Anime drawings by real artists
There's no one right way to draw anime. Here are 22 ways artists on Magma drew it, and how you can learn from them.
01EYES
Start with the eyes
The eyes carry an anime face. Most of these artists keep the same parts, a thick upper lash line, a tall iris that's darker at the top and a bright highlight, and change everything else: the color, the shape of the lashes, how much is painted.
One eye in three steps
The same artist posted each stage. First (#167): a thick upper lash line with a few spiky lashes, an empty oval iris and two small marks under the eye. Then (#165): the iris filled with two flat greens, dark on top and light at the bottom. Finished (#163): a big dark pupil, a dark band across the top of the iris, two white highlights, small light dots along the bottom and a pink shadow on the white of the eye.
A sharp lash line
In (#154) the upper lash line is one dark-blue wedge with a sharp flick at the inner corner. The iris goes from deep blue at the top to a ring of light dots near the bottom, with the white highlights at the top.
A crying eye
The crying eye (#159) is only a lash line, a tall, narrow purple iris and a pale blue tear pooled along the lower lid. The artist says they looked at references and tips before drawing it.
#157
02CEL
Clean lines and flat color
Clean outlines, flat colors and little or no shading: the look of most TV anime. Chibis push it further, with heads as big as their bodies.
Chibi proportions
The two schoolgirls in (#139) have heads about as big as their bodies, huge round eyes, no noses and tiny arms and legs. Each one stands on a flat background in her own hair color, blue or red.
Big eyes, simple shapes
In (#128) the face is a few flat colors: dark-blue eyes with white highlights, a small open mouth and hair in a handful of pointed clumps. There's almost no shading, so the outline does the work.
03PAINTED
The painted way
Keep the anime face, big eyes and a small nose and mouth, but paint light and shadow with many soft tones instead of outlines and flat fills.
Soft strokes, sharp eyes
The girl eating a burger (#3) has almost no outlines: her face, hoodie and the restaurant behind her are soft brush strokes, and the background is blurred into shapes. The glasses and eyes are the sharpest part of the picture.
04SKETCH
The sketched way
Studies and quick sketches are how most artists practice anime: faces, hair and eyes, drawn again and again with loose lines.
Hair in clumps
The ponytail in (#124) is a bundle of long, pointed clumps that taper to a tip, each shaded with fine hatching on one side. A few thin strands break away at the ends. The artist's caption: "Drew some hair in a some what manga style".
A pencil study
In the pencil study (#43) the big eyes sit around the middle of the head, the nose is a tiny mark and the mouth a short line. The braid is drawn as a chain of loops.
05TOGETHER
How to draw anime: learn it with others
The fastest way to get better at anime is to draw it next to other people. 4 of the 22 drawings on this page were made in Art Jams: shared canvases where everyone draws at the same time. Two of them come from public "draw anime girl" jams, where dozens of artists each drew a girl in their own style on one canvas.
Join an anime jam, watch how others draw eyes, hair and faces, and ask them how they did it. Or host your own: pick a theme like eyes or chibis, share the link, and compare what everyone makes of it.
Drawing anime on Magma right now
No anime jam is live at the moment. Browse the open Art Jams, or start your own and share the link.
06HOW TO
Prefer steps? A quick guide
The basic shapes behind an anime face. Once they're down, pick a way from above and make it yours.
- Circle and chinLightly sketch a circle for the skull, then two lines curving in to a small, rounded chin about half a circle below it.
- GuidelinesA vertical line down the middle of the face and a horizontal line across the middle of the head. Curve them if the head is turned.
- Eyes on the middle lineBig eyes on or just below the horizontal line, about one eye-width apart, each with a thick upper lash line and a thin lower one.
- Irises and highlightsA tall oval iris under the upper line, darker at the top, with a pupil, one big white highlight and one or two small ones, in the same spot in both eyes.
- Nose and mouthA small dot or tick for the nose about halfway between the eyes and the chin, and a short line for the mouth a little below. Ears go between the eye line and the nose.
- Hair, then colorDraw the hair outside the circle as pointed clumps, bangs first. Erase the guides, then color: one flat base and one hard-edged shadow for classic cel shading.
07MAGMA
Anime on Magma
Counts from Magma's public Art Jams (10+ artists each) and posts, September 2026.
Draw your anime character now
Open a free canvas in your browser. Nothing to install, and it works on Chromebooks too. Post it when you're done, and it could end up on this page.
Draw anime nowQuestions
How do you draw anime?
There's no single right way. Start with simple shapes (a circle for the head, a jaw down to a small chin, big eyes on the middle line, a tiny nose and mouth, and hair in clumps), then pick a style: cel-shaded, painted, chibi or a quick sketch. The easiest way to improve is to draw alongside others in an anime Art Jam and see how they do it.
How do you draw anime eyes?
Draw a thick, dark upper lash line and a thin lower line, then a tall oval iris tucked under the upper line. Make the top of the iris darker, add a pupil, and leave a big white highlight plus one or two small ones. The green eye on this page shows it in three steps.
How do I draw anime hair?
Draw the head circle first, then the hair outside it as a few big pointed clumps: bangs over the forehead, then the sides and back. Add smaller clumps and a few single strands last.
Can my anime drawing be on this page?
Draw it on Magma and post it to your public feed. We pick drawings for this page from public posts, and every one is credited to its artist. We only feature original characters, not fan art of existing anime.
More drawing guides
Draw your anime character now
Draw anime nowAnime drawings by real artists
There's no one right way to draw anime. Here are 22 ways artists on Magma drew it, and how you can learn from them.
01EYES
Start with the eyes
The eyes carry an anime face. Most of these artists keep the same parts, a thick upper lash line, a tall iris that's darker at the top and a bright highlight, and change everything else: the color, the shape of the lashes, how much is painted.
One eye in three steps
The same artist posted each stage. First (#167): a thick upper lash line with a few spiky lashes, an empty oval iris and two small marks under the eye. Then (#165): the iris filled with two flat greens, dark on top and light at the bottom. Finished (#163): a big dark pupil, a dark band across the top of the iris, two white highlights, small light dots along the bottom and a pink shadow on the white of the eye.
A sharp lash line
In (#154) the upper lash line is one dark-blue wedge with a sharp flick at the inner corner. The iris goes from deep blue at the top to a ring of light dots near the bottom, with the white highlights at the top.
A crying eye
The crying eye (#159) is only a lash line, a tall, narrow purple iris and a pale blue tear pooled along the lower lid. The artist says they looked at references and tips before drawing it.
#15702CEL
Clean lines and flat color
Clean outlines, flat colors and little or no shading: the look of most TV anime. Chibis push it further, with heads as big as their bodies.
Chibi proportions
The two schoolgirls in (#139) have heads about as big as their bodies, huge round eyes, no noses and tiny arms and legs. Each one stands on a flat background in her own hair color, blue or red.
Big eyes, simple shapes
In (#128) the face is a few flat colors: dark-blue eyes with white highlights, a small open mouth and hair in a handful of pointed clumps. There's almost no shading, so the outline does the work.
03PAINTED
The painted way
Keep the anime face, big eyes and a small nose and mouth, but paint light and shadow with many soft tones instead of outlines and flat fills.
Soft strokes, sharp eyes
The girl eating a burger (#3) has almost no outlines: her face, hoodie and the restaurant behind her are soft brush strokes, and the background is blurred into shapes. The glasses and eyes are the sharpest part of the picture.
04SKETCH
The sketched way
Studies and quick sketches are how most artists practice anime: faces, hair and eyes, drawn again and again with loose lines.
Hair in clumps
The ponytail in (#124) is a bundle of long, pointed clumps that taper to a tip, each shaded with fine hatching on one side. A few thin strands break away at the ends. The artist's caption: "Drew some hair in a some what manga style".
A pencil study
In the pencil study (#43) the big eyes sit around the middle of the head, the nose is a tiny mark and the mouth a short line. The braid is drawn as a chain of loops.
05TOGETHER
How to draw anime: learn it with others
The fastest way to get better at anime is to draw it next to other people. 4 of the 22 drawings on this page were made in Art Jams: shared canvases where everyone draws at the same time. Two of them come from public "draw anime girl" jams, where dozens of artists each drew a girl in their own style on one canvas.
Join an anime jam, watch how others draw eyes, hair and faces, and ask them how they did it. Or host your own: pick a theme like eyes or chibis, share the link, and compare what everyone makes of it.
Drawing anime on Magma right now
No anime jam is live at the moment. Browse the open Art Jams, or start your own and share the link.
06HOW TO
Prefer steps? A quick guide
The basic shapes behind an anime face. Once they're down, pick a way from above and make it yours.
- Circle and chinLightly sketch a circle for the skull, then two lines curving in to a small, rounded chin about half a circle below it.
- GuidelinesA vertical line down the middle of the face and a horizontal line across the middle of the head. Curve them if the head is turned.
- Eyes on the middle lineBig eyes on or just below the horizontal line, about one eye-width apart, each with a thick upper lash line and a thin lower one.
- Irises and highlightsA tall oval iris under the upper line, darker at the top, with a pupil, one big white highlight and one or two small ones, in the same spot in both eyes.
- Nose and mouthA small dot or tick for the nose about halfway between the eyes and the chin, and a short line for the mouth a little below. Ears go between the eye line and the nose.
- Hair, then colorDraw the hair outside the circle as pointed clumps, bangs first. Erase the guides, then color: one flat base and one hard-edged shadow for classic cel shading.
07MAGMA
Anime on Magma
Counts from Magma's public Art Jams (10+ artists each) and posts, September 2026.
Draw your anime character now
Open a free canvas in your browser. Nothing to install, and it works on Chromebooks too. Post it when you're done, and it could end up on this page.
Draw anime nowQuestions
How do you draw anime?
There's no single right way. Start with simple shapes (a circle for the head, a jaw down to a small chin, big eyes on the middle line, a tiny nose and mouth, and hair in clumps), then pick a style: cel-shaded, painted, chibi or a quick sketch. The easiest way to improve is to draw alongside others in an anime Art Jam and see how they do it.
How do you draw anime eyes?
Draw a thick, dark upper lash line and a thin lower line, then a tall oval iris tucked under the upper line. Make the top of the iris darker, add a pupil, and leave a big white highlight plus one or two small ones. The green eye on this page shows it in three steps.
How do I draw anime hair?
Draw the head circle first, then the hair outside it as a few big pointed clumps: bangs over the forehead, then the sides and back. Add smaller clumps and a few single strands last.
Can my anime drawing be on this page?
Draw it on Magma and post it to your public feed. We pick drawings for this page from public posts, and every one is credited to its artist. We only feature original characters, not fan art of existing anime.
More drawing guides
Draw your anime character now
Draw anime now
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