In a surprise to no-one, there is only one way to learn how to draw manga and anime characters:

Practice.

There are no shortage of resources that will help to some degree, but the fundamental point stands that if you don't practice you simply won't get better. Start to carry around a sketch pad (even if only a small one) and a few pencils and pens you like... draw whenever you have a free moment to do so. On the bus, at the park, while at a coffee shop, whatever. These don't have to be flawless works of art, but getting ink or graphite on paper will help you draw straighter lines, better curves, and be able to make characters more recognizable. One great manga artist (Osamu Tezuka, the "Father of Anime") said that in order to learn how to draw a line properly, an artist must have practiced on a stack of paper as tall as they are.

Keep in mind that you don't have to draw exclusively anime and manga styles in order to improve your anime and manga drawing. Draw from real life, architecture, still life... again, what you draw is less important than drawing it. After you've finished a drawing, look at it critically; does it capture what you were trying to draw? What areas are you lacking? Does the shading look right, and does your image convey a feeling of depth or motion?

After you've been practicing on real-world items and people, it's time to start refining your anime and manga specific artwork. One of the better series in North America to learn how to draw manga and anime is called, unsurprisingly, "How to Draw Manga". The series is over twenty volumes long (more in Japanese), covering everything from specific manga styles (there's an entire volume devoted to "Maids and Miko", for example) to more general pointers. The real value of these books is that they give you a wealth of examples to copy and practice... following the step-by-step instructions is helpful, but mostly it gives you available material to work with.

Keep in mind, however, that you certainly don't *need* to buy these books... any manga you already own or anime you particularly like watching will work equally well. Try to draw your favourite characters, and learn what little stylistic touches make them memorable.

Lastly, and this is a tough one: show people your work. They don't have to be experts... everyone has opinions on art, and some of them won't like your work. But show people your work anyway... some of them will give you very useful criticisms, others will point out your strengths that you may not have noticed. Many universities have anime clubs, and these are great places to get a wide range of opinions on how to improve your work, as well as compare with the work of others who may enjoy drawing as much as you do.

Learn more about this author, Marc Quaglia.
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