How To Draw Hair
Do you want to capture the beauty of those tousled tresses? Learning how to draw hair that looks natural, beautiful, and dynamic can be challenging, but with some practice and fundamentals, it can be a breeze!
Drawing hair is all about being able to capture movement and texture and giving your artwork a sense of life. This means incorporating a few simple principles that will help you create hair that both looks natural, but also allows you to experiment with your own creative and unique style.
The first step in drawing hair is defining your hair type. Is it straight, curly, or wavy? Are there thick patches or thin strands? Taking a close look at the style of your hair will give you an idea of how to approach drawing it. Another important element to consider is lighting. Determining the source and direction of light will help you create realistic shadows and highlights.
The next step is creating the basic shape of the hairstyle. Don’t rush yourself and take your time to build the foundation of your drawing. Start with the overall shape of the hair and then work your way in, paying attention to details like bangs, layers, and texture. If you’re working digitally, use the sliders to adjust the shape of the hair as you go and pay attention to the negative spaces between each strand.
Once you have the foundation in place it’s time to add all the details. This is where you can let loose and experiment with different angles, shapes, and shadows to give your drawing a sense of life. Start slow and gradually add more details to flesh out the look of your drawing. You can use shading and highlights to add depth, dimension, and details such as strands, curls, and flyaways.
Finally, you can refine your look by going in and tweaking details. Pay attention to small areas like the parting, edges, and flyaways. There’s a lot of small areas that can take your drawing to the next level and sometimes it’s the little things that make the difference.
How To Create Movement In Hair
Movement in hair is the key to creating life-like, dynamic drawings. To help make your drawing pop, use a combination of different strokes and wisps to build your drawing up with layers.
For straight and wavy hair, use short, angular strokes to capture natural bends and strands. You can also use quick, short, scribbling strokes to add layers of highlights and shadows. This will help add depth and dimension to your drawing.
For curly hair, use loose curly strokes to mimic the shape of your hair. Take your time to draw each curl and experiment with different thickness and shapes. Mapping out the individual strands of your hair will help build up the layers of your drawing.
For swirling and clumping, use curlicues to capture the shape of each knot. Swirling your strokes in a circular motion will mimic the shape of each bundle. These curlicues can also be used to form wavy hair.
Movement in hair is all about capturing the subtle details and nuances that make up your hairstyle. With enough practice and an eye for detail, you can create hair that looks natural, beautiful and dynamic.
How To Shade Hair
Adding shadows and highlights to your drawings will bring them to life. Knowing how to shade hair correctly can be tricky, so here are a few tips to help with your shading.
Start with a light base colour, then use darker hues of colour to shade the darker areas of your drawing. To shade lighter sections, use lighter tones of your colour palette. This will help to create a realistic look and separate highlights and shadows.
Once you have the foundation in place, you can use line and stipple shading to give your hair more texture and dimension. Line shading uses short strokes and scribbling lines to create highlights and shadows. Whereas, stipple shading uses dots and crosshatching to create texture.
To get an even better look, vary the length and size of your lines to create a more dynamic drawing. Again, this will give your artwork a more natural and realistic appearance.
Finally, use your eraser to refine your look. Pay attention to subtle details like the parting and edges of your hair to really make your artwork pop.
Shading hair is all about experimenting and playing around with your shades. With practice, you’ll be able to create dimension, depth, and life to your drawings.
How To Implement Color In Hair
Adding color to your drawings can take them to the next level. Whether you want to create a realistic hairstyle or capture a funky punk look, color is key!
Start with a light base colour and then gradually layer on darker hues. If you’re feeling adventurous you can even add highlights or streaks of colors. You can set different colors in layers to create a dynamic look, or you can work in one color if you want to keep it tonal.
Another great way to add color to your drawing is by working with blurs. Start by block coloring the areas of your drawing that require color and then use either a blur brush or smudge tool to blend out the color. This will create little strokes of colors that you can use to give your hair more dimension and texture.
You can also incorporate colors that you wouldn’t usually find in nature. Create an abstract look by mixing in bright colors, pastels, and neon palettes. Add depth and dimension to these colors by shading the colors with a darker hue.
Using color in your drawings can give you a unique look and set you apart from other artists. Don’t be afraid to think outside the box and play around with different color schemes!
How To Create Personality In Hair
Hair can be used to express individuality and character. Whether it’s a braided bun or a wild mohawk, styling your hair can help define your personality and style.
Start by researching hairstyles that suit your character. Think about the kind of personality you want to portray and then use that to inform your drawing. Curls, waves, and braids all give off a different kind of look and feeling.
Once you’ve decided on the hairstyle, it’s time to bring it to life. Deconstruct the look and think about the individual components that make up the hairstyle. Use a combination of different strokes and patterns to capture movement and texture.
For added personality, you can add different elements to your drawing such as accessories and clothing. Experiment with adding extra details to your character and further explore their personality.
You can also add unique hairstyles or shapes to further refine the look of your character. If your character is playful, you might add flowers to their hair, or if they’re edgy, you could use spikes to give them an edgier look. Be creative and see where it takes you!
Creating personality in hair is all about experimentation and having fun while you’re at it. Once you know the basics and nail the fundamentals, you can start to build your own style and create art that’s truly unique.
