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How to Draw Manga Boys

Real boys and girls often resemble each other. However, people can use visual and spoken cues to determine the gender of a small child. With an illustration, such as manga, it can be harder to tell the gender of a character. When you draw manga boys, there are certain traits, such as lankiness, that can help distinguish them from girls. Read on to learn more.

Things You'll Need

  • Eraser
  • Real-life boys
  • Pencils
  • Table
  • Paper
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Instructions

  1. Draw Little Boys in the Manga Style

    • 1

      Observe real-life boys as models if possible. They can be your own boys, a friend's boys or pictures in a catalog. This can help you see how a boy dresses and moves, and it can make it easier to fine-tune the proportion of the body parts.

    • 2

      Draw your little boy's head larger than his body, in a rounded shape. The head-to-body ratio for manga drawings of small children can be one to two.

    • 3

      Add eyes that are large and round. Set them low down on the face and omit eyelashes. This lends an innocent look to your character.

    • 4

      Create tiny circles for the nose and mouth.

    • 5

      Make some short hair, being sure to show the boy's ears. This will alert the reader to the fact that he is looking at a male character.

    • 6

      Draw a torso and legs that are narrow through the hips and bottom. Manga boys are not as fleshed out as girls. A boy's feet will be bigger in relation to his body as well.

    • 7

      Add simple clothing, such as shorts and a t-shirt. Shorts, rather than pants, will show the character as being very young.

    Draw Older Boys in the Manga Style

    • 8

      Mature your male character by drawing his face with a more angular look. His eyes can be smaller and more almond shaped as you age him. Boys in manga tend not to have eyelashes, no matter what their ages.

    • 9

      Make the nose more defined to show an older boy. His mouth can be bigger too.

    • 10

      Move the hairline of your boy farther up on his head, and create a more mature hairstyle.

    • 11

      Elongate the boy's body, so that he is still thin and wiry looking, but taller. The head-to-body ratio can approach one to eight, depending on the age of the character.

    • 12

      Draw feet that look big compared to the rest of his body. This foot-size discrepancy exists in real boys as well.

    • 13

      Dress your manga boy with clothing appropriate to his age. Long pants can be added for an older look.

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