How I Draw: Basic Structure

There have been some requests on my “lessons” from the Oh No! Manga Cosplay Camp 2012. (*ノ・ω・) I think there’s a possibility that we’ll be using the slides and artworks featured for the next convention, but I’ll give you guys the very basics on how I draw. (◕‿◕✿)

1. Stick Figure. Yes, for full body illustrations, I actually start by sketching a stick figure to make sure the character fits on the page. I don’t want to have to cut off any limbs just because I ran out of paper room. It’s a good way to get the pose right quickly or brainstorm something when I’m lacking inspiration.
2. Anatomy Check. The average person is about 7 heads high, but what does that really mean? (」ﾟヘﾟ)」Basically, you literally make an estimated measure of the character’s head, then double that measurement for the torso, upper leg, and lower leg. You don’t have to measure it with a ruler or anything crazy accurate like that! An estimate is all well and good.
3. Figure Drawing. This is where I draw all the curves and muscles. No clothing yet (ecchi!!! ヽ(-`д´-)ノ) because that’s the only way I’ll know how the clothes would fall to the body’s shape.
4. Inks. If I’m confident enough with how the whole thing looks, then I start inking. Nothing fancy with inking, just your basic black or brown lines.
5. Colors. I usually do flat colors first before adding light and shadow. ～(^з^)-☆

And that’s about it! If you have any questions, feel free to comment or like and share from my Facebook Page!

Oh, and please do let me know if you find this post interesting and if you’d like to see more tutorials? ヾ(｡･ω･｡) I might do more if there are requests and such~ Thank you~!