How to Draw "Anime style" Characters

NoumiKudryavka · 05:41 AM

Links:

SAI official site English http://sai.detstwo.com/sai/

SAI paint tool english version with !@#% http://www.mediafire.com/?1zgcw5uixd5

My deviant account www.sathane.deviantart.com

note:
-I am not pro CG artist.
-those guides are not my original work, but some part i just revised.
-guides taken from book that sold in Japan.

What the hell are those guides for?
-to learn, improve, and gain new knowledge about drawing a anime character.
-this guide is made for beginners that they would like to draw anime.

Things to be Discussed
1) Basic information. (updated 6/18/2009)
2) Drawing in paper using pencil. (temporarily finish 6/18/2009)
2a) Drawing inside the computer using application. (To be update later)
3) Scanning and cleaning scanned canvas.
4) Drawing main line.
5) Coloring.
5a) Different kind of coloring.
6) Separating parts.
6a) Easy way to separate the parts to be colored.
7) Coloring shadows.
7a) How to Distinguish.
7b) 3 main kinds of shadow coloring.
7c) Coloring high-lights.

Color toning.
9) Back ground.
10) Adjusting and balancing the color tones of back ground and character.

as of now that’s all
I will update this post if i have time
I will post one post, one topic
I will accept questions here in this thread, just post it
I am a man and not perfect, if i have a mistake just tell me

things needed:-pen tablet
-paper, pencil and eraser
-scanner
-paint application

Lesson 1 Basic information

i mainly uses 2 applications.
-SAI pain tool
-PSCS2

I’m using SAI when making draft outline and sometimes color
but if I have enough time I’m doing coloring using PSCS2,

SAI have enough options and tool to draw anime and also CGs
this application used by beginner and pros also, its user friendly
and yet high quality.
And also you can save as readable by PS series, it means the layers you have created at SAI will remain when you open with PS series

PSCS2 in other hand is good at toning and coloring, BG making, because of its color quality, but it needs knowledge about and master the uses of tools.

What is pen tablet?
Pen tablet is hardware that you can draw a drawing as you draw in paper.
If you will buy one I will suggest buying WACOM bamboo series,
its user friendly and is high pressure sensitivity.
And yes its cheaper than other pen tablet.

Lesson 2 "Drawing in Paper with a Pencil"

for those beginners I will suggest this way of making a draft at a moment...
you need a time to master making a draft at computer using pen tablet...

so firstly you will need 3 kinds or only 2 is enough.
The high charcoal contained one and normal pencil...
on short "H" and "B" to "2B"

if you were starting to draw, you just need is to imagine what you like to draw, and punch it in to the paper (just draw what do you like to draw).

Oops I forgotten something, you will draw first the posing of the character,
stick man with oval line will do.
It should be naked.
And separate it with big four circles.

One for the whole head,
three for body, legs and foot.
The good balance is the length from tip of the head to waist is same with length from waist to tip of the foot.

Next, if you finished with "naked stick man with bit of outline"
you will make the body structure outline, it’s still naked.
If you were drawing female, then you should emphasis the curviness of the body.
If male, i have no idea about it.
The head part is important here, you should draw the skull and its outline here.
You will be the one who will decide the size of the head... i think its common sense.

If you finished with naked outline, next is to draw the detail of the head part.
Specifically the detailed drawing inside the 1st circle.
First is the eyes>nose>mouth>line of the lower part of face>hair
if the hair is long, just make an major outline of it, so later you will easily distinguish the position of the hair.

Next is to draw the cloth.
If you were drawing the cloth, you should start from most inner part of it, simply underwear.
This is the big tip, so you can easily draw “panchira” thingies.
So draw it, don’t be shy it’s just a drawing.
Put anything you like to put this time.
And watch out, you have already your body's outline so you can make a curves in the cloth and folds.
Those curves, folds and movements are requires tough imagination.

So now you have your draft with body outline and cloth on it.
This time you can now add some accessories like hair pin, flowers etc.

Now draft is finished

for beginners you will require eraser here, a sharp edged eraser.
Now you will erase the hidden part of line like underwear that not exposed.
Hairs that are goes behind the body part etc.
and also clean it.

Now you have already your complete draft.
Now you will duplicate the draft to another clean new paper.
Its easy just trace it...
but this time it should be clean from starting.
This is the one you will scan to your computer.

So the lesson 2 is up to here.
If you have a question just tell me

Lesson 2.5 Drawing inside the computer using application

For those who will draw a draft using pen tablet just follow the instructions same with lesson 2.
The only difference is you can use layer in separating body layer and cloth layer.

Lesson 3 Scanning and Cleaning scanned canvas

scan you work done in lesson 2, make sure that it scan mode is set to black and white.
dont mind of size yet, we need big as you can.

after you have scanned open it with SAI paint tool,
if you would like to use the scanned original canvas as base line, clean the unnecessary dirt all over the canvas.
im pretty sure that there are many noise scattered in the canvas when scanned,
make it sure that its very clean.

Lesson 4 Drawing Main Line

here you will MAINLY use line work tool,

Line work tools is
if you draw a line, afterwards you can change the shape, color and pressure of the line it self.

tips when making the base line:
-drop the opacity of the scanned work to 25% to 30%
-separate the line work with body parts like, hair, body, cloth, acce etc.

draw the line neat as you can.

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Vorthod Wiler · Not Ranked : +0 / -0 0 score 06-17-2009, 01:56 PM

sweet, ive been looking at quite a lot of these kinds of guides lately. thanks for posting this =)

simplegent · Not Ranked : +0 / -0 0 score 06-18-2009, 02:19 AM

I think this is quite useful for die hard anime fans here in animeseed hehe. ^ ^
Thanks for sharing! I hope to see some of your wonderful drawings soon (if you intend to post some of it here on this site...) ^ ^

*bow*