Good to know!
What exactly are manga?
Manga, a form of Japanese comics, originated in the 12th century, when hand-drawn picture scrolls with humorous or narrative content became popular.
The influence of manga on today's pop culture cannot be overlooked. They have a firm place in the world of comics and graphic novels, in animation (anime), and in various entertainment media.
Drawing manga is a fun and creative way to express yourself. Here you will learn about typical manga elements and how you can easily draw them yourself: large, expressive eyes, colorful designs, and unusual hairstyles.
You will notice that manga offers a variety of character and scenario designs. From cute shōjo characters to action-packed shōnen heroes, the possibilities are endless.
Pens for drawing manga
Manga Styles: The basics of manga drawing
So you want to learn how to draw manga? Great! Let's start with the basics: what makes a manga image? There are different styles of manga and anime, each with their own special features. If you focus on the eyes, hair, and proportions typical of manga and anime, your drawing will quickly start to look like real manga.
Familiarize yourself with simple shapes, as these are the basis for every drawing. Practice drawing circles, ovals, and lines. Once you've mastered these shapes, you can start combining them into simple manga characters by drawing the typical features of a manga character. And remember: practice makes perfect!
Shōjo-Animes
Anime and manga characters often have large, expressive eyes framed by striking eyelashes. Eyes are central to character design, especially in shōjo anime such as Sailor Moon, Cardcaptor Sakura, and Skip Beat! Large highlights are often seen here.
Shōnen-Animes
The hair of manga characters is not made up of individual strokes, but rather colorful shapes that can group strands together and stick out in different directions. Classic shōnen anime such as Dragonball, Hunter x Hunter, and Naruto are particularly known for hairstyles that defy the rules of gravity.
Chibi-Style
In some manga styles, such as the chibi style, the head is drawn disproportionately large, making the characters appear cuter. This is also a simple trick to make your character look younger.
Eyes, mouth, nose, and hair
Drawing a manga face
How do you draw a manga face? If you look at the individual components of a face, drawing isn't difficult at all!
Let's start with the eyes. They are often large and expressive. You can find more information on how to draw eyes below.
The mouth is usually small and simple, while the nose often consists of just a line or two.
And the hair? That's the highlight! Experiment with different hairstyles and strands. Remember that manga hair is dynamic and often exaggerated. The ears are often hidden under the hair.
Ears are simple ovals that are divided in the middle and have a circle with a squiggle for the ear canal in a dark color in the lower third.
Step-by-step guide to drawing manga faces
Basics for drawing your own manga and anime
What may seem a little complex at first glance is actually not that difficult in practice with the right guide.
As an extra, you will find step-by-step instructions on how to draw faces, figures, and eyes in manga and anime style, available as a free digital download when you purchase an edding manga set.
Focus topic: Learning to draw manga eyes
Drawing manga eyes is particularly fun because they reflect emotions especially well and attract the viewer's gaze. Step-by-step instructions on how to draw manga eyes are available as a free download when you purchase our manga set.
The great thing about manga eyes is that they are incredibly versatile. Try unusual eye colors or use common symbols such as hearts or stars as pupils. As long as you master the basics of which elements to place in the eye and how, you can create great anime and manga motifs!
A key part of manga is the expression in the eyes. You can use different eye shapes and expressions to convey emotions. For example, large eyes with wide pupils can convey surprise or excitement, while narrow eyes with slanted pupils can show concentration or suspicion.
Upper Body and Full Body
Mastering body proportions and poses
Drawing manga can be difficult at first, especially when it comes to body proportions and poses. Don't worry, with a little practice you'll get better. Start with basic shapes to sketch the body. For example, an oval for the head and lines for the body and limbs. Make sure the proportions are correct—a typical manga body is about seven heads tall. For poses, it helps to use photos or even your own body as a template. Experiment and have fun! Remember that practice is the key to perfection.
If you don't want to worry too much about dynamic poses or proportions and just want to bring your manga character to life, you can also use ready-made templates. Simply place the printed template behind your blank sheet of paper.
In our manga set, you will find printed templates for tracing.
Drawing contours for beginners
Smudge-proof Fineliners
Drawing clear and precise outlines is an important step in manga drawing. To prevent your outlines from smudging or bleeding and to allow you to work over them later with colorful markers or watercolors, it is important to use smudge-proof and waterproof outlines. The edding 1800 fineliner is an excellent choice for this, as it is not only smudge-proof but also waterproof and offers a rich, deep black.
Tips for drawing with the edding 1800 fineliner:
When drawing manga for beginners, the opaque edding 1800 fineliner is great for drawing contours. Its fine tip allows you to draw precise lines, perfect for the characteristic dark contours.
Be careful not to press the pen too hard on the paper to avoid fraying the tip. After drawing, allow the contours to dry briefly to ensure they are smudge-proof and waterproof before working over them with other pens.
edding 1800 profipen
- Precision fineliner for writing and precise sketching on light-coloured paper
- The metal-framed plastic nib is available in stroke widths of 0.1 = 0.25 mm, 0.3 = 0.35 mm, 0.5 = 0.5 mm and 0.7 = 0.7 mm
- The pigment ink is waterproof and extremely lightfast
Coloring and shading for impressive effects
Manga with Acrylic Markers
Adding colors and shades can give your manga drawings a whole new dimension. Coloring is not only about bringing your drawings to life, but also about the mood and atmosphere of your story. Did you know that when you use our acrylic manga pens, you can even mix the colors while they are still wet to create amazing color gradients!
Experiment with different color palettes and see what suits your characters best.
Shading, on the other hand, helps to create depth and volume. Although it can be difficult at first, with practice and patience you can learn how to use light and shadow effectively. Always remember: practice makes perfect!
edding 5300 acrylic marker fine
- Acrylic marker for painting on light or dark surfaces, ideal for materials like canvas, painting paper, wood, stone or terracotta
- The round nib has a stroke width of 1-2 mm
- The high-quality, pigmented water-based acrylic paint is opaque, lightfast, odourless and permanent after drying
How do acrylic markers differ from brush pens?
In other manga sets, you will usually find felt-tip pens or brush pens for coloring manga instead of acrylic pens. These pens are also well suited for drawing manga and are frequently used.
However, we find that acrylic pens offer many advantages for drawing manga:
- Highlights and glows can also be painted over dark colors afterwards.
- Due to their high opacity, mistakes can be painted over.
- As long as the colors are still wet, they can be mixed on the paper.
- Acrylic ink dries on the surface, so the ink does not bleed through.
Practice opportunities for aspiring manga artists
With the right tools, getting started isn't that difficult! Start with simple sketches, practice facial expressions and postures.
Templates that provide the basic structure of the face or body are ideal for beginners, helping them achieve great results quickly. Once you've worked with a few templates for proportions, it will be easier for you to create your own composition or sketch later on.
There are many tutorials online that can help you with this. You'll also find tips for getting started in our edding manga set. Remember to practice regularly, because practice makes perfect. And above all, have fun!
