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Wanna know how to draw yourself as a manga girl/boy? Open your eyes, your feelings, and your mind, then follow the steps.

  1. Make sure the picture is good because you'll need it later. You'll need it because it'll be your key to what you are trying to draw.
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  3. You will need a clean piece of paper, a sharpened pencil (not a mechanical one), a big eraser, and a felt tip pen. Also, don't forget to keep the photo by your side while you are drawing.
  4. It should be standing up (not sideways) and be about the size of the head in your picture.
  5. The space between the eyes should be about two times the size of the eyes.
  6. Use close together lines not chunky blocks of color. Hair should have a little sway to it; try to make your hairstyle like that.
  7. Draw a large circle in between the two curved lines on both the eyes and draw two shines in them (just two circles: one large, one small).
  8. Then, after the ink dries, erase everything so it is all cleaned up and looks nice. Compare your photo to your drawing. It should look very similar.
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Community Q&A

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  • Question
    Why did you not finish the mouth?
    Community Answer
    Community Answer
    In anime, usually, the characters don't have detailed or completed mouths. The thing that makes manga special is that they put most of the details in the eyes, not the rest of the characteristics.
  • Question
    Do I have to use a felt pen?
    Community Answer
    Community Answer
    No, you should make sure the picture is how you would want it to permanently look if you were to, though. Using pen usually makes it stand out and look better; however, it can also make the image seem more unrealistic, because you don't see people in real life with black outlines.
  • Question
    How do I make the hair?
    Community Answer
    Community Answer
    There are lots of helpful online tutorials on how to do this. It also helps to just look in the mirror at your hair. See how some of it is in sections? And there there are stray hairs. Also make sure your hair isn't just lines -- it should look naturual and normal hair has volume, too.
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Tips

  • Insert extra detail, concentrating on bringing out your personality.
  • Vibrant colors for your character can be generated using prismacolor markers!
  • Learn about color by visiting YouTube and looking through some videos. Find out about shading and texture as it relates to color and to black and white while you are on YouTube.
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About This Article

Jeanine Hattas Wilson
Reviewed by:
Professional Painter
This article was reviewed by Jeanine Hattas Wilson. Jeanine Hattas Wilson is a Professional Painter and the President of Hattas Public Murals, Inc. With nearly 20 years of experience, Jeanine specializes in creating, overseeing, designing, and painting murals. Jeanine holds a BA in Advertising from Marquette University and a Studio Painting Minor from The Milwaukee Institute of Art & Design. She has studied at The Atelier Artien in Paris, France, Los Angeles Academy of Figurative Art, and under renowned artists such as Robert Liberace, Michael Siegel, and William Cochran. To date, Hattas Public Murals has painted nearly 5,000 commissioned works of art in homes and commercial and public spaces. This article has been viewed 150,008 times.
573 votes - 60%
Co-authors: 40
Updated: June 24, 2024
Views: 150,008
Thanks to all authors for creating a page that has been read 150,008 times.

Reader Success Stories

  • Kalu Uche

    Kalu Uche

    Oct 11, 2022

    "I have been drawing for years now and I wasn't really seeing that much of an improvement, so I started..." more
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