It's been three years since I created my first tutorial on drawing anime faces. Over time, I’ve explored various techniques and gathered insights to refine my skills. Today, I'm excited to present an upgraded version of that tutorial, showing you how to draw anime faces like a pro.

Starting with the Basics

First things first: to draw an anime face, begin by sketching a sphere or circle for the head. Next, draw two guidelines—one horizontal and one vertical—to help position the facial features accurately.

Add the jawline, chin, and ears. Position the eyes, nose, and mouth accordingly.

The Sphere Method vs. The Pro Way

While the sphere method is a common approach and relatively easy for beginners, it has limitations. It’s great for establishing basic face structure but doesn’t accurately represent perspective and proportions, especially for more complex faces or expressions.

To draw faces more professionally, you'll need to understand and incorporate perspective. Let's dive into how you can improve your drawing technique by understanding basic shapes and geometries.

Mastering Shapes and Geometries

Mastering shapes and geometries is crucial for creating more accurate and dynamic drawings. For instance, when drawing cubes, most people start with a square for the front plane and another for the back, connecting them to form the cube. This is a standard method, but there’s an alternative approach known as the isometric cube. This method shows all three axes equally spaced, creating a uniform scale and depth illusion but lacks perspective accuracy.

To draw more realistic objects, including faces, you need to integrate perspective. Here’s how:

Drawing with Perspective

Start by sketching a basic cube. Draw it freely without worrying about perfection. Assume you’re viewing it from one edge. The sides will converge towards a vanishing point. Typically, you’ll use two vanishing points for horizontal lines, while a third is optional for more complex structures. This technique helps ensure that your lines and shapes are in proper perspective.

Applying Perspective to Facial Drawing

When drawing a face, using the cube or box method provides a more solid structure with defined edges and planes compared to the sphere method.

This approach helps in visualizing the face in 3D and maintaining accurate proportions.

Understanding Skull Structure

To enhance your anime face drawing, understanding basic skull anatomy can be beneficial. Here’s a brief overview:

Frontal Bone: This forms the forehead and impacts the face’s overall shape.Mandible: The movable lower jaw bone responsible for mouth movements.Zygomatic Bones: The cheekbones that define the face’s contours.Nose Bone: Determines the nose’s structure.Maxilla: Influences the shape and size of the mouth and teeth position.

Shading and Depth

For a tired or weary look, emphasize the eye sockets and cheekbones to create a sunken appearance.

Adding shadows beneath the eyes and highlights on the upper jaw and cheekbones will make the face look more realistic and three-dimensional.

Using Polygon Representation

An effective technique is to break the face into geometric shapes or polygons. For instance, represent the forehead and cheekbones as flat planes and the nose as a pyramid. This simplifies the structure and helps with shading and lighting. By applying light and shadow based on these polygons, you can better visualize and render depth and angles.

Conclusion

By mastering the box method and understanding skull structure, you’ll improve your ability to draw and shade anime faces accurately.

These techniques help convey more dynamic expressions and depth in your artwork. Practice regularly and experiment with different methods to find what works best for you.

If you enjoyed this tutorial and want to take your anime drawing skills further, consider supporting me on Patreon. You can access all the Photoshop files used in this video and more. Don’t forget to like, subscribe, and follow me on Twitter for updates and commissions.