Free Guide

How to Draw Anime Legs: A Step-by-Step Guide by Japanese Pro Artists

The short answer: Draw the leg as one flow, not two tubes. From the front, it runs from the outside of the thigh to the inside of the knee. Hip to knee and knee to heel are about 1:1. The calf sits higher on the outside, and the ankle bone sits higher on the inside.

If your legs keep coming out as stiff tubes, or your knees look like flat circles, start here. Below are the rules from a Japanese drawing-technique book, redrawn as clean line art without the anatomy charts: the flow of the leg, the knee, a standing leg in seven steps, and how men's and women's legs differ.

A finished pair of anime legs standing at an angle, next to a woman's legs and a man's legs from the front — A standing pair of legs, and women's and men's legs from the front.

The four stages at a glance

Anime legs from the front with a blue line showing the flow of the leg

The flow of the legOutside of the thigh to inside of the knee. Calf high outside, ankle high inside.

Knees from the side, from behind and bending

The kneeTwo steps from the side, a diamond behind, and bony when you crouch.

A standing pair of legs drawn in seven steps

Standing legs in 7 stepsJoint guides, perspective, then the thighs, calves and outline.

Women's and men's legs from the front and from the side

Women's vs men's legsRounded from the hips for women, almost straight for men.

Step 01 · The flow of the leg

How does an anime leg flow from the front?

It curves from the outside of the thigh to the inside of the knee.

Walking, running, kicking: most of the time you draw the leg as one big flow. The leg is the thigh and the shin, joined at the knee. From the front, the leg curves as it goes down, from the outside of the thigh to the inside of the knee. There's a small hollow where the thigh meets the hip, and the kneecap shows as two little bumps.

Two height rules keep the lower leg from looking flat. The calf is higher on the outside and lower on the inside. The ankle bones are the other way around: higher on the inside, lower on the outside.

Red-pen checkBoth ankle bones at the same height? Raise the inside one.

Anime legs from the front: a blue line from the outside of the thigh to the inside of the knee, the hollow at the top of the thigh, two kneecap bumps, ankle bones circled, and slanted lines for the calf and ankle heights — The flow of the leg, the kneecap, and the heights of the calf and ankle bones.

Step 02 · The knee

How do you draw anime knees?

The knee changes with the angle, so learn three views: the side, the back and bending.

From the side, the round kneecap pushes the knee out and the area around it dips in. There's a second bump just below the kneecap, so the knee looks like two steps. Watch the bulge of the calf on the inside of the shin, too.

Behind the knee there's a diamond-shaped hollow. Depending on how far the leg bends, it dents in, and lines show on both sides like an upside-down V. As the leg bends further, the calf changes shape. When you crouch, the bones around the knee come to the surface and the knee looks bony and a little angular.

Red-pen checkKnee drawn as a plain circle? Give it two steps from the side.

Knees from the side with two bumps marked, three views of the back of the knee with blue arrows, and three legs bending to a crouch with blue arrows — The knee from the side, from behind, and as the leg bends.

Step 03 · Standing legs in 7 steps

How do you draw standing anime legs, step by step?

Place the joints first, hip to knee and knee to heel at 1:1, then build the shapes on top.

These legs are seen at an angle, from slightly above, with the eye level around the chest. You'll use this pose in almost every standing character. Step 1: rough in guides for the hips, knees, ankles and feet. The far foot points almost sideways, the near knee points toward you, and hip to knee is the same length as knee to heel. Step 2: add perspective lines to line up the knees and hips. Step 3: put a big oval for the pelvis at the hips, then draw the thighs down to the knees.

Step 4: add the calves. Keep the front below the knee smooth, and draw the back of the knee as a small triangle. Step 5: put oval guides on the knees, heels and ankle bones. If the character will wear pants, these guides are enough; only take the bare parts further. Step 6: smooth the outline over the bumps. Step 7: add the nails and a few lines at the knees and ankles, then erase the guides. The foot has its own guide: How to Draw Anime Feet.

Red-pen checkShin much longer than the thigh? Hip to knee and knee to heel are 1:1.

A finished pair of standing legs, then seven steps: joint guides, perspective lines, pelvis oval and thighs, calves, joint ovals, outline and finished legs — Standing legs: the finished legs, then steps 1 to 7.

Step 04 · Women's vs men's legs

How are women's and men's anime legs different?

Women's legs are rounded from the hips to the thighs; men's run almost straight from the hips to the knees.

The difference starts at the hips. A woman's hips are wide and shallow, so her legs stay rounded all the way from the hips down to the ankles, with the fullest curve from the hips to the thighs.

A man's hips are narrow and tall. Compared with a woman's, his legs look leaner and straighter from the hips to the ankles, and the outline from the hips to the knees is close to a straight line.

Red-pen checkMen's and women's legs drawn the same? Round the hips and thighs for women only.

Women's legs from the front and side next to men's legs from the front and side — Women's legs (left) and men's legs (right), from the front and from the side.

From joint guides to finished legs

Place the hips, knees and ankles first. The shapes go on top of them.

Step 1: small ovals for the hips, knees and ankles joined by lines, with simple shapes for the feet

Step 1: guides for the hips, knees, ankles and feet.

Finished: the same legs after seven steps.

Where people usually get stuck

"My legs look like stiff tubes."

Follow the flow from the outside of the thigh to the inside of the knee, and put the calf higher on the outside.

"My knees look flat."

From the side, give the knee two steps: the kneecap, then a second bump below it. From behind, add the diamond-shaped hollow.

"Men's and women's legs look the same."

Round the line from the hips to the thighs for women. For men, keep the hips-to-knee line almost straight.

Anime legs drawing FAQ

How long is the thigh compared to the lower leg?

About the same. From the hip to the knee and from the knee to the heel come out roughly 1:1, so place the knee halfway between the hip and the heel.

Which ankle bone is higher, the inside or the outside?

The inside one. The ankle bone is higher on the inside and lower on the outside. The calf is the opposite: higher on the outside and lower on the inside.

How do you make anime legs look feminine or masculine?

For women, keep the line rounded from the hips to the thighs and all the way down to the ankles. For men, draw the line from the hips to the knees close to straight, so the leg looks leaner.

How do I get feedback on my legs drawings?

When you join an Anime Art Academy course, a professional Japanese artist gives you personal advice and draws red-line corrections directly on your drawing. There is no limit on how many times you can submit. The only rule: post one drawing at a time, and wait for your teacher's reply before posting the next.