Drawing and Painting

ANIME & MANGA

FACES
Step-by-Step Techniques for Creating Authentic
Characters & Expressions
NAO YAZAWA
 CONTENTS
Introduction

Drawing & Coloring Essentials

Basic Terms
Drawing a Face
Front View
Profile View
Three-Quarter View
Face Variations
Eye Variations
How to Draw Hair
Proportions for Heads & Figures
Creating a Chibi
From Sketch to Color, Step-by-Step

Anime & Manga Characters: Faces, Expressions &

Chibis
Innocent Girl
Clumsy Girl (Dojikko)
Clever Girl (Megane-ko)
Cool Girl (Tsun-dere)
Delinquent Girl (Yankee)
Passionate Boy (Nekketsu)
Clever Boy (Megane-kun)
Cool Boy
Playboy (Chara-o)
Delinquent Boy (Yankee)
Beautiful Boy (Bishonen)
Beautiful Girl (Bishoujo)
Magical Girl (Mahou Shoujo)
Magical Girl on the Dark Side (Yami-ochi)
Magical Girl’s Male Enemy
Magical Girl’s Female Enemy
Male Vampire
Female Vampire
Samurai (Rōnin)
Japanese Princess
Male Warrior
Female Warrior
Animal Girl (Kemonomimi)
Salaryman
Office Lady
About the Author
Index
INTRODUCTION
Welcome, anime and manga fans! If you’ve always wanted to
create your own manga characters, this book is for you.

Learn the basic terms for drawing manga; how to draw

faces in front, profile, and three-quarter views; the
different types of eyes and hair; and proportions for both
standard characters and their Chibis.
Follow the creative process from rough sketch to finish
and discover how to take your drawings to the next level
by adding striking definition, stunning color, and special
touches that will make all your characters feel exciting and
authentic.
Learn to draw the faces and expressions of 25 classic
characters from a variety of manga and anime genres, from
romance to action to vampires.
Find detailed guidance on how to draw the shape of each
character’s face, their features and hair, and outfits they
would typically wear, all to enhance their personalities.
Learn to depict expressions for each character that reflect a
range of dramatic situations for exciting storytelling.
For extra fun and cuteness, you’ll also learn how to draw
the Chibi version of each character.

Once you’ve drawn all the characters and their Chibis, I hope
you use what you’ve learned to create your own characters and
to tell your own exciting stories!
BASIC TERMS
Atari: Rough sketches or guidelines
to set the rough position, shapes,
and balance of the composition.
This includes characters,
backgrounds, effect lines, and
handwriting.
Pen-ire/Pen Inking: To go over the
pencil drawing in ink.
Beta/Beta Inking: Solid black with
brush pens or pens.

Iri: The starting point of the stroke

on Pen-ire or Beta. This is only for
brush pens and dip pens. Don’t use
this technique with carbon fiber
pens or markers.
Nuki: The end point of the stroke
on Pen-ire or Beta. Draw it by
pulling the tension away from the
tip of the pen to make it look like it’s disappearing normally.
Teri-Beta/Tsuya-Beta: An effect to make the part look shiny
as if light shines on it by adjusting the Nuki and Iri. This
technique is mainly used for black hair.
Howaito (White): To erase wrong lines, ink smudges with
white ink or correction fluid. It’s used for lights and highlights.
Kakeami: Pen hatching; to express half tones with pens.
Kakimoji (SFX): Onomatopoeia designed by hand drawing.
It’s an important factor in manga to describe the atmosphere
and situations as well as the sounds.
Fukidashi: Conversation/word bubble. There are several sizes
or shapes depending on the volume of the voice or the way it’s
said.
Manpu: Symbols or icons that help express emotions in
manga such as sweat beads or lines.
Kouka-Sen: Lines to show effects. There are several types:

Syucyu-Sen: Lines that gather toward the center

Do-Sen/Ryu-Sen: Lines that emphasize the character’s
speed or movement. They can also show inner emotions.

Tone/Screen Tone: Screen tones are a sheet of adhesive paper

with different patterns. You can cut it with knife after
applying. The surface can be scraped off with a knife and has
different effects. Gray tones are called Ami and patterns, such
as a checkered pattern, are called Gara.

Due to printing costs and speed, manga manuscripts are

generally black and white in Japan. Artists use tones with
small dots to express gray areas in place of gray ink and
pencils. Currently, technological advances allow the use of
gray, but traditionally the color is expressed in tones.
DRAWING A FACE

Front View
Basic Atari for Faces
Cut a circle (a skull) in half both horizontally and vertically
with a line on the bottom of the circle.

Determine the contour of the face from the Atari. Since the
face is oval, it narrows from the temple toward the jaw joint
(gonial angle). Note that the face becomes sharper the
narrower you make it.
Even with a hairstyle that covers the face, draw a hairline
and check the size of the forehead and the position of the
hairline.
Align the upper part of the eye and the upper part of the ear
with the 1/3 line. The center of the eyes and the center of
the ear are almost at the same position.
The space between the eyes is about ½ to 1 eye width apart.
The wider the space, the cuter and younger the person
looks. It’s better not to leave a space larger than one eye
length.
The position of the mouth is the same height as the line of the
jawbone. Determine the position of the nose by measuring
from it.
Draw the hair in consideration of the hairline direction and
correct straight facial lines of the Atari to make it girlish, and
it’s done.
Profile View
Place the ears. Draw them closer to the center line and the
center of the contour facing front. Some people draw them on
the center line exactly.

Draw Atari on the front part of the face. Draw the line
almost vertically downward and stop at the chin position.

Draw a line downward from under the ear, stop at the

position of the jawbone, and then connect it with the tip of the
jaw to complete the facial contour.
Draw Atari at the position of the eyes, nose and mouth. If
you feel it’s out of balance, correct it by checking the position
when facing forward. Note that if the positions and sizes of the
parts are different, they won’t look like the same character.
 Draw facial parts along the Atari and adjust the contour by
paying attention to irregularities such as the forehead, between
the eyes, and the chin.

An eye looks like a triangle from the side.

Notice that the eyes are in eye sockets and the eyebrows are
above the brow bones. So from a side view, the eyes should be
further right than the eyebrows.

The eyes are attached to the front of the face. Make sure not to
draw them on the side of the face.
Three-Quarter View

Facing left side. It might be easier for a left-handed person to

start practicing from the one facing the right side.
Decide the position of the ear based on the Atari. It’ll be
between the ear on the face facing front and one with the face
facing to the side. The position differs depending on the angle.
 Draw a vertical line from the bottom of the ear as you did for
the side view and change the angle at the jawline to connect it
to the line at the tip of the jaw. The position differs depending
on the angle.
Draw a vertical line from A, the starting point of the face, to
B, the position of the cheekbone, and connect it to the tip of
the jaw to complete the Atari face line.
Draw Atari for the center of the face from the tip of the jaw.
Make sure to draw it straight, similar to the line at the cross-
section of the face. Decide the position of the eyes, nose, and
mouth. Make sure not to draw the eyes on the side of the face.
Make the eye closer to you wider and the other one oval-
shaped with a shorter width. Make sure that the ratio is the
same as the difference of the width of the both sides of the
face. The same goes for the mouth. Draw the part closer to you
longer than the other side.

Note the difference of the width, center line, and side part.
 Draw the parts of the face along the Atari in the same way as
the side view and draw the face line considering the bone
structure of the forehead, brow bones, eyeballs, cheekbones,
and jaw.
FACE VARIATIONS
There are different face shapes and proportions, depending on
age and character type.
Age Differences

Child. The face line is almost a circle because the facial

features are underdeveloped and small. Rounder cheeks make
the face cuter and more childish. The nose is small without a
nose line.

Teenager. The jaw becomes more defined, making the face

longer. The forehead is flatter. The orbits and cheekbones are
clearer. The nose should still be small even though the nose
line is visible.

Adult. The jaw is developed completely and the jawline is

stronger. The cheekbones are clearer and the face line becomes
straighter. The neck is thicker and the line on the back of the
head is almost straight. The eyes become smaller and almond-
shaped now that the face is fully developed.
Shape Differences
Oval

Square. The contour of the face is straighter and the jawbone

more square-shaped. It’s used for men with strong bodies or
trained warriors.

Inverted Triangle. This shape creates a long face with a small

jaw, even though the length of the face is the same as the oval
face shape. Use the inverted triangle for sensitive, thoughtful
characters.

Triangle. A rounded triangle face is shaped similarly to a rice

ball. The bottom of the face is wider. While this face shape is
similar to a child’s, the skull is smaller while the jaw is
developed. It’s a face for a fat or thick man. Humorous, warm
characters typically have this kind of face.
EYE VARIATIONS
Eyes are a key facial feature when it comes to identifying
manga genres or authors. Practice them by referring to your
favorite style. I’ll introduce some variations with a more
typical touch.

Eyes with huge black irises and a small sclera (the white part
of the eye) are normally used for the main character. This eye
type conveys cuteness and purity. Enemies often have the
opposite: small pupils and large sclera with white between the
iris and lower eyelid, to depict their coldness or shrewdness.
These are called sanpaku eyes.
HOW TO DRAW HAIR

Make sure to consider each part of the front, side, and back
hair for all hairstyles. The head shape is more visible with
heavy, long hair because it’s weighed down. It flows straight
down along the face. It’s the same for wavy hair, but it’s more
spread out near the bottom because it weighs less. For short
hair, it spreads out even more and is more voluminous because
it’s lighter.

Teri-Beta: An expression of black hair. It’s normally expressed

with light reflections even though some draw the hair lines
with white ink.
It’s a technique to show the hair flow similar to the lines for
blonde hair. Use this technique for wavy hair.
The position of the light gathers in one spot for straight hair.

Make sure to check the hair flow by drawing the Atari. Use a
blue pencil lightly when you draw lines of hair or Teri-Beta.
It looks like shiny blonde hair if you draw lines like this.
PROPORTIONS FOR HEADS AND
FIGURES
The proportions differ according to the style, but the ratio of
the head to the body changes according to the age. The ratio is
2 to 6½ to 7, with 2 head lengths for babies and 7 for young
adults. In the case of men, 7 or 7½ head lengths is the general
adult body.

Make sure to draw them differently according to the age. A

child’s body shouldn’t have a waistline, and adults should
have a waistline or developed hipbones.
Ratio for Chibi Style is 2 to 3 heads.
You’ll need 3 heads to a body ratio for feminine characters
with big breasts.
Decide your favorite proportion by checking the balance.
CREATING A CHIBI
On these two pages we look at two very different characters—
a Magical Girl (see here) and a Male Warrior (here)—to
consider the guidelines and steps for creating a Chibi, a
character’s smaller, cuter version.
Magical Girl
The hairstyle and the costume are butterfly inspired.

5½ heads to a body ratio

It’s not difficult to make a Chibi out of a cute girl. Simplify the
character design and change the eyes-to-nose ratio to 1 for
babies. Make the hair fluffier and it’s done. The body is about
the size of a head or two with the ratio of 2 to 3 heads to a
body.
In manga, legs are drawn longer than in real life. However,
Chibi style has short legs. The ratio of body to legs is 1 to 1 at
most.
Head-to-body ratio.
The hands and feet are small. The head is big.
It will look like it can barely stand on its own.
Male Warrior
When drawing a warrior, consider where these soldiers or
fighters serve, and the kinds of materials they would wear
when you design their costumes and armor.

8 heads tall
(head-to-body ratio: 8:1)
It might be hard to make Chibis out of serious characters,
especially tough guys, but the method is the same: Draw the
face bigger with fluffier hair and bigger eyes.
The head-to-body ratio for a male Chibi is the same as for a
female one—they’re both about 2 to 3 heads high—but the
male Chibi’s shoulders and body are wider and thicker, so he’s
consistent with the style of the original character. Also, a male
Chibi’s hands and feet are usually larger than a female Chibi’s,
though some artists draw their female Chibi’s hands and feet
somewhat large.

Ratio of 2½ heads to body

FROM SKETCH TO COLOR, STEP-BY-
STEP
Use whatever tool you want. A normal pencil and an eraser
will do the job.
This section will introduce necessary and useful tools to
complete a black and white manga manuscript with Pen-ire.
Atari (Rough Sketches)
Mechanical Pencil or Pencil. Soft pencils such as 2B or B
work fine. Use artist-quality pencils. I use 0.5 and 1.3
mechanical pencil lead for characters. Pencils are
recommended for people who draw hard or place a lot of
weight on the pencil. Draw rough sketches lightly. For those
who put more weight on pencils, draw lightly to avoid denting
the paper, which will make it harder to do Pen-ire later!
Light Blue Color Pencil (or Mechanical Pencil Lead). It
will prevent the paper from getting dirty if you use them to
draw the Atari. Draw clear lines with pencils after rough
sketching. Make sure not to draw too strongly so that you can
still erase it.
Paper (for Pen-ire). Use paper with a hard and smooth
surface. It’s better to use Bristol paper, but it can be expensive.
It’s useful to have manuscript papers for manga. If you can
buy them, I recommend them because they’re cheaper than
Bristol paper.
Normal manuscript papers for manga sometimes have useful
light blue guidelines to help you!
Eraser. Use plastic erasers. Plastic erasers let you erase pencil
lines without damaging the surface of the paper. They even
leave less eraser shavings. Search for your favorite brands to
find an eraser perfect for you.
Pencil Eraser. Choose plastic erasers for this kind as well. It’s
useful when you want to erase detailed spots such as the edge
of the mouth.

Kneaded Eraser. This is a soft eraser that changes shape like

clay. Pat the drawing with it when you want to clarify which
line to use. It lightly erases the other lines without erasing
them completely. You can do the same with plastic erasers.
You might want to dedicate an eraser to this purpose because
it’ll turn black over time from the lead.
Ruler. You don’t need it for drawing faces, but it’s useful for
drawing the Atari lines neatly. It also helps you check the
position of the eyes and nose.
Pen-ire
The main pens used for manga are the three types listed below.
However, there are many other kinds. They’re used with pen
holders. These pens are necessary if you want to draw a
smooth line with changes in thickness that are specific to
manga. You will need to practice using it though. There’s also
the danger of smudging or getting fingerprints on the paper!

Milli Pen or Line Art Pen. Manga pens are typically used for
main lines on characters, but some artists use milli pens. Use
three types; SML, such as 0.1, 0.3, and 0.5 (0.8) for different
uses. Use pigmented ink and avoid watercolor or oil color.
 G Pen. The most common pen. The soft tip allows you to
change the pressure more easily and achieve sharp lines.
It’s normally used for characters, effects, and backgrounds.
Maru Pen. It’s used to draw thin and hard lines. It’s often
used to draw detailed eyes and hair for Shoujo manga.
Many people use it for effect lines and backgrounds
because the Nuki is very sharp.
Saji Pen. A classic pen. It’s harder than a G pen and
harder to change the pressure, but the tip is less likely to
get caught on the paper as it’s more rounded compared to
other ones. The lines are a little more rounded instead of
sharp as with the G pen.

Apply more pressure to the tip of the pen to draw thicker lines.
Use light pressure to create thinner lines. Change the pen angle
if the tip doesn’t open as seen in the picture.
Ink. Ink is necessary to use manga pens. There are different
types of ink or India ink. I recommend manga ink or manga-
India ink, which you can find in art stores. Use drawing ink if
you can’t find them. It’s black enough, fast-drying, and not
erasable.
Brush Pen. These are used for Beta inking. There are two
common types: sponge and nylon. Nylon brush pens are
widely used because it’s easier to move the tip and they’re
good for Teri-Beta. Sponge brush pens are typically easier for
beginners to use. Choose pigmented ink for this brush also.
You can also draw Teri-Beta with these.

White. White ink or white correcting fluid is used to correct

mistakes or draw thin white lines. Choose ones you can draw
with a brush or mix bleed-proof ones with water. Prepare a
very thin brush. White gel ball point pens are useful also.
Coloring
Coloring with Watercolor. Use transparent watercolor to
create different colors. Layer washes or paint strokes to create
a variety of colors and hues.
Some artists use vivid colored ink for Shoujo manga. Dr. Ph.
Martin’s radiant colors are commonly used.
Use it the same way as transparent watercolor.

It’s a more vivid and clear color compared to the paint material
type, but it fades more easily over time.
Note that the quality of colored ink varies, depending on the
company and type. Some are uneven.
Start painting with just a few colors. It’s not bad to have a lot,
but you can express various colors by layering washes on top
of each other with transparent watercolor. Buy additional
colors as needed.
Don’t mix colors on a palette because the more you mix, the
muddier and darker the color gets.

Brush. I recommend a water brush. In the past, I used paint

brushes for Japanese paintings, but now I use this one. You
can buy it almost anywhere. It’s cheap and the tip is easy to
use. The tip is made with nylon, the same kind as brush pens.
It’s useful to buy three sizes; big, medium, and small.

It’s used for sketching outdoors. It’s widely used because it’s
easy. If possible, try out some different kinds because the tips
are different depending on the brand.
It’s very useful because water comes out when you squeeze it
and cleans the tip!

Palette. You’ll need one of these so you can adjust the

intensity of a color by watering it down.
White Ink/White Gel Ballpoint Pen. Use the same white ink
as the one for black and white manuscripts. Make sure to use a
bleedproof type.
Prepare a line drawing. Use a manga pen with waterproof ink
or a milli pen (line art pen) with pigment for water coloring.
This paper is Japanese VifArt (fine). There are many kinds of
watercolor paper, so try out some.
When using a manga pen and waterproof ink, the paper must
be fine with a smooth surface. But with a milli pen, don’t
worry about the surface of the paper so much. Use your
favorite type of paper because it won’t drastically affect the
results.
Lightly draw lines with pencils and use minimum erasers so
that you don’t damage the surface of the paper when you’re
drafting.
Trace the draft to drawing papers using tracing papers or
lightboxes.
Direction of Light

Express light and darkness by making shady spots by layering

the same color, or a darker color of the same tone, on top of
the base skin color.
Start painting the skin. It’s standard to start with light colors
and move to darker colors because you can’t correct it using
transparent watercolor. Paint with a three-dimensional effect
by spreading the paint after dropping the color that you get on
the tip of the brush at the darker parts. Spread the paint to
shaded parts such as shady parts of the hair, the eyes, or redder
parts on the cheeks. Spread the color in one stroke to avoid
uneven washes.
The color will get darker and deeper by painting on top of it.
Make natural gradation on the borders by painting different
colors on top and spread it before the first one dries out.
Ochre is used for skin here. Use brown for darker skin, red
tone colors such as orange or magenta for white skin.
Dip only the tip of the brush in color and make natural
gradation by using the brush to spread the color on the paper.
You can spread the color with water or dry it out by patting
tissues on it when you put too much color. Prevent adding too
much color by testing it on another piece of paper beforehand.

There’s a way to paint with color by undercoating the part you

color with water when you use thicker papers. It creates
beautiful gradation when the color spreads naturally.
Hair
Start painting hair once you finish the skin. Start coloring after
checking that the skin has dried. Spread the colors on the
paper after you’ve started coloring the darker parts. The tip is
to paint it quickly so it spreads evenly. In this case, paint along
the flow of the hair from the root and the tips. Leave the center
lighter or white for highlights.
Move the brush along the hairline to hide uneven parts. Turn
the paper to make it easier to paint. Find the best direction for
you as it’s different for everyone.
The lighter parts look shiny from the reflection of the light by
spreading the color toward them.
Add color on darker parts little by little while checking the
balance of the whole hair. Add the shades and flow of hair
once the last part is dry.

The base color of this hair is sepia. Draw the flow of hair on
top of dark sepia.
When you don’t draw the flow of hair, it’s better to show the
difference between brighter parts and darker parts more clearly
than in the image on the left.
Eyes
Paint the eyes while waiting for the hair to dry.
Add some shadows in the sclera (white part of eyes) and the
top of eyes. Light blue or light blue-black is normally used.
Start painting the iris after the shadows have dried.
Put dark color on the shaded part (in the top part) and spread it
with a brush.
Make sure not to spread the dark part all over the eyes. To
make it darker, paint the same color over and over or use a
darker color.
Paint the iris with dark color and add a color on the pupil.
Paint the same color or a darker color over them again to show
the dimension. Dark brown is used here.
Add the lines in the iris and reflection of light with white and
it’s done.
Correct mistakes with white such as the color of the eyes.

Use the same color for the shadows in the white part of the
eyes on the shadows inside the mouth and teeth.
Flow of Hair
Once the base is dry, draw the flow of hair with a slightly
darker color than the base. Start with a light color and slowly
darken it by repeatedly painting on top of it. Note that you
can’t make dark colors light again.
Add some accents with a dark color. Make weaker parts of
the outlines clear with the darker brown such as face lines,
eyes, or eyebrows. Substitute the dark brown for sepia or dark
gray if you want.
Add highlights on the hair. Add some lines only in the
direction where the light shines on top. Imagine the lines
clearly by drawing imaginary strokes before adding the
highlights with white because you can’t undo them.
Finish and Correction
Use a bleed-proof white with a fine brush or a white gel
ballpoint pen.
Add highlights to the cheekbones, nose, lips, clavicles,
Adam’s apple, and so on. The light source is above the
character so the highlights should represent the direction of the
light. Erase the part sticking out with white and finish.
Use caution when painting as you can’t correct colors by
painting over it like with acrylic or oil paints.
The technique is to start with light colors and repeatedly layer
paint over it.
Spread the color quickly. Be careful before putting the color
on the paper as it doesn’t spread nicely otherwise.
Coloring with Markers. Alcohol markers are normally used
for coloring manga. Copic markers are the most famous ones
with good quality, but start with cheaper markers if you’re a
beginner.
Choose brush type pen nib. It’s easier than watercolor
because you don’t need to wait for it to dry. However, with
alcohol markers make sure to check the color before painting
because the color changes after drying.
Choose your favorite paper from typical watercolor paper to
Bristol paper. The tone or evenness of the color changes a little
depending on the paper. You can find papers for Copic also.
It’s necessary to keep the surface of the paper as smooth as
possible. Bristol paper has a smooth surface making it easy to
draw lines with pens and it doesn’t get damaged easily when
erasing.
Prepare a line drawing. Draw the line drawing with alcohol-
proof ink, a milli pen, and hard pencils such as 2H. Make sure
that the lines don’t bleed with markers before starting to paint.
There are some inks you can use with alcohol markers, even if
they’re not labeled as alcohol proof. So if you already have
some ink, you can try them out.
You can also use printouts or photocopies of line art for
painting because toner is strong against alcohol markers.
Alcohol markers use the same technique as watercolor
painting:
to paint the base color (undercoat, light color)
to paint the basic color
to paint the shadow color (darker color from the same tone)
Paint light base skin color. Paint quickly on the part where you
want to put the color. This technique is similar to how we
spread watercolor from darker parts (between eyes and
cheeks). You won’t notice the unevenness as it’s a very light
color. It helps to prevent unevenness of the color that comes
on top of it also.
Don’t cover the whole area, but leave some brighter parts to
show the depth of the color and dimension by considering the
light source.
Make sure not to make it too dark.
Shading with Copic Markers

Light pink blurred with the blender (bottom).

Paint the base skin color on top of it.
Add the base skin color (basic color).
Start with the shadows or darker areas to avoid unevenness.
Make sure not to add too much color by checking the whole
image.
Only color the shadows to make white skin and leave lots of
highlights or bright spots.
When painting on top, make sure not to rub too much because
unevenness is more visible when using dark colors.
Accent the darker parts by layering the same tone of paint over
them.
Parts with darker colors on top of each other.

Give some light pink color to the lips and cheeks.

Blend it by painting a light color of the same tone or skin color
on top of it when needed.
Paint lips along the arrows in the picture.
Accent the lip roundness by painting the middle of both lips a
bright color and fade the color toward the edges of the mouth.

Border around the eyelids like drawing eyeliner.

It makes the eyes look clearer in the same way as eye makeup.
Pink tones are normally used for girls or white-skinned
characters, while brown tones are used for boys or dark-
skinned characters.
Painting the Eyes
Add light gray or blue on the top of the white part for
shadows.
Paint the whole eyes with light base color. The top half (the
part equal to the shades on the white parts) will be slightly
darker as it has light shade.
Paint the edge of the eyes with the color for shadows of the
skin or bordered with a slightly darker color. Red tones are
often used for girls and brown or gray tones for boys.
Add the eye base color. Darken the color around the edges
and leave the area from the center to the bottom lighter.
Add some lines for the iris by painting the same color on
top. Use the tip of the brush to leave parts with light color.
Add dark blue for shadows. Put a dark color on the top and
bottom of the pupil, leaving one area a light color. Then spread
with light colors. The effect will be smoother by using a light
color instead of a blender.
There’s a way to draw the iris with dark blue lines, but it’s
painted as a cluster here with some lines added with a white
pen.
To the right is an iris painted with dark blue lines
Painting the Hair
Paint the undercoat in the same way as the skin. Use a very
light color of the same tone for the hair color.
Leave the parts where the light shines on top in the same way
as the skin.
Paint it with yellow for blonde hair. Use yellow because it’s a
color that shows less unevenness and is easy for beginners.
However, this color makes it harder to show shadows and
nuances.
Paint the actual hair color on top of the undercoat. Unevenness
doesn’t look unnatural if you paint along the hair lines. Spread
the base color to blend it.
Add shadows considering the light source. Add some shadows
along the hair line using dark yellow and orange tones.
The strongest highlight hits the top of the head, but since the
roots of the hair are so dark, use a darker color and blend it.
Use gray tones for shadows because it highlights the lights and
darks of the hair color. Use a light brown tone if you have it.
Add some highlights with white ink just like watercolor
paintings.
Add highlights easily with a white gel ballpoint pen, since the
lines don’t need a sharp Iri and Nuki.
Add highlights on the eyebrow line and in the eyes. It’s an
important part as the impression changes completely
depending on it.
Add some highlights on the higher parts of the face such as
cheekbones, the tip of the nose, and lips and finish it by
correcting the mistakes.
Correct the parts sticking out with white ink.
INNOCENT GIRL
A typical heroine archetype: Bright, kind, open, and popular.
This character type is either average in academics or not very
smart. She isn’t overly complex, and she’s extremely
forgiving.

Draw the Atari for the hair. Draw the rest of the details after
checking the balance of the drawing and composition. After
checking the balance, draw the parts of the face.

Drawing the white of the eye (the sclera) bigger will make her
look energetic and open. Don’t make it too big as it makes the
eyes sharper, creating a mean girl expression. A big pupil with
a small sclera gives an impression of a shy, quiet girl.
Draw the details according to the Atari and it’s done.
When drawing a female character, make the outline of the face
rounded. Be sure the angle of the jawbone isn’t too sharp.
Pen-ire & Finish
I drew this character with wing-like hair that flows away from
her face, a hairstyle that emphasizes her openness and
innocence. A warm hair color also shows her friendliness and
warmth.
Front View
Profile View
Three-Quarter View
The sunflower design on the bag is also a symbol for her
virtuous character.
Expressions

Self-Indulgence
As you can see, this is a drawing of a girl who’s happy after
eating some dessert! I recommend you draw any expression by
imagining the situation and emotion the character is
experiencing. A helpful tip to achieve this is to draw the
position of the hands and the angle of the face. These details
and body movements help you convincingly express the
character’s happiness. The curvy letters and bubble-like shapes
in the background also help convey her emotions.
Angry Suspicion
By drawing a character who’s sizing someone up by staring at
them, you can convey suspicion and doubt. This expression is
often used when a character is trying to find out another
character’s true intentions. Frowning is also a sign of distrust.
Crossed arms are also used when a character is thinking hard.
The background effect helps to represent this suspicious
thought process.
Crying, Interrupted
This expression represents the moment that a character who’s
been crying is caught off guard by another character’s actions
or words. Almost missing what the other character said, the
main character here is left confused and curious while trying
to figure it out. The areas of blurred light in a light Kakeami
tone, and the down-pointing shape of the background, reflect
her sadness and depression.
Chibi Style
Note the differences in the contour of the faces. This Chibi’s
jaw shape is like the underdeveloped face of a baby.

Draw the eyebrows higher, just as you would for a child or a

baby—it makes the Chibi look cuter.
Increase the volume of the hair.
Draw the eyes slightly bigger than for the standard character.
Increase the iris and pupil sizes to give the illusion that the
eyes are even larger, even though they’re only slightly bigger.

Simplify the costume.

Make the outline and contours of the hair simpler than the
standard character’s.
CLUMSY GIRL
Dojikko
The second most common heroine type, this character is
typically extremely clumsy, making her more relatable to the
audience. It’s important for manga and anime characters to
have some flaws so the audience can identify and sympathize
with them more. Almost nobody hates a bright, positive, cute
girl who doesn’t give up, even though she’s clumsy and makes
many mistakes.
Atari
Draw the jawline and the neck on the Atari. Draw big eyes that
slant downward slightly to create a soft, cute expression that
fits clumsy characters. You can also use this eye style for
crybabies or negative characters to give them a weak
appearance.

Develop the Atari by adding the hair and making sure the
entire drawing is balanced, including the features.
These thick and down-slanted eyebrows give a soft expression
that matches the eyes. Typically, thick eyebrows create a
strong impression, but by slanting them they convey a softer
look. Be careful when drawing the eyebrows—you want to
avoid making the character look too strong-willed.
The fluffy hairstyle and loose, swirling tendrils show the
character’s confusion. The pigtails fit her childish, innocent,
clumsy character.
Add these details to the Atari, and it’s done.
Pen-ire & Finish
Draw curly, thick hair—simplified, similar to a Chibi’s—and
add long lower eyelashes. This creates a shy cuteness that
reiterates the clumsy character concept.
Front View
Profile View

Draw the eyes slanted on the profile view as well.

Three-Quarter View

I chose typical clothes for a clumsy girl, but you can also
design clothes that don’t give an impression of a clumsy girl to
create some contrast.
Choose colorful and childish clothing designs that match the
hairstyle.
Expressions

Joy
To draw a joyful expression, draw the eyes bigger and wider,
with the eyebrows raised. Typically in manga and anime, to
express wide-open eyes the whites of the eyes (scleras),
become wider and the pupils and irises shrink slightly. (But the
irises and pupils shouldn’t be as small as when you’re
expressing surprise or anger.) For the background,
concentrated linework (dots) arranged in a burst are often used
to express joy, happiness, and laughter, conveying bright and
overflowing energy.
Mistrust
Draw the character glowering through a sideways glance and
with a furrowed brow. Make the eyes narrower or squinting
slightly, and the pupils smaller than normal to further express
the suspicious feeling. In manga, big irises suggest positive
emotions such as innocence or trust, while small irises indicate
negative emotions such as distrust or suspicion.
Sadness
This expression represents sadness for many situations or
potential problems, such as loneliness, regret, relationship
troubles, or fights with friends. Draw the character looking
downward with her eyebrows slanting down. Generally,
slanted features signify sadness of some kind. This character is
looking downward, but she’s actually looking within herself.
Drooping hair further communicates her sadness.
Chibi Style
The Chibi’s face shape and proportions compared with the
standard character’s.

The famous Manpu showing slight sweating typically

indicates cold sweat, but it’s useful for several circumstances,
depending on the context. Mussed-up hair is a comical Manpu
representation for troubling situations or a pondering
expression.
A Chibi style with the same size hair as the standard character.
Note the increased difference in the distance between the
eyebrows and eyes for the Chibi. It makes her look more
childish and cute.
Add some volume to the hair to make her head even bigger,
even though the standard character’s hair is already fluffy.
This is almost the maximum head size for Chibi style.
CLEVER GIRL
Megane-ko
Diligent, fair, mature, and open-hearted, the Clever Girl is
typically smart, often a class representative or president. In
other cases, she can be bright but also clumsy or a bit of an
underdog. She’s usually a good fit for the main character’s
best friend or a supporting character.
Atari
Draw a longer face shape to create a more mature look.
Draw the eyes slightly smaller than the main character’s to
express intelligence. Make the pupils and irises big to create a
soft, kind, and calm expression.

To create a cute expression, hide the forehead with bangs.

A version with the forehead visible, which emphasizes her
plain expression and diligence.
Draw Atari for the hair.
Choose a hairstyle that suggests diligence and intelligence.
Braids are a good option. The hair should be soft and thick.
After adding the facial features, add Atari for glasses. Glasses
are an essential accessory for the Clever Girl.
Draw the details according to the Atari and it’s done.
Pen-ire & Finish
Choose a hair color that symbolizes the character’s
intelligence and cool-mindedness. Blue hair is a good fit.
Front View
Profile View
Three-Quarter View

Be careful when drawing the glasses so they don’t look like

they’re drawn on the face. They should come off the face a bit.
The character’s outfit and props should reflect her intelligence
as well. The teacup decorated with a rose and a book are items
that further signify her character’s personality. She’s wearing
modest, school uniform socks.

Draw Atari with squares to decide the position of the frame

before drawing the glasses. The frames should appear above
the face line.
Expressions

Shy Smile
A perplexed smile of a shy character. Draw the eyebrows
slanted to express perplexity. This combined with the Manpu
of cold sweat shows that it isn’t a genuine, happy smile.
Embarrassment
The character’s facial expression changes completely when
you don’t draw the eyes. Glasses play a huge role in a
character’s facial expression, and sometimes their personality.
(There’s a classic storyline that revolves around a girl who’s
perceived as more beautiful once she takes off her glasses.)
You can’t read their emotion without seeing the eyes. That’s
why omitting the eyes is used to express coldness, but you can
have the reader imagine their complex emotion by making that
creative choice.
Angry Protest
This expression isn’t strong rage and fury, but rather anger or
protestation. In this situation, the character is protesting her
teacher’s treatment of a classmate. The anger is shown through
the soft concentrated lines on the background and the Manpu
of sweat. This expression and situation demonstrate her
courage and belief in fairness, even though this character type
is typically calm.
Chibi Style
Note the difference of the shape and proportions of the Chibi
face compared with the standard character. The standard
character’s face is little longer than a main character’s, but it
isn’t necessary to make the Chibi’s face longer.
You don’t necessarily have to change the volume of the hair,
but you can make a Chibi character easily by increasing the
volume.
Draw the eyes bigger for Chibi style, as they were slightly
small originally. The frames of the glasses are bigger also.
Draw the Chibi’s irises bigger than the standard character’s.
The pose of a shy girl who loves reading.
Keep the outline of the hair simple, but draw the flow of each
part—the bangs, the sides, the back (visible at the very
top/back of the head), and the braids—separately.
COOL GIRL
Tsun-dere
A typical cool Tsun-dere with Gyap-moe. The term Gyap-moe
refers to feeling moe, or protective of a character, because of
the gap between the character’s looks and personality; for
example, looking like a gang member on the outside but being
very gentle on the inside.
The Tsun-dere character type gives off a cold exterior at first,
but is actually very shy and girly on the inside. She’s often
mean or hostile to the people she likes. Sometimes she shifts
from her cold, hostile side to a warmer, friendlier side, but not
always. She’s typically smart, cool, mature, and beautiful.
Atari
This mature look is similar to the Clever Girl/Megane-ko type
(see here). The eyes should be big and slanted upward with
slightly small irises. Small, tense facial features communicate
a mean and determined personality. Keep in mind that making
the irises too small will make her look like a villain.

By contrast, an eyebrow slanting downward expresses a kind,

soft character.

Draw the eyebrows slanting upward in the same way as the

eyes to express her determined character.
Add Atari of the hair; in this case, the front and side as one
section and the back as another.
A realistic and mature side-parted style with straight hair
reflects her straightforward and practical character.

Add the details to the Atari, and it’s done.

Pen-ire & Finish
Cooler hair tones are more common for this type. Dark green
or blue is often used to paint black hair because coloring the
hair with black makes it too heavy. A brown tone could also
work, but warm tones typically contradict her intelligent, cool
character.
Front View
Profile View
Three-Quarter View

A Tsun-dere character, whose feelings and actions often

contradict each other, usually has a frowning expression.
Delinquent or Yankee characters are often classified as Tsun-
dere types. Smart student characters are also Tsun-dere types.
Draw her fashion neatly. A school uniform is a good choice.
Expressions

Making Excuses
Draw this expression with a cross-eyed look that shows she’s
staring at the person in front of her instead of looking straight
ahead. Frowning, sweat, and a red face are characteristic for
Tsun-dere expressions. She looks angry but is actually shy and
anxious. For the Manpu, small focus lines gradating from light
to dark are useful for comical scenes.
Shock
Draw the eyes wide open, but since the eyes are very large
from the beginning, the size of the eyes is almost the same.
The pupils and irises become smaller and the sclera becomes
larger, giving the impression that the eyes are wide open.
Draw the smaller pupil and iris in the middle of the eye so that
it doesn’t touch the top or bottom. The bristled hair is often
used in comical scenes to express fear, fright, or impatience.
Sweet Smile
This expression is the dere without any tsun of Tsun-dere. The
tsun typically refers to the aloof, hostile side of a character,
while the dere refers to the lovestruck, warm side. Draw a
sweet smile that expresses the character’s true inner self. She’s
a very cute and romantic girl on the inside. The eyes are a little
bigger than normal to emphasize her cuteness.
Chibi Style
Note the difference in the contours of the faces.

Keep the standard character’s neutral expression, with long

eyes slanting upward, while adjusting the size and shape of the
eyes as shown. The angle of the eyebrows is even sharper.
Frowning, a red face, and Manpu for sweat can also apply to
this character’s Chibi.
The Chibi’s hairstyle is also neat, but you can increase its
volume.
DELINQUENT GIRL
Yankee
This character type is seen as a delinquent even though she
isn’t a villain.
Atari
Draw the jawline and the neck along the Atari. Draw her
eyebrows and eyes slanted upward. Draw big eyes with small
pupils to make the eyes look sharper. This will create a cold,
icy appearance.
Create a flashy hairstyle to make her look like a gang member.
Flashiness is an important factor for bluffing during a fight or
when glaring at someone.

Draw the details according to Atari, and it’s done.

Make the eyebrows and eyelashes look artificial with makeup
such as thick eyeliner to emphasize sharp eyes.
Pen-ire & Finish
Add platinum blonde hair and strong makeup to make her an
intimidating and scary character.
Front View
Profile View

Yankee fashion is very loose and relaxed. Unbutton the shirt a

little. The standing pose is laidback, so draw her leaning or
slanted.
Three-Quarter View

Thin eyebrows help create scary eyes.

Expressions

Tearing Up
Yankees are normally scary, but they can also be emotional
and good-natured. Emphasize the facial expressions when
they’re laughing, crying, or expressing honest feelings so
readers can see the difference in character. Creating a big
difference between the character’s usual scary expressions and
their kinder expressions makes her more convincing and
complex.
Open Smile
Draw a bright smile without any hidden ill intentions. Draw
the mouth open widely to emphasize her openness. Use a burst
of concentrated lines in the background to symbolize the sun
and brightness.
Brooding Anger
This facial expression shows her true nature. Draw the eyes
sharp and scary, with her glaring at someone out of the corner
of her eye. The eyes aren’t bigger than normal, but still sharp.
Make the irises small with a small shadow under the eyes to
express her annoyance. This expression is eerier and scarier
than a normal, harmless stare. Add a blood splash on the
background and clench her fist to reflect her explosive anger.
Chibi Style
As always, start with the proportions of the face. Note how the
Chibi’s jaw shape is different.
Add some volume to the hair.
Draw the eyes and eyebrows even sharper with makeup and
exaggeration. Design it well, checking the balance and making
sure the look isn’t too sharp.
Draw the uniform a little loose by unbuttoning some buttons
and loosening the tie.
Exaggerate the ponytail and the long, loose strands hanging on
either side of her face by bunching them up.
PASSIONATE BOY
Nekketsu
A typical main character type in Shonen manga, this character
is a hot-blooded boy who can’t ignore injustice. He’s
courageous, athletic, unsophisticated, and easily influenced.
This character type isn’t very smart, though he’s very
determined.
Atari
Draw stronger Atari for the jawline than for female characters.
Draw the eyes a little smaller than a girl’s eyes. Passionate
Boys look better with big, round eyes. Make the eyebrows
thick and well-defined.

Draw Atari for hair. Draw spiked hair—that’s a key

characteristic of Shonen manga. There are separations among
the front, side, and back parts of the hair flow.
The irises are smaller than for girls, but still pretty big for a
boy character. He should have pure “puppy dog” eyes.
Draw the details along the Atari and it’s done.
Again, note that the jawline is sharper than for girl characters.
Pen-ire & Finish
In Shonen manga, black hair is sometimes colored with black.
However, a dark brown creates a warm tone that aligns with
the Passionate Boy’s characteristics.
Sharpen the jawbone angle to create a boyish face.
Choose an energetic and dynamic pose. Draw the flow and
wrinkles of clothes so they follow the body’s movement.
Expressions

Roar!
This is a well-known expression meaning “I’ll do it!” in
Shonen manga. A sound effect such as ohhhhh is sometimes
added. Flame flares upward vigorously in the background to
express his fiery spirit. His body and his stare align with the
direction of the flame. Draw some speed lines inside his open
mouth to create visual momentum.
Sobbing
This is when an emotional boy cries without being ashamed.
Draw the irises slightly bigger (exaggerated by the amount of
tears), while the outline of the irises “shiver” and tears fall out
of both sides of the eyes without stopping. Add some red tones
under the eyes and nose.
Stressed and Confused
Passionate Boys’ expressions are especially exaggerated in
manga. For this emotion, draw small irises with wide open
eyes staring aimlessly into the distance. Add swirls inside the
eyes to express his confusion, and lots of cold sweat. Choose a
background pattern such as Kakeami, swirls, or handwritten
words to emphasize his agitation. He’s looking within himself
to try to understand what’s happening, so you can draw the
words he’s thinking swirling around him.
Chibi Style
Note the differences between the contours of the two faces.

A strong jawline is typically one feature of boy characters, but

in Chibi style the jawline becomes round, more similar to a
girl’s.

Add some volume to the hair. It makes it more Chibi-like to

show the hair in bunches.
Make the eyes look more boyish by enlarging them vertically
compared to girls. Big, round eyes make the character look
sensitive and cute.
Your Chibi can also have a hairstyle with volume that’s more
similar to the standard character’s.
CLEVER BOY
Megane-kun
Glasses are a key characteristic of the Clever Boy type.
Characters with glasses can fit various personality types
because glasses act as a symbol for many different things. In
this case, the Megane-kun type can be seen as an Otaku
character, a Tsun-dere character, a bullied character, or a smart
class president type. Here, I chose a smart character, a typical
Megane-kun with a wide forehead and black glasses.
The Clever Boy character is diligent and fair with a strong
sense of justice. He has a very strict belief in following the
rules. He’s often a friend to the main character, and sometimes
acts as the brain for the Passionate Boy. He’s smart and mature
for his age.
Atari
Draw the Clever Boy’s eyes smaller than the Passionate Boy’s,
which have a rounder shape. Add sharpness by drawing the
eyes slanted upward. This suggests he’s a logical, cool
character.
Draw a slightly long face line and a strong jaw to suggest
maturity.

Draw Atari for the hair. Choose a neat, side-parted hairstyle—

something that would suit an intelligent character.
Draw hard lines for the jawline and the neckline to give it a
stiff, angular impression.
Draw the Atari of glasses after drawing the facial features.
Draw the details following the Atari, and the drawing is done.
Include some loose strands of uncombed hair or some bedhead
to add some more character.
Pen-ire & Finish
Use a blue-toned black for his hair. Adding blue or green
undertones and highlights helps prevent your drawing from
falling flat, and helps emphasize lights and shadows.
Front View
Profile View

There are two ways to draw the eyes with glasses. One is to
hide the eyes by clearly drawing the frame, the other is to
emphasize the eyes by slightly blurring or softening the frame.
Many artists choose the latter since the eyes are such an
important factor in drawing expressions in manga.
Three-Quarter View

Choose a pose that boasts his intelligence. Note how the

fingers holding the glasses overlap each other, how much the
wrist is bent, and how the clothes wrinkle around his raised
shoulders.
Expressions

Surprised Self-Consciousness
The basic ways to convey a surprised expression are raising
the eyebrows, opening the eyes wide, and making the pupils
small. The character here has been found holding an
embarrassing book. In response to being caught, he tries to
think of an excuse but fails. Add light sketch lines across the
center of his face to emphasize his expression and cold sweat,
tousled hair, and red to his ears. To heighten his
embarrassment, draw him shrugging his shoulders in a panicky
way while he holds the book tightly.
Scorn
Here, the Clever Boy is looking down on others. Create a cold
expression without much movement. The sharp lines on the
background emphasize the coldness. You can also draw
frosted glasses without any eyes to emphasize the coldness. By
not drawing his eyes, you can’t read his emotion, which
creates an icy impression.
Reflective
This expression is a character pondering. Draw half-open eyes
to show he’s lost in thought.
Choose a pose with his hands held close to his mouth. Add a
soft spotlight to draw the reader’s attention to the center of
thought. Achieve this by drawing a dimly lit background that
lights up the character’s eyes and mouth.
Chibi Style
Note the differences in proportion and shape of the two faces.
Emphasize features such as neat side-parted hair, wide
forehead, cool eyes, and black-framed glasses.

A science boy in a lab coat. Though usually calm, this

character is innocently excited by his favorite experiments. (A
little Otaku time?)
He may have started out with a perfect hairstyle, but the
volume of the hair and the hair whorl or cowlick are the
hallmarks of this Chibi character.
COOL BOY
This character type is cool and mature rather than cute. He’s
smart, athletic, and successful at anything he does, and is also
popular among the opposite sex. Since he looks perfect, he
often has a Tsun-dere attribute.
Atari
This character type combines sensitivity and strength. He has a
slender body overall, and while the jawline is stronger than a
girl’s, it’s delicate for a male character.

Draw Atari for the hair. Draw the hairstyle in separate

sections, and smooth it out differently from a Megane-kun
type (see here).
Draw delicate, narrow eyebrows and wide, narrow eyes. Add
heavy eyelids and half-open eyes to create a bored expression,
which makes him appear unapproachable.
Draw the details according to the Atari and it’s done.
Draw long bangs covering his eyes a bit to make him look like
a handsome boy with a dark mystery.
Pen-ire & Finish
Choose a black with a green tone for his hair. Note that a green
with a strong yellow undertone makes the color muddled.
Front View
Profile View
Three-Quarter View
Choose a boyish stance or pose. Standing somewhere reading
a small book in one hand is a good example. Depending on
how you draw him, you can make him look either Otaku-like
or like a Cool Boy. (Note that girl characters typically read
books with both hands, while boys are usually drawn holding
books in one hand.) He’s skinny, but take care not to make his
shoulders narrow. And avoid drawing the jawline too square,
as that won’t fit his delicate features.
Expressions

Slight Smile
For a character whose bangs hang over his eyes, running a
hand through his hair is a convenient pose that works for a
variety of emotions and attitudes, including cool, naughty, or
hiding embarrassment. Draw a smile with wide-open eyes and
visible teeth. (This character type doesn’t usually laugh.)
Create brightness with soft light in the background.
Suppressed Emotion
The lines beneath the eyes and above the nose should be red,
as should the lines of the lower eyelids, to represent tears. The
position of the hands and Manpu sweat are also important. Use
vertical lines in the background to convey a depressed or sad
situation.
Spacing Out
This expression is a slight change from the character’s usual
neutral expression. Since he’s a cool character, his expression
doesn’t often change, but he still has emotions, and the context
often helps readers identify these small changes in expression.
The pop background with dots and white edges is also an
important element.
Chibi Style
Note the differences between the contours of the standard
character’s and Chibi’s faces.

Revise the hairstyle to give it volume and arrange it in heavier

tufts while maintaining its smoothness. Make the eyes larger
as well, but leave the heavy eyelids and half-eyes unchanged.
Make sure to retain the character’s features, such as heavy and
dull eyes.
It’s important to keep his bangs hanging over his eyes, but I
used fewer tufts to fit the Chibi style.
PLAYBOY
Chara-o
This character type is friendly, bright, and seemingly innocent.
He’s similar to the Passionate Boy type, but he’s sensible. He’s
also playful, cheerful, and social, and he likes flashy clothes.
He’s everybody’s friend—and is often the main character’s
friend—and he’s sometimes a playboy, since he understands
women and is good at flirting with them. He won’t give up,
even after being dumped. He appears frivolous and flirty, but
may also be sincere or be acting out to hide his
embarrassment.
Atari
Draw big eyes slanting downward with thick eyebrows to
create a kind, friendly, and open expression.

Draw Atari for the hair. Choose a hairstyle that suggests an

open, cool personality. A blond shaggy or spiky style—with
layers swinging outward and long bangs hanging over the eyes
—is typical for this character type.

Draw the details according to the Atari, and it’s done.

Pen-ire & Finish
Give this character dyed blond hair. Accessorize with flashy
jewelry such as earrings, bracelets, and necklaces.
Front View
Profile View
Three-Quarter View
Add tanned skin to suggest he’s flirting with girls by the beach
or going to a tanning salon. Give him flashy clothes like a
patterned shirt. Chara-o has a flashy and flirty style overall.
Expressions

Broad Grin
Draw a funny smile with gentle eyes that’s reassuring and
makes girls laugh. This character type often shows his teeth
and has vivid facial expressions. In some cases, he’s seen as
cunning due to his frivolous personality.
Goofy Flirting (Tehe-pero)
This is a special expression that’s used exclusively on cute
girls. This character type is the master of it. Chara-o smiles
and sticks his tongue out at girls when they made a mistake.
He makes girls laugh and gets their attention while teasing or
picking on them.
Surprise
Draw his eyes smaller with his irises at the bottoms of his eyes
since he’s looking at someone shorter than him. Add raised
eyebrows and an open mouth. The lines on his face express
changes in his complexion—like a blush—due to his
confusion or discomfort.
Chibi Style
Change this character as you would for other Chibis, but keep
the features such as voluminous hair, eyebrows with gentle
curves, and big eyes slanting downward.

Draw his irises long vertically and rather small with wide
sclera, which emphasizes the impression of being friendly and
flirty rather than cold.
The sides are almost hidden behind the bangs.
Don’t draw the hair loose or hanging over the eyes, but
maintain the basic hairstyle.
DELINQUENT BOY
Yankee
This character type is a delinquent. He’s often drawn with
flashy clothes and a wild hairstyle, which intimidates others.
He’s frequently villainous, but some Delinquent Boys have
morals and sincere personalities, and some can even be called
gungho. A Deliquent Boy may play a leading role in Shonen
manga, generally either as a friend or an enemy of the main
character. Typically, he isn’t very smart.
Atari
Thin eyebrows and small eyes slanting upward produce
ruthlessness and sharpness. In this example, the edges of the
eyebrows are shaved. You can also choose not to draw the
eyebrows. In contrast with the thick brows and big drooping
eyes of a Chara-o, this gives the Deliquent Boy an inaccessible
quality.

Add Atari for the hair. It’s flashy, but in a different way from a
Chara-o’s. The fixed hairstyle, made rigid with hairspray,
emphasizes his lack of approachability.
Draw the irises smaller and add lines under the eyes to make
them look sharper.
I’ve drawn him with a long and skinny face, but for the
Delinquent Boy you can use different face shapes, such as
square and threatening.
Draw the details according to the Atari, and it’s done.
Pen-ire & Finish
Create a flashy and intimidating hairstyle. The silhouette of
this one is like a lion’s mane. I chose red for the color because
it evokes fire and blood.
Front View

The outfit is flashy, but unlike a Chara-o outfit, it’s also edgy.
Animal prints and golden embroidery on black and flashy
accessories also fit well.
This pose is the Yankee squat that’s well-known in Japanese
manga. It’s the typical pose for delinquent students and gangs.
Sharp and triangle-shaped eyes with small irises gaze up at
you.
Profile View
Three-Quarter View
Expressions

Intimidation
It’s the same look as an animal trying to exert its dominance
by bristling its hair up before a fight. (Make sure the vein lines
are subtle; they’ll look odd if they’re too prominent.) It’s
similar to an expression of anger, with the addition of a frown
and veins in the temples. Be sure to express the tension not
only on the face, but also in the entire body by emphasizing
the lines of its muscles to show that he’s tensing before the
fight.
Tearfulness
The tears indicate that he’s a good person. By drawing the
eyebrows spreading outward on the bottom, the gap between
the eyebrows and the eyes slanting upward is widened,
creating a silly impression. The unguarded expression makes
you feel the warmth of the character’s personality.
Guffaw
This is how he smiles from the bottom of his heart. This is a
laugh of a simple idiot who cares about his friends, even
though he’s scary on the outside and feared. By emphasizing
the gap with the normal state, you can accentuate the
impression of the character’s kindness.
Chibi Style
Note the differences between the jawlines. In this case, the
Chibi’s jawline is slightly more angular than usual.

The Chibi’s hair has pretty high volume. Simplify the hairstyle
to draw only front and sides, omitting the back part.

The size of the eyes is exaggerated and enlarged, but the irises
remain small. Emphasize the sharpness of the eyes rather than
the cuteness of the Chibi.
Add a simplified old school uniform, called a tsume-eri.
Although in reality tsume-eri are rarely worn nowadays,
they’re still sometimes used in manga as a symbol of
delinquent students—often with a few alterations to highlight
the rebellious personality.

The hair looks like this if you show the spikes on the back in
the same way as the normal style. It makes him look cuter with
softer eyes by drawing the irises bigger.
BEAUTIFUL BOY
Bishonen
The Bishonen character is a boy with a pretty, girly face and a
thin, delicate physique. The combination of male and female
characteristics gives him an androgynous look.
Atari
The outline of his face is feminine and round, and he has the
largest eyes of any male character with long eyelashes, though
they’re narrower than any female character’s. His large mouth,
thick eyebrows, and wide neck are masculine elements.

Draw Atari for the hair. This character sometimes has

beautiful, long hair. Draw his hair so it’s long only at the back
and braided like a Beautiful Girl’s style. It’s the kind of
hairstyle that an active wanderer in a fantasy story would have.
His pupils and irises are large for a male character. He has a
small nose, but with a large mouth to make him look like a
man. The neck is thicker than a woman’s, but thin for a man.
Because he’s a boy in terms of age, his body shape is similar
to a child’s.
Draw the details along the Atari, and it’s done.
Pen-ire & Finish
Paint a delicate, skinny body with a pale complexion. Paint the
lips with a more vivid color than for other male characters.
Front View

To contrast with the character’s skinny body, add a loosely

draped cloak and accessorize his outfit with large bangles and
a decorative collar.
One of the Isekai elements is a slightly mysterious hairstyle
where only the back part is long and braided. Another is the
red tattoos on the back of his hand and on his arms.
Profile View
Three-Quarter View
Add long eyelashes with a downward slant. Upward-slanting
eyelashes make a character look feminine.
Expressions

Quiet Weeping
In this situation, the Bishonen is looking up to prevent his
tears from falling, but they end up falling despite his efforts.
He’s not clenching his teeth, but his mouth is tightly closed to
hide his crying. Note how the tears follow the curves of his
cheek.
Hidden Smile
Draw his hand placed on his face, hiding one eye and part of
his expression. Add a shadow covering one side and the upper
half of the face. Draw the eyes looking upward and add white
only to the eyes’ edges. In addition, add an asymmetrical smile
on the distorted mouth to convey a mysterious intention. To
accentuate his uneasy beauty, draw the eyelashes and eyes
looking upward to make him look feminine.
Taken Aback
Draw the eyebrows raised with eyes that aren’t too small to
show it’s not a big surprise. The movement lines or Manpu
next to the chin are irregular, and the strong, concentrated lines
radiating from his glance express a quick turn of the head.
Chibi Style
It’s hard to show the difference in style when you draw this
Chibi. His cuteness is emphasized more than his beauty, even
though he’s a Bishonen type. His Chibi will have a more
mysterious beauty, as if he were a Biseinen type (Beautiful
Man).

Note the difference in the contours of the two faces. The

jawline for this Chibi is the same as a girl’s since he’s
androgynous with a small chin and a round face.

Simplify the hairstyle and increase its volume.

Draw the eyelashes thick and the eyes big. Draw the mouth
rather small to maintain his mysterious attitude. A big mouth
gives a boyish impression.
This is a cute Chibi, but the angle of the eyebrows, the size of
the eyes, and the rough hairstyle make him look more like a
boy.
BEAUTIFUL GIRL
Bishoujo
All manga heroines are usually beautiful girls, but the
Bishoujo type is extremely beautiful. Give her an unworldly
beauty, like an elf or an angel.
Atari
Although she’s very beautiful, the contour of her face is
exactly the same as a normal girl’s. In order to express
cuteness and fragility, draw her eyes slanting downward
slightly with heavy eyelids. Make the space between eyes a
little wider than usual. Note that if you make the space very
big, you’ll make her look even more otherworldly.

Draw Atari for the hair. Add wavy long hair that’s parted in
the front. Decide on the flow of hair, thinking of the structure
as ribbons and tubes at the Atari stage.
Draw the details according to the Atari and it’s done.
Create a neat hair flow by drawing a few thin lines along the
Atari.
The sclera can’t be seen on the top or bottom of the eyes
because the irises are big and the eyelids are heavy. The
smaller the sclera, the more kind and beautiful the character
will look. Note that all-black eyes make a character look
inhuman.
Pen-ire & Finish
Create a Bishoujo girl with rich, long blonde hair, gentle, big
eyes, and a wide forehead.
Long hair looks messy if you don’t draw its flow neatly.
Drawing the Atari as if the hair is ribbons floating down her
head can help.
Front View
Profile View

Make the eyelashes thin and curving upward so the eyes look
even bigger.
Three-Quarter View
Expressions

Wonder or Disbelief
Draw the eyes a little smaller, though they’ll look almost the
same. The upper part of the iris isn’t at all covered by the
eyelid, and part of the sclera is visible. This is only a light
surprise, as the pop concentration effect shows. (The eyes
would be smaller if the character were seriously shocked.) The
lines of the hair express a shining blonde.
Sorrow or Grief
Since this is an expression of sadness, the eyes and face are
both facing downward. Even the background effect is drawn
on the bottom of the pane. While eyelashes normally curl
upward, here they’re slanted downward because the eyelids
are half-closed and the eyes are looking down. The white line
shows the flow of eyelashes. In this case, it’s drawn clearly
because the color of the eyelashes is light.
Betrayal
This expression represents a situation where the character is
both disappointed and angry. Since she’s looking down, the
sclera isn’t visible above and below the irises, which should be
drawn large. This expression shows that she’s almost crying,
suggesting her sadness is stronger than her anger. The flash in
the background shows her strong emotions.
Chibi Style
Change the hairstyle so it’s simpler, with fewer sections. Note
that the hair sections move in ribbon shapes along each line
drawn in the Atari.

Note the difference in the shape and proportion of the two

faces.

Add Atari for the hair.

The big eyes slanting downward are emphasized more for the
Chibi.
MAGICAL GIRL
Mahou Shoujo
A Magical Girl uses magic or special magical powers to fight
evil. She’s a heroine, especially in Shoujo manga.
Atari
Draw the jawline and the neck along the bottom of the Atari.
Draw the ears small and the eyes big, as she’s a cute girl.
Add gently curved eyebrows. Note that eyebrows slanting
upward make her look mean.
Draw her with big eyes and irises because she’s a character
similar to a heroine in Shojo manga. The sclera are small,
which make her look more graceful and ladylike.

Add Atari for the hair. Fluffy hair is a good choice for cute
magical girls.
Big eyes with upward slanted eyebrows make the character
look mean.

Draw the details according to the Atari and it’s done.

Add some cowlicks as accents.
Pen-ire & Finish
Add an Uchimaki fluffy hair shape, light yellow and pink
tones, swan wings for purity, and large fluffy ribbons. The
image is like a cute, sweet little cake.
Front View
Profile View
Three-Quarter View
Consider the front, side, and back sections of the hair when
you draw a profile or three-quarter pose.
Draw the character dancing with light steps to match her
personality and the setting of the character.
Expressions

Fearful Surprise
Draw the eyes wide open. In comparison to the normal eye
size, the size of the surprised eyes is almost the same. The
pupils become smaller and the scleras become larger giving
the impression that the eyes are wide open. Draw the irises in
the middle of the scleras so they don’t touch the top or bottom
eyelids. Use the Manpu—a burst of parallel lines—and a pale
complexion to add a nuance of fear or fright to this expression.
Big Laugh
When expressing emotions, it’s important to not only use
facial expressions. Use body language, like tilting the face or
posing, to further accentuate emotions. The lines in the
background gathering in the center (tenshuuchuu) make the
atmosphere soft, light, and warm. Manpu represents the
movement of the body shaking and laughing.
Wariness
Use this expression when a character is trying to find another
person’s true intentions, which is visually expressed by
drawing her sizing up the other person. Frowning is also a sign
of distrust, as is putting a hand on the chin, a pose often used
when thinking. The swirling Kakeami also signifies that she’s
deep in thought.
Chibi Style
Simplify the costume by adjusting its proportions and details
to fit the Chibi’s scale.

Note the difference in the contour of the Chibi’s face. The

shape of the jawbone is underdeveloped, like that of a baby.

In this Chibi style, the hair volume increases, so make the hair
even fluffier.
Increasing the iris size makes the eyes appear bigger, even
though they’re actually the same size.

Make the hairline simpler than the standard character’s.

To make her look cuter, draw the eyebrows higher, similar to a
baby’s.
Some artists draw the eyes differently for Chibis.
MAGICAL GIRL ON THE DARK SIDE
Yami-ochi
This character type is a Magical Girl who’s turned evil. There
are some Yami-ochi types that are drawn exactly the same as
the good Magical Girl (see here), except for the eyes. In this
case, I changed her appearance.

Since this character is the same as a Magical Girl, they have

the same face shape. But because this is the evil version,
change the cute eyes to sharp eyes that slant upward. Draw the
eyelines and lashes to convey thick makeup. Think of this
character as the black swan as opposed to the white swan.
Since she’s a villain, draw the irises slightly smaller.
Raise the eyebrow tails to make her look mean. Make the
eyebrows thin. The thinner you draw the eyebrows, the more
artificial and mean the character will look.
Even with the same smile, raising the corners of the mouth a
little, combined with the sharp eyes, will create a nasty smirk.
Add a rich lipstick color. Pink doesn’t suit a villain.
Make it obvious that she’s wearing heavy makeup overall.

Add Atari for the hair. Draw a rough hairstyle with the hair
sections separating and spreading outward, in contrast to the
original round, fluffy Uchimaki hairstyle. The rough hairstyle
represents the evil side, while the fluffy hairstyle signifies the
good side. The other notable features are the same.
Draw the details according to the Atari and it’s done.
Pen-ire & Finish
The finished head has a sharp silhouette that extends outward.
There are some Dark Side types who have the same hairstyle
as a good Magical Girl, but this time I chose to change
everything.
Front View
Profile View
Three-Quarter View

It’s common to use a lot of black to complete the character in a

sharp style. Use black as an accent to the crimson. A heavy
use of black is too much even for a villain in Shojo manga
style.
Good characters are pure, white, and clean, while evil ones are
dark and sexy. Evil characters also have more exposed skin.
An outfit with ties or string like a corset or a ribbon entwined
around the legs symbolizes that the once-good heart is now
bound to evil. This also applies to the design of her
accessories.
Expressions

Amazement
Draw a stunned facial expression where the irises don’t touch
any of the outer edges of the eyelids and the mouth is half-
open. By not drawing anything in the eyes, this expression
depicts someone who has lost their focus or been stunned.
Surprise is a vulnerable expression because the character is
caught off-guard. However, making the mouth wide open in an
“O” shape could make her look too defenseless and stupid for
a Yami-ochi character, so be sure not to make the mouth too
wide.
Smirk
Only draw the corner of the mouth up. This smirk is very
different from an innocent laugh. The angle of the face and the
eyes looking down on the other person shows the character’s
arrogance.
Anger
A classic expression of anger is to gaze upward from a
lowered face. Anger is drawn with strongly scowled eyebrows,
eyes slanted upward, teeth biting the lower lip, and lines
around the eyes. It’s an expression showing dark anger
swirling in the character’s heart. The background is done by
tapping gauze with ink on.
Note that creating a large emotional range will make her seem
more like a normal person, and the fear and creepiness of the
Yami-ochi character will be lost.
Chibi Style
Note the differences in the contour of the jawline and the
proportions of the faces.

It’s common to enlarge the eyes, but keep them sharp and
slanted upward. Make sure not to draw them round and cute.

The hairline and the position of the eyebrows move upward as

the head becomes bigger. Draw the eyes even sharper by
enlarging them even more.
Draw her with no expression as she’s a character who doesn’t
get emotional.
MAGICAL GIRL’S MALE ENEMY
This character type is broad. There are various versions, but
typically they’re beautiful Bishonen or Biseinen boys or men.
Here’s a typical example of a beautiful young man with long
hair.
The face is longer than the boy and the jawline is sharp. The
sharp eyes are slanting upward to make him look like a villain.
Even with the same sharp eyes, you’ll see the difference when
compared to the Cool Boy type (see here). Rather, they’re
closer to the eyes of a Delinquent Boy (here).

Cool boy type eye. Long, but not slanted upward.

Since the face is longer, the nose is also naturally longer.
Although he’s a man, his nose bridge is fine and feminine
because he’s beautiful. The jawline is also rather soft for a
man. The difference is clear when compared to the Male
Warrior type (see here). (Of course, it’s thicker than a
woman’s.) Draw the mouth big and masculine.
Add Atari of the hair. The side hair is hidden behind the long
bangs parted in the middle.
The space between the eyebrows is small. A wide space would
suggest an immature or cute character.
Draw the details according to the Atari and it’s done.
One eyelash on the lower eyelid and thick eyeliner are typical
villain features. They give a mean impression with sharp eyes.
Pen-ire & Finish
Since it’s the world of Magical Girls, use a light purple color
for the hair, similar to anime style. The colors of the symbol
on his forehead, chest, and the cards in his hands are similar.
Use red as an accent color and keep the main color as purple-
blue. The motif is a magician who dazzles people.
Front View
Profile View
Three-Quarter View

As a beautiful Seinen, the line from the cheekbones to the jaw

is straighter than women and even boys.
Since he’s a slender, feminine character, don’t draw many
abdominal muscles. The difference is more obvious when
comparing to the Male Warrior type.
Expressions

Cunning Smile
This is a sinister grin or smirk. Body language, facial
expression, and background effects are used to achieve this
expression. For example, his slanted mouth, the direction of
his gaze and side eye, the downward angle of his face, and the
background noise gradation suggest foul play or ill intent.
Threatening Laugh
This is a typical bad guy laugh. He laughs loudly and crazily.
The low point of view makes the person look big and
powerful. The concentrated lines in the background, drawn
upward and in the same direction as the perspective, express
powerful and strong movement. Disheveled hair also shows
movement.
Disdainful Wrath
Anger is commonly expressed with frowning eyebrows, lines
under the eyes, and a wide open mouth. He’s scolding
somebody, staring at them with a strong side eye, meaning his
head is facing a different direction than at what or whom he’s
looking. Not facing the other person conveys a negative
feeling such as scorn or disdain. The background flash
symbolizes emotional strength.
Chibi Style
Add features such as voluminous bangs, long straight hair, and
slightly triangular, sharp eyes with small pupils.

Note the difference in the proportions and contour of the face.

In order to give the impression that he’s different from
ordinary humans, change the light reflection in the iris so it
flows from the left and right to the center.
There’s also a method to produce an effect by slightly shifting
it from the basic style like this.
Simplify the hairstyle by leaving the original shape.
Draw the irises pretty big, but with white space around them
except at the top.
MAGICAL GIRL’S FEMALE ENEMY
This character type is very broad. For example, there are some
that are the same age as Magical Girls, neat and innocent ones,
cute ones, or sexy, voluptuous ones. For this example, I chose
an adult villain type who’s the opposite of the heroine.

Draw her eyes big with thick eyelids, half-open eyes, and long
eyelashes. Make her look like she’s wearing makeup to give
her a sexy look.
Draw the eyes sharp to produce a cold, villainous look.
Draw the jawline and the neck. For an adult, the jawbone is
longer than for a Magical Girl.
Add Atari for the hair. Choose a hairstyle that symbolizes the
character’s core. For example, a curved hairstyle that
resembles a scorpion stinger symbolizes her villainous
character. In this case, one side of the face is hidden under
thick bangs.
Draw the details according to the Atari and it’s done.
Emphasize her sexiness with full lips.
Pen-ire & Finish
There are artists who use blue- or green-colored skin, but I
drew inspiration from albinism and scorpions to create a
character with red eyes, white skin, and white hair.
As with the male version, remove the big part of the light in
the eyes and draw lines to show the light coming from both
sides.
Front View
Profile View

When designing clothes, I recommend deciding what kind of

items and motifs you will use as a starting point before
expanding your idea.
Three-Quarter View
The end of her braid and her dangling earrings are scorpion
stingers.
Expressions

Boisterous Laugh
A female villain’s laugh is typically a hysterical laugh, like
hohoho. It’s a bit unflattering to draw women with a low-angle
perspective, emphasizing their nostrils and jaw; however, this
angle suits these situations best. Beta flash with a strong
background shows the intensity of the laughter. The center is
offset from the center of the frame, adding dynamic movement
to the screen.
Restrained Rage
This expression is for calm anger, as if she’s disciplining her
subordinates. The strong frown indicates anger and the speed
line for the look and background indicate the direction of her
emotion. In this case, the character isn’t moving.
Happiness or Love
A comical expression that’s always in a Magical Girl story. It’s
a classic expression to be crazy for cute boys such as fellow
villains—or a Magical Girl’s boyfriend. Use troubled
eyebrows in situations like this. The maidenlike hand position
also expresses her emotions. If you want, draw a heart or star
in her eyes and make them shiny.
Chibi Style
Note the differences between the contours and proportions of
the two faces. The standard character’s face is a little long, but
it’s not necessary to reflect that in the Chibi style.

Add a good amount of volume to the hair. Change her in a cute

way even though she’s a villainess.
Keep her breast size even though she’s a Chibi. The face-to-
body ratio should be 1:1.5 (2.5 heads).
Exaggerate her sharp eyes.
Normal light in the eyes makes her look human and cute.
MALE VAMPIRE
The Vampire character is so popular that it can appear in many
guises. Here I introduce the classic Count Dracula type: A
beautiful middle-aged man who is cold-blooded, arrogant,
slender, and aristocratic. He has pointed ears and canines.
Atari
As a middle-aged man, the line of the jaw is considerably
lower and the face is longer. Make his face a little longer and
thinner than the average middle-aged man.

Add Atari for the hair. Raise the hairline and brush the hair
back to expose the forehead, which gives a calm and mature
impression, and is also a suitable hairstyle for an older man.
To create a cold, nonhuman attitude, add light-colored hair,
long eyelashes, sharp eyes, and a thin, high nose line with
delicate, narrow contours.
The loose tendrils on the front and side of the face give the
Vampire a sexy look.

Draw the details according to the Atari, and it’s done.

Show the Vampire’s age with wrinkles beside his eyes and
mouth.
If you find it difficult to draw an older man, it might be easier
to draw a younger face first. Then add little lines to each
feature (nose, mouth, eyes, and receding hairline).
Pen-ire & Finish
Paint the Vampire with an unhealthy, waxy whiteness.
Add red to the eyes, mouth, and earrings. (Count Dracula’s
lips are said to be red.)
Front View

Add some shading to the corners of the eyes and his cheeks.
This will make his eyes and cheeks look sunken to emphasize
his thinness.
It may be hard to tell as the pupils are small, but they’re oval
shaped.
Profile View
Three-Quarter View

Note that dress shirts have different collars for ascot ties and
bowties.
The suit looks like a luxury item when it fits snugly on the
body. If you draw wrinkles in strange places, it will make the
suit look like it doesn’t fit, which makes it look cheap.
Expressions

Contempt or Distrust
Since the Vampire is a Tanbi (aestheticism) character, he
doesn’t value people he doesn’t find beautiful—even if they’re
his family. Moreover, he sees humans as less than garbage and
doesn’t recognize the meaning of their existence. The eyes are
the key feature in expressing contempt or distrust. The tonal
areas in the background, which flow toward the center of the
drawing from above and below, make the eyes shine brightly.
Confused and Surprised
Although it depends on the artist’s style, it’s not rare for a
noble and beautiful character to have a comical touch in
manga. Carefully consider the time and place of this
expression, because it could destroy the character’s image.
Deep in Thought
Please note the difference between the confused and surprised
expression and the thinking expression, even though the same
pose is used. It’s a typical thinking pose. The character is
looking forward with half-open eyes and the background is
turning bright, with the gradated pattern symbolizing the
organization of his thoughts.
Chibi Style
It’s hard to make a Chibi with a sunken face and sharp edges.
Express this character’s features with a wide forehead, sunken
cheeks, and half-open, sunken eyes.

Note the difference in the contours of the faces. The middle-

aged man Chibi style has a slightly longer face than a boy
Chibi character.

Don’t increase the hair volume much, but do exaggerate the

loose hair. Big eyes and a small nose are the typical features,
but they’re not exaggerated as much for teens. Omit the nose if
you like; however, make sure not to draw him too cute so he
doesn’t look like the original character.

Young Male Vampires

Remove the nose from the youth version. Noses get bigger as
you age, so they’re important for the middle-aged version.
FEMALE VAMPIRE
This is also a classic Vampire type, among many vampire
possibilities. A doll-like face that’s basically expressionless
makes her look inhuman. Add light-pigmented hair,
transparent white skin, and a face with delicate, thin contours.
Although long canine teeth are characteristic of vampires,
they’re often not noticeable on beautiful Female Vampires.
Many vampire characters have canines that only show when
they suck blood.
Atari
Draw the same face as for a Beautiful Girl, but skinnier, with a
slightly thinner jaw. Add beautiful eyebrows with curved tails,
heavy eyelids, and half-open eyes to make her look cold and
emotionless.

Draw the Atari for hair, including the front, back, and sides.

Bangs create a more youthful look.

Emphasize her inhuman beauty with sunken eyes, a stronger
contrast of light and shadow, and dark eyeliner.
Make the mouth and nose small, like a doll’s.
Draw the details according to the Atari, and it’s done.
Pen-ire & Finish
Add blonde hair that’s almost white with light-colored
eyebrows and eyelashes to create a waxlike, sun-deprived
look.
Front View

Use a waxy white or pale rosy color for the skin. Apply a
slightly darker color to the eyelids to make the eyelashes stand
out.
Profile View

Add purple to the lips to match the gothic clothing style.

It’s typical to combine the vampire and gothic types, as seen
with Gothic Lolita.
Make sure to draw each ruffle carefully. When drawing this
costume, show the contrast between the gathered and full
areas.
Three-Quarter View
Since the hair and skin are pale, use a rich red for the eyes and
lips, and a strong color scheme for the clothes. Red and black
are a good palette for the clothing and accessories.
Expressions

Sardonic Smile
Although the corners of her mouth are slightly raised, they’re
hidden behind her hand. The crescent-shaped lips give a
ridiculing impression. The fact that the smile isn’t reflected in
her eyes confirms her true heart. A lace background usually
expresses cuteness and softness, but in this case it creates an
eerie beauty.
Foreboding
Give her a furrowed brow, a slightly frowning mouth, and
glaring eyes with wrinkles around them to express discomfort.
You can also use glaring to the side or a side eye here.
Angry Glower
This background (a lightning flash) is usually used in serious
situations, such as tension, determination, and hostility. But
depending on the character, it can be used in comical
situations too, like this example.
Add some Manpu to make the atmosphere more comical, such
as blue veins and circles on the forehead and lines under the
eyes. These emphasize the gap from her normal cold-blooded
attitude.
Chibi Style
Note the differences in the contours of the faces.

Exaggerate the moody look.

To make her look like a porcelain doll, I try not to exaggerate

the hair too much.
Add a small nose and mouth and big eyes to follow the typical
Chibi style. Keep the heavy eyelids and the half-open eyes to
maintain the character’s look.
SAMURAI
Rōnin
A Rōnin is a samurai who has no feudal clan or lord to serve.
He lives in the town, not in the samurai residence. He’s often
looking for a master to serve, or teaching swordsmanship in
the dojo. (This character is often portrayed as a dojo master
who trains the main character.) For this book, I made him an
old man to broaden the age range of the characters and faces.
Atari
Draw an angular and strongly developed jaw. The contour of
the jaw isn’t that different from an older or adult character, but
since he’s strong, the jaw is almost square-shaped.

It may be easier to first draw the face young, then work in

lines to age the features as shown. Draw thick eyebrows and a
large nose and ears to give a stern, warrior look. The hairline is
set far back because we’ll turn him into an old man eventually.

Add Atari for the hair. The relationship of the front, side, and
the back sections of the hair is basically the same as a girl’s
ponytail.
Draw the details according to the Atari and it’s done.
Draw details such as saggy parts or wrinkles for an old man.
Add a receding hairline and lengthen the eyebrows and
sideburns to make him look older. Draw the ponytail loosely to
match the Rōnin style. Drawing wrinkles on the forehead is
optional.
Leave the general shape of the lower jaw while slackening the
cheeks and making the contour lines of the jaw slightly
concave. The sides of the face should look like little deflated
balloons.
Pen-ire & Finish
Front View

Draw some dark shadows around the eyes to make them look
sunken.
Three-Quarter View
Profile View

Make the skin look loose by drawing the bone bumps clearly,
with the skin hanging from them. This will make him look
older.
When drawing a kimono, keep in mind that the shape of the
sleeves is not the same as the arms within them. The sleeves
are much larger. I recommend checking reference images
online, as it’s hard to draw the kimono folds for those who
don’t normally wear them.
Expressions

Heightened Awareness
Use this expression when the character is staring at one point
and noticing something, with either one eye open or both eyes
closed while concentrating. The shadows on the face show that
he is facing down slightly, which is often used without actually
changing the position of the light source. The strong flash in
the background, aligned with the eyes, and the white line that
penetrates it are symbols that show the character’s sharp eyes
and strong concentration.
Mortification
Here the character coughs to hide his embarrassment. The
exaggerated Manpu—the lines showing the redness of the face
—and simple eyes create a comical look. Losing composure
isn’t normal Samurai behavior, so I portrayed this expression
as a heartwarming scene.
Roaring Laughter
This is a masculine laugh, showing the inside of his mouth.
Posing the character with his head tilted backward would be
good also. Add wrinkles to the edges of the eyes or around the
mouth to emphasize the age of his face.
Chibi Style
It might be hard to make a Chibi out of an adult man,
especially a middle-aged man. Change him to make him look
like a Chibi, while leaving his essential features.

Note the differences in the contours of the faces. For the

Chibis, the blue line is a Chibi boy’s. An old Chibi has a
bonier jaw.

His facial features are goggling eyes, a bony face line, sunken
cheeks, rough eyebrows and sideburns, a receding hairline,
and deeply carved wrinkles.
Simplify the kimono sleeves for the Chibi.
Adding wrinkles is an important element. Make sure to add
them where they’re supposed to be, such as around the edges
of the eyes and above the mouth.
JAPANESE PRINCESS
There are different costumes for Japanese-style Princesses,
depending on the time period and their status. In this case, I
used the image of a samurai princess from the Edo period as
an example. Decorate her tiara with plum flowers or your
favorite flower, such as cherry blossoms or daisies.
Atari
Draw the jawline and neck along the Atari.
Draw thick eyebrows. Make her face round and her jaw small,
as she’s a young girl.
Add Atari for the hair. There are various ways of tying hair,
but this way is common for samurai daughters. Even with such
a complicated hairstyle, you can divide it into front, side, and
back parts as you draw it.

Add a hair ornament of plum flowers. A real one has smaller

flowers that overlap, but you can simplify the ornament so it’s
easier to draw. Draw the whole Atari, and then draw each
individual flower.

Draw the details according to the Atari, and it’s done.

Pen-ire & Finish
Front View

Make sure to draw the collar correctly when you draw

traditional Japanese clothes. The left side of the collar should
overlap the right side. This applies to both men’s and women’s
collars. (If you reverse it, it signifies a dead person.)
This nonfunctional dress with long sleeves is common for
young unmarried women.
Profile View
Tie the back hair up to make a big bun.
Three-Quarter View
Expressions

Demure Giggle
Since this character is a Princess, her laughter is graceful and
elegant, and she discreetly hides her mouth. The eyebrow
shape is the same for a puzzled expression, and represents
negative emotions such as confusion and sadness. In this case,
a troubled expression fits this situation because she’s
unexpectedly smiling or laughing while confused.
Puzzled
In this example, a troubled expression is used in an actual
troubling situation. The loop on the left eyebrow is a Manpu-
like symbol that represents comical confusion. Draw the irises
small. The comedic effect will be lessened if you draw them as
you would a normal size.
Flabbergasted
This is the troubled expression being used for a happy
surprise. In this case, bow-shaped eyebrows work, but use a
troubled type to add a nuance that she’s unbelievably happy.
Draw the eyebrows raised and the eyes wide open, which is
standard for a surprised expression. The addition of large irises
and the mouth shape express positive emotions. The tears in
the eyes show that she’s moved. The background shows a soft
atmosphere with a gentle light coming from her.
Chibi Style

Note the differences in the contours of the faces.

Because the original Japanese hair style is large, I didn’t make

her hair more voluminous. Make the Shike bigger instead.
Shike: Single locks of hair that hang along either side of the
bun.

The princess’s dress is long and the bottom hem is draped.

MALE WARRIOR
This character type has a large, thick, muscular, and well-
trained body shape.
Atari
Shape the jawline between a square and an oval to make him
look young and cool. The jaw should be solid and square. The
neck is also thicker than that of ordinary men.
Add fine, sharp eyes and thick, masculine eyebrows.
Draw the ear, nose, and mouth large to make him look
masculine.
Draw a thick nose bridge and a wide nose by drawing lines on
the end of the nose and his nostrils.
Add the hair Atari. Draw short, slightly wavy, hard hair. It’s
not flowing hair as in Shoujo manga, but it becomes a natural
hairstyle by consciously drawing the flow from the side and
the back.
Draw the details and it’s done.
Add a headband after drawing the hair. Sometimes, as in this
case, it’s better to add it after drawing the hair Atari,
depending on the hairstyle.
Pen-ire & Finish
Front View

Finish the hair with a blue-toned color that’s close to black.

Depending on how you color the shadows cast by the nose, its
thick bridge will stand out.
Since this character is a strong, adult man, make his bone
structure prominent, with a thick neck showing visible lines to
represent its muscles and tendons.
Profile View
Three-Quarter View

The nose for this character, when shown in profile and three-
quarter views, is more similar to a nose in real life because of
the wide bridge.
Expressions

Misery
The Warrior here is trying to hold back his tears for fear of
being seen as weak or not manly. Convey this expression with
furrowed eyebrows, tears pooling in his eyes, and wrinkles
around his mouth, with him biting his lower lip.
Distress
Here he’s enduring a dangerous situation, like losing on the
battlefield or being cornered. Clenched teeth is a key attribute
of this expression. The shadow covers the upper part of the
face, signifying a pale complexion. Indicate that he’s
physically worn out with vertical lines on the lips. Draw the
irises touching the upper eyelids with him staring straight
ahead to convey his unbreakable, fiery spirit.
Baffled Dejection
This expression is for light despair in a comical scene, such as
being dumped or having precious food taken away. Slightly
lower the corners of the mouth to show a pitiful look. Add
furrowed eyebrows and Manpu tears to make it more comical.
The scene becomes funnier when very masculine characters
act out of character or are unusually expressive. Add any pop
pattern, such as stars, hearts or triangles, in the background.
His half- extended hand also shows his despair.
Chibi Style
Don’t draw the Chibi style for this character with the same
look as a teen character Chibi.

Leave the square jawline, even with a round face.

Increase the volume of hair, enlarge the eyes, and exaggerate

the eyebrows in a cute way.
To apply the Chibi style, leave the line for the nose bridge but
omit the nostrils, since his thick nose bridge is a key physical
characteristic.

Exaggerate the size of the hair band to make it look cute.

FEMALE WARRIOR
This character archetype has many versions, including
muscular Amazons and slender, beautiful girls. In this case, a
general Female Warrior type is one with a strong and
dependable personality.
Atari
Since she’s an adult, draw the face a little longer than a teen’s
and with a strong jawline. But make sure not to draw the chin
line too strong, as it’ll make her look like a man.
Add sharp eyes and thick eyebrows to create a strong and
unyielding image. (These same features are often seen on a
villain type.) Add slightly thick lips to express her maturity,
sexiness, and passion.

Draw the jawline and the neck according to the Atari.

Add Atari for the hair. Keep the forehead visible to express
maturity and gracefulness. It’s an attribute of reliable
characters.
Draw the irises slightly smaller to express her strong will. Big
irises suggest a softer, sensitive character.
Draw the details according to the Atari and it’s done.
Make sure to draw the details of the head gear after drawing
the Atari to check the position and balance.
Pen-ire & Finish
Make her body more muscular than a typical girl’s, but still
feminine.
Front View
Profile View
Three-Quarter View

I drew her body to look stronger than a typical woman, but not
overly muscular. Even though she is a warrior, I still wanted
her to look feminine.
Create a costume of your choice. Design it by considering the
following: What kind of material is it made of? How is it
worn? How and where does it protect her? Where can you
attach weapons? and so on. It doesn’t really matter whether the
costume would function in reality, but thinking about it adds
depth and persuasiveness to the design.
Expressions

Audacious Courage
This shows a situation where the character is taking on a tough
task. A Female Warrior is a trustworthy character who takes
good care of people and doesn’t let her people down. Her
strong bicep says, “Leave it to me.”
Uncertainty
Use this confused expression when the character is faced with
something unexpected yet positive, such as gifts or thanks.
The background and the redness on her face show that
something warm is spreading in her heart.
Determined Fury
A downward-facing head and messy hair indicate an explosive
emotional state.
Create frowning eyebrows and add lines to her forehead. The
forehead lines indicate that strong force is being applied to the
area between the eyebrows, caused by strongly furrowing
them. Add lines under the eyes and wrinkles on the nose, raise
the corners of the mouth, clench the teeth and add ridges
above the mouth to show muscle tension. Make sure the small
irises touch the upper outline of the eyes. The white dots in the
iris’s outlines represent the position of the light source to the
left and right. All these facial features express explosive anger.
The background is a flaming Kakeami flash that burns. It
depicts her inner state, burning violently and intensely.
Chibi Style
Draw the Chibi with a cute, round face with the same rounded
shape as a teen character.

Note the differences in the contours of the faces. In this case,

the Chibi’s is the same as a teen’s.

Spread the hair wider on the bottom to add volume and waves.
Omit some parts of the costume to suit the Chibi character’s
short arms and legs.

Give her a curled tendril on her forehead. Exaggerate the

features as for a typical Chibi, with a wide forehead, enlarged
eyes and irises, and a small nose.
ANIMAL GIRL
Kemonomimi
Kemonomimi are cute creatures. There are many different
types, because they’re basically just a typical character with
the ears of a beast, such as a cat, fox, or wolf. This example is
a cute girl with cat ears.
Atari
Draw the face contour of an ordinary pretty girl with soft,
curved eyebrows and big eyes.
Draw the ears during the Atari stage because their position
will affect the balance of the face. It’s important to balance the
whole face, even when drawing an Animal type.

Add Atari for the hair. Consider the position of the animal
ears; they sit on the head as if the character is wearing a
headband, and extend from behind the hair on the sides of the
head.
Draw the details according to the Atari and it’s done.
The ear shape will change depending on the type of animal.
Use the example here as the basis for your favorite animal ears
and adjust as needed. Don’t forget to draw the hair in the ears.
There are different methods for adding the ear hair, such as
blending it with the character’s hair to make the separation
between them less noticeable, or drawing the ear and head hair
separately.
Pen-ire & Finish
Choose a color scheme based on a real-life reference, like a
Siamese cat. The tone of the character’s hair and the hair in
her animal ears is the same.
Front View
Profile View

In the profile view, the ears emerge from the side instead of
the top of the head. Draw them behind the side hair.
Three-Quarter View

Draw the separation among the front, side, and back hair
clearly, drawing the direction of the growth for each
differently.
Add accessories such as red ribbon or a bell. Add red shoes to
match.
Expressions

Angry Pout
This is a disapproving expression because the character isn’t
convinced of something. Pouting is a typical comical
expression. The tightly held hands also give a childish and
cute impression. Slight nuances in the eyebrow shape will
subtly change the expression from angry to puzzled.
Delighted Laughter
This is an innocent, pure smile. The mouth shape gives the
impression of shining teeth. It’s a smile like hehehe, instead of
laughing aloud like hahaha. In this case, the cat-like pose is
intended to hide embarrassment. The soft and fluffy
background creates a sense of happiness.
Warning Grin
Her smirk has a slightly nasty tinge that, when combined with
half-open eyes, creates the suggestion that she’s plotting
something. The position of her hand, as if she’s going to
scratch something, is adapted from the classic cat pose.
Emphasize the implication of a scheme by adding a dull, haze-
like brightness to the background and a low light to cast an
eerie shadow on the face.
Chibi Style
Draw the bell huge on the collar to match the big ears and
exaggerated fur.
To heighten the Siamese cat look, add some dark brown gloves
and boots.

Draw the jaw smaller, as she’s a cute type in typical Chibi

style.

If you want, make her hair fluffier to increase cuteness.

Draw the ears big with fur bunched up within them.

Below is an example of a girl with fox ears.

Try drawing different combinations. The ears look different
depending on the animal you choose.
SALARYMAN
There are different types of Salarymen—salaried white-collar
workers who are devoted to the company that employs them—
but here I introduce an ordinary Salaryman character that often
appears in manga. He’s usually in his late 20s to early 30s.
Atari
Make the proportions and outline of the face and jawline for
an average adult man. The jawbone is more developed and
angular than a teenager’s, but it shouldn’t be too strong
because he’s not a manual laborer. Though the face isn’t
square, the chin should be flat.
The hairstyle is parted perfectly to a ratio of 7:3. Unlike
students, who have a characteristic hairstyle of unruly
bedhead, Salaryman’s is combed nicely.
Make the eyes, nose, and mouth average and plain. Eyeglasses
are commonly used as props.
Draw the details according to the Atari and it’s done.
Pen-ire & Finish
The cheekbones and the jawline are for an adult man. His
body shape is rather skinny. He looks like he’ll lose any fight.
Add a small cowlick or a few unruly strands of hair to give
some visual interest.
Front View

Be creative with the props. Coffee and a briefcase are signs of

a modern businessman.
Profile View

When you draw a suit, draw it to fit the body beautifully. The
suit will look cheap if you draw it ill-fitting, particularly in the
shoulders.
Three-Quarter View

Make the head-to-body ratio 1 to 6½.

Expressions

A er-Hours Cheer
The Salaryman toasting with a colleague at a bar at the end of
a hard day. His hair is messy because he’s already finished
work. The unbuttoned shirt and the loosened tie also provide
context. The pop pattern in the background is the expression of
light. His smile is shining.
Apologetic
A Salaryman always comes with an apology. It’s typical for
Japanese Salarymen to bow down and apologize for their
mistakes to their bosses, customers, and business partners. As
he bows down, one of his straightened hairs falls on his
forehead. The concentrated lines in the background are classic
and highly versatile. They can be used to emphasize a
situation, particularly in action scenes.
Unrestrained Ire
His anger makes him so agitated that his hair gets messy. Place
lines under his sharp eyes, add redness to the face, and make
the irises smaller. He’s glaring at the person he’s angry with.
He’s pointing his finger at the person and roaring loudly while
spitting. Vertical lines indicate that pressure is exerted on the
subject of his anger from above.
You can also draw the flow in the opposite direction, from
bottom to top, with the image of anger rising.
Chibi Style
Note how the contours of the face are different.
Draw a squarish jawline for the Chibi.

Draw the hair with plenty of volume.

It’s a cute Chibi character, but draw him with a plain

expression.
Exaggerate his unruly hair and it’s done.
OFFICE LADY
This is a female office worker who is generally young.
Apply characteristics based on her occupation. She may be
quiet or loud, plain or beautiful. The oval-shaped face line is
standard for an adult woman in manga.
Add Atari for the hair. Draw straight hair parted on the side.
There are some Office Lady character types who wear heavy
makeup and dress up in flashy outfits after work.

Make her eyebrows thin and neat. She wears simple makeup
even when she’s a plain character.
Draw the details according to the Atari, and it’s done.
Pen-ire & Finish
Finish with a modest and plain impression overall. Her style is
neat even though it’s not flashy. Her hairstyle is also neat.
Front View
Profile View
Three-Quarter View

A typical outfit for an Office Lady is a uniform, a name plate,

tights, and a pair of high heels.
Common props are documents, copy papers, teapots, or
lunchboxes.
Expressions

Fake Smile
This is a smile with no compassion toward the customer. Add
mechanically raised corners of the mouth. The eyebrows are
drawn together. There are no wrinkles, but the eyebrow shape
is closer to angry than a smile. It’s an annoyed smile. The
curve of the eyelids express discomfort. You could add a
popping vein on the forehead to show that she’s annoyed.
Sulking
Here she’s being scolded by her boss. She can’t look directly
at him or her because of her guilt, so she looks down with her
eyes to the side. She knows it was her fault, but she can’t face
it. The pouting expression and the mouth shape show her
childish personality. The swirling Manpu also represents her
troubles.
Concealed Laughter
For office ladies, gossiping is essential. She’s happily
gossiping about a cute coworker with her colleagues. Hiding
her mouth conveys whispering. The handwritten irregular
concentrated lines create a warm, comical atmosphere.
Chibi Style
There’s almost no difference between an adult woman and a
teen in Chibi style. The maturity is expressed through clothes,
hairstyle, makeup, and other details.

Note the difference in the proportions and contours of the face.

In Chibi style, the face shape for a child is the same as a teen.

Draw the eyes slightly smaller compared to a teen.

A smaller eye size gives her a plain look. Bigger eyes make
her look cuter.

Add a prop for the Office Lady, like a lunch tote.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Nao Yazawa is a Japanese manga artist residing in Tokyo,
Japan. She is most well known for her manga series Wedding
Peach, which was made into an anime series of the same
name. Both the manga and anime series were translated into
several languages. Since 2008, she has been teaching manga
workshops (in English) internationally in Germany, Denmark,
Austria, Canada, and the United States. She teaches in-person
workshops at Nakano Manga School in Nakano-ku, Tokyo,
where she maintains the studio where she hosts her online
classes. She is also the author of the instructional guide Manga
Drawing Deluxe.
INDEX

Adults, 10, 13
Age, 10, 92, 100, 101
Atari, 6, 8, 9, 16

Backgrounds, 98, 114

Bangs, 28, 36, 39, 56, 58, 59, 60, 84, 88, 96
Beta/Beta-inking, 6
Bishonen character, 68–71, 84–87
Bishoujo, 72–75
Black hair, 12, 41, 49, 53, 57, 109
Black, in clothing, 81, 97
Blond hair, 12, 24, 45, 61, 73, 97
Body to head ratios, 13, 14, 15

Charo-o, 60–63
Chibi style, 13, 14–15
Child(ren), 10, 13
Clothing, 33, 37, 45, 49, 61, 65, 69, 81, 89, 93, 97, 101, 105, 113, 117, 121, 124
Coloring, 18–21, 22–25
Crying, 30, 46, 50, 58, 66, 70, 106, 110

Do-Sen/Ryu-Sen, 6
Dojikko, 32–35

Ears, animal, 116, 117

Embarrassment, 38, 54, 102
Expressions, drawing
Anger, 38, 46, 82, 86, 90, 114, 118, 122
Apologetic, 122
Betrayal, 74
Coldness, 54
Confusion, 50, 94, 114
Contempt, 94
Courage, 114
Disbelief, 74
Disdain, 86
Distress, 110
Distrust, 34, 78, 94
Fear, 78
Flirty, 61, 62
Foreboding, 98
Grief, 74
 Happiness, 90
Joyful, 34
Love, 90
Misery, 110
Puzzled, 106
Reflective, 54
Sadness, 34, 74
Scorn, 54, 86
Self-indulgence, 30
Shock, 42
Spacing out, 58
Stress, 50
Sulking, 126
Surprise, 54, 62, 70, 78, 82, 94, 106
Thinking, 54, 94
Troubled, 106
Uncertainty, 114
Wariness, 78
Wonder, 74
Eyebrows, 8, 32, 34, 38, 40, 44, 45, 48, 56, 60, 64, 66, 76, 80, 106, 124, 126
Eyeglasses, 36, 37, 38, 52, 53, 54, 120
Eyelashes, 33, 44, 69, 73, 74, 80, 84, 97
Eyes, 11, 20, 24, 28, 34, 38, 40, 42, 44, 48, 50, 52, 56, 60, 64, 72, 74, 76, 78, 80, 82,
93, 101, 106, 110, 112, 114

Faces, 7–10
Forehead lines, 114
Frowns/frowning, 30, 41, 42, 43, 78, 90, 98

Gothic style, 97
Gradation, 19, 22

Hair/hairstyle, 7, 12, 20–21, 77, 80

Head-to-body ratio, 13, 14, 15, 121
Highlights, 21, 25
Howaito (White), 6
Hukidashi, 6

Intimidation, 66
Iri, 6, 25

Jaw/jawline, 9, 10, 28, 44, 48, 51, 84, 88, 92, 100, 108, 112, 120

Kakeami, 6, 30, 50, 78, 114

Kakimoji (SFX), 6
Kemonomimi, 116–119
Kouka-Sen, 6

Laughter/laughing, 66, 78, 86, 90, 102, 106, 118, 126

Light, direction of, 19–21

Mahou Shoujo, 76–79

Makeup, 44, 80, 88, 124
Manpu, 6, 35, 38, 42, 43, 58, 70, 78, 98, 102, 106, 110, 126
Markers, coloring with, 22–25
Megane-ko, 36–39
Megane-kun, 52–55
Mouth, 23, 25, 50, 62, 66, 69, 86, 93, 97, 98, 112

Nekketsu, 48–51
Nuki, 6, 17, 25

Pen-ire, 6, 17
Pink, 22, 23, 77
Poses/stances, 39, 45, 49, 53, 54, 57, 65, 94, 118
Purple, 85, 97

Rōnin, 100–103
Red, 50, 58, 65, 85, 89, 93, 97, 117
Ribbons, 77, 81, 117
Ruy-Sen/Do-Sen, 6

Samurai, 100–103
Shadows, 23, 25
Shojo manga, 81
Shonen manga, 11, 48, 49, 50, 64
Shoujo manga, 11, 17, 23, 76, 108
Skin, painting, 19, 22–23, 92, 98, 100, 102, 103, 110
Smiles/smirks, 38, 42, 46, 58, 62, 70, 80, 82, 86, 98, 118, 122, 126
Suspicion, 30, 34
Sweat, 35, 38, 42, 43, 50, 54, 58
Syucyu-Sen, 6

Teenagers, 10
Teeth, clenched, 110, 114
Tehe-pero, 62
Tenshuuchuu, 78
Teri-Beta, 6, 12, 17
Tools, 16–17
 for coloring with markers, 22
for watercoloring, 18
Tsun-dere, 40–43, 56

Vampires, 92–99
Villain characters, 80–91

Warriors, 108–115
Watercolor, coloring with, 18–21

Yami-ochi character, 80–83

Yankee characters, 41, 44–47, 64–67
Text and images © 2021 Nao Yazawa
Concept, design, and presentation © 2021 Quarto Publishing Group USA Inc.
First Published in 2021 by Quarry Books, an imprint of The Quarto Group,
100 Cummings Center, Suite 265-D, Beverly, MA 01915, USA.
T (978) 282-9590 F (978) 283-2742 QuartoKnows.com
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form without
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10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
ISBN: 978-1-63159-962-0
Digital edition published in 2021
eISBN: 978-1-63159-963-7
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Yazawa, Nao, author.
Drawing and painting anime & manga faces : step-by-step techniques for creating
authentic characters and expressions / Nao Yazawa.
LCCN 2020056747 | ISBN 9781631599620 (paperback)
1. Face in art—Juvenile literature. 2. Facial expression in art—Juvenile literature. 3.
Comic books, strips, etc.—Japan—Technique—Juvenile literature.
LCC NC1764.8.F33 Y39 2021 | DDC 704.9/42—dc23
Cover Design: Mattie Wells
Page Layout: Sporto
Illustration: Nao Yazawa