Introduction
This step-by-step tutorial will guide you on how to draw three different hairstyles for females: natural-looking, straight, and curly hair. Each style is accompanied by detailed explanations and examples, allowing you to master the techniques with ease.
Before you begin, it’s recommended to use pencil and paper for this tutorial. Starting with light lines will make it easier to correct mistakes and erase unwanted parts. Although the provided examples show slightly darker lines for clarity, remember to keep your initial lines light.
Please note that while the first example offers comprehensive instructions, subsequent styles have condensed explanations to avoid repetition.
How to Draw Natural Looking Hair: Step by Step
This first example demonstrates how to draw natural-looking hair that has a slightly messy appearance, yet not meticulously combed.
Step 1 – Draw the Head
Start by outlining the entire shape of the head, including the ears. This step helps you estimate the hair’s volume and avoid mistakes.
Step 2 – Draw the Hairline
Draw the hairline a short distance from the top of the head. This prevents gaps in the hair clumps that extend too far up the head.
Step 3 – Draw the Outline of the Hair
Add an outline of the main shape or shapes of the hair over the head drawing. Focus on the overall volume and large shapes that define the hairstyle, rather than individual hair clumps.
For medium-length hair, the strands tend to curve towards the chin as they go down.
To avoid a cluttered drawing, erase the parts of the head covered by the hair. You can also erase the hairline.
Step 4 – Add Some Details
Gradually add smaller folds and clumps to enhance the hair’s shape. Erase parts of the previous outline as needed.
Step 5 – Finish the Line Drawing
Refine the drawing by adding more details, creating a line drawing with a good amount of intricacy.
Step 6 – Begin Shading
Apply an initial layer of shading to define the light, medium, and dark areas of the hair. Follow the flow of the hair clumps and folds with your strokes, leaving them somewhat visible to depict individual strands. Avoid applying too much pressure on the pencil to gradually darken the shading.
Step 7 – Intensify the Shading
Refine the shading by creating smoother gradients between the mid-tone, light, and shadow areas of the hair. The shadow areas can be slightly darker.
Step 8 – Finish the Hair Drawing
Gradually darken the drawing to achieve a balanced shading across the different areas of the hair. Leave some distance between the strokes in the light and mid-tone areas to maintain visibility. For a softer and more natural look, add quick pencil strokes on the tips of the hair clumps by pressing harder and swiftly pulling the pencil away from the paper.
How to Draw Straight Hair: Step by Step
This example focuses on drawing straight, neatly combed hair.
Step 1 – Draw the Head
Begin by outlining the head, following the same approach as in the previous examples.
Step 2 – Draw the Hairline
Add the hairline over the head drawing.
Step 3 – Draw the Outline of the Hair
Draw the main shape of the hair, focusing on larger details, but with less wrapping around the face compared to the natural hair example.
Erase the parts of the head and the hairline that are hidden by the hair.
Step 4 – Add Some Details
Include additional details, such as larger splits and folds, to enhance the hairstyle.
Step 5 – Finish the Line Drawing
Complete the line drawing by adding smaller details that contribute to the overall appearance of the hair.
Step 6 – Begin Shading
Apply an initial layer of shading, similar to the natural hair example. However, due to the hairstyle’s symmetry, the transitions between light, medium, and dark areas will be smoother.
Step 7 – Intensify the Shading
Darken the drawing by adding more layers of overlapping strokes, while maintaining some distance between them. This will create the impression of individual hairs, albeit less apparent than in the previous example.
Step 8 – Finish the Straight Hair Drawing
Continue to darken the drawing and refine the shading until you achieve the desired balance between different areas of the hair. Leave some lightness in the strokes within the light and mid-tone regions. To create a smoother and neater appearance, apply some swift, dark wavy lines to emphasize visible hair strands.
How to Draw Curly Hair: Step by Step
This final example showcases medium-length curly hair, which can be more challenging to draw.
Step 1 – Draw the Head
Start by outlining the shape of the head as you did in the previous examples.
Step 2 – Draw the Hairline
Add the hairline onto the head drawing.
Step 3 – Draw the Outline of the Hair
Over the head and hairline outline, draw the main shape or shapes of the curly hair. To simplify this complex style, you can use construction lines, as shown in the example, to frame the shapes.
Once you complete the hair’s basic shape, erase the hairline and any overlapping parts from the head.
Step 4 – Add Some Details
Begin adding smaller, more organic shapes and folds within the construction frame. Erase the construction lines as you progress.
Step 5 – Finish the Line Drawing
Include the smallest hair splits, folds, and clumps to finalize the line drawing.
Step 6 – Begin Shading
Apply an initial layer of shading to define the light, medium, and dark areas of the hair. Due to the curly nature of the hairstyle, the distribution of the shading will be more random.
Step 7 – Intensify the Shading
Darken the drawing by adding more layers of strokes, smoothing out the gradients. Leave space between the strokes to convey individual hairs. In contrast to the previous examples, make them less prominent for a smoother and neater appearance.
Step 8 – Finish the Curly Hair Drawing
Continue to darken the drawing and refine the shading until you achieve the desired level of detail. To accentuate the visible hair strands that are characteristic of curly hair, draw moderately dark, wavy lines within the shading.
Conclusion
This tutorial showcases the techniques for drawing various common hair types. By following the same principles outlined in these examples, you can adapt them to draw other hairstyles. The process involves defining the hair’s main shape, refining with smaller details, and gradually shading the line drawing.
For instructions on drawing male hair, refer to the tutorial “How to Draw Male Hair Step by Step.” Additionally, if you’re interested in mastering female facial proportions, explore the tutorial “How to Draw a Female Face Step by Step.”
