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Marwan explains the anime drawing style

Thu Oct 7, 2004, 9:34 AM
It's me, Marwan! Whee...

Yes, I know... This is another lame ol' anime-related talk, but I just can't shake this topic away. This time, it's about the drawing style itself. Also, I want to take full advantage of my subscription account while there's still time left... Oh, and this is a very loooooong journal entry. :dead:

So, you think that drawing in anime style is a piece of cake? Like, just draw a big head, add those trademark couple of huge oval shiny anime eyes, throw in some more cute body features and walla, you're done, right? Wrong! It takes skill and talent in order to be able to draw this style as perfect as possible. I've seen so many pathetic "anime" attemps in deviantART that it's no wonder this is one reason why so many anime haters got tormented a lot while trying to browse deviantART. In fact, it takes almost one hour for me to draw this pencil sketch because I want it as perfect as possible :dead::


See, you'll need to know the basics of the drawing style first, and you can't just do that by watching all those anime characters you see on television or from a fansub or manga. Go and buy a copy of How To Draw Manga and read the stuff you might need to know from the actual Japanese professionals themselves. It's okay to take a lot of references from anime or from other professional anime artists while practicing to draw this style. Eventually, you should then be able to perfectly draw this style without having to look at any anime references at all.

But you should also know the importance of developing your own drawing style as well, out of this anime style. For my case, for instance, my drawing style is even more on the curvy side, which contrasts the edgy appearance of the anime characters you see on television. Also, I hate mouths that disobey the laws of perspective whenever characters are seen in a profile view, like what you can see in most anime series if you look at them at 90° view. That's why I draw mouths that breaks the face whenever the characters are at full profile view. Maybe because I'm a more perspective-caring person... I even draw the characters' noses completely symmetrical at full frontal view of characters' faces.

Oh yeah, almost forgot about this one. I find it quite funny to notice just how much anime sweatdrops and veins are overused. That is another thing being overused other than those huge eyes. Some people would even write a comic in such a way that the sweatdrops and veins would show up in either the same character, or between two characters where an anger vein shows up at the head of a character who is angry with another and the sweatdrop at the head of the other character who is embarrassed with the situation. Actually, there are times, where such usage for these expression symbols are unneeded at all, and the character's expressions can be solely based from the facial expressions alone. Let me show you what I mean:

As you can see, by just emphasizing the character's facial expressions even more, you should be able to convey those expressions, even without the need for these symbols. Okay... These symbols can be used to further enhance the humourous look of a character's expression even more, but please, don't overuse them, okay? ;P

One more thing: Despite how closely similar my drawing style is to the overused generic "anime" style, I do not really call my drawing style as "anime". In fact, though I don't know what the Japanese call this drawing style as, I prefer calling my drawing style as the "big eyes" drawing style. "Big eyes", because the characters' eyes are drawn big. Get it? =P Actually, the more accurate definition is "the very same style Japanese cartoonists are using, but with a Malaysian touch". In other words, I took reference in improving my art directly from the online Japanese artists themselves, not just from anime. The style is slightly different, and you can see for yourself if you compare the artists' drawing style with that of the generic style used in anime. You'd be surprised.

Oh, and not only that:

I have always wanted to draw something like this. ^^; This, by the way, is the same kind of style the Japanese furry artists are using in drawing their furries.

Okay, I'm done. :phew:

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End of journal entry

I'm giving a chance to anyone here to even go and reply my older journal entries as well.


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:iconmarcusthehedgehog:
This will help me work on my anime pics much more. I will try NOT to overuse any of the expresions used on any anime.

--
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Toni-chan: [link]
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------------------
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Zody, IMP
:icongospel:
I so love entries like these... X) *cracks knuckles*

The "anime art style..." Oh...live it to you to pick a contraversial topic.
When you think about it, what truly contributes to it? After all, it's not as easy as people believe it to be.

Taking a style from the "How to Draw Manga" character books is quite effective. I've tried it a loooooooong time ago myself, yet it just didn't suit me. [I couldn't really look at my own art work and like it and be proud of it back then.] You know how people believe it to be. As you said, "the huge oval shiny eyes, throw in some more cute body features"

Yes, it takes skill, talent, and determination to achieve but, when you think about it...what truly does contribute to it?

Coloration styles, artistic technique? And then again, who's really able to be the judge of what "the anime style" is and isn't? And yes, when you think about it...that just might be the reason why Deviant Art tok down the Anime section for being daily top favorites as it was crowding up so much slots...

What I believe the anime style is...is really what you believe it to be after practice.

Everyone draws a certain way, and everyone has a specific taste. One person my believe that a specific art style is "the anime style" while another isn't and vice versa.
Then again, they would both be correct and incorrect in saying so, as neither one of them has the power to set the standard or judge another as what it "should be."

In this day and age, anything that is considered well..cute as a matter of fact, too detailed, too realistic is considered "an anime style." Something that goes outside the normal of what they're used to seeing.

If the anime style has a specific rubic, then what of the "american televison style" or "storybook style?" Each of these styles take from one another and again, it becomes impossible to judge. It's simple up to the taste of the viewer to classify it as "an anime style."


The cliches can be used. The sweatdrops, the veins for the sake of comedy, but...if used in a regular painting, does that make it into the anime style?

And in thought of this, what is it the Japanese call their art style? Do they refer to it as "the anime way" or just..normal?

....Now I've went off and rambled myself..

Getting back to the theme and topic, what I truly want to say is that there is no correct way to truly draw an anime style. And in essense, there isn't too much an incorrect way. It's all up to the interpretation of the viewers and artist as what they perceive it to be.


The big eyes, flashy clothes and costumes are a big thing in anime, but not anime alone dear Marwan.

I'm not quite sure if this is the response you were wanting, but that is the opinion that I believe.
:iconzanoma:
Wow... Now that's a very looong reply! :faint:

Yes, you are right... There aren't really a fixed set of rules you'll need to follow in order to draw in "anime" style. Too bad that anime fans decided to fix the definition as "a story with epic proportions", "a high form of art", "the style consisting of characters with huge eyes", etc.. :no:

Still, there are some fans out there who argue that anime is anime only if it's from Japan, while American cartoons, or cartoons from other (too often European) countries made to look like anime are considered as not "anime" and can never be so. (Reminder: Japanese anime are cartoons, too!) Even worse... Fans even bash the producers who made these "anime-esque" cartoons solely for following this style. :no: It's sad for me to see this moment. Personally, I like watching "Totally Spies" very much, a French cartoon directed for Americans that's done in a very anime style, complete with sweatdrops, chibi moments and the likes. I don't care what others think... After all, it's just a form of an entertainment. And I like watching comedy.

Yes, the clichés can be used. What I hate is when it's used in an inappropriate condition, or solely for the sake of it. I've seen one group picture in deviantART before where one of the characters decided to annoy another, with an anime anger vein on the victim's head. A third one in the group stared over her shoulder watching them with an embarrasssed look, with a sweatdrop on her head. It's almost as if the artist is doing it just for the sake of to draw these expression symbols on the characters.

--
There is no such thing as original ideas, only inspirations.

Call me Marwan, not Zanoma!
:icontategamichikushou:
This is a -very- good entry. I especially like your suggestion of just using more expression as opposed to sweatdrops and such.
:iconzanoma:
Thank you. =) Yeah... Once, I've seen an otaku-drawn picture of two male angels where one of them has that anger vein symbol on his head, and the other with a sweatdrop on his. Yet, both characters show the same exact facial expression. Otakus overusing those expression symbols did annoy me a bit... It's almost like those are the only facial expressions they know. This is one of the many reasons why I did this journal entry.

--
There is no such thing as original ideas, only inspirations.

Call me Marwan, not Zanoma!
:iconfirelancess78:
yup,ill have to agree there,but,loads of people think i do my pictures quickly,i beg to differ,some stuff takes me up to 90 mins,and thats just a full body shot!!!
but yeah,i noticed a lot of lame anime attempts on DA,i hope you did not mean me when you use that though(even tho,my anime dose suck a little)but,still,you are right,anime is definetly NOT a peice of cake

--
im a stupid lier.
:iconshar-vill:
Your very passionate about your art and they way it should be! I applaud you! Me, I'm kinda inbetween the phase of looking like all the other wanna be anime or just plain artists, and slowly moving to my own style. Some day, the Aaranga style shall be perfected! (lol, yea, REALLY bad pun) (o and the pun is my name Aaron molded with manga- Aaranga. Or how about Aarime Aaron+Anime, :laughing: yea, I'll stop now before I get shot)

Thanks for that speech though, it helped me think alot on which directions I should take while drawing what I am drawing. You sir, are a truely inspirational person! ;)

--
Art is not time spent but time your willing to sacrafice.

<insert "additional" thought>
:iconzanoma:
You're welcome. =) Yeah, I wrote that article because I got fed-up with the countless amateur-ish anime drawings I've seen circulating around the internet, and how so many of them have the same overused elements (sweatdrops, chibi moments, etc.). This article is my plea to state that, contrary to what a lot of people think, anime is not an easy style to draw. And even more difficult if you're really aiming for the same professional style the actual Japanese anime artists do (just like what I'm actually pursuing to).

Even more difficult is the racial factor into count. Most anime artists tend to draw faces directly lifted from Japanese anime shows, so the resulting people's faces look more Japanese-ish. Truth is, the Japanese facial feature has its own unique characteristics, and they're actually potrayed rather well in anime. A lot of anime artists don't realize that... It is totally possible to draw Americans in anime style, too, wthout them ever looking Japanese at all.

I don't listen to online anime drawing tutorials because of these.

--
There is no such thing as original ideas, only inspirations.

Call me Marwan, not Zanoma!

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