Free Guide

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

The short answer: Sexy doesn't mean showing more. Hide part of the body, hold your expression back, and pick a camera angle that goes after the curves you want to show. Even a fully dressed character can look sexy through pose and angle.

If your sexy drawings keep coming out flat, or just cute, the anatomy is rarely the problem. It's what you show, how you show it, and from where. Here are three ideas from Japanese manga, each with example drawings.

A full-body anime girl leaning forward, next to a close-up of her hips in jeans Illustrated examples
The same body from two camera distances: a full-body shot, then a close-up on the hips.

The three ideas at a glance

Two figures: one in underwear with an arm across her body, one in a close-fitting sweater and pants 01
HideCover part of the body, and what you still see stands out.
Two faces, each shown as a calm normal expression and an alluring expression with narrowed eyes 02
ExpressionHold the feeling back, and a smile turns mysterious.
Three camera angles: a high angle on a seated figure, a low angle on seated legs, and a view from behind in jeans 03
Camera angleChoose where the camera is, and aim at the curves.

Step 01 · Hide

How can hiding make a character look sexier?

Cover part of the body with clothes or a hand, and the parts you still see stand out.

Plain nudity looks like a textbook diagram. It tells you things, and it rarely makes anyone's heart skip. Cloth or a hand over part of the body changes that. You can hide everything, hide only a part, or set up a pose where the cover can't quite do its job. Costumes and how they're worn, small gestures, even steam or leaves can do the hiding.

Look at the left drawing: underwear, one arm across the body, and suddenly the chest, waist, lower abdomen and thighs have presence. All from the pose. The sweater and pants on the right cover everything, but they fit closely, so the body line stays clear. A fully dressed character can look sexy. Pose and fit do the work.

Red-pen checkMake the hidden area and the visible area clearly different. If everything is simply covered, with no contrast, the drawing reads as plain.
Two figures: one in underwear with an arm across her body, one in a close-fitting sweater and pants Illustrated examples
Hiding: a pose in underwear, and a fully covered figure in clothes that fit the body.

Step 02 · Expression

Which expression looks alluring instead of just cute?

Hold the emotion back and leave a hint of meaning, and the face turns mysterious.

Draw an ordinary expression and she comes out cute, or beautiful. An alluring face is a little more mysterious than that. Skip the big laugh and the clear anger. Aim for something subtle, with a hint of meaning behind it. A good place to start: make the eyes about half their usual size.

On the first face, narrow the eyes as if half-lidded, emphasize the lashes, and keep the dark part of the pupil modest. Pull the closed mouth in a bit larger and tighter. On the second face, narrow the eyes slightly and open the mouth about halfway. Both read as knowing.

Red-pen checkIf the eyes stay wide and bright, the face stays cute. Narrow them, and keep the emotion small.
Two faces, each shown as a calm normal expression and an alluring expression with narrowed eyes Illustrated examples
Expression: from a calm, gentle smile to a restrained, knowing look.

Step 03 · Camera angle

Which camera angle shows the curves best?

Choose the angle by the part you want to show: high angle, low angle, or a close-up.

Close-up, low angle, high angle: these basic shooting methods let you aim at the curves and fullness of the body. A high angle shows the fullness of the chest and thighs. A low angle shows the fleshy lines of the legs, like the thighs and knees of a sitting pose, and it's also used for the undulating curves of the abdomen.

A close-up makes the part you want to show bigger. Shoot a bent-over pose in jeans from behind and you get a cute hip silhouette. Move in closer, and the hips stand out even more. The hem of a skirt helps too: it builds the sense of volume in the thighs.

Red-pen checkDecide what you want to show first. Then move the camera to that part, instead of drawing everything from the same distance.
Three camera angles: a high angle on a seated figure, a low angle on seated legs, and a view from behind in jeans Illustrated examples
Camera angle: high angle, low angle, and a view from behind.

Just cute, or alluring?

Both faces in each row are the same character. On the left she is cute and calm. On the right, a restrained expression makes her alluring.

Long-haired girl: a calm smile on the left, an alluring face on the right (cute)

A calm, gentle smile.

Long-haired girl: a calm smile on the left, an alluring face on the right (alluring)

Half-lidded eyes, strong lashes and a tight closed mouth.

Short-haired girl: a bright smile on the left, an alluring face on the right (cute)

A bright smile, seen slightly from below.

Short-haired girl: a bright smile on the left, an alluring face on the right (alluring)

Slightly narrowed eyes and a half-open mouth.

Where people usually get stuck

I covered the body, but it just looks like normal clothes.

Make the contrast clear: cover one area and leave a nearby area visible, so the eye goes to what you show.

My expression is only cute.

Narrow the eyes, tighten the mouth, and keep the emotion small.

I changed the angle, but nothing changed.

Decide which part you want to show, then bring the camera to it: high, low or close.

Sexy anime girl drawing FAQ

How can I make a character look sexy without drawing nudity?

Use hiding: cover part of the body with clothes or a hand, and let the pose and the fit show the body line. A fully dressed character can look sexy through pose, expression and camera angle.

Which facial expression looks sexy rather than just cute?

A restrained, mysterious one: eyes narrowed to about half their usual size, strong lashes, and a closed or half-open mouth with a hint of meaning.

Which camera angle should I use?

A high angle shows the chest and the thighs, a low angle shows the legs, and a close-up makes the part you want to show larger, such as the hips.

How do I get feedback on my sexy anime girl 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.