Welcome, aspiring artists!
In this guide, you will discover various methods to master the art of drawing hair. We will explore different techniques and patterns that simplify the process, enabling you to create realistic and stylish hairstyles for your characters.
Let’s grab our drawing tools and delve into the world of hair illustration, ensuring your characters always have perfectly coiffed heads!
The Ribbon Technique for Drawing Hair
Many beginners perceive hair as a collection of individual lines, but understanding hair as forms and volumes is crucial for creating dynamic and flowing hairstyles. The ribbon technique helps shift this perspective.
By visualizing hair as ribbons, we introduce curves and allow forms to interact, adding depth and movement to your drawings.
Illustrating this method is more effective than simply explaining it, so let’s look at a few sketches:
Observe in the illustration above how we begin with a basic “S” curve. By adding a second curve, we start to perceive the initial volume.
Continuing this ribbon-like method allows you to wrap the form around itself. Pay attention to the blue highlighted areas in the image. Each added ribbon enhances the depth and dimension of the hair.
Once the basic structure is complete, you can incorporate fine lines for texture. Avoid drawing these lines too uniformly, as this can flatten the forms and make the hair appear rigid.
Experiment with varying the curls or flips at the ribbon ends to give the hair more body and personality.
These small flips, often called “Beauty Lines,” are a fantastic way to inject style, a technique frequently used by comic artists to add flair.
Blocking in Hair Shapes for Simplified Drawing
Combining the ribbon technique with blocking in the overall shape of the hair is another effective approach.
Blocking simplifies complex hairstyles and provides an excellent opportunity to infuse your personal artistic style.
For a cartoonish style, opt for larger, more exaggerated shapes and volumes. This method can significantly speed up your drawing process, and you can always refine details as you become more comfortable with these techniques. Remember, over-rendering hair is a common pitfall. Often, less is more when it comes to hair illustration.
Step-by-Step Guide: Drawing a Female Hairstyle
Let’s walk through a detailed step-by-step process to see these techniques in action. We’ll start by drawing a female face in a comic style, from a front view. Now, let’s break down the steps:
Step 1 – Establish a Basic Hairline Shape
Drawing a Female Hair Style Part 1 – Basic hairline sketch to start drawing hair.
Begin by sketching a basic hairline shape. This provides a solid foundation to build upon. Even if the final hairstyle completely covers the hairline, this initial step is still beneficial. Most hairstyles reveal at least a portion of the hairline, making this a valuable starting point.
Step 2 – Outline the Overall Hair Shape
Drawing a Female Hair Style Part 2 – Defining the overall bell shape of the hair.
Next, outline the overall shape of the hairstyle. Simplifying hair into basic shapes is incredibly helpful, especially when dealing with complex styles. Simple shapes allow you to concentrate on specific design aspects.
Notice in this example how the hairstyle resembles a bell shape. Also, observe that the folds near the scalp, indicated in darker blue, form an “M” shape. These small observations streamline the drawing process considerably.
Practice observing various photos or comics and sketching numerous basic hair shapes. This exercise will significantly enhance your understanding and skill.
Step 3 – Indicate Hair Flow and Direction
Drawing a Female Hair Style Part 3 – Adding directional lines to guide hair flow.
With the overall shape defined, we can now add directional lines to indicate hair flow.
These lines act as guides when drawing the interior hair shapes and smaller volumes. Studying these directional lines is essential as they vary depending on hair type. For this example, we’ll use slightly wavy lines.
Step 4 – Draw Interior Hair Volumes and Beauty Lines
Drawing a Female Hair Style Part 4 – Breaking down interior forms and adding beauty lines.
Now, guided by the previous steps, we can break down the interior forms of the hair. This is also the perfect stage to introduce beauty lines or curls.
These small hair flips add significant character, making even a structured hairstyle appear more natural and engaging.
Step 5 – Ink and Add Shadows
Drawing a Female Hair Style Part 5 – Inking the linework and adding shadow shapes.
Finally, we finalize the linework and define shadow shapes. In this example, the light source is positioned above the hair. Light and shadow are complex subjects, which we’ll explore in more detail in future guides.
For now, simplify the concept by keeping the light source in mind as you draw larger shapes. Establish a focused area of light, then transition into smaller areas, as light typically doesn’t end abruptly unless there’s a sharp angle.
As you ink the hair, look for patterns that create a sense of texture. When studying hair, you might notice “W” shapes for highlights and half-moon shapes for shadows. Simplifying these patterns can make your work easier to replicate and more efficient.
You may perceive different shapes; the key is to relate them to something memorable and practice consistently for uniformity.
Applying the Techniques to Short Wavy Hair
Drawing Short Wavy Hair on a Male Character – Step-by-step example for short wavy male hair.
As demonstrated in this example, the same step-by-step method works effectively for shorter male hairstyles. The primary difference in this style is the more angular volume of the hair.
This angularity is a stylistic choice, contributing to a more masculine and slightly rigid appearance.
The same inking patterns apply here, but they are more compressed. Practice drawing intersecting waves with pointed ends. Once you internalize the pattern, the process becomes faster and less strenuous. Remember, you can simplify the pattern by reducing details, as seen in the larger hair folds on the right.
Drawing Black Curly Hair
Let’s simplify further with short, curly hair. We’ll still use the same step-by-step approach, but in the inking stage, we can incorporate stipple shading.
Drawing a Short Hair Style on a Black Male Character – Simplifying curly hair with stipple shading.
In the example above, notice how we’ve outlined the perimeter of the hair and filled in most of the shape. This focuses attention on the light source side, allowing for repetitive rendering of tiny curls.
Ensure you space out the curls as you approach the lighter side of the hair. This technique also works for bounced light, although this example uses a single light source.
Adding some curls to the edges of the hairstyle is also important. Overly smooth edges can appear artificial or outdated. Experiment with this effect and observe current hairstyle trends.
Pinterest is an excellent resource for discovering trendy hairstyles!
How to Draw a Braid: Step-by-Step Tutorial
For our next hairstyle, let’s break down how to draw a braid. Braids come in numerous variations, but these techniques should be adaptable to any style.
Study the step-by-step guide below and understand the underlying shapes. You might need to practice this a few times to memorize the process, which is perfectly normal. Even experienced artists sometimes rely on templates!
Step 1 – Define Taper and Centerline
How to Draw Braids Step 1 – Starting with taper and centerline for braid structure.
For this braid style, we aim for a wider top near the head, tapering towards the end. Starting with tapered lines guides us toward this shape.
Like many drawing tasks, a centerline is incredibly helpful. The centerline prepares us for the subsequent steps.
Step 2 – Add a Zigzag Over the Centerline
How to Draw Braids Step 2 – Drawing a zigzag over the centerline for braid pattern.
This zigzag is a simplification but a very useful tool. You can adjust the zigzag’s thickness, but keeping it close to the braid’s center is generally effective.
Note how the zigzags become smaller as they descend towards the tapered end. This proportionally reduces the braid’s size in the following steps.
Step 3 – Draw Curves Towards the Red Dots
How to Draw Braids Step 3 – Adding curves towards red dots on one side of zigzag.
Observe that the red dots are positioned only on one side of the zigzag. The curves we add will originate higher and flow down to these red dots.
Step 4 – Draw Curves on the Opposite Side
How to Draw Braids Step 4 – Mirroring curves on the opposite side, slightly staggered.
Now, repeat the curve-drawing process on the opposite side, slightly staggering the curves.
Step 5 – Outline the Braid Over the Template
How to Draw Braids Step 5 – Drawing the organic braid shape over the template.
With the base template established, we can now draw the braid more organically over it.
As you draw this part, consider how the braided hair interweaves, passing in front and behind other sections. This will add subtle curves where needed to imply depth.
Step 6 – Add Hair Texture
How to Draw Braids Step 6 – Adding texture by drawing hair flow lines.
Begin adding texture and a sense of flow by drawing hair in the correct direction. Draw hair lines from the top to the bottom of each segment, while also varying the lines from left to right across the hair’s volume.
Avoid distributing lines too evenly, as this will flatten the hair’s volume. Instead, visualize highs and lows in the hair’s volume and adjust your lines accordingly.
Step 7 – Enhance Rendering and Shadows
How to Draw Braids Step 7 – Enhancing rendering with more lines and shadow definition.
Now, add more rendering lines and enhance the shadows within the braid. As before, keep volumes in mind as you render. Aim to round out each braid segment while also incorporating small variations within each segment.
Hair is organic, so overly repetitive drawing can detract from the illustration’s natural appearance.
Step 8 – Blend Hair Texture
How to Draw Braids Step 8 – Blending lines for softer texture using digital tools.
Soften the lines slightly. In digital art programs like Clip Studio Paint (used here), utilize a “Blending Brush” to soften harsh line edges.
This helps give the hair volume a more pillowy appearance. Be cautious with this step; balance is key. A good mix of soft shadows and hair texture is needed for a believable look.
Blend in the direction of the hair strands, not side to side. You can also switch to an eraser or white pencil to enhance highlights as you progress.
Step 9 – Add Loose Hair Strands
How to Draw Braids Step 9 – Finalizing braid with loose strands for realism.
Complete the braid by adding a few loose strands of hair. This adds a touch of realism. No matter how tightly braided, some loose strands are always present.
Hair Shape Practice Examples
Numerous hair shapes can benefit from these techniques. Here are a few examples for you to reference and practice with.
Hair Shape Reference by RAM – Examples of various hair shapes for practice.
At this stage, focus on simplifying hair shapes as much as possible. Look beyond the details and identify the fundamental shapes. Simplification not only eases the drawing process but also helps you develop your unique artistic style.
I hope this guide has provided valuable insights into drawing various hairstyles for your characters. I plan to expand on this topic in future content. Continuous learning and growth are essential in art, and creating this guide has inspired me to explore this subject even further.
Let me know what other art topics you’d like to see covered, and I’ll prioritize them in my upcoming tutorials. Best of luck with your art, and never stop drawing!
Robert A. Marzullo
Ram Studios Comics
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