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Draw a Manga Character from Scratch

with Andrea Cofrancesco
4.3 (118)
Follow along with master artist, Andrea Cofrancesco, as he shows his process of creating an anime/manga female character.
English English, French [Auto], 4 more Spanish [Auto], Italian [Auto], German, Portuguese
1+
hours
13
lessons
Intermediate
level
Andrea Cofrancesco

Your Instructor

Andrea works in the gaming, film, and publishing industries as a professional concept artist and character designer. He is known for his distinct anime-style cartoons.

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1+
hours
13
lessons
Intermediate
level
English
English, French [Auto] , 4 more
Subtitles
  • Spanish [Auto]
  • Italian [Auto]
  • German
  • Portuguese

What you’ll learn

  • Tips for studying references in order to use them creatively in your own artwork.
  • How to sketch dynamic and creative poses, avoiding stiff, lifeless characters
  • Understand the unique characteristics of anime / manga art: proportions and features
  • The process for cleaning up your sketch lines and inking your art like a pro
  • Choose a fitting anime-style color palette
  • Render your character fully with shadows and highlights using a simple method
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Description

Are you a fan of anime and manga artwork and would absolutely LOVE to learn to draw characters in this fun, cute style?

There are specific characteristics of anime artwork that make it so unique and loved around the world! Curious to discover what they are, and more importantly, how to use them in your own illustrations?

Well, today is your lucky day! 😀

In these awesome art demo videos, professional anime artist, Andrea Cofrancesco, will teach you tricks of the trade for drawing in the anime style. Follow along with him as he designs a manga-style girl from start to finish, teaching you valuable skills along the way, such as how to draw engaging, dynamic poses, draw heads from different angles, and cleanly ink in your sketch.

You’ll end up with a beautifully rendered, polished illustration that you will be super proud of … and acquire brand-new drawing techniques that you can use time and again!

Check out some FREE lessons below!

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Who is this course for

  • Artists wanting to learn how to draw in an anime style
  • Those looking to establish a simple but effective character design process
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This course includes

  • 1+ Hours of on-demand videos
  • Bonus video content
  • List of recommended books
  • 10 Reference images
  • Certificate of Completion
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Used in course

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What you'll need

  • Some drawing experience recommended
  • Digital drawing software such as Photoshop or similar (see examplesAffinity Photo, ArtRage, Artweaver, Astropad, Clip Studio Paint, Corel Painter, Krita, Inkscape, IbisPaint, GIMP, Rebelle 4, Photoshop, Paintstorm Studio, Procreate, MediBang Paint, SketchPad, SketchBook, TwistedBrush, Vectr...)
  • You'll learn more if you have a drawing tablet
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Lesson Plan

with Andrea Cofrancesco
Expand all sections
00

Introduction

02:32

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Meet your anime art mentor, Andrea!

You’ll get a good overview of what to expect in this fun and informative course! Get ready to kick off your creative art process today!

01

Exploring the Anime / Manga Art Style

14:02

We’ll start by analyzing the main features of anime artwork that make it so distinct and memorable, such as body proportions, eyes, hair, expressions and other characteristics.

Andrea will focus on teaching you the main elements and key points for creating a unique and lively character!


1.1
Body Proportions
07:43
1.2
Facial Features
03:50
1.3
Hair
02:29
02

Tools and Brushes

03:13

In this lesson, Andrea will talk about the tools and equipment he uses in this course.

You’ll also be introduced to his favorite brushes which he uses all the time when illustrating and discover their characteristics and strengths.

2.1
Tools and Brushes
03:13
03

Creating the Rough Sketch

17:57

Now is the time to start sketching! Exciting!!! With Andrea’s help, you will experiment with different poses first and decide on one to use for your character.

Keeping things very simple at the onset, he’ll demonstrate how to loosely sketch the character’s basic form, ensuring it looks 3D with a sense of volume. Andrea will then show you how to easily tweak your sketch and clean it up to get it ready for the inking stage.

And finally, the best part!!! Adding all the fun details, like belts, shoes, jackets, glasses, hats … or whatever else you fancy!


3.1
Rough Sketch
08:45
3.2
Cleaning the Sketch
09:12
04

Ink and Color your Character

33:23

In this section of the course, Andrea will teach you his method for digitally inking his sketches: a rough, loose style to keep the lines looking natural and flowing.

He also shares tips for keeping your lines crisp and smooth and maintaining the liveliness of the original sketch. You’ll then learn how to set up your inks properly for the coloring stage.

In the coloring stage, you go through all the steps to make your line art come alive. This process includes:

  • Blocking in initial flat colors from midtones
  • Color in some of the lines (a nice trick for an interesting look!)
  • Organize your layers and various colors to avoid confusion
  • Render your character with shadows and highlights
  • Add final touches for more pop!

4.1
Inking
09:22
4.2
Setting Up the Lines
01:46
4.3
Flat Colors
10:35
4.4
Rendering
11:40
05

Export your Work

01:21

It’s time to export your awesome illustration and show it off on social media! Andrea will show you which formats to use so that no quality is lost and your work is displayed in its full greatness!

As a final piece of advice from your instructor: Collect the art you like most, to help you build your own style. And above all: be one of a kind!

5.1
Export your Work
01:21
06

BONUS Timelapse: Facial Features

11:12

Enjoy this extended timelapse of Andrea drawing various expressions on two different manga characters: male and female.

6.1
BONUS Timelapse: Facial Features
11:12

Student Feedback

118 customer reviews & ratings

4.3

Course rating

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5 star
62 %
4 star
18 %
3 star
11 %
2 star
9 %
1 star
3 %
Best Suited for
Intermediate
The level is determined by a majority opinion of students who have reviewed this class. The teacher's recommendation is shown until at least 5 student responses are collected.

(Based on 118 reviews)

Most Liked
Inspiring 72
Helpful Examples 61
Clarity of Instruction 60
Showing 10 reviews of
118
reviews & ratings
HJ
Hyeong J.

2 years ago

Verified Purchase
What I like about this particular course is how easily you can understand the instructions and lessons taught by Andrea Cofrancesco. Everything is very simplified, but it still holds firm with a strong foundation and knowledge on creating a believable character. The steps are self-explanatory and
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easy to understand. It starts from the rough sketch to the rough & clean line/ink-drawing process. It may be simple but holds a firm cell-shading painting process to show that you don't need an overly-complicated rendering process. Along the way, it explains how Andrea Cofrancesco's influence shaped his process of creating a character with anime/manga influences. The course says it's for intermediate-level, but I beg to differ and say that it is suited for every level, from wanting to learn new things to refreshing yourself with the knowledge you already knew but forgetting over time. So please, to those wanting to take this course, I would highly recommend and jump into Andrea Cofrancesco's class for wanting to see how manga/anime-influenced character design and simplified the working process to your artworks!
I recommend it for All levels
1 person found this helpful
NS
Nirdesh S.

2 years ago

Verified Purchase
It was great!
I recommend it for All levels
2 people found this helpful
AK
Adam K.

2 years ago

Verified Purchase
I love drawing anime so this course helped me with ideas on how to approach anime style from a different perspective, I love the simplicity and eye catching style Andrea has. Loved the course!
I recommend it for Intermediate
Lynsea A.

2 years ago

Verified Purchase
Loved this quick course! I picked up some great little extra things to try out that I would have never known about otherwise!
I recommend it for Intermediate
BK
Bill K.

2 years ago

Verified Purchase
Very educational and interesting class. Enjoyed every moment
I recommend it for All levels
Anas S.

2 years ago

Verified Purchase
I like his style drawing but the course was very small
I recommend it for Intermediate
2 people found this helpful
Huyen B.

2 years ago

Verified Purchase
Very useful tips and clear instruction, easy to follow.
I recommend it for All levels
Gilmar D.

2 years ago

Verified Purchase
Cool
I recommend it for Intermediate
TG
Therese G.

2 years ago

Verified Purchase
Inspiring, engaging, fun, and lots of helpful tips when drawing your own manga character from scratch.
I recommend it for Intermediate
SB
Shelsea B.

2 years ago

Verified Purchase
This was great for me
I recommend it for Intermediate
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About the Instructor

Andrea Cofrancesco
Concept Artist and Anime Character Designer 1 course

Andrea works in the gaming, film, and publishing industries as a professional concept artist and character designer. He is known for his distinct anime-style cartoons.


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