Wednesday, July 15, 2009

How to draw a Manga Head

What is Manga you may ask?

If you aren't familiar with the history of Copics, I suggest you review this brief post. To sum it up, Manga is the word for Japanese Comic Books, and Anime is a Japanese Animation. Copic markers were developed for coloring this style of artwork.

One defining feature of the Japanese comic style is the unique head shapes, eyes, and the way they draw hair. I used to teach a 6 week class to teenagers on how to draw in this style, but I'm way too busy nowdays. However, I have all these great instructional handouts that I will occasionally share with the blogging world.

Even if you don't consider yourself an artist I suggest you at least try to draw a simple manga head on your own. It won't hurt, I promise! These directions were designed for giving away as worksheets when I do demos at children's events. I have no problem with you sharing these handouts as long as it is for educational use only. Enjoy!

Drawing a simple Manga Head
After going to Anime Expo a few weeks ago I figured now is a good chance to share a handout I made a few years ago for a teen workshop I regularly teach. This is a simple guide to drawing a manga-style head. Great for kids who want to learn how to draw their own manga characters. Someday when I get the chance I'll step you through each stage in a full post. You'll need a piece of paper, a pencil, and a good inking pen for this project.

8 comments:

Christy Farneth-Kerr said...

I am on pins and needles. I do love all of your toots but I have been waiting for you to do something like this for a while. You are an amazing teacher and I just love your Manga art.

B2-kun said...

Thank you for posting this easy to follow handout. I will try it out for the manga cartooning class I'm teaching at the local Boys & Girls Club.

kris fulk said...

Thanks for this, Marianne! Are the gray flower details on the geisha's costume also done in Copics? Not sure if it's photoshop added.

marianne walker said...

the geisha's flowers are photoshopped in on this picture, but in other versions I've colored i usually draw in the patterning.

Nicole said...

Hey Marianne, GIRL! I have always loved the size of a Manga's eyes! SO BIG! Hope all is well with you and thanks for the lesson! xoxNICOLExox

Anonymous said...

Learn how to draw manga head is fun. I love it. It's really very interesting.
How To Draw Manga

Heidi said...

so after seeing your other work, especially your beautiful landscapes, I was a little disappointed in this tutorial. Unfortunately a lot of "how to draw manga" tutorials that offer a step-by-step circles and triangles contruction like this don't do much good to young artists and worse still, can get them started on bad habits that will leave their work stiff and lifeless. The simplifications you see in manga, the positioning of the eyes and mouth, the shape of the head, are all stylizations of actual human anatomy.

A look at the underlying structure of the head, simplified, would be a lot more helpful (i.e., showing how rounded eyes or foreheads look in profile and 3/4 view, measuring where the nose and mouth go on a head to stay consistent.) As would a little look at some of the other ways manga artists draw heads. (It's not all balloons with triangles on the bottom!) Katsuhiro Otomo is a great example of a Japanese artist who uses the foundations of human anatomy and stylizes them into the "anime" aesthetic.

Like I said, your other work is beautiful, so I find it kind of a shame you would put your name on this.

artist-warehouse-uk said...

I like your Drawing ^-^