How to draw manga faces IN ANY ANGLE ✏️, by Marc Brunet on YouTube. 7 min 58 s.
- Video length
- 7 min 58 s
- Time to do it
- 30 minutes
- Difficulty
- Medium
- Steps
- 9
What you need
Steps
Start with a sphere for the cranium. Draw it lightly so you can erase or paint over it later.
Slice the sphere with a vertical center line and a horizontal eye line. These two lines set the direction the face is looking.
Flatten the sides of the sphere into a jaw shape. Keep the jaw narrow at the chin and wider near the ears.
Place the eyes on the horizontal line, spaced about one eye width apart. In manga, make them larger than realistic proportions.
Drop the nose and mouth below the eye line. Use the center line to keep them aligned as the head turns.
For a three-quarter view, shift the center line toward the far side and narrow the far cheek. The near eye stays full and the far eye gets smaller.
For a side view, put the eye line near the middle of the head and push the nose and chin forward. The far eye is hidden or just a sliver.
For tilted angles, rotate the whole construction grid first, then draw the features along the tilted lines.
Refine the sketch into clean manga features: pointed chin, big eyes, small nose and simple mouth. Erase the construction lines last.
Tips and common mistakes
Draw the construction lines very lightly so they are easy to remove or paint over.
Check your angles against real photo references before adding details.
Keep the eye line and center line consistent, since mismatched lines are the most common reason a head looks wrong.
Questions
Do I need a drawing tablet?
No. The same construction works with pencil and paper. A tablet just makes erasing and layering easier.
How do I stop heads looking flat?
Wrap the features around the sphere instead of drawing them flat on the front. The center line and eye line curve with the head.
How long does it take to get good at angles?
Expect several weeks of daily practice. Draw the same head from many angles to build the habit.
This guide was drafted from the video's details and general task knowledge. It has not been checked against the full video. Check the video and relevant product instructions before following a procedure. Report a correction.
