How To Draw Female Comic Characters Hair

Hair is very important for our characters, lending a personality of its own, then drawing pilus exactly as we imagine it can be a existent challenge.

But in that location are many different approaches we can accept! For me, the well-nigh of import dominion is to empathize what I am cartoon, and then that I don't get lost halfway through.

i. Structure and book

First, we must ascertain the areas of our character's hair. Marker a reference point or a route which divides the pilus can assist us. For case, at the pilus parting (i). From there, information technology becomes easier to run into the direction that each department will take (2).

As my cartoon advances, I ponder some possibilities. This character will accept straight hair, cut simply over the shoulders. I think no bangs would be ameliorate, but I desire some hair to cover one eye, and the tips of the hair to curl inwards.

I kickoff to draw these lines. I might change my listen later on, but this stage allows me to come across more conspicuously.

The head is a sphere. If we don't have that into business relationship, the drawing could kickoff to flatten. This is a adequately mutual error. Allow's take a look using a mesh to demonstrate:

Each hair comes from a specific point and grows in a different direction. Even when the pilus is very long, the gravitational strength eventually brings it down.

Pilus locks must somehow wrap the head following the curves of its surface. Check the difference between these two images. Both circles have a layer around them, but A looks more like a flat shape, whereas B looks to exist more spherical.

Hair does not glue itself to the head. Permit'due south keep in mind that at that place is e'er space betwixt strands and over layers of hair, which builds up to create book.

• The green area (1) indicates the gap between the head and the edge of the pilus.

• On the back of the caput (2) there are several layers of pilus, only since information technology'southward straight pilus, the edges are almost unaffected, which allows a very subtle falling effectually the neck.

• The volume varies depending on the amount of pilus on each side of the head (3).

Many artists choose to simplify the pilus using basic shapes, or anything else that helps them define the volume, the angles, and to easily approach values. Then they add details to the surface.

Task: I always recommend learning using existent-world references. Have some photos of hair styles and identify where the locks are coming from and where they are going. You can as well draw their edges.

▲Animated GIF

2. Shape:

Some cartoon styles need more effort in the detailing stage than others, just it is ever necessary to take into business relationship the standard characteristics of hair. Let'south look at it this mode:

The overall hair is a set of many locks > locks are a fix of strands

• Hair does not course a compacted shape, nor a consistent one. It is very light, then when the character moves, the wind, the humidity, or anything that surrounds it tin affect its silhouette.

Let's see some examples, step past step:

Straight hair:

• My outset footstep was to draw the edges of the main lock (the one which volition be the base of operations of our drawing), following the direction in a S shape. And then I filled information technology in to create its silhouette.

• The little strands on Step 3 follow a very similar direction, simply slightly more pronounced, enough to add dynamism to the shape.

Finally, I added some strands which move in completely unlike directions than the original one, to rest the limerick and make information technology more bonny.

Curly hair:

• The lock curls itself around in a cylindrical shape. Endeavor not to make this shape completely directly, otherwise the lock will terminate up looking like a bound!

• So I simplify, get-go cartoon a ribbon. See how it becomes thinner as it approaches the tip. The tertiary pace is to detail the external and internal sides (A).

• I added some texture, following the direction of the curves. I as well put in some irregularities around the edges to match the surface (B).

Nosotros can utilise this method to create more interesting and complex silhouettes:

I followed all these criteria to brush upwardly my grapheme and and so I added the necessary amount of detail while keeping it simple.

3. Adding values:

I am going to utilise the value scale to define details and requite a 3D event to the shapes.

The beneath image is a hairstyle consisting of irregular layers and overlapping locks. If nosotros only had the silhouette, nosotros wouldn't notice all these details, thus I need to contrast the different sections in order to highlight these shapes.

This is the step-by-pace process which will assistance us understand better:
• I define the edges (1). In step 2, the mid-tones can be seen in the corner; the strokes follow a single direction to maintain the harmony of the shape, and the illuminated areas are left bare.
• In stride iii, we utilize darker shades to darken and deepen some areas, for case, on the overlapping layers every bit indicated past the arrows. I continue this way until the cartoon is finished.

It is not a problem if we are only guided by our intuition when drawing shadows and lights. "Lighting" is an all-encompassing and super interesting topic, and I am afraid that what I explicate hither is not enough to cover it! I'd recommend researching and practicing as much equally possible.

Hair types and textures:

Textures make unique sensations and enrich our illustrations. It may exist overwhelming to think near pilus textures, but instead of working exclusively with lines, we must not turn down other tools that can make tasks easier as well as creating incredible effects, both in digital and traditional art spaces. It is ever good to experiment to develop methods that highlight the qualities of our manner!

I don't have a unique answer to which tool to use in each instance, but here is a inkling: imagine the feeling of each type of hair!

Short, well-nigh shaved hair feels like a rug —I've always thought so! And when I describe it, I like to give information technology a prickly, pointy, rough appearance.

For wavy pilus, I call up about the sea waves, curves finding one some other. At that place is life, energy, and movement.

On the other hand, directly hair has serene, at-home, simple and possibly elegant lines.

Explosive —but non besides much, curly hair is voluminous, difficult to control and, many times, hard to comb! Fluffy, soft, playful and gorgeous, those are some adjectives nosotros can recall about. Textures save fourth dimension and add complication to the shapes.

Conclusion:

These are all full general approaches that use can employ to make hair look like hair. If y'all want to go farther, suspension the rules! There is cipher wrong in, for instance, ignoring gravity, or exaggerating the book of hairstyles, or creating hair made of fire! There are so many possibilities we tin can play with to create new things. I hope this commodity has been helpful for you. If y'all wish to meet some of my works, please take a wait at my social networks and my portfolio:

https://world wide web.instagram.com/eri_duh/
https://twitter.com/eri_duh
https://www.artstation.com/eridey

Thanks very much for reading!