How to Draw an Anime Head

Drawing anime characters correctly largely depends on the ability to draw heads in the characteristic style. In this tutorial, we will show you how to draw an anime head and how to convey its characteristic outlines on paper using very simple lines.

We will show you how to construct a simple portrait using the head of a young man as an example, so that you can use this knowledge to create any character in this style.

How to draw an anime head step by step

Step 1: Shape the anime head

First, draw the contours of the head. This is an important stage because an incorrect facial contour can affect the entire drawing. The outline of the head resembles an inverted egg with a pointed lower end.

Step 2: Place the facial guidelines

Use simple straight lines as guides for drawing the anime face correctly. The eyes are one of the most important parts of an anime head, so be especially careful with their placement. The horizontal guideline should divide the head into two halves. Draw another horizontal line well below the first one. Finally, draw a thin, elegant neck.

Step 3: Outline the large anime eyes

Now draw the anime eyes as large almond-shaped forms. Note that the lower contours are missing. If it is easier for you, draw the complete outlines of the eyes first and then erase the lower edges. Place the pupils slightly closer to the nose than to the outer edges of the eyes. Also draw the eyebrows, making them gradually narrower toward the outer ends.

Step 4: Position the pupils and eyebrows

Below the eyes, draw the anime nose on the vertical guideline using a light angular line. Then, slightly lower, between the nose and chin, draw the mouth. It should also look like a short, light line.

Step 5: Draw the anime ears

Check the previous stages and make sure that the eyes and pupils are positioned correctly before moving on. Now draw the anime ears on both sides of the head. Ideally, their upper edges should align with the upper edges of the eyes, while their lower edges should align with the tip of the nose. Here you can see a slight deviation from this rule.

Step 6: Add the nose and mouth

In anime, the mouth and nose are usually drawn very simply. Add these features with a few short lines. Notice the contrast between the large, expressive eyes and the much simpler shapes of the nose and mouth.

Step 7: Sketch the short anime hairstyle

Now draw the anime hair. As with most of the other features except the eyes, we do not need a large amount of detail here. Mark the contours of the anime boy’s hairstyle with short, wavy lines.

Step 8: Clean the portrait lines

Erase all the unnecessary lines from the portrait of the anime boy and clean up the entire drawing. Remove the lower edges of the eyes as well if you did not erase them earlier.

Step 9: Shade the anime head

First, shade the pupils with hatching, leaving a small highlight in the lower half of each eye. After that, draw light shadows on the anime head with hatching. You can add another layer of hatching to make selected areas darker.

Anime is a style with very clearly defined characteristics. Different artists and series can look very different from each other, but nevertheless, we can easily recognize when a character is drawn in the anime style.

In this step-by-step tutorial, you learned how to draw an anime head and how to create facial features so that the viewer can immediately understand the style in which the character is drawn.

Each element from each step can be slightly changed. The eyes can have a slightly different shape, the hair can be longer or shorter, and other details can also vary.

But the general stylistic principles should remain the same so that each time you get a recognizable anime portrait.