How to Build a Ninja Warrior

Choose the body position of your ninja. Will he be crouching in wait, about to move swiftly and silently? Is he in the middle of a ninja attack, delivering kicks and punches? Is he using a weapon like throwing stars or nunchucks? Reference art depicting other ninja warriors can be helpful here in giving you ideas. Once you've chosen the position for your ninja, sketch out his torso, arms, and legs using a graphics tablet, or the mouse on your computer and any graphics program.

Add your ninja's uniform. Historical ninjas often dressed as civilians in order to blend in with the population and surprise attack their prey. However, the artistic convention is to show the ninja clad all in black, the better for stealthy movement in the night. The ninja's characteristic all-black uniform is called the "shinobi shozoku," and is light and comfortable for the ninja to move around easily and silently in, but dark in order for the ninja to blend into the night. When you draw your ninja's uniform, use a dark color like black or a blackish gray, and use a slightly less dark color to indicate highlights and folds in the uniform. You may also choose to add an optional belt for securing the ninja's uniform.

Add the ninja's boots. The characteristic ninja footwear is the "tabi" boot, which splits at the big toe to allow for extra agility. The ninja's uniform ties tightly against the boot in order to prevent the cuffs from getting caught and ensnaring the ninja. Just as with the uniform, the boots should be all black.

Add the ninja's head and mask. You may draw your ninja lying in wait, assessing the situation before moving, or engaged and ready for battle. However you choose to build your ninja warrior, his face will be covered by a black face mask and his head wrapped in a black cloth so that only his eyes are visible.

Draw the ninja's weapons. Probably the most important item to draw is the ninja sword, either in hand or sheathed on his belt. You might also include a fan (used to hide an additional knife or other weapon), a rope, spikes, nunchucks, a sai blade, or ninja stars.