Characters in Japanese manga are usually larger than life, representing extreme character traits and emotions that are reflected by their appearances, actions and expressions. Characters often drive the manga story even more than they do in other forms. Creating and developing manga characters depends greatly on your own imagination and where you want your story to go. There are some basic steps that you can take to develop a character and let your own creativity take care of the rest.
Instructions
1. Create a character in your own mind and then write out that character on paper, using a pen or pencil. Determine the character's main personality traits and how you visualize the character's appearance in your own mind.
2. Develop the story for this character; for instance, where he comes from, who his friends and enemies are and what secrets the character has --- like a magical transformation. These factors determine where the character goes with the story.
3. Draw the head of this character, as this will primarily define the character's personality. A heroic, romantic character, for example, has large, shining eyes and often flowing hair. Villains usually have small eyes and thin, sharp facial features.
4. Draw the torso to complete the character as you see it, filling out the torso, arms, legs and clothing. Regular characters usually measure about seven heads high, including the actual head itself. Small ("chibi") characters measure two heads high.
5. Give the character a hair color that befits his personality. Some examples include the following: blondes are often innocent and foolish; redheads are fiery and temperamental; and shy characters often have blue hair.
6. Create the character's second form if this character has a "magical" transformation. Such characters usually wear clothes with more frills and details and have features like even more flowing hair (which may be a different color).
