Drawing hair can feel like one of the biggest challenges for an artist. It’s easy to get lost in the details, drawing strand after strand until your artwork looks more like a tangled mess than a flowing hairstyle. But what if you could approach it differently? The secret isn’t to draw every single hair, but to understand its overall shape and flow.
Start With the Big Shapes, Not the Strands
Before you put pencil to paper for those fine lines, take a step back. Look at the hair as a whole. What is its basic form? Is it a large, rounded shape around the head? Does it fall in a triangular wedge? Lightly sketch this main shape first. This initial outline acts as your guide, ensuring the hair has volume and sits correctly on the head, preventing it from looking flat or unnatural.
Think in Clumps and Sections
Hair doesn’t behave as millions of individual strands; it naturally groups together. Instead of drawing single lines, try drawing slightly thicker lines that represent small clumps or sections of hair. These clumps will have a direction—they flow from the crown of the head downwards and outwards. By focusing on these groups, you instantly create a more realistic and textured look without the overwhelming detail.
Using Light and Shadow to Create Depth
This is where your drawing truly comes to life. Identify where your light source is coming from. The areas of the hair that are facing away from the light will be in shadow. Rather than drawing lines here, use your pencil to shade in these darker areas, focusing on the spaces between the light clumps. The highlights are the areas where the light hits directly. Often, the best way to show a highlight is by leaving the paper white or erasing a small area. This contrast between dark shadows and bright highlights is what gives hair its shine and three-dimensional form.
A Simple Practice for Flowing Hair
A great way to practice is to draw a simple, curved line for the direction of the hair. Then, on either side of this central guide, draw your clumps, following the curve of your initial line. This helps you practice the rhythm and flow, making the hair look dynamic and soft.
Remember, drawing hair is a skill that improves with observation and practice. By focusing on shapes, clumps, and the play of light, you can create beautiful, believable hair that adds life to your portraits.