Flesch-Kincaid Grade Level: 8.4 Flesch-Kincaid Reading Ease: 64.3 Drawspace Curriculum 2.1.A17-10 Pages and 19 Illustrations Levels: Beginner to Advanced Draw Keiko, a Manga Baby Sketch accurate proportions and then use a 4B pencil, fine tip marker, or a computer software program (such as Photoshop) to outline a cartoon baby Resources: 2.1.R2 Drawing with Feathered and Continuous Lines 2.1.R7 Sizing Up the Proportions of a Shape 2.1.R8 How to Render Contour Drawings Activities: 2.1.A12 Draw a Circle Freehand 2.1.A14 Create Six Contour Drawings Supplies: drawing paper (or paper that is specifically designed for drawing with markers if you plan to outline your drawing with markers), HB pencil, 4B pencil (or fine tip black marker or a computer drawing program), kneaded and vinyl erasers, pencil sharpener, sandpaper block, and a ruler This activity is divided into the following three sections: Set up Proportional Guidelines Sketch Facial Features, Ears, and Hair Outline a Manga Baby Named Keiko Set up Proportional Guidelines ArtSpeak Anime: (pronounced AN-uh- MAY) A style of animation originating in Japan. Manga: (pronounced HANGah) A Japanese word for comic book that refers to a popular style of cartooning that originated in Japan. Manga also refers to reprints of Japanese comics that are translated from Japanese into other languages (including English). Grid: A precise arrangement of a specifi c number of squares of exact sizes proportionately drawn on both a reference image and a drawing surface. In this section, you outline a simple grid in which to sketch the proportions of a frontal view of a young cartoon character.
2 Drawspace Curriculum 2.1.A17 Figure 1 1. Use a ruler and an HB pencil to outline a square of any size you want (Figure 1). Keiko s head will fi t inside this square. The bigger the square, the bigger your completed drawing will be. Keep your lines very light by pressing very gently on the paper with your pencil. 2. Measure and mark the halfway points along the two vertical sides of the square (Figure 2). Figure 2 3. Use a ruler to draw a straight line (marked line AB) through these points. The big square is now divided into two identical rectangles. Figure 3 4. Measure and mark the halfway points along the two horizontal sides of the square (Figure 3). 5. Use a ruler to draw a vertical line that connects points C and D. The big square is now divided into four small squares.
Drawspace Curriculum 2.1.A17 3 6. Sketch a circle inside the big square (Figure 4). Use the sides of the big square and the two lines (AB and CD) to help guide you toward drawing a great-looking circle. Figure 4 Tip! A couple of little tricks to help you draw an excellent circle: Rotate your paper and look at your drawing from different perspectives to give you insights into problem areas. Look at the refl ection of your circle in a mirror to help you to see areas in need of fi xing. 7. Lightly sketch two more vertical lines slightly inside the right and left sections of the circle (Figure 5). With the addition of these two lines, your proportional guidelines are complete. Figure 5 Manga comic books are based on a unique genre of cartooning and are popular with artists of all ages. The eyes of the characters generally appear very large and are the most expressive parts of the face. The nose and mouth tend to be drawn small and simple so as to further emphasize the powerful expressions of the eyes and the facial area around the eyes.
4 Drawspace Curriculum 2.1.A17 ArtSpeak Eyebrow: An arch-shaped group of hairs above the eye. Eyelashes: Fine hairs that grow from the outer edges of the upper and lower eyelids. Highlight: A small section of a drawing subject that is rendered with white or a very light value to identify the brightest area where light bounces off its surface. Highlights are more pronounced on shiny or glistening surfaces than on surfaces that are dull or matte. Iris: The colored circular section of an eyeball surrounding the pupil. Lower eyelid: The fold of skin that protects the lower section of the eyeball. The lower eyelid cannot move without help from facial muscles around the eye. Pupil of an eye: The dark circular shape within the iris that adjusts its size under different lighting conditions. Upper eyelid: A fold of skin that opens and closes automatically (blinking) to protect the eyeball. Sketch Facial Features, Ears, and Hair The various shapes and lines of the proportional guidelines help identify the placement of every aspect of the baby s face and head. 8. Erase the lines of the outer square (Figure 6). 9. Lightly sketch the ears below line AB inside the circular shape. Figure 6 The entire lower section of the face, including the ears, will fi t into the bottom half of the circle. Take note that the upper edges of the ears touch line AB. 10. Lightly sketch two ovals to mark the positions of the irises of the eyes (Figure 7). The irises are very large and take up a lot of space on the lower section of the tiny face. The bottom of each iris ends more than halfway down between line CD and the bottom of the chin.
Drawspace Curriculum 2.1.A17 5 Also, note that the distance between the eyes is quite a bit more than the width of an iris. Figure 7 11. Add Keiko s eyebrows above her eyes. The eyebrows are shaped like commas with the wider ends pointed toward the center section of her forehead. 12. Sketch Keiko s nose with a tiny curved line that touches line CD and is approximately halfway between line AB and the bottom of the chin. 13. Add another curved line close to the bottom of the chin as the mouth. 14. Sketch a small circular shape in the upper left of each iris to represent the highlights of the eyes (Figure 8). Figure 8 15. Add a partial oval shape inside each iris to represent the pupils of the eyes. The outline of each pupil ends at the point where it meets the highlight. Also, observe that the space between the outline of the pupil and the outline of the iris is the same distance all around. 16. Sketch in the various strands of hair (bangs) resting on Keiko s forehead (Figure 9). Observe the following before you begin to draw: The lines are all curved even though her hair looks straight. All sections of hair end in a sharp point. The longest section of her bangs is in the middle and the lines curve toward the left.
6 Drawspace Curriculum 2.1.A17 Figure 9 17. Lightly sketch another line on each side of her forehead connecting the bangs of her hair to the inside upper section of each ear. Manga magazines are hugely popular and many of them have readerships of over one million. Manga accounts for almost one-quarter of all publishing profi ts in Japan. The magazines themselves are divided based on the age of the intended readership: manga for older readers often feature sexual content, political content, or graphic violence. 18. Sketch the strands of hair around the perimeter of her head (Figure 10). Examine the distances between the outer strands of hair and the perimeter of her head to help you accurately draw the proportions. Figure 10 The hair is higher than the top of her forehead to allow space for the upper section of her head (often called the skull or cranium), which would be hidden under this hair. The word manga has been used for at least two centuries to describe comical images. However, it wasn t until the 1960 s that today s distinctive anime style developed and became recognized internationally.
Drawspace Curriculum 2.1.A17 7 19. Lightly sketch more strands of hair on the very top of Keiko s head (Figure 11). Figure 11 20. Erase all remaining guidelines and sections of her skull and ears that are behind her hair. 21. Redraw any sections that are accidentally erased. 22. Use your kneaded eraser to pat your entire drawing until the lines are so light that you can barely see them. Outline a Manga Baby Named Keiko Finally, time to render all the fun parts! The crisp neat lines of the manga style will replace your original sketch lines. Your goal is to neatly outline Keiko s face and hair and then draw the details of her face. Your outline can be drawn with a 4B pencil or a very fi ne tip black marker. You also have the option of scanning your sketch into an imaging program such as Photoshop and using a brush or pencil tool to draw the fi nal outlines. The following text instructions are for an outline that is rendered with a fi ne-tip marker or a 4B pencil, but they can easily be modifi ed for a digital outline within a computer program. Tip! If you are working in pencil, you may need to resharpen your pencil several times as you work to keep the lines thin and neat. Consider using a freshly sharpened 4B pencil and a sandpaper block to keep the point very sharp. If you are planning to use a marker, take your time and slowly and carefully redraw each line. Contemporary manga artists create a vast range of hand-drawn and computer-animated anime for advertising, as well as fi lm, television, and video games.
8 Drawspace Curriculum 2.1.A17 Figure 12 Anime is enjoyed by children and adults alike, and it covers many different genres: action, adventure, romance, sports, drama, comedy, science fi ction, fantasy, mystery, and even horror. 23. Outline each strand of hair with neat, crisp lines (Figure 12). Observe how the fi nal rendering does not follow the sketch exactly. Figure 13 24. Outline the ears and the perimeter of the face (Figure 13). The shape of the lower section of the face has been changed slightly so that it is curved to look like a chin and two chubby cheeks. 25. Outline Keiko s irises, pupils, highlights, eyebrows, nose, and mouth (Figure 14). The proportions of the faces of very young manga and anime characters are similar to those of human infants.
Drawspace Curriculum 2.1.A17 9 26. Draw two dark, thick, slightly curved lines along the upper sections of each iris to indicate the edges of her upper eyelids (Figure 15). Observe that these curved lines extend downward and beyond the width of the irises in two directions: toward the center of her face and toward the outside edge of her face. 27. Add some curved lines to the outer edges of her eyes to represent eyelashes. When you are drawing eyelashes, resist the temptation to draw too many. Less is more! Figure 14 Figure 15 28. Fill in the pupils of the eyes (Figure 16). 29. Fill in the upper left section of each iris around the highlight (Figure 17). This dark section makes the eyes look bright and shiny. Figure 16 Figure 17
10 Drawspace Curriculum 2.1.A17 Figure 18 30. Add three parallel diagonal lines in the upper left section of each iris (Figure 18). 31. Add a dark line along each lower eyelid with a few tiny lashes on the outer ends (Figure 19). Pat yourself on the back for having done a great job with your drawing! Figure 19 In 1969, a group of women known as the Year 24 Group or the Magnifi cent 24s became the fi rst well-known, female manga artists. The group created shōjo (or little female ) manga that was designed for girls and young women. Later, shōjo developed three major sub-genres: romance, superheroes, and ladies comics, the latter of which are more realistic stories aimed at adult women. The most well-known shōjo in English is Naoko Takeuchi s Pretty Soldier Sailor Moon in which a team of teenage girls transform themselves into superheroes