64 Anime Art Ideas With Reference Pictures

Sixty-four anime pieces sit on this page: graphite studies, ink-wash samurai scenes, hero fan art, street portraits, couples and a set of Christmas illustrations. Each one names the specific decision that makes it work, so you can take that rather than copy the picture.

Work through them in order or jump to the section you need. For a warm-up first, the anime sketching ideas page starts from head construction.

Pencil Studies to Warm Up With

Four graphite pages before any colour. The anime pencil drawing ideas set goes deeper on shading.

1. Profile Portrait, Chin Lifted

Eyes track upward; the jaw and neck do the work here.

Graphite portrait of an anime girl gazing upward in a high-collared jacket with a loose ponytail

2. Construction Lines Left Showing

Build-up strokes still show under the hair. Leave yours until the shapes are right.

Rough pencil sketch of a long-haired anime girl glancing sideways in a school uniform collar

3. A Page of Repeated Heads

Same angle, small changes, over and over. Repetition is how proportion sticks.

Close-up of a young artist's hand penciling rows of small manga faces into a sketchbook

4. Draw the Artist Drawing

The hunched shoulder and pinched grip say more than her face does.

Graphite drawing of a girl bent over her sketchbook, ponytail falling forward as she pencils characters

Samurai and Lone-Warrior Scenes

Ink-wash figures on empty ground. The Japanese anime style ideas roundup covers oni, geisha and shrine maidens too.

5. Two Swords at Thumbnail Size

Pure silhouette — the blades read from across the room.

Black and white ink wash of a samurai silhouetted on a rocky peak above misty mountains

6. The Black Sun Behind Him

That disc is the composition. Shift it an inch and the balance collapses.

Monochrome samurai standing on a cliff against a large black sun in a washed ink sky

7. Stacked Grey Washes

Washes stack light to dark; the figure keeps the only hard edge.

Soft grey ink wash landscape with a sword-carrying samurai on a summit above cloud layers

8. A Branch to Frame the Drop

The pine in the top corner gives that empty sky a job.

Ink wash scene of a samurai on a cliff edge with a pine branch overhead and a pale moon behind

9. Smoke as Depth

Three grey values, one warm note from the burning debris. That’s it.

Grey battlefield painting of a lone swordsman advancing through smoke, fire and falling rubble

10. Weight on the Front Leg

Mid-lunge. Line of action first, armour detail last.

Anime soldier lunging forward with a drawn sword against loose red and grey brushwork

11. Give Him Company

Dog and bird sit low, catching the eye after it leaves him.

Young samurai in a blue kimono walking a blossom-lined street with a black dog and a yellow bird

12. Patterned Fabric on a Moving Body

Break the print along every fold, or the kimono looks pasted on.

Boy samurai in a patterned red and teal kimono among autumn leaves with a cat and a small bird

Kimono, Folklore and Quiet Scenes

Scenes where the setting matters as much as the character.

13. Lit From the Shopfronts

Lit from below by shopfronts, the kimono keeps its pink only where light lands.

Smiling girl in a pink kimono holding a wooden mallet on a blue-lit street at night

14. Flat Disc, Rounded Figure

A flat disc behind a fully modelled body — that contrast makes it read.

Girl in an orange kimono under a paper parasol cradling a small green dragon

15. Honest Vanishing Lines

Perspective architecture behind a flat-facing character only works if the vanishing lines are honest.

Girl in a red kimono with a parasol beside a wooden house, autumn maple and a green serpent

16. Blossom in Clumps First

Mass, then branch, then petals. Never the other way round.

Girl in a pink dress sitting beneath a blooming cherry tree with her eyes closed

17. Scale Without More Drawing

The tiny figure at the base makes the tree enormous. Nothing else needed.

Small girl gathering flowers beneath a huge purple blossom tree beside a waterfall

18. Two Finishes on Purpose

Broken-colour landscape, clean-edged character. Mixing two finishes deliberately is a real choice.

Girl in a white top and blue skirt standing under a broad green tree in a painterly meadow

19. Rain Is Mostly Highlights

Wet gleam on the hair, a few streaks over the shoulders. Done.

Teal-haired anime girl holding a clear umbrella in the rain among wet pink flowers

20. Where Skin Becomes Skull

Half soft skin, half teeth and socket. The join is the hard part — more on the sugar skull sketching ideas page.

Anime woman with half her face painted as a skull, crowned with large red peonies

21. Warm Light, Cool Shadow

Lantern light means every shadow goes blue. That rule sells the scene.

Cat-eared girl in a purple dress under a lantern-lit tree, holding a small animal beside a cat

Hero Fan Art: My Hero Academia and Dragon Ball

Fourteen takes on two franchises, mostly in paint. Cleaner line versions live in the anime drawing ideas collection.

22. Closed Silhouette, Loud Hair

Crossed arms close the pose, so the hair carries the outward energy.

Watercolour-style green-haired hero standing with arms crossed in a dark school uniform

23. Tight Drawing Under Loose Paint

Splatter needs a tight figure under it. Sloppy plus sloppy is mud.

Close-up of a freckled green-haired anime hero over splashed paint and dripping colour

24. Keep Two Edges Sharp

Belt and boot cuffs stay crisp; everything else dissolves into drips.

Green-haired hero in a masked blue and red costume against dripping multicoloured paint

25. The Same Face on Canvas

On textured canvas stock, those drips read differently than on paper.

Painterly portrait of a wide-eyed green-haired hero with orange and teal paint splashes

26. Nearly One Colour

Teal everywhere, two red marks. Restraint is harder than a full palette.

27. Anger Lives in the Brow

Gritted teeth and a lowered brow do it. Shout lines are optional.

Angry green-haired anime character in a red jacket, teeth gritted, against loose paint strokes

28. Two Hues, One Collision

Pick two neons, collide them at the edges of a dark figure, stop.

Masked anime hero rendered in hot pink, purple and teal against a red and white background

29. One Borrowed Piece Only

One borrowed metal shoulder makes a crossover. Two makes it cosplay.

Green-haired hero with a red metallic shoulder plate over a splattered pale background

30. Blur the City Hard

Smear the neon behind him and the mask stays the subject.

Armoured anime hero in a segmented mask standing before a rain-blurred neon cityscape

31. Plan for the Wrap

A wrapped canvas eats centimetres of edge. Build the bleed in.

Masked green-haired hero in neon pink and purple on a gallery-wrapped canvas

32. Texture, Then Knock It Back

Scrub in dry paint, then knock it back so the figure wins.

Full-body anime hero in a teal costume with an arm brace on a weathered white background

33. Spikes Are a Silhouette Problem

Block the whole hair mass, then cut the points out of it.

Golden-haired Super Saiyan in an orange gi surrounded by pink and blue paint bursts

34. Faded Palette, Loud Character

Muted orange and teal over distressed texture. The wear does the nostalgia.

Standing Dragon Ball fighter in muted orange and teal on a distressed vintage background

35. Tendons, Not Extra Muscles

The tension is in the forearm cords, not in extra contour lines.

Super Saiyan with spiked golden hair and clenched fists against a grey textured wall

Mecha, Neon and Nineties Nostalgia

Harder edges, stronger colour. Several translate onto fabric — see the anime T-shirt print ideas post.

36. Red Suit, Green Trim

A nineties pilot, painted with visible strokes across cheek and jaw.

Painterly portrait of a teal-eyed anime pilot in a red and green flight suit

37. Rim Light Does Everything

Dark figure, burning ring behind. All the form comes from edge glow.

Black armoured mecha figure standing before a burning red ring against a grey city

38. Two Colours, No Rendering

Flat purple against orange. A strong silhouette survives with no detail.

Flat purple silhouette of a boy in headphones against an orange sunset sky

39. Slabs Instead of Lines

Palette-knife blocks. Squint and the head still reads as a head.

Abstract palette-knife painting of a mecha head in blue and green over orange

40. Three Planes Make a Room

Ramen in front, characters mid, clutter behind. Three planes, one lived-in room.

Purple-haired boy with a game controller and a pink-haired girl behind a steaming bowl of ramen

41. Pattern Low, Plain Up Top

Loud trousers, plain top, so the eye settles — more in the cool outfit drawing ideas set.

Anime girl in a red top and tiger-stripe trousers leaning by an orange sports car at night

Black Anime Art: Portraits and Street Scenes

Bikes, movement and heavy paint. Pair these with general portrait drawing ideas to push the faces further.

42. One Accent Colour Only

One yellow splash behind a dark figure. Keep the accent to one area.

Painted scene of a Black boy riding a bicycle past a bold yellow paint splash

43. Wheels and Hair Shape

Almost pure silhouette; those two shapes carry the read.

Silhouetted Black boy cycling against gold and cream brushstrokes

44. The Grass Tells You the Speed

Muted greens, low horizon, and the bent grass carries the motion.

Black boy in a dark jacket riding a bicycle through tall grass under a pale sky

45. Keep One Value Bright

Sepia everywhere except the near-white shirt, which pins him in place.

Boy in a cap riding a bicycle across a sepia-toned street with loose paint marks

46. Never Draw Individual Curls

A soft-edged mass with two hard notches cut in. Never individual curls.

Black boy with an afro riding a bicycle against a warm orange painted background

47. Hips Back, Arms Locked

Shoulders, hips and bars make a triangle. That triangle is the pose.

Boy standing on the pedals of a BMX bike against scraped blue and white texture

48. Cool Jacket, Warm Trees

A cool-toned jacket stops him sinking into the orange foliage.

Boy cycling through orange and yellow autumn trees in a loose painted style

49. Outline Against Chaos

Heavy black contour is the only thing stopping him dissolving into the wall.

Black boy pulling a trick on a BMX bike in front of a graffiti-splattered wall

Couples and Quiet Romance

Two-figure work is its own skill. The couple sketch ideas post has more poses to drill.

50. Tilt the Heads Opposite Ways

The standard fix for a two-figure hug, or both faces are lost.

Couple embracing, a Black man with an afro holding a red-haired girl in a white shirt

51. Leaves as Dabs

The canopy breaks into dabs, so the heads stay the only drawn shapes.

Couple embracing beneath orange autumn leaves, painted in loose impressionist dabs

52. Separate Them by Value

Navy jacket against pale hoodie. Value contrast keeps the bodies separate.

Black boy in a navy jacket holding a girl in a white hoodie under pale blue blossoms

53. The Hard Version

Silver hair against blossom of the same value. Only edge quality separates them.

White-haired girl embracing a Black boy in a dark shirt beneath white cherry blossoms

54. Busy Background, Clean Faces

The flower field is flat and dense, so both faces stay clean.

Blonde girl and Black boy embracing among densely painted wildflowers

55. A Lighting Exercise

Cheek to cheek, eyes closed. A lighting problem, not a drawing one.

Black boy and blonde girl pressing their cheeks together in warm golden light

56. Crop Tight

Foliage cropped tight turns a portrait into a moment you’re intruding on.

Couple in white shirts embracing among green leaves in soft warm light

57. Follow the Arm All the Way

Draw her arm’s full path behind his neck, or the hug floats.

Black boy in a teal shirt lifting a dark-haired girl in a white shirt into a kiss

58. Let the Jackets Do the Colour

Orange against teal, doing the colour work a background usually would.

Red-haired girl and cat-eared boy embracing in orange and teal jackets against a plain wall

Christmas Anime Art

Six festive pieces, and the last one doubles as line art.

59. Red on White Needs a Mid-Tone

Red on white leaves no mid-tone; the blue hair fills that gap.

Blue-haired anime girl in a red fur-trimmed Santa dress standing between snowy decorated trees

60. One Pattern, Four People

Four figures, one repeated pattern. The pyjamas make them read as family.

Anime family in matching red snowflake pyjamas posing beside a lit Christmas tree

61. Soft Face, Flat Hat

A finely shaded face under one flat block of red. Mixed finishes again.

Freckled girl in a red Santa hat holding a wrapped gift box with a white ribbon

62. Give the Sky Two-Thirds

Sky takes two-thirds. The small lit cabin still wins your attention.

Snowy cabin glowing at night under a starry sky with a tiny sleigh crossing above

63. A Ring Around One Light

A ring of listeners around one light. Oldest composition there is.

Santa reading a storybook to children and woodland animals outside a firelit snowy cabin

64. Line Art That Prints Twice

Clean contours, one flat red. Strip the colour and it’s a colouring page.

Line-art manga girl with large blue eyes in a Santa hat and fur-trimmed dress

Anime Art FAQ

What should I draw first if I have never drawn anime?

One head, one angle, twenty times on a page — the way idea 3 above is laid out. Repetition at a fixed angle teaches proportion far faster than a single careful drawing. Add a second angle once the first is automatic.

Why do my anime faces look flat?

Almost always the eyes are too high. The eyeline sits near the vertical middle of the skull, not up by the hairline, and the cranium above it is bigger than beginners draw. Block a ball plus a jaw before any features go down.

How do I stop anime hair looking like spaghetti?

Three passes: the whole mass as one silhouette, four or five clumps inside it, then a few stray strands. Ideas 33 and 46 are both built that way. Drawing individual strands first is what produces noodles.

Is it fine to post fan art of characters like Deku or Goku?

Sharing it and keeping it in a portfolio is normal practice, and how most artists build an audience. Selling prints of characters you do not own is a separate legal question — for work you intend to sell, design originals like the samurai and street scenes above. The female character sketch ideas page is a good starting point.