How to draw a manga face
A simple manga face is built on two guide lines, a center line and an eye line. Get those right and the features, hair and highlights fall into place in four short stages.
- Manga
- Beginner
- 10 min
- 4 stages
Draw on paper with any pencil or pen. Compare each stage with the guide before you move on.
Stage by stage
Head and guides
Draw a circle for the head, a center line and an eye line across it, and a V shape below for the jaw.
Check before you move on: Do the center line and the eye line cross near the middle of the circle?
Face and hair outline
Draw the jaw, chin, ears and neck, then outline the hair with a jagged fringe over the top of the circle.
Check before you move on: Does the face narrow to a chin, with the fringe covering the top of the forehead?
Features and dark hair
Place the eyes along the eye line, add brows, a small nose and a mouth, then fill the hair with solid dark.
Check before you move on: Are the eyes level, with about one eye width between them?
Highlights and cleanup
Leave a bright streak in the hair, add a highlight in each eye and erase the guide lines.
Check before you move on: Are the guide lines gone, with a bright streak left in the hair?
Tips for this drawing
- Cross the center line and the eye line near the middle of the head circle.
- Place the eyes level along the eye line, with about one eye width between them.
- Fill the hair with solid dark, but leave a bright streak so it does not look flat.
Make a lesson like this from your own photo
Sketchwise builds a guide image for every stage, checks your page along the way and scores the finished drawing.
