Introduction
Are you a fan of anime and want to learn how to draw your favorite characters? In this step-by-step tutorial, we will teach you how to draw an anime boy with detailed proportions of the entire body. Whether you’re a beginner or an experienced artist, our comprehensive guide will help you achieve an authentic anime look. Let’s get started!
Anime boy full body drawing step by step
Choosing the Right Style
Before we begin, it’s important to note that the boy in this tutorial is intended to look between 10-15 years old. However, depending on the artist’s style, older anime characters can still appear fairly young. The more stylized the characters, the younger they tend to look. Keep this in mind as you follow along with the tutorial.
Step 1 – Drawing the Head
Let’s start by drawing the boy’s head. Leave plenty of room below it for the rest of the body. We will provide instructions for both the front view and the side view of the head.
Drawing the Head from the Front View
Anime boy head drawing
For the front view, begin by drawing a straight vertical line that will help you determine if the head and later the body are symmetrical. At the top of this line, draw a circle for the upper part of the head, and then add the lower part of the face.
Drawing the Head from the Side View
Anime boy head side view drawing
For the side view, draw an oval for the upper part of the head and add the lower part of the face below it. Keep the front of the face flat for now, without adding any facial features. This will help establish the overall structure of the face.
Step 2 – Drawing the Upper Part of the Body
Now, let’s draw the upper part of the boy’s body. We will provide instructions on proportioning the body and drawing it from different views.
Proportioning the Body
Anime boy body proportions drawing
Anime characters often have bigger heads compared to their bodies than real people, especially younger characters. In this tutorial, the boy will be six and a half heads tall. To make him look younger, draw him more slender than you would an older character. Muscular characters tend to appear older automatically.
Drawing the Body from Different Views
Anime boy front and side view drawing
If you want to draw the body from different views in the same pose and position, you can project lines from one view to the other. This will help ensure that the proportions of the body in both views are roughly the same.
Drawing the Front View
Anime boy body front view drawing
For the front view, use the center line as your guide. Start by drawing the neck and shoulders, followed by the sides and the bottom. The parts shown in blue are optional and can be erased later, but they make it easier to understand the body’s structure.
Drawing the Side View
Anime boy body side view drawing
In the side view, various parts of the body are curved and angled slightly differently than in the front view. Refer to the illustrations for guidance.
Drawing the Body Step by Step
Anime boy body drawing step by step
With all of the above in mind, you can draw the upper body. In the front view, start by drawing the neck and shoulders, then move on to the sides and the bottom. Remember, the parts shown in blue are optional and will be erased later.
In the side view, draw a shape that resembles a stretched-out bean and add the slightly angled forward neck. Erase the parts shown in blue for the side view.
Step 3 – Drawing the Upper Part of the Legs
Anime boy upper legs drawing
Moving down from the body, draw the top part of the legs. Make them wider near the upper middle and narrower near the top and bottom.
Step 4 – Drawing the Lower Part of the Legs
Anime boy body lower legs drawing
Next, draw the lower part of the legs. Make them wider at the top and narrower towards the bottom. The upper part, where they get wider, should be a bit shorter than the lower part, where they get narrower.
Step 5 – Drawing the Feet
Anime boy body feet drawing
To complete the legs, add the feet. Emphasize that these are male feet by drawing them with the toes pointing outward, away from the body. Female feet in anime tend to point more inward.
Step 6 – Drawing the Upper Part of the Arms
Anime boy body upper arms drawing
Since we want the character to appear fairly slender to emphasize his young age, draw the arms thin without showing any muscles. Refer to the proportions in the illustration as a guide.
Step 7 – Drawing the Lower Part of the Arms
Anime boy body lower arms drawing
Similar to the lower part of the legs, draw the arms from the elbow down. They should get wider at first and then narrower again.
Step 8 – Drawing the Hands
Anime boy body line drawing
Finally, draw the hands. Keep them relatively small in relation to the rest of the body, as we are drawing a young character. For more detailed instructions on drawing hands, refer to our separate tutorial.
Step 9 – Drawing the Details
Anime boy body details drawing
Now that we have all the major body parts outlined, let’s add the smaller details. Here’s a breakdown of what to do:
Drawing & Positioning the Facial Features
Anime boy face drawing
Refer to the illustration for the proportions and placement of the facial features. Draw them as follows:
- Eyes: Below the horizontal halfway point of the head
- Eyebrows: A little bit above the eyes
- Nose: About halfway between the top of the eyes and the bottom of the chin
- Mouth: Slightly above the lower lip, roughly halfway between the nose and the chin
- Ears: A little bit below the top of the eyes
For a more detailed guide on drawing an anime boy’s face, check out our separate tutorial.
Drawing the Hair
Anime boy hair drawing
In this tutorial, we split the hair into three parts: the front, sides, and back/top. These are represented by the red, green, and blue lines. This approach makes the drawing process easier to understand.
Drawing the Details of the Eyes
Anime boy eye detail drawing
Now, draw the inner details of the eyes, such as the pupils and reflections. You can also add a hint of the eyelids slightly above each eye and fill in the eyelashes with black or pencil shading. For more detailed tutorials on drawing eyes, refer to our separate guides.
Drawing the Details of the Ears
Anime boy ear drawing front and side
Refer to the illustration above for the details of the ears. Keep in mind that some parts of the ears will be covered by the hair.
Drawing the Knees (Front View)
Anime boy knees drawing
In the front view, draw a hint of the knees, as shown in the example.
Step 10 – Drawing the Clothes & Finishing the Line Drawing
Anime boy clothes drawing
Add the clothes by drawing them as if they were see-through. This technique makes it easier to place the clothing items. In this case, the boy will be wearing a t-shirt, shorts, and shoes.
For detailed instructions on drawing anime clothes, refer to our separate tutorial.
Step 11 – Adding Color
Anime boy coloring
To bring your drawing to life, you can color each area with the appropriate colors. Leave the reflections in the eyes white if you’re coloring on paper. You can add highlights to the hair by leaving streaks of lighter color. Refer to our separate tutorial for more information on coloring anime characters.
Step 12 – Adding Shading & Finishing the Drawing of the Boy
Anime boy full body drawing
For added depth, you can add shading to your drawing. Shadows should usually be cast downwards since light tends to come from above. In this case, shadows will be on the arms and legs from the sleeves of the shirt and the shorts. Refer to the illustration for guidance.
Conclusion
Drawing anime characters may seem challenging, but with practice and patience, you can achieve great results. This step-by-step tutorial provides a comprehensive template for drawing a young-looking male anime character, covering both large proportions and smaller details. If you enjoyed this guide, be sure to check out our other tutorials for drawing different body types and female characters.
