by Marissa Tousey-Pfarrer

Tools

- sharpened pencil

- an eraser and

- drawing paper

Anime ( an-i-may) is a Japanese art. I like to do it because it is fun and passes time. Anime originated in Japan in the 1900s. There are also manga (mahng-ga) books that originated in Japan. They have lots and lots of anime in them, but you read them backwards, from right to left. And there are a lot of famous Japanese movies that use anime, like “Howls Moving Castle” and “Spirited Away.” When you draw anime just remember to be careful and take your time.

1. Draw an oval shape in the middle of a piece of drawing paper, and draw a perpendicular line, lightly, then draw two curved lines below the head.

2. Next draw two rectangular eyes on the middle of the horizontal line. A little bit below the eyes, draw an upside-down crescent for the nose. Then put the eyelashes on the eyes, by drawing little curved lines going upwards. Also add eyebrows, by drawing curved lines facing downwards. If you want cheeks, add a semi-circle under the eyes and add dots under the cheeks representing freckles. Then make a curved line on the bottom for the mouth.

3. Now draw the hair. If you want bangs, draw lines going downwards or sideways from the forehead. The last thing you do is erase all the lightly drawn lines you started with.

When you draw an eye, make sure you have eyelashes and eyebrows. That way it gives your artwork a more realistic look. If your drawing is smiling you can add cheeks right under the eyes. You can also make facial expressions with the eyes. You can have the two circles rolling down, rolling your eyes, or a sideways glance, etc.