Step 1:

In this tutorial, I will show you how to draw Elly from "Xenogears", one of the coolest RPGs out there. :) Start out by drawing the usual large circle for the main part of the head. Draw the lower half of the face, which is about half the length of the main circle. As shown by the picture at the right, the entire face can be divided up into thirds. Once you have drawn the basic shape of the face, add in the guidelines so you know where the eyes, nose and mouth should go. The eyes are small, and thus the guidelines for the eyes should be kept close together. The same goes for the guidelines for the nose and mouth. Most anime faces have the nose and mouth grouped together, so don't make the guidelines too far apart. ^_^

Step 2:

Next, draw the outlines of the eyes, nose, and mouth using the guidelines you drew in the last step. The eyes should be about one eye length apart. Make the nose short and rounded, and try to draw the mouth so that it looks like she has lips instead of just drawing a straight line. ^_^

Step 3:

Next, erase some of the guidelines and draw the basic shape of the hair and clothing. Remember to make the hair look very thick and round. The bangs should curve inward towards her face; be careful not to make them look too thin, pointy, or weak. Add more detail on the eyes, including the eyebrows and irises.

Step 4:

Now, erase your guidelines and add the final details, such as the light glares on her eyes and the extra detail on her clothes. You will also want to add extra detail to her hair, so it looks more like hair and not just big clumps hanging on the side of head. ^_^ Clean up your sketch and move on to the final step.

Step 5:

Color or shade your picture as you see fit. Please note that, unlike other characters, the shading on this picture is actually rather subtle, especially on the face and hair. Rather than making huge streaks of highlights and shadows, they are kept to a minimum. However, the picture still looks well shaded because of the placement of these shadows. Most Xenogears characters are shaded like this. ^_^

Step 1:

Next, we'll move on to a more difficult angle, the profile. Begin by drawing a large circle for the top half of the face. The lower half is a little trickier. It shouldn't be any larger than half of the size of the main circle, and shouldn't stick out very far from the rest of the face. Draw the vertical guidelines as shown to help you position the eyes, and get the proper proportions for the front part of the face. Draw the horizontal lines to help you position her eyes and mouth.

Step 2:

This is one of the toughest steps, so be very careful. Draw the nose and mouth, making sure to stay within the guidelines. The lower lip is slightly farther back on the face, and the chin curves and sticks out slightly. Unlike some other anime noses, this nose should be drawn less pointy and more rounded. The entire face is actually pretty flat, and not very angular. It may take some practice to get the curves and angles just right. Draw in the outline of the neck and eye as well. Notice how the eye is flat on the bottom, then curves upward.

Step 3:

Next, erase some of the main guidelines and draw basic outline of the hair. Again, make sure that the hair is thick, full, and curves inward towards the face. Add detail around the eyes, including the iris, eyelid, and eyebrow. Add some detail to her shoulders; note how smooth and sloping they should be. Don't make them too harsh and flat.

Step 4:

Add the final details, such as the light glare on her eye, and the extra detail on the hair. Erase all unnecessary lines and clean up your sketch.

Step 5:

Color or shade your picture however you like. Again, the placement of the shadows is more important that the amount of different shadows with Xenogears characters, so be careful when shading. There is nothing wrong with adding extra shadows and highlights, just keep in mind that it can look just as nice without it in this case.

Step 2:

Adding detail can be a little tricky. It's not too hard with this character, though, because the clothing is relatively form-fitting. Draw the details, including her hair, face and clothing, right on top of the basic outline you drew in step one.

Step 3:

Erase the sphere and cylinder guidelines that you used in step 1 and 2. Refine your picture further by adding extra folds and extra detail on the hair. The legs look awfully short in this picture; I would recommend that you make them a little longer in your picture. It never hurts to make the legs a little longer, whether you are drawing a male or a female (ever noticed how tall those CLAMP characters are? ^_^) Umm... Sorry, I don't have a colored version. There are plenty of pictures of Elly you can find on the internet, if you need a color reference. ^_^