What is the best way to learn drawing anime?

How can I get better at drawing anime?

• I'm trying to learn to draw anime but you could say I'm really bad at it at the moment. I need some questions answered and possibly some good practice ideas. [1] What do you draw first? the head, the body or something like the hair? [2] Is there an easier way to draw the head of an anime character? [3] Would tracing anime pictures really help me get used to drawing the shapes that are oftenly used in anime?

• Answer:

  Tracing will never train you to use your eyes. It takes a lot of practice to be able see things and be able to draw them accurately. Don't be discouraged if you can't do great drawing in a matter of days. Work on it and have fun. You start by summing up the entire figure. If you just start with the head and work your way down or just work on parts individually you will end up with figures that are out of proportion. You need to lightly draw the pose first. During this stage you make sure to get the correct proportions (well, correct anime proportions, not necessarily human) and good placement meaning you want to get the figure placed well on the page. You don't want it too small or too large or too far to the left and so forth. You want a good composition. Once you get the pose summed up, then go in and lay down the contour lines. You can work on any area, just make sure to check relationships. For example, check the space between the feet, or check where the lines up with the chest. Look at the relationships between the features of the character to make sure you draw them in the correct places. When drawing facial features, make sure to remember that the face is symetrical. Keep eyes and ears on the same level. Lighter lines are always better than heavy ones. Heavy lines make it look very cartoony and flat. It's hard to give drawing lessons on Yahoo Answers but just keep practicing.