Advice: How to do anime art well?

[Sonomi]

This topic is about art styles, but specifically in the context of anime to anime comparisons if that makes sense. To summarize, I want to know about your ideas on drawing different types of anime, which little details I should pay attention to, and anything that you tend to look for in anime art. I'm trying to find a style that works for me, but it's difficult to say the least.

Examples of anime art styles for reference:

• Angel Beats
• K-On!
• Food Wars
• Dragon Ball Z
• Plastic Memories

[LateWhiteRabbit]

This topic is about art styles, but specifically in the context of anime to anime comparisons if that makes sense. To summarize, I want to know about your ideas on drawing different types of anime, which little details I should pay attention to, and anything that you tend to look for in anime art. I'm trying to find a style that works for me, but it's difficult to say the least.

Examples of anime art styles for reference:

• Angel Beats
• K-On!
• Food Wars
• Dragon Ball Z
• Plastic Memories

This is a little bit of blasphemy, but even though Chrono Trigger is my favorite game, and I love the Dragon Quest series, I don't particularly care for Akira Toriyama's designs. Don't hate them, but not a fan.

I like more realistic styles of anime. Realistic hair, eyes that don't take up half the face, and noses.

Some of my favorite anime artists include:
Range Murata (He did the designs for the Last Exile anime.)

Shigenori Soejima (He did designs for the Persona characters. And they have noses!)

And I'm a big fan of the style Satoshi Kon used in his films.

I like the K-On style quite a bit - I just wish they had noses! I'm kind of terrified of the current trend of completely removing noses in anime or just representing them with a literal tiny dot. Like, "Boom! I touched my pencil tip to a spot somewhere close to the middle of the face. Done! Nose master!" Oh, my goodness, none of us have noses!

[indoneko]

Oh, I like K-On characters too.... and while Akira Toriyama's design is ok, I'm also not really fan of his art.

Nose usually doesn't take much role in japanese anime/manga character's facial expressions (compared to eyes for example), so it's kinda pointless to put too much into it (unless your character is like Pinocchio, who has a nose that can reveal his thinking).

[Limabaen]

As you probably already know, the "anime and manga" style varies greatly between mediums and genres. Obviously, the art style for a ghibli film is very different from a shounen anime or B-grade eroge so asking for particular details to draw "anime" is casting the net quite wide imo.
However, within genres there are some common features which you might want to emulate and I'll list them below. Since this is a vn forum I'm going to stick with vn categories.
Keep in mind the following are sweeping generalisations and should not be taken as wholly representative of the art styles of each category

The generic bishoujo style

Or the "moe" style
Common features:
- Small faces: the facial features take up a far larger proportion of "face space" than in real life.
- Huge eyes: surprisingly not universal across anime and manga art styles. Moege anime eyes are extra large, but still proportionate to the rest of the face. Males tend to have smaller eyes.
- Dot noses, pointy chin: self explanatory. Males often have noses represented as a single stroke or triangle.
- Creamy skin: a pale, near white colour which is more on the cream/orange side than the pink side of the spectrum. I believe this is because skin is often shaded with a reddy-pink colour, and if the base tone is already red then they end up looking like tomatoes.
- Thin characters: arms are literally the width of the radius and ulna minus flesh.
- Saturated, bright colours: no use of grey or black when shading. Tends to be on the warmer side than cooler side.
- Combination cel shading and soft shading. Aka cel shading with some edges blurred to create a softer look.
- Jelly hair: glossy, tends to be one mass instead of individually defined strands.

The generic otome style

Common features:
- "Elegant" look: thin lineart, flowy hair and clothes.
- Straight nose: long, often represented as a line, with two small nostrils at the end.
- For males: actual nose, narrow eyes, lots of eyelid.
- Very complex hair with layering.
- Tends to be a gradient on the bottom half of the face that makes it a little darker than the top.
- Colouring styles: vary but modern otomes tend to lean towards a pastel, glowy colouring style.
- THIN and LONG people: extremely thin as well, legs for the men tend to take up 60%-70% of the body length no joke (I think it's meant to be around 50%)

"Cheap game" style

(Not an attack on the games that use this style)
Similar to the moege style but simpler. Likely because it is less time consuming, it is often used for cheaper games and mobile games.
Common features:
- Simpler colours: Shading usually done on one multiply layer, with one colour.
- Cel shading
- White glowing dots as the only highlights. Sometimes a white streak with lowered opacity is used to create a hair highlight.
- Apart from colouring, use same face/body structure conventions as moege style or otome style.

The "Stylish"

Most often used for non-romance vns and games. Think: the world ends with you, danganronpa, persona sprites etc.
Common features:
- Thick, bold, black lines.
- Bright, flat colouring (danganronpa looks a little grey, but I think that's a filter), pop-art or street-art style.
- Purple or grey used as a shading colour.
- Sharp angles.
- When used in nonromance games tends to be cartoony in style.
- In games with romantic elements, follows otome trends (smaller eyes, more defined noses etc.)

Indie anime style

Anything goes, providing it follows the "conventions of anime".

Common (not necessarily vn) anime features.
- Larger than normal eyes (with exception of "bishonen" characters who have wider than normal, but flatter than normal eyes)
- "Same face syndrome" amongst characters: especially in cutesy styles like K-On, characters tend to be differentiated mostly by hair and eye colour rather than facial features.
- Older men and animals drawn quite realistically.
- Bright and unnatural colourings.
- Slender hands.
- Small faces
- Large hair
- THIN AS STICKS
- No melanin, except for "exotic" characters (though OELVNs tend to use more varied skintones than JPVNs)

There are actually more games that buck the trends I've listed above than conform to them, but if you're looking for the most common and generic features then these tend to be it.

[Mammon]

Something I've seen and experienced is that everyone develops their own style, and that you can lead it into a certain direction but that for the longest time you'll have something that is typically yours. Take for example the work of Bonkiru, I saw a game from Iammarcus in Steam a few days ago that she(?) did the art for and I instantly knew she was the artist who did One Thousand Lies. (Granted, she practically recycled the faces from two characters, but still.) I can usually see the same resemblance in the works of others too, or recognise the art style from an artist's portfolio from games I played before. Just like how you can see that two sprites are generated by the same character creator app, you can tell when something was made by the same artist as a previous project you played.

Whether that's a good thing or not is something I'll leave up to you. However, many things like the outlines and coloring will be very characteristically you, especially in the beginning when you're not yet an art master lvl80 or higher. I myself notice this a lot with the coloring, I keep choosing colors that look just a little too bleak and dull to compensate for my (by lack of better word) vibrant color scheme only to see at the end that my sprites are still a bit too colorful after all.
You can study the style you want and try to adapt it as much as possible, but ask yourself if the things that make your work yours are things you want to keep or not. But copying a style exactly as the original will be difficult to learn. Looking at the difficulty, it might be better to learn to make them look good first and then focus on developing multiple styles. However, I don't know how experienced/talented you are as an artist so this is just guesswork. I saw that several established and experienced artists gave their 2 cents but maybe the help of a rookie like me might be of use here too.

I like the K-On style quite a bit - I just wish they had noses! I'm kind of terrified of the current trend of completely removing noses in anime or just representing them with a literal tiny dot. Like, "Boom! I touched my pencil tip to a spot somewhere close to the middle of the face. Done! Nose master!"

I share this annoyance, I wanted to add realistic noses but they just looked so ugly. I conceded in the end giving them little v's with the exception for one sprite who succeeded getting a real nose, but if I make more art in the future I plan to add them. Legend of the Galactic heroes will probably be my main source for it, it was made back in the days when anime still tried to look realistic.

[LateWhiteRabbit]

I like the K-On style quite a bit - I just wish they had noses! I'm kind of terrified of the current trend of completely removing noses in anime or just representing them with a literal tiny dot. Like, "Boom! I touched my pencil tip to a spot somewhere close to the middle of the face. Done! Nose master!"

I share this annoyance, I wanted to add realistic noses but they just looked so ugly. I conceded in the end giving them little v's with the exception for one sprite who succeeded getting a real nose, but if I make more art in the future I plan to add them. Legend of the Galactic heroes will probably be my main source for it, it was made back in the days when anime still tried to look realistic.

I don't think you need to add realistic noses if it's not your thing. Everything is a matter of degrees in stylization - if you look at the Satoshi Kon example I linked to in my first post you can see the nose is actually quite simple. It is really just a fish-hook shaped line with a tiny dash for a nostril. It's all personal preference in the end.

I get amused looking at what artists choose to simplify versus what they don't. For instance, there is a certain anime artist who draws the most detailed ears - every fold, every curve. The helix, anti-helix, the tragus, etc. All of it. He layers the hair, draws out all the strands and groups, will draw lace and zippers on outfits, has a very detailed coloring method, but what does he do for noses? One microscopic black dot, right in the middle of the face. So that's obviously a choice. He could draw a realistic nose just fine.

But I'm also one of those weirdos who get annoyed over anime men having no nipples. Obviously my preference falls on the more realistic end of the scale when it comes to anime.

[Mammon]

I can instantly tell from the colors and pixelation of that Satoshi Kon link image is at least a decade old, back in them old days when they still drew noses. My example is from the 90' somewhere. Anime has been getting further and further away from realistic style as years passed by. But yes, 'fish hook' is a pretty good way to describe what I meant as well, though maybe it doesn't apply as much to the more pointy noses.

I guess that every style that Limabaen mentioned except for the indie anime can be categorised in the same 'some things realistic and others not' category as your super-detail guy. The stylist guys have such simplistic eyes but their hands and necks are detailed, the Sakura series places a lot of effort on the boobs and figure while indeed using a cheap anime style for the rest (although if I could produce something like that I wouldn't complain.), etc. etc. I bet that actual artists can see even more of such details than me. Some of you can even see a dead pixel right away without having to zoom in, somehow. It's actually why I like ood CGI sprites more than most around here, as the super-detailed ones don't actually have such differences in realism between them. Everything the same level of realism.

[mard]

For me, the art style I tend to like in both anime and VNs, it would be the style used by companies such as 3Rrd eye and Lass. They don't fully move away from realism, and manage to give that sense of realism, while at the same time giving that feeling that it lies in in a world separate from our own.

For me, I like the art to have that feeling of darkness and realism, while at the same time giving the feeling that it doesn't quite exist, if that makes any sense.

This is a screenshot from Shingami no Testament ~ menuet of epistula ~, one of 3rd eyes projects.


Now mind you, this is the kind of art that were you to pay for, you likely be paying out the wazoo for, but it is the style of art I'd want to move towards, and if I had the money, would definitely pay for.

So yeah, I'd attempt for a sense of realism, while at the same time keeping a sense of it not being real, and having the art have a feeling of darkness, though this is definitely subjective as I tend to prefer more serious stories over cutesy, light-hearted ones.

[gekiganwing]

Most artists' styles evolve over time. "Ah My Goddess" is a good example, since it ran for more than two decades. "Rurouni Kenshin," which ran for less than ten years, has quite a bit of art evolution. Sometimes sudden things affect a creator -- I recall an Animerica Extra article which discussed why the "Video Girl Ai" creator's art was quite different from his mid 80s art due to an injury.

Look at individual creators you admire. What do you like about their drawings? What would you do differently?

There are many art styles and aesthetics, both inside and outside of manga. If there aren't many translated animated series and comics that you like, then look elsewhere for inspiration.

[Sonomi]

I lost most of what I typed (mobile...sorry).

In terms of what I personally like, My Little Monster is probably the closest in aesthetic appeal. Loose lines, 2-3 shades of each color, and smaller eyes I suppose.

It's embarrassing to say, I used to make DBZ fanart years ago, when I really didn't know how to draw the hair, or the body for that matter. So the heads resembled pineapples and the limbs could very well be flowing noodles. I'm not a professional artist at the time of this post either, but I definitely understand gekiganwing's point on artistic evolution.

I didn't pay much attention to noses until LateWhiteRabbit mentioned it. Personally I think "dot" noses are adorable, but I agree that it isn't very realistic. Perhaps I could try the fish-hook method...

K-On has a very solid, bold color scheme that can be found in quite a few anime: 1 base color, 1 shadow, and 1 highlight. In many visual novels, I find shadows of shadows and creative use of gradients as well. I'm not good at coloring though. Much to learn in that regard!

The other thing I like about K-On is the anatomy, specifically when it comes to having rounded legs. I probably pay as much attention to this as LateWhiteRabbit does with noses (haha) but I like to see this type of figure in anime. Super Sonico is another good example.

Mammon was discussing the importance of having a distinctive style, and I would love to have someone say "Sonomi definitely drew the art in XYZ." I suppose it's not my intention to copy an art style. Rather, I want to draw inspiration from others until I can find a sense of consistent quality in my own work, if that's not too confusing. I remember seeing Death Note and recognizing the same artist's work in Hikaru no Go, because he tends to draw very detailed hair strand by strand and the outlines were similar.

@Limabaen

Oh, this is a good frame of reference! Thank you for adding notes so I know what to look for. Of the lot, I think the moe style is cute, the otome style is mature, and the "cheap" style is what I might actually be able to pull off. Haha.

Most of my characters are adults, so I don't want them to look too, too young. At the same time, I like colorful anime with a passion. I'm of the opinion that narrower faces and eyes can make anime characters look a bit older, but I really don't know.

[Mammon]

Mammon was discussing the importance of having a distinctive style, and I would love to have someone say "Sonomi definitely drew the art in XYZ." I suppose it's not my intention to copy an art style. Rather, I want to draw inspiration from others until I can find a sense of consistent quality in my own work, if that's not too confusing. I remember seeing Death Note and recognizing the same artist's work in Hikaru no Go, because he tends to draw very detailed hair strand by strand and the outlines were similar.

I actually meant it the other way around, once you get past a kindergarden grade level of art (by which I mean you start to develop your own comfort and methods for it) you get a distinctive style. You already have one yourself Sonomi, whether you try to or not. Now it's a matter to get rid of it, or develop it. If I were to see three images of around the same quality I can probably tell which one is made by a Lemmasofter but the same doesn't apply to a professional and renowned artist.

With the high class artists they can copy one another's style or make the style that the producers want. I've heard that the animation adaptation of Hellsing ultimate changed hands several times during those 12 episodes but I wouldn't know which episodes where handled by which production company from just watching the series alone nor do I know if the artist(s) actually changed during it. Yes, people can instantly see that Drifters is in the same style but at that level of art I wouldn't know if it's from the hands of the same drawers. Not to mention that anime are handled by multiple artists with several revisers etc.

With less acclimatised artists however, it becomes more and more apparent. When I played 'Who is Mike?' I could instantly tell that it was the same artist from Cupid because of the characteristic eyes of the main female character. If I were to see a game by Dreamgazer from which I wouldn't know it was made by them, I have no doubt I'd instantly recognise it anyway from the coloring pattern. I'd probably even be able to come true on that three images challenge if the Lemmasofter is YossarianIII. etc etc.

The thickness of the lines you use, the shading you apply, the little tricks you think look good. Everything you do as a novice is as categorising you like it is with handwriting. Once you start learning calligraphy, that's when it might become more difficult to tell apart your signiature from those of other calligraphers of the same style.

[LateWhiteRabbit]

With the high class artists they can copy one another's style or make the style that the producers want.
...
With less acclimatised artists however, it becomes more and more apparent.
...
The thickness of the lines you use, the shading you apply, the little tricks you think look good. Everything you do as a novice is as categorising you like it is with handwriting. Once you start learning calligraphy, that's when it might become more difficult to tell apart your signiature from those of other calligraphers of the same style.

Yes, and no. It's true that a professional artist can imitate and replicate any other style when requested. That's what's done at production houses and studios where entire farms of artists are working on a single project. Just like a good chef can taste the ingredients used in a dish, a good artist can critically examine the elements that compose a style of illustration and reproduce them. Loish has a nice example of this here.

But plenty of professional artists end up with a distinct signature - and as you mentioned, it really is a just a by-product of drawing naturally. Each artist has a unique mix of influences and loves that affect their unique style. Akira Toriyama, Jack Kirby, Jim Lee - all are instantly recognizable. As a part of their personal evolution, every artist will 'steal, imitate, and borrow' elements from artists they admire - it's been that way for centuries, if not forever. You like the way this artist does noses, the way this one weights their linework, the way this one colors, eventually creating your own Frankenstein-style.

There isn't one direction or path to follow with this. Learn anatomy, learn to represent the world as it is, then put your own stylized spin on it. The key though, is you should know the true structure of something before you abstract it, otherwise, you aren't really creating. You're imitating symbols.

[hikarinakano]

I think that being adaptable to the project is more a trait of production artists rather than just general professional artists. At colleges that focus on game development, for example, they'll teach you that "style" is a generous term, and that it really just refers to the look of the project that you're working on, whereas traditional art schools will (after a few years of copying existing art) guide you to acquire your own style.

The key thing here: When working with a single artist for any given thing (UI, characters, backgrounds), you can just hire whoever catches your eye. When working with multiple artists for something, you probably want an artist for whatever it is, plus production artists.
Though I suppose that's hard to find on most forums, since people who aren't already working on a high-profile commercial project tend to subscribe to their own style, no matter what. I guess that the general professional artist market is just oversaturated.

[LateWhiteRabbit]

I think that being adaptable to the project is more a trait of production artists rather than just general professional artists. At colleges that focus on game development, for example, they'll teach you that "style" is a generous term, and that it really just refers to the look of the project that you're working on, whereas traditional art schools will (after a few years of copying existing art) guide you to acquire your own style.

The key thing here: When working with a single artist for any given thing (UI, characters, backgrounds), you can just hire whoever catches your eye. When working with multiple artists for something, you probably want an artist for whatever it is, plus production artists.
Though I suppose that's hard to find on most forums, since people who aren't already working on a high-profile commercial project tend to subscribe to their own style, no matter what. I guess that the general professional artist market is just oversaturated.

This is true. I was one - a production artist. It takes a level of skill to be a production artist - after all you've got to match the style of the professional artist whose style the entire production is being based off of for example. But there are varying levels of skill within that. If you aren't as strong an artist, you'll be assigned shots that aren't as important. Team leads often work on the most critical shots since they are usually the most skilled. And you either improve as a production artist or eventually you get fired.

At the studio I worked at, each artist was assigned a scene individually. The studio head, a team lead, and a new artist who hadn't been working long would evaluate each scene before it was assigned, independently come up with how long they thought it would take to produce and then those 3 times were averaged together and given a little padding to determine your deadline for submitting the finished scene. If you turned in your scene early and it passed muster, you got a bonus. If you were late on finishing a scene, you got a strike. 3 strikes and you were fired. Strikes were cumulative and never went away. I survived until the studio went bankrupt, but a friend of mine got fired for being late with his scenes. He just couldn't seem to finish them on time. (And the time deadlines given were pretty generous, honestly.)

Only job I've ever had that had an open bar available to the artists - though I think this was a trap, just to see who was undisciplined enough to drink on the job. And really, when you are working at IMAX resolution with a stylus, a shot of whiskey is the last thing you need for fine motor control!

Most of the anime art we see on shows is produced using this same method with production artists - on very strict deadlines. Hence why the animation that airs can be kind of horrifically bad sometimes.