How to Draw Manga

Last Updated: January 31, 2023

"Manga" refers to comics and graphic novels created in Japan, but this style of comic is popular worldwide. To draw manga or illustrations in a manga style, you'll need to practice sketching facial features, clothing styles, and other elements common to manga. You can also incorporate elements of "anime" -- Japanese animation -- into your drawings, as well.

Method 1

Method 1 of 3:

Drawing Manga Basics

1
Draw a template of a manga head. Use this as a starting point for your manga characters.
2
Start with manga hair. Hair is usually one of the traits that instantly identifies a character as manga-style. When you're comfortable with these steps, move on to more complicated styles, and add shine to the hair in zigzag patterns.

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3
Add manga-style eyes. As with hair, eyes are an instantly recognizable hallmark of manga drawing.
4
Add some facial expressions to your manga faces. These can help communicate emotion in your characters, expressions are very important in drawing manga.
5
Draw a manga girl. You can try this method or this one.
6
Draw a manga boy. Change the hair, eyes and facial expression as you see fit.
7
Try drawing a whole character. Incorporate face, hairstyle, eyes, and expression as you work.
8
Add unique manga clothing styles. Start by tracing the clothing over a basic form, then erasing unnecessary lines.
9
Try drawing gothic-style manga clothing. This usually incorporates features such as top hats and petticoats.
10
Give your manga characters a pet by drawing a dog. Once you get the basic technique down, try adapting it to different breeds.
11
Add wings to your manga character.
12
Draw a manga robot. Try combining the shapes into different robots as you get more comfortable with the technique.

Method 2

Method 2 of 3:

Borrowing from Anime

1
Draw anime-style eyes. Do it by hand, or try drawing on a computer.
- When you're ready, try to use anime eyes to express emotion.
2
Draw a basic anime character.
3
Draw an anime-style boy.
4
Draw a girl's face using anime techniques.
5
Add a cute anime-style pet to your drawings.
6
Try drawing an anime fairie or angel.
7
Go supernatural and draw an anime-style vampire.

Method 3

Method 3 of 3:

Drawing a Standard Manga Figure

1
Copy, but don't trace! From tracing you only draw it in that moment nothing more. Copying is better, doing so then you have a concept of what you drew. Find a simple character on a manga you like or on the web. More possibly headshots, Make sure they have relatively easy to draw hair. Fan art can be just as good as the originals. Practice drawing the pictures you have found, so you can develop a "feel" for manga style.
- Things to note:
  - Eye Styles: This varies greatly, not just between manga, but also between characters in the same series. Eyes are a very expressive feature in Manga, and a character's eyes can tell you all about them.
  - Proportions: Manga style is all about manipulating proportions, your character may be anywhere from three to eight/nine heads tall. Compare to a normal human figure, which is generally six or seven.
2
Draw the "stick men" This is the basic framework of your character. Draw the lines for where arms/legs will go and their positioning. Draw the circle for the head first, a line for the spine, a line for the shoulders (a little below the head, so there's a neck), a line across for the hips. It may be easier to draw circles for joints . You're drawing a stick figure. This step is to block out the proportions and figure out what your character is doing; Standing? Sitting? A heroic pose?
- More things to note!
  - Don't feel too worried about your proportions being messed up, more practice then! Usually you can go on and copy more pictures OR copy a page from your favorite manga. They can guide you on how to get an "active" drawing.
  - One day you will realise a style,a way you WANT to draw,a way where the characters look right to you and everybody else. Practice hard for that day to come.
3
Flesh out your stick figure. Add weight and depth to the various parts of your stick figure and you must do it well.
- Head: Indicate which way it's facing with a line, and then add the chin and cheekbones. Remember that the chin may be very pointy depending on your style. Shorter cheek and round chin indicates cuteness.
- Chest/Torso: Block it in with a circle, or a simple prism - more rectangular for guys, more triangular for girls. Make sure that with girls, the waist is thin, flaring out into rounded hips; while for guys, the shoulders are much wider, and the hips are narrow.
- Hips: Can be indicated with a sphere/circle.
- Limbs: Should be blocked in with ovals or cylinders, with circles/spheres for the joints.
- Hands and feet: Can be left simple for now, though you might want to indicate their positions.
4
Refine your figure. Still don't worry about details for now, but clean up your lines, and generally just make the figure clearer. A kneaded eraser can come in useful here.
5
Start adding detail. Start drawing in the clothes, making sure they fit the form of your character. Shonen styles character will have fancy heroic clothes,comedy style has carefree or strange clothes draw the hands and feet, and fill in the, eyes, nose, mouth, hair, etc.
6
Clean up and get ready for inking. Erase any other guidelines, and make sure you know which ones you want to keep. Again, this is one place a kneaded eraser comes in handy.
7
Ink your drawing, more possibly with a nib pen and color, if desired. Practice over and over. Once you are confident,start reference with other popular manga on paneling and story. Then good luck with your manga!

Community Q&A

Question

How do I make the eyes look more life like?

Community Answer

Add shading in the iris and white patches, as if your character was looking into a light.
Question

How can you draw the same character again and again?

Community Answer

To draw the same character is kind of tough. Have an original image of the character for guidance, and use templates of people in different positions/angles and imitate them. Keep a sketchbook to try out different perspectives until you're happy with them.
Question

How do I get the hair look like it is flying in the air?

Community Answer

Find a point in which you want the wind to be coming from. Then, you can estimate how long the character's hair is and make it flowing the opposite of where the wind is coming from.

Things You'll Need

Eraser
Pencil
Ink Pen
Blending pencil (used when shading not required at the starting point)
Paper
Reference books/prints
Pictures to look at for practice, especially for eyes (you can't draw if you don't know how to; study on how to flesh out and add detail)
Nib pens (G pens, Kabura pen, Zebra pen, etc.)
Ink
Brush
Markers or other color utensils, as desired