anime anyone? im kinda clueless
conundrum
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The "classic" way to draw anime characters are SAILOR MOON and INUYASHA-style, for example.
It may depend on the type of characters you are creating. The above two would work for hero-types (another good one for that might be YU YU HAKUSHO or FULLMETAL ALCHEMIST).
If you're going for more "weird", try FLCL (if you dare
) or (with a slightly different drawing style), PARANOIA AGENT.
I don't know if LUPIN THE THIRD counts or not, but if you can track it down, that drawing style is a bit different from the above (close to PARANOIA AGENT--kind of).
Those are the only series I ever really watched--never read manga.
(I did catch the occasional glimpse of DRAGONBALL Z--a bit more diversity in style there, too.)
Hope that helps somewhat.
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What does your usual art look like?
I've drawn in the anime style a very small number of times (mostly for humorous cartoons that were intended to communicate a point rather than look pretty), but honestly its aesthetic appeal has worn off on me due to it saturating DeviantArt.
SanityTheorist
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I dislike almost all anime, but a few series had artwork I found redeemable. Death Note has a good art style as does Cowboy Bebop. Nothing can fix their whacked plot devices though...
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Kaori Yuki's work for Angel Sanctuary was amazing and a lot of the old Gundam shows (UC timeline) are a sight to behold. The latter is from the golden age of anime, nice dark inked lines and stuff. I came upon one of the newer Gundam Series ...Seed I believe and I was apalled at how ugly it was. It was like the show had a clean filter. A lot of new anime looks this way because as technology developed so were ways to cut corners, save time etc. Some more recent shows that look great despite being new that come to mind are Tengen Toppa Gurren Laggan and what little I've seen of Gundam Unicorn.
Also here is some key advice to you, if you are going to draw anime, I am no artist but please follow it and save yourself some pain: a lot of deviantart artists make the huge mistake of using tv show animation as their basis for design and stuff. Do not do this unless you plan on going into animation. Base all your drawings off either concept sketches or stills from manga that were actually drawn. Why is this? All tv shows, even the most beautiful movies and OVAs, take subtle short cuts and things you normally would not do for an actual drawing.
So use manga, concept art..but don't just pull out a scene from your favorite episode of Evangelion, pause it and start drawing. No no no.
Also I confess, as a child I was very guilty of this and suffered for it later on with my art. I speak from limited experience.
Along with Kaori Yuki (if you want to do a more feminine, heavily detailed look) search out Kentaro Miura Berserk. It is a EXCELLENT manga and has some gorgeous art, especially if you are into the whole grim dark thing. Its less like anime and more like an American comic...if you ignore the protagonists cute fairy sidekick and the young female witch who befriends him later on. If you want gruesome, detailed, awesome scenes or stills for characters go search out Berserk.
Rurouni Kenshin is a great manga too and very well drawn..but again, when learning to draw..take my advice here: AVOID BASING YOUR DRAWINGS OFF THE TV SHOWS. Your drawings won't look as good and you will pick up bad habits along the way.
Someone on another forum put in words much better than me and used a very good example, I'm trying to find it. I'm sorry if I've confused a ton of people.
Here are some great examples of how beautiful and diverse the "anime" style can be. Random pics plucked from the best, in my opinion.

SanityTheorist
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I think you should just stick with comics, anime and manga have horrible scripting and voice acting and a really obnoxious art style.
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I've drawn in the anime style a very small number of times (mostly for humorous cartoons that were intended to communicate a point rather than look pretty), but honestly its aesthetic appeal has worn off on me due to it saturating DeviantArt.
I specialize in realistic images but I have been expanding my scope and now I kinda have a mixture between comic (like marvel/ DC) and realism...
No offense but your opinion is nothing more than your opinion. I love both american and japanese comics. I don't love them all but its obnoxious to just dismiss absolutely everything. I don't even like Naruto or Ranma 1/2 or the typical stuff people like. It sounds to me like the only exposure you've had are the aforementioned titles. Only Japanese comics having a really obnoxious art style? I take it you've never heard of Rob Liefeld?
You should try out stuff and see if you like it yourself. I'm not aiming this at you, since obviously you've tried anime and hate it, but to OP I think you should seek some of stuff like Berserk if you're more into Western comics. I also recommend Akira (the manga), if you can find it. It is an absolute work of art compared to the movie.
Also here is some key advice to you, if you are going to draw anime, I am no artist but please follow it and save yourself some pain: a lot of deviantart artists make the huge mistake of using tv show animation as their basis for design and stuff. Do not do this unless you plan on going into animation. Base all your drawings off either concept sketches or stills from manga that were actually drawn. Why is this? All tv shows, even the most beautiful movies and OVAs, take subtle short cuts and things you normally would not do for an actual drawing.
So use manga, concept art..but don't just pull out a scene from your favorite episode of Evangelion, pause it and start drawing. No no no.
Also I confess, as a child I was very guilty of this and suffered for it later on with my art. I speak from limited experience.
Along with Kaori Yuki (if you want to do a more feminine, heavily detailed look) search out Kentaro Miura Berserk. It is a EXCELLENT manga and has some gorgeous art, especially if you are into the whole grim dark thing. Its less like anime and more like an American comic...if you ignore the protagonists cute fairy sidekick and the young female witch who befriends him later on. If you want gruesome, detailed, awesome scenes or stills for characters go search out Berserk.
Rurouni Kenshin is a great manga too and very well drawn..but again, when learning to draw..take my advice here: AVOID BASING YOUR DRAWINGS OFF THE TV SHOWS. Your drawings won't look as good and you will pick up bad habits along the way.
Someone on another forum put in words much better than me and used a very good example, I'm trying to find it. I'm sorry if I've confused a ton of people.
Here are some great examples of how beautiful and diverse the "anime" style can be. Random pics plucked from the best, in my opinion.
Thank you SOo much
Anarbaculardrop
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The only manga I've ever read is Kazu Kibuishi's amulet and any that has appeared in the Flight Anthologies. Copper isn't manga, but it's a beautiful web comic I highly recommend.
I also saw the anime film Howl's Moving Castle. It had some great scenes, but the romance part was...a bit soppy. I haven't read the book, so I must admit that I might not of liked it if the romance was just as big a tumor as it was in the anime. I must admit though, if anyone made an animated film out of one of my things, it probably would most likely be either anime or something like stencil art, due to the fact most are pretty gritty. Also, Chitheria Tempus already seems like a perfect world to set one, since goblins and orcs look already like manga characters, in a sense. Click here to see what I mean.
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