging down in their face.
  
  
• 6). Giving an anime character attitude can be different than giving a Western character attitude. Western characters are much more blatant and loud about how tough or world-weary they are. Anime characters are much more keen on letting their actions speak louder than their words.They have their own way of looking tough, generally portrayed through body language like gritting their teeth or giving someone an emotionless stare.