This one is also somewhat old.....
Facial Placement
The overall face is a circle and somewhat of a triangle at the bottom. Female faces have more of a sharp angle and pointed chin. Male faces are less pointy especially the chin it sort of curves. The Eyes, Nose, Mouth, and Ears are placed in a certain order, distance, and arrangement from each other. Drawing a line down the center helps to break up the face better. The Eyes are almost in the middle of the face.
Below you will find the breakdown of the:
01. eyes
02. nose
03. ears
04. mouth
Eye Length
In a regular person the face is 5 eye lengths wide. The eyes are centered in the middle with one eye length on each side and one between both eyes. But in anime or manga the side lengths really don't matter but the middle eye length still does.
Examples & Types of the Eyes
Here are some examples of eyes. Female eyes are more exagerated and have eye lashes and more action in the pupil area. Male eyes are somewhat plain and simple. Don't be afraid to experiment with shapes and sizes for the eyes. Don't forget what your character is trying to show or do because that determines how detailed the eyes or any facial feature gets.
Examples & Types of the Nose
Here are some examples and types of noses you can use. When drawing the nose sometimes it's best the simpliar it is and a small line just might do it. But its up to your character, the mood, and what you really want to show with your drawing.
Examples & Types of the Ears
Here are some examples of ears, both left and ride sides as well as how the ear looks from behind, front, and side. Ears are quite easy to draw really and when you draw anime the simplier the better or at least I think so. Detail depends on your overall character just like all the other features. There really isn't any type of ear you can't draw or use in your drawings. The more realistic the drawing the more detail it is going to have.
Overall View of the Ear
Here are some visuals of how the ear looks from the front & side view. Remember when drawing the ears that they are between the nose line and the eyebrows or top eye line. Another thing is that cat ears are drawn on top of the head somewhat to the sides. Oh and don't forget that on a side or 3/4 view only 1 ear is usually drawn.
Examples & Types of the Mouth
When drawing the mouth its sometimes better to just draw a simple line for it. However there are many ways you can draw the mouth and express their emotion. Experiment and see which one you like the most. I have tried almost all types in my drawings one time or another.
Hope this tutorial was of some help....Remember if you have your own tutorials feel free to share them with me.
In the next tutorial I will cover the facial expressions and hair placement....
<<Previous Tutorial
