How To Draw Realistic Blonde Hair

Hair is very of import for our characters, lending a personality of its ain, so drawing hair exactly as we imagine it can be a real claiming.

Just there are many different approaches we can take! For me, the most important rule is to understand what I am cartoon, so that I don't get lost halfway through.

1. Structure and volume

Offset, nosotros must ascertain the areas of our character's hair. Marking a reference point or a route which divides the hair can aid us. For instance, at the hair parting (one). From there, it becomes easier to run across the direction that each section will accept (ii).

As my drawing advances, I ponder some possibilities. This character volition have directly hair, cutting just over the shoulders. I think no bangs would be better, but I desire some hair to cover one eye, and the tips of the pilus to curl inwards.

I showtime to draw these lines. I might change my mind afterwards on, but this stage allows me to see more clearly.

The caput is a sphere. If nosotros don't take that into account, the cartoon could starting time to flatten. This is a fairly common error. Allow'south have a look using a mesh to demonstrate:

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

Hair locks must somehow wrap the head post-obit the curves of its surface. Check the departure between these 2 images. Both circles have a layer around them, but A looks more than like a flat shape, whereas B looks to be more spherical.

Hair does non glue itself to the head. Let's keep in listen that there is ever space between strands and over layers of hair, which builds up to create volume.

• The green expanse (1) indicates the gap between the head and the edge of the hair.

• On the back of the caput (2) at that place are several layers of pilus, but since it'due south straight pilus, the edges are almost unaffected, which allows a very subtle falling effectually the neck.

• The volume varies depending on the amount of hair on each side of the caput (three).

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

Task: I always recommend learning using real-world references. Have some photos of pilus styles and place where the locks are coming from and where they are going. You can also draw their edges.

▲Animated GIF

ii. Shape:

Some drawing styles demand more effort in the detailing stage than others, but it is always necessary to take into account the standard characteristics of hair. Let's look at it this mode:

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

• Hair does not form a compacted shape, nor a consistent ane. It is very calorie-free, so when the character moves, the wind, the humidity, or anything that surrounds it tin can touch on its silhouette.

Let's see some examples, stride by step:

Directly hair:

• My first step was to draw the edges of the main lock (the 1 which will be the base of our drawing), post-obit the direction in a S shape. And then I filled it in to create its silhouette.

• The fiddling strands on Step three follow a very similar direction, but slightly more pronounced, enough to add together dynamism to the shape.

Finally, I added some strands which movement in completely dissimilar directions than the original one, to rest the composition and make it more attractive.

Curly hair:

• The lock curls itself effectually in a cylindrical shape. Try not to make this shape completely straight, otherwise the lock will cease up looking like a spring!

• Then I simplify, first drawing a ribbon. Encounter how information technology becomes thinner as it approaches the tip. The third step is to particular the external and internal sides (A).

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

We can employ this method to create more interesting and complex silhouettes:

I followed all these criteria to castor upwards my character and and then I added the necessary amount of detail while keeping it simple.

three. Adding values:

I am going to use the value scale to define details and give a 3D result to the shapes.

The below epitome is a hairstyle consisting of irregular layers and overlapping locks. If nosotros merely had the silhouette, we wouldn't observe all these details, thus I need to contrast the unlike sections in order to highlight these shapes.

This is the pace-by-step process which will assistance united states empathise better:
• I define the edges (1). In step 2, the mid-tones tin be seen in the corner; the strokes follow a unmarried direction to maintain the harmony of the shape, and the illuminated areas are left bare.
• In step 3, nosotros apply darker shades to darken and deepen some areas, for case, on the overlapping layers equally indicated by the arrows. I proceed this way until the cartoon is finished.

Information technology is non a problem if nosotros are only guided by our intuition when cartoon shadows and lights. "Lighting" is an extensive and super interesting topic, and I am afraid that what I explain here is not enough to cover it! I'd recommend researching and practicing as much as possible.

Hair types and textures:

Textures make unique sensations and enrich our illustrations. Information technology may be overwhelming to think virtually pilus textures, but instead of working exclusively with lines, nosotros must not reject other tools that tin brand tasks easier as well as creating incredible furnishings, both in digital and traditional art spaces. It is always adept to experiment to develop methods that highlight the qualities of our style!

I don't have a unique reply to which tool to employ in each case, just here is a inkling: imagine the feeling of each type of hair!

Short, almost shaved hair feels like a carpet —I've always thought so! And when I draw it, I like to requite it a prickly, pointy, rough advent.

For wavy hair, I think about the sea waves, curves finding i some other. There is life, energy, and move.

On the other hand, straight pilus has serene, calm, simple and maybe elegant lines.

Explosive —but non likewise much, curly hair is voluminous, difficult to control and, many times, hard to comb! Fluffy, soft, playful and gorgeous, those are some adjectives we tin can retrieve about. Textures save time and add complexity to the shapes.

Conclusion:

These are all general approaches that employ can employ to brand hair look similar pilus. If you want to go further, break the rules! There is nothing wrong in, for instance, ignoring gravity, or exaggerating the volume of hairstyles, or creating hair made of burn! There are then many possibilities we can play with to create new things. I promise this article has been helpful for y'all. If yous wish to see some of my works, please have a look 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!