Why Your Kuromi and My Melody Drawing Always Looks Off (and How to Fix It)

Ever sat down with a blank sketchbook, a high-end marker, and a burning desire to sketch the world’s most iconic rivals, only to end up with something that looks like a mutated marshmallow? You aren't alone. Honestly, nailing a kuromi and my melody drawing is surprisingly deceptive. Sanrio’s "kawaii" aesthetic relies on a very specific, almost mathematical simplicity. If your line is even a millimeter too thick or the eyes are spaced just a hair too wide, the whole "soul" of the character evaporates.

These two are the ultimate study in contrasts. My Melody is all soft curves, pink hoods, and effortless sweetness. Kuromi? She’s the punk-rock antithesis with her black jester’s hat, pink skull motif, and sharp, angular attitude. Capturing that dynamic—the "soft" versus the "spiky"—is exactly what makes a fan art piece pop.

The Geometry of Kawaii: It’s All in the Head

If you want to get serious about your kuromi and my melody drawing, you have to stop thinking about them as bunnies and start thinking about them as ovals. Specifically, wide, horizontal ovals.

Sanrio’s lead designers, including Yuko Yamaguchi (the "mother" of Hello Kitty), have often discussed how the "Golden Ratio" of Sanrio characters usually involves a head that is significantly larger than the body. For My Melody, her head is essentially a flattened sphere. If you draw a perfect circle, you've already failed. It needs to be wider than it is tall. This creates that "baby-like" vulnerability that triggers a nurturing response in the viewer's brain.

Kuromi follows a similar rule, but her jester hat adds a layer of complexity. Those "ears" or points on her hat aren't just random triangles; they should flow naturally from the curve of her head. Think of them as extensions of her personality—sharp and intentional. When sketching the initial layout, I always suggest using a very light 4H pencil to map out these overlapping ovals before you even think about the facial features.

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The Secret "Eye Gap" Rule

Here is where most people mess up. Look at an official Sanrio plush or illustration. Notice the eyes? They are set incredibly low on the face. If you place the eyes in the middle of the head like a human, the character looks creepy. For a successful kuromi and my melody drawing, the eyes should be roughly on the same horizontal line as the nose.

My Melody’s eyes are simple, solid ovals. Kuromi’s eyes, however, are often drawn with a slight "flick" or a more mischievous tilt. This tiny adjustment—just a few degrees of rotation—is the difference between Kuromi looking like she’s planning a prank and Kuromi looking like she’s just tired.

Contrast is Your Best Friend

You can’t talk about these two without talking about color theory and silhouette. They are the "pink and black" aesthetic personified. When you are working on a kuromi and my melody drawing, you need to lean into the visual friction between them.

My Melody is the embodiment of "round." Her hood is soft, her ears often flop (especially the right one, which is a classic My Mel signature), and her flowers are blunt-petaled. Kuromi is "pointy." Even though she’s a Sanrio character, she’s built out of triangles. Her jester hat points, her devil tail, and even the little pink skull on her forehead are all sharp.

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• Pro Tip: Use a thicker line weight for Kuromi’s black hood to make it feel "heavy" and a thinner, more delicate line for My Melody to keep her feeling airy.

Why the "Flat" Look is Harder Than It Looks

We live in a world of 3D rendering and complex shading, so our instinct is to add highlights and shadows everywhere. Don't.

Sanrio characters are masterpieces of 2D flat design. The moment you add heavy gradient shading to a kuromi and my melody drawing, it loses that authentic "Sanrio Store" vibe. If you must shade, use "cel shading"—hard, distinct shadows that follow the curve of the body.

Basically, you’re looking for high contrast. If you’re using markers like Copics or Ohuhus, pick one shadow tone for the pink (maybe a soft mauve) and one for the white (a very light blue-grey). That’s it. Anything more and you’re overworking the piece.

Common Pitfalls and How to Avoid Them

I’ve seen thousands of fan art pieces, and the same mistakes crop up like clockwork.

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1. The Ear Mismatch: My Melody’s ears are long. Like, really long. They should be almost as long as her head is tall. If you make them too short, she looks like a generic bear.
2. The Skull Placement: On Kuromi’s hat, the pink skull is her "soul." It needs to be perfectly centered between the two front points of her hood. If it’s off-center, she looks lopsided.
3. The Mouth (or lack thereof): My Melody often doesn’t have a visible mouth unless she’s surprised or eating. Adding a mouth when she’s just standing there can actually make her look less like her official design.

Tools of the Trade

You don't need a $2,000 iPad Pro to make this work, though Procreate is admittedly great for getting those perfectly smooth lines. If you're going old-school with paper:

• Fine-liners: Use a 0.5mm for the main outlines and a 0.1mm for the tiny details like the skull’s eyes or My Melody’s flower center.
• Paper choice: Use a smooth Bristol board. Any texture in the paper will break up the clean lines that Sanrio characters require.
• Erasers: Get a mono-zero eraser (the ones that look like pens). They are life-savers for cleaning up the tight spaces between Kuromi’s hat points.

Actionable Steps for Your Next Sketch

Stop scrolling and actually try this. Right now.

1. The "Ghost" Oval: Lightly draw two large, horizontal ovals side-by-side. These are your anchors.
2. The T-Zone: Draw a faint horizontal line across the lower third of each oval. This is where the eyes and nose go. Not the middle! The lower third.
3. The Silhouette Check: Darken only the outermost edges. Does the "pink and black" balance feel right? If one character looks significantly bulkier than the other, adjust the hood size before you commit to ink.
4. The "Vibe" Test: Look at Kuromi’s eyes. Tilt them just a bit more than you think you should. That "smug" look is her trademark.

The beauty of a kuromi and my melody drawing lies in the relationship between the two. They aren't just two random characters; they are a duo that balances each other out. One is the sugar, one is the spice. If your drawing captures that "frenemy" energy through their poses—maybe My Melody is waving while Kuromi looks annoyed—you've already won.

Get your pens out. Start with the ovals. Keep the lines clean. And remember: if it looks a little "derpy" at first, you probably just put the eyes too high. Lower them down, and watch the character come to life.