My friends, there is no doubt that drawing an anime face from the side is one of the complicated things that many manga and anime drawing fans suffer from, right? So we often have to draw over and over again, yet the drawing remains unbalanced or inaccurate.
Don't worry, today we will learn together how to draw an anime face from the side using an easy and uncomplicated technique using geometric shapes and practical steps that guarantee you a neat and organized result that you can develop by adding details of your own style, so let's begin.
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First step
First, we draw a circle that will be the base of the head. It does not have to be perfect; it is enough that it is close to an oval shape to make it easier to define the facial features later.
Step two
We divide the circle with a straight line extending from the top of the head to the bottom of the chin; this line will divide the face into two parts:
- A rear section representing the skull.
- The front part that will contain the nose, mouth, and chin.
This line is very important for correctly adjusting the direction of the anime face from the side.
Below the chin, we draw a downward-sloping line to determine the direction of the neck, taking care to make the neck start from below the chin while leaving a small gap between the chin and the beginning of the neck to add realism to the drawing.
Step three
Next, we add light lines to define the position of the eye and ear. The line starting from the middle of the ear will be the same line we use later to accurately draw the mouth. This helps maintain the correct proportions when drawing the anime face from the side.
A closer look
You will notice that the face is divided into three areas:
- The frontal area (blue): contains facial features such as the nose, lips, forehead and chin.
- The middle: contains the cheek, jaw, and eye socket.
- The back area (red): symbolizes the skull and the ear is clearly visible in it.
Step four
After preparing these guidelines, we begin drawing the facial details in your favorite anime or manga style. In this step, you can freely add character features and define the shape of the nose, eyes, and mouth, while keeping the initial lines as a guide to ensure balance.
Draw the hair however you like and add any details such as accessories or expressive facial features. Don't worry about the fine details, the important thing is to maintain the basics of drawing an anime face from the side in a balanced way.
Step five
Now we move on to the inking stage, which is a very easy step since we've already drawn all the necessary details. We use a black pen to ink the final lines on a new layer, deleting the guideline layer after inking to make the drawing clean and ready for coloring.
Some notes regarding the side view of anime faces:
Make sure to highlight the area under the chin slightly before drawing the neck, as many people draw the neck directly under the chin, which makes the look unnatural. Add a light shadow area under the jaw as well.
Advice on drawing the eye
The eye should appear slightly prominent, and when viewed from the side, it should resemble a triangle with the white of the eye protruding slightly outwards. The lens should not be perfectly round, but rather a semicircle to suit the angle of the face.
Notes on drawing the nose
When drawing the nose, a slight curve should be added below the forehead before drawing the protrusion of the nose.
When viewed from the side, the upper lip protrudes slightly forward, while the lower lip recedes inward. This technique will make your anime face drawn from the side look professional and transform your drawings from ordinary to polished.
The drawing is ready
The anime drawing is now ready in front of us. After we inked it with ease, we will move on to the next stage.
Step six
After the inking is complete, we move on to the coloring stage where we begin coloring the skin with the primary colors. Base Colors Using a beige color or the skin tone you have chosen.
Next, we move on to coloring the hair using the color that suits the anime character.
We add shadows in specific places such as under the nose, below the lips, inside the ear and under the jaw.
Final result
After adding the shadows, we will get a clean and attractive side view of the anime face, with coloring and shadows that give the drawing the professional look you need in your manga and anime work.
Master drawing anime faces from the side in the easiest way possible.
Today's lesson is over. Don't forget to practice these steps continuously. Now I leave you in God's care.
