.:How To Draw Guide:.

~Consider~

As you may or may not know, I started drawing in July of 2011 when I was 15. I began with a simple pencil sketch of Danny with an OC Jake, looking off a reference picture. The picture wasn’t full body but by watching enough of the show I was able to draw the rest of the bodies. Now I draw so much better and so much faster, with several years of experience.

• DRAWING: drawing is recording something you see in your mind’s eye onto the paper. Check it line to line. If you’re just starting out, you probably won't be able to see the whole vision at once yet. Go line by line and consider the line’s relationship and proportion to the ones around it. Knowing this is how I went from being unable to draw anything to being able to draw whatever I want. For God’s sake don’t ever use the “shape” method or grid paper. Those will only frustrate you! Art doesn't fit in a box. It flows and is beautiful. Each picture is unique and different. Draw your character based on line to line proportions; not based on what you think the overall vision should be if you’re just starting out. Once you have a lot of your character drawn on the paper, then it’ll be time to start thinking of other things like background and such.
• STARTING: personally I always always always start with the chin/jawline when drawing a person. If that part’s off then the whole picture will be off to me. It sets the angle and expression for the picture. Then by drawing the position of the neck, the rest of everything will follow.
• BODY: even if your character is in motion or can fly or whatever, the pose should still look natural. People are not stiff scarecrows. Even if they don't move much, they are still fluid. If it helps you, maybe draw a stick figure or a make-do skeleton to help with proportions and pose before adding the full figure of the body. Keep in mind your character’s body structure too. We are all human but everyone is built different. Try to show those differences in a cool way, but don't distort things to a crazy level.
• FACE: make the face likeable and interesting in some way. From starting with the chin, I draw in the side of the face next. Then I place the nose to set the angle of the face. From there, I place the eyes, mouth, and then the eyebrows if they will be visible with this hairstyle.
• HAIR: hair is actually pretty easy. First draw in a general shape around the head, then draw where the hair ends across the face. Then to make it look more real, add in lines with the flow of the hair. It’ll look more realistic faster!
• SHADING: depending on the lighting you choose, shadows and highlights can appear pretty much anywhere. If you’re just starting out, then stick to the edges and make some a little darker.
• LINEWEIGHTS: true, some parts of a character in a picture will have different line eights than others! Study line art in anime and mangas to see if you want this to be part of your style. Typically in any style though the outer edges will be thicker and the inner details of line work will be thinner.
• STYLIZATION: everyone has their own style. I didn't used to see it but now I do. We can tell when it’s been drawn by you, even if you imitate a recognizable style. You can take this as a positive thing or let it frustrate you, but however you choose to take it, appreciate your style and work to make it good. Keep things flattering. Keep adapting and adding improvements to your style to flesh it out and make it more your own. However do not distort things just to make your style look more distinctive!!
• PROPORTION: even with a style like chibi, there are still proportions to observe. My biggest pet peeve in style has got to be proportion, which is why chibi and other styles will tend to bug me. Whatever your style, keep your proportions consistent and flattering. Some common disproportions that can turn people off are large heads, tiny heads, tiny hands, and long legs. I see these things frequently and I cringe. Chibi makes me cringe, though it has become an acceptable style. Observe whatever style grouping you’re trying to go into with a keen eye to understand more flattering and acceptable proportions.