How to Draw Anime Face Like a Pro

Summary

This video tutorial offers an upgraded approach to drawing anime faces, emphasizing the importance of mastering basic shapes and geometries for a more accurate and dynamic representation. It introduces the box method as a superior alternative to the sphere method for capturing perspective and proportion, and delves into the significance of understanding skull structures for realistic facial expressions and shading. The video also presents a polygon-based technique for simplifying facial features and enhancing the portrayal of light and shadow, ultimately aiming to improve the viewer's anime drawing skills.

Takeaways

• 📚 Start with foundational techniques like drawing a sphere for beginners, but progress towards more advanced methods for accurate facial structures.
• 🎨 Understand the limitations of basic shapes like the sphere method, which lacks perspective and accurate proportions for complex facial expressions.
• 🏙️ Master basic shapes and geometries as they form the foundation for creating more complex forms and structures in drawing.
• 🟫 Avoid drawing isometric cubes as they lack perspective distortion, which is essential for realistic drawings.
• 📐 Learn to incorporate perspective into your drawings, starting with simple cube exercises and moving onto more complex subjects.
• 💀 Study the skull structure to enhance your understanding of facial features and their placement, which is crucial for realistic and expressive character drawings.
• 🌑 Pay attention to the effects of lighting and shadows, especially around the eye sockets and cheekbones, to convey emotions and depth in your characters.
• 📐 Use the box method for a more solid structure with defined edges and planes, making it easier to maintain perspective and understand the 3D form of the head.
• 🏹 Experiment with polygon representation to simplify the facial structure into more manageable parts, aiding in the visualization of angles, planes, and shading.
• 🌈 Adapt the polygon facial structure technique to suit different character designs, angles, and expressions for dynamic and visually appealing drawings.
• 🎨 Practice and experiment with various techniques to improve your anime drawing skills and find the method that best suits your style and comfort.

Q & A

What is the main topic of the video?

The main topic of the video is about improving anime face drawing skills by introducing advanced techniques and methods.

Why is the sphere method not recommended for more complex facial structures and expressions?

The sphere method is not recommended for complex facial structures and expressions because it doesn't accurately show the perspective and proportions of the face, making it difficult to capture intricate details and expressions.

What is the box method, and how does it help in drawing anime faces?

The box method involves using a cube or box shape as a base for the head structure. It provides a more solid structure with defined edges and planes, making it easier to understand and maintain perspective, which in turn helps in drawing anime faces more accurately and realistically.

How does understanding the skull structure contribute to drawing better anime faces?

Understanding the skull structure helps in accurately portraying the form, contours, and three-dimensionality of the face in drawings. It allows artists to create more convincing expressions, lighting, and shadows, bringing depth and life to the characters.

What are the key facial bones discussed in the video?

The key facial bones discussed in the video include the frontal bone, lower jawbone (mandible), cheekbones (zygomatic bones), nose bone, and upper jawbone (maxilla).

How does the polygon representation technique help in drawing facial features?

The polygon representation technique simplifies the face into multiple small polygons, making it easier to work with. This method helps to give a clearer picture of the angles and planes of the face, allowing for better visualization of shading and lighting effects on the character.

What is the significance of the T-bone, eye sockets, and cheekbones in drawing facial expressions?

The T-bone, eye sockets, and cheekbones are significant in drawing facial expressions because they help to understand where to position the eyes and how the face looks under different lighting conditions. By adding highlights and shadows to these areas, artists can create a more natural and consistent facial structure that conveys the character's emotions effectively.

How does the video suggest practicing to improve anime face drawing skills?

The video suggests practicing by experimenting with different techniques until artists find the one they are comfortable with. It emphasizes that practice makes perfect and encourages continuous learning and improvement.

What additional resources are offered for those who want to further improve their anime drawing skills?

For those who want to further improve their anime drawing skills, the video offers the option to sign up for the creator's Patreon, where they can gain access to all the Photoshop files used in the video and receive more exclusive content.

How can viewers support the video creator and potentially receive a commission?

Viewers can support the video creator by liking, subscribing to the channel, following on Twitter, and signing up for the creator's Patreon. They can also DM the creator if they want to commission a drawing.

What is the importance of incorporating perspective in drawing cubes?

Incorporating perspective in drawing cubes is important because it creates a sense of depth and realism in the drawing. It accounts for the natural way we perceive depth and distance, where objects become smaller as they get further away from the viewer. This perspective distortion is essential for creating realistic three-dimensional drawings.

Outlines

00:00

🎨 Upgrading Anime Face Drawing Techniques

The video begins with an introduction to a new tutorial on drawing anime faces, highlighting the progress made since the last tutorial three years ago. The speaker emphasizes the importance of moving beyond basic techniques, such as using a sphere to represent the head, and instead learning professional methods to accurately capture perspective and proportions. The video delves into the fundamentals of shapes and geometries, explaining how they form the basis for more complex drawings. It critiques the limitations of drawing isometric cubes and advocates for incorporating perspective to achieve realistic depth. The segment concludes with a discussion on using the box method for drawing heads, which provides a more solid structure and defined edges and planes, facilitating better understanding and maintenance of perspective.

05:02

💀 Exploring Skull Structures for Anime Character Drawing

This paragraph focuses on the intricacies of the skull's structure and how it influences the drawing of anime characters. The speaker introduces various bones of the skull, including the frontal bone, mandible, zygomatic bones, nose bone, and maxilla, and explains their roles in shaping the face. The importance of the T-bone, eye sockets, and cheekbones in creating the facial structure is also discussed. The video then demonstrates how understanding these bone structures can help in drawing characters with specific emotions and expressions, such as tiredness, by emphasizing certain areas like the eye sockets and cheekbones. The concept of using polygons to simplify the facial structure for easier drawing and shading is introduced, and the benefits of this technique in creating dynamic and visually appealing anime faces are highlighted. The video concludes with an encouragement to practice and explore different techniques to improve anime drawing skills.

Keywords

💡Anime Face Tutorial

The term 'Anime Face Tutorial' refers to a set of instructions or guidelines designed to teach individuals how to draw faces in the distinctive style of anime, a form of Japanese animation. In the context of the video, the tutorial is upgraded to a more professional level, moving beyond basic techniques like the sphere method to incorporate more complex concepts such as perspective and the box method for a more accurate and dynamic representation of anime characters.

💡Sphere Method

The 'Sphere Method' is a basic technique used in drawing where a sphere is utilized as the base shape to establish the head structure of a character. While it is straightforward and easy for beginners, it has limitations in accurately representing the perspective and proportions of a face, especially for more complex facial structures and expressions.

💡Box Method

The 'Box Method' is an advanced drawing technique that uses geometric shapes, particularly cubes or boxes, to create a more solid and defined structure for drawing faces. This method allows artists to better visualize and maintain perspective, making it easier to understand the 3D structure of the head and to draw more accurately.

💡Perspective

In the context of the video, 'Perspective' refers to the visual representation of objects in a drawing, where they appear to recede, decrease in size, or change shape based on their relative position to the viewer. Accurate perspective is crucial for creating a sense of depth and realism in a drawing, and the video emphasizes the importance of incorporating perspective into the drawing process.

💡Skull Structures

The term 'Skull Structures' refers to the bones that make up the skull, including the frontal bone, mandible, zygomatic bones, nose bone, and maxilla. Understanding these structures is essential for accurately drawing facial features and expressions in anime, as they provide the underlying framework for the face.

💡Polygon Representation

Polygon Representation is a technique where the face is broken down into multiple small polygons or geometric shapes to simplify the drawing process. This method helps artists to better visualize the angles and planes of the face, making it easier to shade and light the drawing accurately.

💡Shading and Depth

Shading and Depth refer to the techniques used in drawing to create the illusion of light and shadow on a two-dimensional surface, which in turn gives the drawing a three-dimensional appearance. Proper shading can significantly enhance the realism and expressiveness of a drawing, making the characters appear more lifelike and dynamic.

💡Facial Expressions

Facial Expressions are the visible changes in a person's face that convey their emotions. In the context of the video, understanding and accurately drawing facial expressions is crucial for bringing the anime characters to life, as it allows the artist to effectively communicate the character's feelings and state of mind.

💡Lighting Effects

Lighting Effects in drawing refer to the way light interacts with the subject, influencing the perception of form, texture, and depth. Properly applying lighting effects can greatly enhance the realism and mood of a drawing, making the characters and scenes more visually appealing and convincing.

💡Character Design

Character Design involves creating the visual appearance and personality of a character for a story, which includes their physical features, clothing, and accessories. In the context of the video, a good understanding of character design is essential for artists to draw anime faces that are not only accurate but also expressive and consistent with the character's personality.

Highlights

A new video about legendary anime classics has been released on the anime Senpai Channel.

It has been three years since the first anime face tutorial was made, and now an upgraded version is presented.

The tutorial introduces how to draw an anime face like a pro, emphasizing the importance of learning the 'pro way' over the easiest method.

The sphere method is a basic way to draw the face, especially for beginners, but it has limitations in showing perspective and proportions.

Mastering basic shapes and geometries is essential in drawing as they form the foundation for creating complex forms and structures.

The isometric cube is introduced as a type of 3D drawing that lacks natural perspective distortion, making it less ideal for realistic drawings.

Incorporating perspective into the drawing of a cube is crucial for creating a sense of depth and realism.

The box method for drawing faces provides a more solid structure with defined edges and planes, making it easier to maintain perspective.

Understanding skull structures is important for accurately drawing the head in 3D and visualizing facial expressions.

The frontal bone, mandible, zygomatic bones, nose bone, and maxilla are key parts of the skull that define the overall shape of the face.

The T-bone, eye sockets, and cheekbones are important for positioning the eyes and understanding the face under different lighting conditions.

A technique of drawing the entire face into multiple small polygons is introduced to simplify the facial structure for easier shading and lighting effects.

The polygon-based facial structure can be adapted to suit different character designs, angles, and expressions, enhancing the versatility of the drawing technique.

By understanding the underlying facial structure, artists can better portray form, contours, and three-dimensionality in their drawings.

Practice is essential for mastering these techniques and finding the one that an artist is comfortable with.

Access to Photoshop files used in the video is available for patrons, offering further resources for improving anime drawing skills.

Transcripts

before I start the video I have a new

video about legendary anime Classics

that were aired in Spring 2010 on my

anime Senpai Channel make sure to check

it out

so it's been three whole years since I

made my first anime face tutorial since

then I've been researching various

techniques and exposing myself to a

variety of sources to find the best way

to draw an anime face safe to say my

quest has come to fruition as now I'm

back with a brand new and upgraded

version of the tutorial introducing how

to draw anime face like a pro

oh oh I know how to draw first start by

drawing a sphere our Circle to represent

the hit and then draw the two guidelines

one horizontal one vertical after that

draw the jaw the chin and the ears next

draw the eyes nose and mouth lastly draw

the hair GG easy well yes and no but say

bye you taught us to draw this way yeah

I know the sphere method is indeed an

easy way to draw the face especially for

beginners basically you use a sphere as

the base shape to establish the head

structure then you add the facial

features and details on the sphere

accordingly this is a very

straightforward and easy way of drawing

the face however there are downsides to

this method it doesn't really show the

perspective and proportions of the face

accurately especially when you are

trying to draw a more complex facial

structure and expression so if you want

to draw a better face you need to learn

the pro way not just the easiest way let

me show you how

first up let's talk about shapes and

geometries mastering basic shapes and

geometries is essential in drawing

because they serve as the foundation for

creating more complex forms and

structures what's so hot about drawing

boards and Minecraft blocks I've

mastered it already let's move to the

next step my fellow co-host are you

certain that you have drawn those cubes

correctly let me guess this is probably

how you draw cubes you first draw a

square as the front plane and another

Square as the back plane then you

connect the ends of these lines to form

the top and bottom faces of the cube am

I right well that's pretty standard I

would say or you can choose the

unorthodox way like what I usually do

which is something like this this kind

of cube is called an isometric Cube

which is a type of three-dimensional

drawing that represents objects in a way

where all three axes are equally spaced

this creates a uniform scale for all

Dimensions giving the illusion of depth

without any Distortion or foreshortening

this is the reason why they are not

ideal for creating realistic drawings

due to the absence of perspective in

other words isometric cubes violate the

natural way we perceive depth and

distance

in real life objects become smaller as

they get further away from the viewer

and this natural perspective Distortion

is essential for creating a sense of

depth and realism in a drawing isometric

cubes do not account for this

perspective Distortion which can make

drawings look somewhat fake and flat so

in order to draw it the pro way you need

to start incorporating perspective into

your Cube's drawing I know it may seem

easy to draw a cube with an accurate

perspective but trust me it's not as

simple as you think alright let's start

withdrawing a cube don't worry too much

about getting it perfect just draw it

freely because we'll fix the perspective

later now let's assume we're looking at

the cube from this Edge right here since

this Edge is the focus point the left

and right sides will vanish into a point

called the vanishing point there's also

a vanishing point at the bottom this is

pretty much all you need to know about

three-point perspective super simple

alright now we can draw two perspective

lines one to the left and another to the

right as for the third vanishing point

it's not really crucial unless we were

drawing something like a building but

for anatomy purposes these two Vanishing

points on the horizontal lines are more

than enough with these two Vanishing

points acting as anchors you can check

if the rest of the lines are in the

correct perspective so here we can see

that this line is a little off this one

as well and that is why we need these

guidelines because they're super helpful

so how is perspective related to

becoming a pro at drawing faces well

just look at how accurate it is to draw

the head using the box method a like a

sphere a cube offers more Dimension and

makes it easier for us to visualize the

head in 3D in summary the box method

provides a more solid structure with

defined edges and planes making it

easier to understand and maintain

perspective the sphere method on the

other hand can be quite challenging due

to its curved surface which makes it

harder to draw an accurate perspective

so give the box method a try and see if

your face looks any better

[Music]

now that we've mastered the art of the

queue it's time to enter the Mysterious

World of skull structures

foreign

[Music]

that our ancestors I'm talking about the

skulls of r2d waifus first thing first

let me introduce you to the frontal bone

this is the bone that forms our forehead

and it plays a crucial role in defining

the overall shape of our face yes this

is the part where you draw a big frontal

bone if your character has macrosophili

or brain cancer next up we have the

lower Jawbone aka the mandible this is

the only movable bone in the skull and

it's responsible for the movement of our

mouth when we are talking or choking on

a banana

moving on to the cheekbones aka the

zygomatic bones which form the Contours

of our face then we have the nose bone

this part of the skull is responsible

for the structure of the nose last but

not least we have the upper Jawbone aka

the maxilla this bone plays a

significant role in determining the

shape and size of the mouth as well as

the position of the teeth apart from

that these parts of the skull are very

important as well they are the T-bone

eye sockets and cheekbones let's start

with the T-bone which is the protruded

area where the frontal bone meets the

two parietal bones in the skull what

sits underneath it are the eye sockets

which are located at the sunken Hollow

cavities in the skull different shape

and depth of the eye sockets will affect

the shadow of the eyes finally let's

discuss the cheekbones they help us

understand where to position the eyes

and how the face looks under different

lighting conditions alright now it's

time to put our understanding of the

facial bone structure into drawing our

subject someone who's on the day before

no not November for this drawing we want

to carry character to look tired and

weary which is why we should emphasize

on the eye sockets and the cheekbones in

order to create a sunken appearance

these subtle cues can make a significant

difference in conveying the characters

emotions and overall state in terms of

shading and depth Watch How I add the

Shadows beneath the eyes remember the

eyes were seated in the sunken Hollow

cavities hence they should always appear

dark unless there's a frontal light that

shines on the face also pay attention to

the T-bone and the cheekbones by adding

some highlights at the upper jaw

cheekbones and T-Bone we can make them

look more natural and consistent with

the rest of the facial structure

this method might seem novel or strange

to you but I promise you it's really

effective basically you just draw the

entire face into multiple small polygons

the forehead and the cheekbones can be

represented by a flat plane while the

sides of the face form a triangular

shape the nose can be simplified into a

pyramid as well also the chin and

jawline can be represented by a triangle

as for the lips you can ignore it so now

we have created a simplified geometric

representation of the face that's much

easier to work with the next step is to

shade it when there's a light source

above your head the forehead T-Zone and

cheekbones will brighten up the eye

sockets on the other hand will be

covered in Shadow now that we have our

polygon based facial structure we can

use it as a foundation for drawing anime

faces as you draw the facial features

you'll notice how the polygon structure

helps to give a clearer picture of the

angles and planes of the face allowing

you to better visualize the shading and

lighting effects on your character the

best part about this technique is its

versatility you can adapt polygon facial

structure to suit different character

designs angles and expressions once

you've mastered this technique you'll

find your anime face drawings become

more accurate Dynamic and Visually

appealing whether it's studying skull

structure or polygon representation the

purpose of learning these aspects is to

accurately draw and shade our characters

by having a deeper understanding of the

underlying facial structure we can

better portray the form Contours and

three-dimensionality of the face in our

drawings which in turn allows us to

create more convincing Expressions

lighting and shadows that bring depth

and Life to our characters remember

practice makes perfect so keep

experimenting with different techniques

until you find the one that you are

comfortable with if you have enjoyed

this video and you want to take your

anime drawing skills even further you

can sign up for my patreon and gain

access to all the Photoshop files I've

used in this video feel free to support

me on patreon I really appreciate it

please drop a like subscribe to my

channel and follow me on Twitter DM me

if you want a commission from me alright

that's all from me Jannah wise

[Music]

thank you