How to Draw an Anime Man

Completed anime man drawing with formal clothes and light pencil shading.

In this step-by-step guide, we will show you how to draw an anime man. Here, we’ll cover some basic principles for drawing male anime characters.

The entire tutorial is based on our basic anime character drawing tutorial, with more focus on the characteristic details, facial features, and elements of the figure.

How to draw an anime man step by step

Step 1: Sketch the basic figure

First, sketch the basic figure of the anime man using very light lines. Draw the head as a narrow oval, then mark the spine and add simple shapes for the chest and pelvis. Use long lines to indicate the arms and legs. Since we are drawing a young man, make the figure relatively tall, with long limbs.

Sketching the anime man’s basic figure with head, torso, and limb guides.

Step 2: Add the main guidelines

First, draw two crossed lines inside the contour of the face. As in other anime tutorials, the eye line is much lower than the midpoint of the head. After that, connect the head and body using a fairly long cylinder. Also, draw two more oblique lines from the corners of the neck toward the arms. Finally, draw an elongated angular shape in place of the pelvis oval and connect it to the chest with a pair of concave lines.

Adding facial guidelines, neck, shoulders, torso, and pelvis to the anime man.

Step 3: Outline the arms and legs

Give the arms and legs more volume using simple cylindrical forms. Mark the shoulders, elbows, and knees with rounded shapes, then connect these areas with smooth lines. Avoid making the contours too curved or muscular. Also, lightly indicate the shapes of the feet and the positions of the hands.

Outlining the anime man’s arms and legs with cylinders and joint circles.

Step 4: Sketch the face and hair

We have completed the roughest outlines. Now let’s make the anime man drawing more precise and detailed, starting with the face. Using the guidelines from the previous steps, sketch the anime male’s eyes and lightly indicate the nose and mouth. Outline the approximate shape of the hairstyle. If you are planning an interesting hairstyle for this anime man, you can start creating it here.

Sketching the anime man’s hairstyle and large eyes over the facial guides.

Step 5: Outline the man’s clothes

Now use light lines to outline the anime clothes over the basic figure. In our example, the anime man wears formal clothing, so sketch the short around the torso. Outline the sleeves over the arms and place the hands inside the pockets. Add the tie, and indicate the trousers. At this stage, draw only the main shapes of the clothing. Do not add small folds, seams, or other details yet.

Outlining the anime man’s formal clothes over the basic body sketch.

Step 6: Refine the anime face

Each drawing style has its own characteristics. One of the main features of anime is the strong emphasis on the face, especially the eyes. The anime man’s eyes are the most detailed part of the whole drawing. Start drawing the anime face in detail. Carefully trace the final contours of the eyes. Refine the nose and mouth with simple lines and clean up the contours of the jaw. Next, darken the final shape of the hairstyle.

Refining the anime man’s eyes and facial features with clean outlines.

Step 7: Detail the man’s clothes

Move down to the torso and refine the formal clothes using cleaner and darker lines. Outline the jacket, shirt, collar, and tie, gradually removing the construction lines underneath. The specific actions here depend on the style of clothing you choose. In any case, do not forget small details such as fabric folds or pockets.

Refining the anime man’s clothes with pockets, folds, and cleaner contours.

Step 8: Refine the arms and sleeves

Now refine the arms and sleeves. Trace their final contours with clean lines and erase the cylindrical construction shapes from the earlier steps. Add a few folds around the armpits and other areas where the fabric bends.

Refining the anime man’s arms and sleeves with hands inside the pockets.

Step 9: Refine the man’s trousers

Continue downward and draw the final contours of the trousers. Follow the construction of the legs from the earlier steps, but replace the simple cylindrical shapes with the cleaner outlines of the clothing. Since we chose a formal style of clothing, draw the anime man’s close-fitting trousers. Do not forget to outline small folds near the hips and knees. Erase the remaining construction lines and refine the lower parts of the legs and shoes.

Refining the anime man’s trousers with clean contours and small fabric folds.

Step 10: Add the final shadows

Finish the anime man drawing by adding light shadows. First, determine where the light comes from and mark the main shaded areas. Then fill these areas with light, even hatching. You can also darken some folds and areas where one form overlaps another. Finally, check the entire figure, erase any remaining unnecessary lines. You can read our separate article about drawing light and shadow.

Finishing the anime man drawing with light hatching and subtle shadows.

Now that you know how to draw an anime man, try changing some of the details. Follow the same basic steps to do it. For example, draw a beard or mustache, make the body more muscular, or change the hairstyle and clothing.

You can also use details from your favorite anime characters as references. Try different hairstyles, clothes, facial features, and accessories.

For example, you can use the same method to draw Naruto or sketch Satoru Gojo. The basic principles remain the same, while the characteristic details will be different.