How to Draw an Anime Body

Co-authored by Renée Plevy and Hunter Rising

Last Updated: March 30, 2023 References

If you want to draw your favorite anime character or even one of your own, designing the body can seem like a challenge. Anime characters can vary in shape and size, but start by drawing them with human proportions before modifying them into your own design. While proportions are similar between male and female characters, their body shapes vary slightly. With a bit of time and practice, you’ll be able to draw any sort of anime character!

Method 1

Method 1 of 2:

Sketching the Female Body

1
Draw a head at the top of your paper. Place a circle near the top center of the page so there’s enough room to add hair later on. Put the point of the chin slightly outside the bottom edge of the circle since the jaw will come lower down. Sketch in curved jaw lines from either side of the circle toward the mark you just made to make a pointed chin for your anime girl.^{[1]
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- Work lightly in pencil so you can erase and make changes if you need to.
- If you have trouble drawing a circle, use a compass to help you draw one.
- Don’t add any facial features yet since you may need to make adjustments to the size of the head later on.
Warning: Be careful not to draw the head too large or else you won’t be able to fit the rest of the body on the sheet of paper.
2
Make a vertical line that’s 6 ½ times taller than the head down the middle of the paper. Measure the height of the head from the top of the circle to the point of the chin. Start your line at the top of your character’s head and draw it straight down so it’s 6 ½ taller than the head. Space horizontal marks down the vertical line so they’re the same distance apart as the head height to use as guides.^{[2]
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- Measure your proportions each time or else your anime character won’t look natural.
- The guide line will also help keep your drawing symmetrical.
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3
Sketch an hourglass shape with 2 circles in it for the torso. Draw the top line of the hourglass shape slightly below the chin to form the shoulders. Draw curved lines going toward the center line, and flare out the bottom of the hourglass shape so it’s slightly wider than the shoulders for the hips. Draw 2 circles with a compass in the top half of the hourglass shape for your character’s breasts.^{[3]
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- When you’re finished, the head and torso together will be about 3 heads tall.
- Your anime girl’s shoulders should be about 1 ½ times wider than the head.
- Draw small circles on the top corners of the hourglass shape if you want to visualize the shoulder joints better.
4
Draw the arms so they extend from the top corners of the torso. Draw tubes extending down from the shoulder joints on the top of the torso. Once you reach the point where the body is it’s narrowest, put circles inside the tubes you’re drawing for the arms to mark the elbows. Continue extending the tubes down to the bottom of the hourglass and sketch small circles for the wrists. Draw mitten shapes for the hands attached to the ends of the arms.^{[4]
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- The upper arms and forearms on your drawing will be the same length.
- Try posing the arms a different way if you don’t want them straight down. Just make sure the total length of each arm is about the same length as the drawing’s torso.
5
Extend legs down from the bottom of the hourglass shape. Start by drawing tubes extending from the bottom of the torso on either side of the center guide line. Once the upper legs are 1 ½ heads tall, draw circles in the tubes to represent the knee joints. Continue drawing the lower legs so they’re the same length as the upper legs before adding circles for the ankle joints. Draw trapezoid shapes attached to the ankle joints for your character’s feet so the bottoms line up with the last horizontal line.^{[5]
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- Make sure both legs are the same length or else your drawing won’t look symmetrical.
6
Erase your guide lines so you have the basic shape of the body. Use a small eraser to clean up the extra lines on your drawing. Erase the center line running through the middle of your character and any horizontal guides you drew to figure out the proportions.^{[6]
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- Be careful not to erase the outline for your character or else you’ll have to redraw it.
7
Sketch features and hair onto your figure’s head. Place the eyes just below the center of the circle add eyebrows slightly above them. Add the nose and eyes below the eyes in the middle of the face. Choose a hairstyle for your anime character and draw it in clumps rather than individual strands.^{[7]
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- Look at various characters’ hairstyles to get an idea of different anime hair that you can draw.
- Draw the hairstyles on a piece of tracing paper on top of your drawing so you can practice sketching without affecting the rest of your drawing. That way, you can try multiple styles before committing to one.
8
Add clothing to the figure. There are many different outfits you can draw on your character, so choose one that looks the best for your drawing. Lightly sketch the clothes on your character’s body so you can get an idea of what it will look like. Once you find a style you like for your character, erase any lines from the body that are covered by clothes to clean up your drawing.^{[8]
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- Look at pictures of real people wearing the kind of clothes you want to draw on your character so you can see where it folds and bunches up so you can make your drawing more realistic.

Method 2

Method 2 of 2:

Drawing the Male Figure

1
Make an oval with a pointed bottom near the top of your paper for the head. Place the oval in the top middle of your paper so you have enough room to add hair later on. Draw angled lines down from either side of the oval that extend down to form the jaw line. Sketch the jaw lines so they meet at a point below the oval to form the chin.^{[9]
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- Male anime characters usually have longer, narrower faces than females.
- Don’t draw your circle too large or else you won’t be able to fit the rest of the body on the page.
2
Extend a vertical line that’s 6 ½ times taller than the head down the page. Measure the height of your character’s head from the top of the circle to the bottom of the chin. Multiply the measurement by 6 ½ to find out how tall your character should be so it’s proportional. Start the line in the top center of the head and extend it straight down to the length you found so you know how tall your character should be.^{[10]
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- You can also draw horizontal lines marking the head size along the vertical guide. That way you can visually see where the character’s anatomy lines up.
3
Sketch in a rectangular shape for the torso. Draw a horizontal line below the chin on your character’s head to mark the tops of their shoulders. Add lines down from the ends of the shoulder that angle slightly toward the center guide. Once the torso extends halfway down the vertical guide line, draw a horizontal line on the bottom for the hips.^{[11]
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- Your character’s shoulders should be about twice the width of their head and the hips slightly narrower.
- Put circles on the top corners of the shoulders to mark the joints so you can visualize them better.
- Keep the body as symmetrical as you can so your character looks proportional.
4
Draw the arms coming off the shoulders. Start by drawing tubes that extend down from the shoulder until they reach halfway down the torso. Sketch small circles inside the tubes to mark the elbows so you know where you can bend the character’s arm. Continue extending the tubes until the forearms are the same length as the upper arms. Add circles for the wrists before adding the hands on the end.^{[12]
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- You can draw mitten shapes if you don’t want to add fingers right away to your character’s hands.
- The arms will be about the same length or slightly longer than your character’s torso.
5
Add legs on the bottom of the torso so they’re half of the figure’s height. Extend tubes down from the bottom of the torso on either side of the center guide line for the upper legs. Once you’ve drawn them halfway between the hips and the end of the center line, add circles inside the tubes for the knees. Add the lower legs so they’re the same length as the upper legs before drawing a trapezoid shape for the feet.^{[13]
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- Draw one leg first and extend horizontal guidelines from the knee joint and foot so you can line them up when you add the other leg.
- Hold your drawing out in front of you and look at its proportions to see if they look natural or unnatural.
6
Erase all of your guidelines so you only see the outline of your anime figure. Use the eraser on your pencil to remove the center guide and any horizontal lines you added. Be careful not to erase any of your character’s outline or else you’ll have to redraw it. Continue erasing any lines that aren’t a part of your character.^{[14]
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- If you don’t have an eraser on your pencil, you can either use a block eraser or a small clickable eraser to work in tight areas.
7
Sketch in facial features and muscles to add details. Draw rounded rectangular shapes your slightly lower than the center of the head for your character's eyes. Add a small line for the tip of the nose, and draw the mouth below the eyes so they’re lined up with the middle of the circle. Pick a hairstyle that fits your character well and sketch it onto their head. Draw the hairs in clumps that end in a point rather than drawing individual strands. Then add in lines following along with your character’s muscles, such as around their pectorals or their abs.^{[15]
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- You don’t have to add muscles if you plan on drawing loose-fitting clothes on them.
- Look at musculature charts to see what shapes and lines the muscles would make on your character.
8
Draw clothes on your figure. Anime characters wear a variety of different clothes, so choose a style that fits best with your character. Sketch the style lightly onto the outline of your character’s body so you can see what it would like if they were wearing it. Once you’re happy with how the clothes look, erase any part of your character’s body that’s covered by clothing to make it look more believable.^{[16]
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- Practice drawing clothes on a sheet of tracing paper so you don’t have to draw and erase on your drawing each time.
Tip: Look at pictures of real people in similar outfits as what you want to draw so you can see how the clothes fold or bunch up.

Community Q&A

Question

How do I know where the legs start?

Community Answer

The legs start right below the torso, and remember, they are slightly longer than the body with the thighs thicker at the start and slimming down at the knee. Also, the calves on females are thinner while the calves on males are more muscular.
Question

How can I draw realistic hair?

Community Answer

Remember that hair has volume and is often layered. Don't make it too perfect, because real hair is not like that.
Question

How do you draw a male that looks feminine?

Community Answer

Try to draw a more slender look to your character, and maybe soften his facial features, in order to make him look feminine.