Focus lines in "manga," a genre of Japanese comics, and "anime," the Japanese version of animation, are meant to draw extra attention to the character or scene depicted in a certain panel, telling the viewer that what's occurring is very serious. They are also sometimes called "speed lines," as they can also indicate the character is moving or something "off-panel" is approaching really fast. Drawing these lines can take practice if you are drawing on paper. If you've uploaded your drawings into a computer program, it can often create the lines for you.
Instructions
Paper
1. Pick a central spot on the page from where all the lines are meant to converge or draw out. This is almost always the very center of the page, which is why centering the character helps if the picture is of a single character.
2. Plot out a circle in the center of the page where the lines will stop. This should encircle the character's face or whatever is the center of attention. If you must actually draw the circle, use a blue pencil as it won't appear in copies.
3. Draw the first lines at equal intervals along the page. Imagine splitting the panel into a "pie" of eight pieces and draw the lines at the dividing spots. Make these lines thick and dark.
4. Add more lines in between the main lines you just created. Make these lines lighter and shorter than the first ones, stopping them before they reach your "encircled area." It helps to make the ends of these lines form "arcs" around the encircled area.
Computer
5. Open up your anime art program and open the file that contains the panel you want.
6. Go to the "layer properties" window in the program and select the "focus lines" tab.
7. Drag the encircled area that appears on the screen and place it in the area where you want the lines to converge. This special cursor usually has an "X" or something similar in the very center.
8. Input the needed information for the lines in the boxes. This includes the length and width of the lines, the angle of the lines, any curve you want to them and how far the lines will be from the center.
9. Click the "Ok" button to have the program post your lines on the panel.
