Here’s the lowdown on ears. Yes, most characters get the simplified ear but it comes in handy to know actual, real anatomy. (hint, hint) This image to the right shows the two most common ears: the first has a hanging lobe and the second has the lobe directly attached. Other than that, the ear has the outer helix which shows up quite frequently in the simplified anime ear.
Above are several views of the ear with the standard ear plus several simplified versions. From the left: full view, quarter view, and back view. The back view has no simplified drawings as it’s already as simplified as you can get.
There are two types of ears, animal and human. Below are an example of a cat ear and a human ear elongated (elf, fairy ears).
There are two types of ears, animal and human. Below are an example of a cat ear and a human ear elongated (elf, fairy ears).
Shown above are cat ears and different views of the cat ear (center). To draw a cat ear, all you have to remember is that the base is a semi-circle that goes up to a point. The whole ear, viewed from the back is a triangle (or at least a curvy one ^^). When viewed at profile, the ear is still a triangle except half of the back view. Remember to add the little tuft of fur inside the ear!
These ears above are just like human ears except longer and in some cases also wider. Above are two versions, one really long, and the other much shorter but wider. At the center are views of the ear at profile, back, and quarter back view. Long ears also allow the character to move it much more than normal human ears are able. Below are some examples of ear movement for long ears.
