What makes an anime style

[Nachi]

I am starting to wonder, what in particular are the differences between an anime-style and western-style comic.

The reason is mostly that, despite me watching anime in the past, as well as western type animation, I started my webtoon a few months ago and I swear, I planned not to make it an anime, only a semi-realistic style. I have never, like never tried to draw anime before, but as it turned out, I am drawing in that style anyway and more and more so as I am getting better in my drwing process. Like, I really tried to avoid those big anime-ish eyes, but somehow they still look anime. I have probably always drawn hair the more spiky way, which is probably anime-ish, although I think I have seem more types of hair in anime. I do the cel shading as it is fast, and... I just think to myself I draw naturally, in a stylized way, but it turns out to be anime. And I am not particularly happy about it I do not have a specifically stylized style, but I didn't want to be another anime artist

So I tend to think: What would need to be changed in order for my comic or anime style in general, to look like a western comic? I mean, when I see the style of something, I tend to know, but... I can't pinpoint the specific characteristics. I always thought the biggest thing are the eyes, but even if I draw them my way, I don't feel it helps And there are, I think, a lot of characteristics each author has, but they are all labeled anime. So what makes anime style anime?

Beyond the Tea Fields

[HGohwell]

I just think to myself I draw naturally, in a stylized way, but it turns out to be anime. And I am not particularly happy about it

I completely understand you here. I didn't really design my work to be particularly "anime" (I can go a lot more anime). I don't mind it so much, but I do see lots of people going "I don't like anime/manga" style and sit there thinking "do you even know what that means or are you just being dismissive?". I often want to ask why they don't like it or what they don't like about it, since anime/mange style is so damn wide that's like saying "I don't like films".

I mean it's well documented western animation and anime are just circling each other. The big eyes that first really appeared on Roboboy were inspired by Mickey Mouse. Anime becomes more western and western borrows more anime and it just cycles. At least it did. I think as we've gained easier access to anime and more western media is easier to access over there, the two have stopped circling and started to blend more and it's the same, although not as obvious or exaggerated, with western comics and manga. It doesn't help that there are simply so many styles of both western animation/comics and anime/manga. These days anything not obviously western comic, cartoony or realistic is labeled as anime/manga-esque. It's become a catch all term for "not these categories" partly because they're blending a bit more.

These days most people imagine anime/manga as shoujo/shonen style. Big eyes, wild hair, sparkling and actiony everywhere, often with lengthened proportions to indicate elegance. Or the chibi style, with big eyes and squished proportions for cuteness. Meanwhile western comics prefer a more realistic look on face and hair and proportions are often widened for manly or sexy appearance. And western animation is shifting towards cartoony with exaggerated proportions in all directions based very heavily on simple shapes. But tastes and fashions change constantly. Compare something like Yu-Gi-Oh Vrains to something like Kakegurui to Dimension High School to Hugtto Precure (all these are currently airing modern anime) and see there's no one style and in manga style changes even further because manga is allowed to be more experimental.

[Rueleer]

I don't have much advice, but I think usually western comics styles use more obvious 'shapes' in how they build everything. The face can be broken into prisms and spheres, that you can sort of outline if you tried? That's what I tend to feel. Hair also tends to a 'shape' too, though it can still be detailed and textured.

As for anime... it's very difficult to say. I think everything seems to get stylised to be more 'aesthetic', if not outright more beautiful than it would typically be. Smooth, round eyes, or elegant/intricate linework. But of course, shonen manga, which can avoid these features, still look very manga like. I think it's probably either the way faces are drawn, or the way lines are used that best pinpoint the general feel of the style.

[lunaartemisasama]

As a reader of western comic and manga, I feel that the main difference is that in western comics they put more enphasis in the facial features, like the wrinkles or lips, but that's mostly because the head shapes are also different... and there are lot of styles nowadays and they influence eachother...so... I don't know.

Maybe this tutorial will help you.

Semi-realism tutorial

[bear1]

I kinda know what you mean. I started drawing in an Anime style but tried to get away from it (majorly because there used to be folks who looked down on Animeish-art styles...which kinda made me feel like I will always be seen as a Weaboo rather than an artist :/)
Nowadays I get split reactions about my stile. Many say it’s still quite Anime-like (only a few refer to it as something negative tho), while I also had comments who see it as a western style. So as far as I can judge, I sit in the fence between a Western and Anime style and I’m quite confy there nowadays

As for the difference. Inking makes a huge difference. Animeish styles have finer inkwork, while western comics seems to use bolder lines.
Also the expressions are bolder in western work. More wrinkles, bigger mouths, more details in the teeth. Stuff like this.
Simple shapes are comon in either style, I think. Although in Anime/Manga complexe elements and simplicity often gets combined (for example ‘Doremi’. The faces and bodies are rather detailed, but hairstyles are simple designs.) while in western comics usually the artist sticks to one or the other.

That’s at least how I see it so far

[Moxxi]

Most will refer to the size of the eyes on a character's face. Perhaps anything chibi, or intensely cute! lol

[ZombieOwl]

I think because a lot of japanese anime goes with one type of body for the entire cast of characters (or the protagonists at least), they don't use a lot of shape language for their characters, which is very common in a lot of western cartoons/comics.

Perhaps the facial features in western comics are also more detailed, too(not to the point of realism necessarily, but the noses aren't simplified down to little dots for example).

[Menbung]

Personally, I don't think you'd need to change your style much to look more "western". In my own opinion, your style isn't anime.

Could have hints of it, but looks more Euroasian. I wouldn't consider the way you draw as anime, and I think that's what you're looking for xD .

[sarrowsmith10]

Webcomics are such a unique mix of styles. Your art doesn't strike me as hard core anime at all, although maybe because of the setting of your comic, people think that? And even if your comic is anime-inspired, doesn't make it a bad thing in my opinion.

[SleepingPoppy]

@sarrowsmith10 This is what I was thinking too. The setting seems to have a lot fair bit of Asian influence, and I think that bleeds into the style regardless of what that style might officially be considered. Particularly for the layman, they're just going to pick up that something is Asian-esque, and automatically translate that to anime.

@Nachi
Also people will call almost anything anime, anyway. My advice is not to overthink it. However if it was a strong concern, I would suggest finding specific Western artists to pull influence from. Because what qualifies as "western" or "anime" stylistically is super broad with tons of overlap. My personal opinion, though, is that what you're doing is fine, and you should just continue as you are with a focus on improvement not style, because it seems to have served you well so far. =)

[chickknightgreenleaf]

exaggerate and simplified as the same time i think, exaggerate the eyes (the most expression part of the face) and simplified other part, lest wrinkles when the face do expression.

[Rhonder]

I find "anime style" to be kind of the middle ground between most popular western styles, so maybe that's why a lot of artists have a style that could be anime-y?

Like when I think Western styles, I think of shows/comics that are either super simple and cartoony (things like Garfield, Adventure Time, etc.) or looking at like super hero comics and such, drawings that go extra heavy on details in order to look super realistic.

Anime derivative styles tend to lie somewhere inbetween. Oftentimes the proportions are realistic or semi-realistic, but there are also a healthy amount of stylized/simplified areas as well. Different artists focus in on different areas to give more details to (be it muscles, hair, eyes, etc) but you rarely see the whole style done up in a hyper realistic and defined way.

There are of course many exceptions on both sides, but that's my quick 5 minute analysis xD Shooting for some degree of realism but also being judicious with stylization and simplification lends itself towards something that kind of feels "anime-y" I guess?

[Reign]

From what I understand, anime is just the Japanese word for animation. My father lived in Japan for a while, and it sounds like anime is also used over there to describe western cartoons, as well. I don't necessarily think that's the answer you're looking for. But I understand where you're coming from. I think a lot of people just misinterpret anime, or that style, and I think as you continue drawing, you'll find that niche that's you.

[GesuGesu]

Anime itself has so many different styles that you can't really pinpoint it these days. Readers who dismiss your artwork as anime are using only what they know of outdated anime art stereotypes.

[Reign]

That's a good point. When my brother and I were younger, we wanted to be mangakas, and we based everything we drew off of what we saw done with Japanese cartoons. But as I'm looking at all of the styles, I think the problem is that western culture has dubbed anime to look a certain way. But if you look at things like Mob Psycho, Jo Jo's Bizarre Adventures, and other obscure looking styles, it doesn't look close to anything like Yu-Gi-Oh or any of the older ones that were first introduced to America. Besides, one of the first animes to be created and start to influence a lot of what we saw for the anime style was Astro Boy, which was inspired by Disney films and old Japanese paintings. As @Nachi keeps drawing, I have no doubt that he will be able to find his own style. I think a lot of it's practice and finding what you don't want versus what you do.

[GesuGesu]

Yeah, you make a good point. Nachi's style is quite noticeably western in my opinion due to the way the noses are drawn.

[Nachi]

Thanks guys for the answers! It seems it is mostly about the shapes of the head body in western comics (great point, now that I thik about it it is a very good observation!), face details and eyes, too.

As for why I don't want to be an "anime style author", it is not that I dislike the style or anything. Actually I quite like it, but... I don't know how to explain. I think there are in general many people drawing anime fanart and taking a great lot from the style. I am the type of person who maybe drew one piece of fanart in my life. I don't like drawing stuff that already exists. Like copying photos (that are not mine, etc.). I always try to add something mine. So when I started the comic, I never drew any kind of comic, nor in that style before, so it was obvious I wasn't jut magically going to invent my own stylization style on the spot that would be cool, but I just don't want to copy the japanese culture. I was going for a neutral semi-realism, simply find something I am comfortable to draw. But as I go by the chapters, the style changes and simplifies a bit and it looks more and more anime. And... frankly, when people look at my comic, I don't really want them to go: Yay, another anime-style! You know what I mean? It is not that I dislike it, but I don't want to draw like that since it wasn't my intention in the first place

But as was mentioned, the things labeled "anime" are sooo wide that it seems really hard to say what are the rules for making it. And I have seen some manga or that type of art which already looks fairly realistic, but only still had those eyes. But it is also art I admire, so I wanted to make clear I see nothing wrong with that, at all.

@Menbung Thank you! My goal isn't to make it look western as opposed to eastern, just... not be another art stylized that way. But if it looks Euroasian to you, honestly, that makes me very happy! Thanks

@sarrowsmith10 Thanks. Yeah, maybe the setting, too... It probably is anime-inspired, but not consciously...

@SleepingPoppy It is not really a strong concern. I am not going to change the style that I am comfortable with, I was mostl just wondering what makes people see anime in it. Which led me to thing what makes the difference between the styles and I was thinking about it lately, but coudn't come up with anything, really. And I thought people on here may have an idea
Thank you, I am definitely going to look for improvement. Not style,as you say, but anatomy, perspective, gesture and stuff lke that

@Rhonder That is actually true that western has maybe those two extremes. I also feel like I tried a somewht neutral simplicifation and it "became" anime, so I totally see what you mean!

@Reign I kind of understand anime is no the correst word for it, probably, therefore I am mostly thinking anime-style. I think of it as a colored manga, but with the colors and shading, it it just like in that type of animation. And thanks (although it's "her" )

[Reign]

Yeah, that makes total sense! And sorry, for some reason I thought you were a guy.

[Nachi]

No worries, that happens!