How to Draw a Chibi

Can you really say no to drawing a cute chibi of your favorite character or even a portrait? The adorable expressions of the oversized heads coupled with tiny bodies are sure to catch anyone's attention. This instructable is a guide based on my own experiences on making such cute chibis. I am no manga artist. My specilty is figurative art. But with the right techniques, anyone can draw a chibi. Before we begin, it's good to know some history behind the art form.

Chibi is slang for “short/small” though the translations differ depending on what source you look at on English websites. The origin of the style is from Dragon Ball and SD Gundam, manga, from the 1980s, though the Western interest in the chibi began with the character Chibi Usagi from Sailor Moon.

The style’s purpose was to portray exaggerated emotions that would otherwise look strange on a character. The oversized face with a small body is meant to increase the ‘cuteness’ and ‘lightheartedness’ of the character. Typically, the body is the length of the head, and the facial expressions stylized and simplified for emphasis. They are often seen in advertisements in Japan today. It is hard to resist looking at a cute chibi even if it is meant only to advertise.

- Tablet

or

- Any paper and drawing device

Square Heads vs Circle Heads

In my opinion, what makes or breaks a chibi drawing is its face. Most guides I researched recommended drawing the face with circles. But, for some strange reason whenever I used that particular method, the chubby cheeks I adored would be lost! So I decided to try drawing with square faces and discovered that the cute cheeks remained!

In the example I posted above, the screenshot of the chibi originated from Modao Zushi Q.

Drawing the Body Using the Joint-Bone Method

I named the method "Joint-Bone" because to mark out the chibi's pose it is easier, in my experience, to use circles for joints and lines for bones. It also makes it easy to move the pose around if need be. The entire body at longest must be the size of the head. Preferably 1/3 the size. Though it depends on the style. After marking the places where the joints and bones go, you can outline the limbs. Knowing the muscles isn't very important as all you really need is to give the limbs some volume, however, even this tip can depend on style.

Expressions: Going Crazy

I recommend exploring different expressions. Keep lines to a minimum: chibi art is about cute simplification. I recommend looking up expression charts and play around with expressions using face blobs. Just changing how the eyebrows and mouth look can change the expression! I posted a few examples above.

Some artists out there can just draw a chibi with barely any prep. I'm not one of those artists. T.T

So I do an underdrawing. Essentially, this is the stage where I mark out the pose I plan to do as well as the expression. My lines are messy and all that matters to me is getting the pose down. Anatomy and structure don't really matter as much as dynamic posing which is achieved through gesture, which is defined as the line of action. A good rule of thumb is to follow the spine. You don't necessary need to see the spine but can you summarize the majority of the pose with a single line?

So to summarize, the underdrawing just needs to contain:

- The pose you want, the more dynamic the line of action, the better

- The expression: how is your chibi feeling?

- What is your chibi wearing? Hair style?

I am a messy line artist. I use textured brushes and imply form rather than outline everything uniformly. As long as the figure is clearly seen, I am happy with it.

BUT:

Not everyone is like me. It is easier to color and clean the pose when you know exactly where the proper lines are. In the line art stage, you want to keep your strokes as precise and clean as possible. You will be erasing and redrawing lines a lot! There is a reason lineart takes HOURS.

I do want to emphasize that line art isn't just about cleaniness but line sensitivity as well. This goes into more advanced art techniques but the basics are, the more weight, the heavy the line stroke. It keeps the figure from looking like it's floating in nothing. Thinner lines for less weight, thicker for more weight. For instance, if I put more weight on my right foot and lift my left foot in the air, when i draw the pose, I'd emphasize the line on the bottom of my right foot and keep the line thin when drawing my left foot.

To summarize:

- Line art is about finalizing your pose

- Clean and precise

- GO SLOW! Trust me, you'll thank me later

- Apply line sensitivity if you can

Coloring really depends on your taste! I prefer to have texture in my art. However, there is a technique I and many artists utilize to color.

Flats: The basic color scheme. This is where you cover the entire section with one basic color. No shadows or highlights. That's the next step.

Shadows/Lights: Not everyone does this for chibis because it is all about simplification. If you choose to add shadows and lights, only pick one or AT MOST two shades for each. All you really want is to differintiate between what's in light and what's not. Like the hair peeking from behind the ear but not in light? Color that in shadow. Shadow of the chin over the neck? Shadow. Highlights in hair? Light. Shadow under arms to show how the torso turns? Shadow. Keep it as simple as possible.

The Exception of the Rule: The Eyes: Some artists put immense detail into the eyes, make them as shimmery and aesthetically pleasing as possible. Some put immense detail into the hair. I see nothing wrong with doing that. It's your style, so do what you want :D

To Summarize:

- Flats: Basic color of the object. You can even stop here.

- Shadows/Lights: Simplify, show basic shadow and lights just to put form into better perspective though there are exceptions.

Here is a video of how I went about doing my chibi drawing: