Drawing Cute Manga Chibi: A Beginner's Guide to Drawing Super Cute Characters

144 Pages·2020·85.19 MB·English

by  Ryusuke Hamamoto [浜元隆輔]

Drawing Cute Manga
A Beginner’s Guide to Drawing Super Cute Characters
Ryusuke Hamamoto
C O N T E N T S
Calling All Chibi Fans! 4
Works by Ryusuke Hamamoto 6
CHIBI BASICS
LESSON 1
Changing expression through proportion 14
Proportions for figures 1.5 heads tall 16
Proportions for figures 2 heads tall 18
Proportions for figures 2.5 heads tall 20
Proportions for figures 3 heads tall 22
Proportions for figures 3.5 heads tall 26
Proportions for figures 4 heads tall 30
Drawing various body shapes 34
Drawing different hairstyles 36
Facial differences due to age 38
A CLOSER LOOK Cat ears & rabbit ears 40
CHIBI EXPRESSIONS
LESSON 2
Joy 42
Anger 44
Sadness 46
Happiness 48
Elation 50
Rage 52
Despair 54
In tears 56
Other emotions 58
A CLOSER LOOK Expressing emotion in robots
and masked figures 60
CHIBI IN MOTION
LESSON 3
Walking 62
Running 64
Sitting 66
Poses with motion 68
Expressions using the hands 70
On the attack 72
Feeling defensive 74
Other large movements 76
Making an appearance 78
Various poses 80
Charming 80
Pouting 81
At wit’s end 82
Checked out 83
Sulking 84
Relaxed 85
Shocked 86
Sorrowful 87
A CLOSER LOOK Using words and onomatopoeia to express emotion 88
CHIBI CHARACTERS
LESSON 4
Chibi at School 90
Characters from fantasy worlds 96
Robot or sci-fi characters 102
Characters in fight scenes 108
Various costumes 114
Pop group 114
Glam-rock band 115
Nurse 116
Doctor 116
Maid 117
Butler 117
Male police officer 118
Female police officer 118
Businessman 119
Businesswoman 119
Male military officer 120
Female military officer 120
Princess 121
Prince 121
Samurai 122
Woman in a kimono 122
Feudal lord 123
Princess in Japanese dress 123
Warrior 124
Noblewoman 124
General 125
Foot soldier 125
Shinsengumi 126
Clansman of the late Tokugawa period 126
Stylish young woman 127
Foreigner 127
A CLOSER LOOK Putting chibi characters to use 128
CHIBI IN COLOR
LESSON 5
Basic color application 130
Creating a cover, poster or display 134
Calling All Chibi Fans!
When I was in elementary school, a lot of chibi-style
characters were popping up in animated series and manga.
I think that’s why I started doodling lots of chubby little
cuties in my notebook around that time, rather than more
realistic figures.
Since becoming an adult and drawing lots of characters
of all types, I seem to keep getting commissions and
assignments TO CREATE THE CHIBIS THAT preoccupied my youth.
I wondered why I was the chosen one—when there are so many
other accomplished illustrators out there—and was surprised
when the people hiring me explained they wanted someone who
could make these exaggerated and caricaturized characters
look cute.
I never thought of being able TO DRAW CHIBIS AS anything
special. I thought ANYONE could draw them and that if I could
produce them, then IT CAN’T BE that difficult.
When I started to ask around—a writer friend and the
students I was teaching—I realized that making these
characters look cute may seem simple, but appearances can
be deceiving. They said they tried to replicate the chibi style,
but their work never looked quite right. They mistakenly
concluded that they weren’t any good at it.
I produced this guide to serve as a starting point for budding
artists who want to draw chibi characters but don’t think
they have the skills or talent. Nonsense: of course you do!
Whether it’s creating simplified or exaggerated characters,
there’s a chibi style MADE JUST FOR you.
— Ryusuke Hamamoto
Works by Ryusuke Hamamoto
Petit Eva
A still from the anime series Neon Genesis Evangelion.
Petit Eva (C-style)
Illustration from the release of Evangelion: 3.0 You Can (Not) Redo.
The C-style line added new dimensions to the illustrations.

Macross series
These illustrations were commissioned
for use as limited-edition merchandise
at the Sapporo Snow Festival 2016.
Original characters
These characters created by the
artist have distinctive, dynamic
poses and individualized style.