Start with a small head-and-shoulders sketch rather than a full character. A small drawing makes it easier to judge the face, hair and proportions without getting distracted by clothing or background detail.
Materials
- Pencil: HB or a mechanical pencil is enough for the construction lines.
- Eraser: any clean eraser works; a kneaded eraser is useful for lifting graphite gradually.
- Paper: use a small sheet if you want to keep the first study simple.
Draw the face in five stages
1. Build the head shape
Lightly draw an egg-shaped head that narrows toward the chin. Add a vertical center line and a horizontal eye guide around the middle of the head. Place the eyes just below that guide. If the face looks too long, shorten the lower half before adding features.
2. Place the facial features
- Eyes: use two rounded shapes with a heavier upper lash line and a lighter lower edge.
- Irises: keep them large and place a small highlight in each.
- Nose: a short mark is enough for this style.
- Mouth: use a small curve and leave some space below the nose.
- Blush: if you want it, use very light side-to-side pencil strokes.
If the face looks older than intended, slightly lower the eyes and soften the jaw corners before changing the smaller features.
3. Block in the hair
Think of the hairstyle as three large shapes before drawing strands:
- the bangs across the forehead,
- two side sections overlapping the cheeks, and
- the larger mass of hair following the top and back of the skull.
Add individual strands only after the larger hair shapes are working. A slightly off-center part can make the hairstyle feel less rigid.
4. Add the neck and shoulders
Add a simple neckline—a sweater, open collar or plain shirt—and keep the shoulders as relaxed slopes. Because this tutorial focuses on the face, the drawing can stop at the shoulders.
5. Add simple pencil shading
Choose one light direction and keep it consistent across the face and hair.
- Place a soft shadow beneath the bangs.
- Darken the underside of the chin slightly.
- Add a very light tone below the lower lip.
- Shade the upper part of each iris more strongly than the lower part.
If you have a softer pencil such as 2B, use it sparingly for the upper lashes, pupils and deepest hair overlaps. Keep the highlights broad rather than blending every surface.
Use line weight to separate forms
Keep most construction lines light, then darken only a few places: the upper lashes, the underside of the chin, and the edges where hair overlaps the face. That small change creates depth without covering the drawing in heavy outlines.
Redraw one feature at a time
Instead of changing the entire character, vary one element: round eyes versus narrower eyes, straight bangs versus a side part, or a sweater neckline versus a simple V-neck. Drawing the same head with one controlled change makes it easier to see what that feature actually does.
Common problems
- Hair looks stringy: return to three large masses—bangs, side sections and the back of the hair—before adding individual strands.
- Eyes drift apart: keep the center guide visible until both eyes are placed.
- Face feels stiff: tilt the head slightly or vary the shoulder line rather than adding more facial detail.
- Shading gets muddy: use fewer values and leave larger light areas untouched.
For practice, redraw the same head once from memory and compare it with the first version. Then continue with the anime drawing tutorials, anime character ideas, or the broader easy drawing tutorials.
