This step by step tutorial explains how to draw an anime boy's head and face. It shows how to draw facial features in common anime proportions and how to place them on the head. There are besides some bones shading and coloring tips.

Anime boy drawing 8 steps
Anime boy drawing step past step

The example of the boy used in this tutorial tin exist around 10-15 years erstwhile. But when it comes to anime older characters can sometimes exist cartoon look much younger. So this type of character could also exist used for cartoon a high school educatee.

Delight go on in mind that there is no ane clearly established way to draw anime characters. The proportions and placement of the facial features vary greatly based on style and the artists preferences.

What this tutorial does is provide general guidelines for cartoon anime or manga facial features that can be very helpful if you are trying to larn to draw in the style.

If y'all are going to be following the tutorial using pencil and newspaper be sure to draw very light lines for the initial steps so that yous can easily erase dissimilar parts of the drawing if needed.

If yous are drawing digitally your options will depend on your software.

You may also want to read:

Should You Buy a Pen Tablet for Drawing Anime and Manga?

Step 1 – Structuring the Boy'due south Caput

Anime boy head drawing
Anime male child head drawing

Since we are cartoon a boys head we will desire to depict a fairly round confront as longer face brand a character look older.

To draw the head in the front end view first draw a vertical line to help you insure that both sides are equal. Draw the top of the head close to a half-circle and from that describe two downwards lines going towards ane some other. Draw another set of lines from those lines that volition meet to form the mentum.

To depict the side view of the head draw the elevation of the head close to an oval in shape and and so draw the olfactory organ/jaw surface area on height of that.

When drawing the side view of the boy's head avoid cartoon lips for the initial sketch. You can as well simply judge where the nose should go. For correctly placing the olfactory organ you tin can see step 4 of the tutorial.

For cartoon different kinds of anime heads come across:

How to Describe Different Styles of Anime Heads & Faces

Step ii – Drawing the Boy's Ears

Anime boy ears drawing
Anime boy ears drawing

To place the ears describe a horizontal line through the middle of the caput. Between this line and the mentum draw some other horizontal line. The ears volition be roughly as tall as the distance between these two lines.

Please annotation that real ears are farther upwardly in the head only since nosotros are drawing an anime boy and non a real one nosotros will utilise different proportions.

Footstep 3 – Drawing the Boy's Eyes

Anime boy eyes drawing
Anime male child eyes drawing

To draw the eyes you can once over again use the horizontal line through the eye of the head. Draw the optics directly below this line.

Once more note that real optics are typically drawn directly on this line or in a higher place information technology. Anime characters generally take their optics fatigued much lower downwardly on the face.

Since we are drawing a young male child the optics should be off-white wide (alpine). Bigger and wider optics requite a character a younger appearance.

Describe the eyebrows slightly above the eyes. You lot tin also draw a hint of the eyelids between the eyebrows and the eyes.

For more on drawing anime eyes you can see:

  • How to Draw Anime Optics and Middle Expressions
  • How to Draw Anime & Manga Eyes – Side View

Step 4 – Drawing the Boy's Nose

Anime boy nose drawing
Anime boy nose drawing

To place the nose depict some other horizontal line betwixt the horizontal line halfway through the face up and the chin. Draw the olfactory organ above this line.

Yet once again note that existent noses are higher up on the face. However anime noses can be drawn even farther downward if y'all are drawing characters with really big and tall eyes.

For more on drawing anime noses come across:

How to Draw Anime and Manga Noses

Step 5 – Cartoon the Male child's Oral fissure

Anime boy mouth drawing
Anime male child oral fissure cartoon

To draw the oral cavity depict yet some other horizontal line between the line used for the nose and the chin. Just instead of drawing the mouth directly on this line you will want to draw it slightly above. The reason beingness is that this line volition actually give y'all the placement of the lesser lip which in anime is very often not fatigued at all.

For more on drawing anime mouths see:

  • How to Draw Anime and Manga Mouth Expressions
  • How to Describe Anime & Manga Mouths – Side View

Step 6 – Cartoon the Male child's Hair

Anime boy hair drawing
Anime boy pilus cartoon

While in that location are many ways to draw anime hair mostly information technology tends to exist drawn in fairly large clumps. In this case we will draw a adequately messy pilus style.

For more on drawing anime pilus see:

How to Depict Anime & Manga Male & Female Hair

Step 7 – Cleaning Up the Drawing

Anime boy outline drawing
Anime boy outline drawing

Once all of the facial features are placed and you finished drawing the pilus clean up all of the guidelines and erase the parts of the caput that are hidden by the hair. You may want to go over your drawing with a thicker stroke or darker lines also.

Once you are done you should have a nice and clean outline cartoon of an anime boy's head and face up.

Step 8 – Anime Mode Colour & Shading

Anime boy color drawing
Anime boy colour cartoon

The shading technique used for anime and cartoons in general is called "Cel Shading". In short it's a class of shading where there is no gradient merely a difficult line between the normal and shaded areas.

For the sake of this tutorial we will apply very generalized shading. Meaning that nosotros volition shade the areas that in most normal lighting conditions tend to be dark. In this case information technology volition be the neck and bottom ends of the hair that curve inwards towards the face.

You lot can besides add some drop shadows grade the hair, eyelashes and a shaded area on one side of the nose (generally this will exist opposite of where the light is coming from).

The brightest areas volition be the reflections in the eyes and the highlights in the hair. Y'all may want to leave these completely white or just very lightly shade them in.

To colour and shade the cartoon commencement make full in each surface area with it's respective color and so use the shadows over tiptop. If you are drawing on newspaper leave the highlights/reflections white. If drawing digitally add them later you lot've filled in everything else.

For cartoon the body you can come across:

How to Depict an Anime Male child Total Trunk Stride by Footstep

Determination

There are many ways and styles to draw an anime character merely as mentioned this tutorial provides you with some guidelines to help achieve a more mutual anime expect for a young male character.

For drawing the faces of older male anime characters encounter:

  • How to Describe Anime and Manga Male Caput and Confront
  • How to Draw Male Anime Characters Step by Step
  • 10 Step Anime Man's Confront Drawing Tutorial

For drawing a female anime style faces see:

  • How to Draw an Anime Girl's Head and Face
  • How to Draw a Cute Anime Girl Step by Step
  • 8 Step Anime Woman's Caput & Face Drawing Tutorial