How to Draw Realistic Hair with Techniques for Beginners | Step by Step Tutorial

The process of hair drawing can be intimidating for lots of beginners since it takes longer than drawing other parts of the face. Are there any easy ways or steps to do it? Sure, this tutorial is for you with 3 steps. 

In this tutorial, you will see the full process of drawing hair by @artofgordo. He shows the way he draws lady’s curly hair. The step by step approach is suitable to every artist who is struggling drawing hair. You can apply it to any hair drawing and hairstyle.

Art supplies MATERIALS used in this tutorial:
L'oeil sketching graphite pencils (https://bit.ly/2Zm9vjO)
Dark charcoal pencil: for dark values
Blending brushes: for creating a velvety effect of the drawing, so it does not look harsh
Small eraser: for creating the highlights on the hair

 
Step 1: Outline the Hair

Before we start outlining the hair, we have to learn the structure of how hair forms when it comes to drawing hair. Therefore, you will have a better understanding of where should you start contour or outline the hair.

1.Volume
It means the shape of the hair. The different hairstyle has a different silhouette. Straighten hair tends to be flatter and not so voluminous and as for curly and wavy hair, they are prone to voluminous and the shape is larger. You may need to measure the distance of the hair from the face to create the volume. If it’s curly hair, you have to be cautious of where the curve starts and ends so that you can draw the natural curves.

2.Flow (Direction)
Flow is the direction of the hair. Due to varied movement, different parts of hair can flow discordantly. Some hair flow upwards or downwards. When you draw the line of hair, you have to remind yourself the hair flows like wind, gently lift the pencil upwards when you finish a line. The lines are smooth and not harsh.

Once you know the volume of the hair and how it flows. You can outline the shape of the hair easily. For curly hair, you need to notice more of the dynamic of the hair.

Step 2: Create the Volume through developing the value

Every 3D figure is formed in different values and tones. When the light hit the object, the areas of highlight are light values. On the contrary, the shadow areas are dark values. Where something in the middle, which is middle value and aka mid-tone. The light can affect how the hair looks.

To begin the shading hair, we use darker grade pencils to shade in the dark values and work towards the middle value. To create a smooth effect, we can use any blending tools to blend the harsh lines. Don’t be afraid if some graphite leaves on the light values. The knowledge of value can work in any drawing media. You can apply it when you draw color pencils or other media. You can use lighter colors for light values and vice versus.

For the light values, you can use a small-tip eraser to create the light shone on the hair. The more you use the erase, the more the graphite you take off from the drawing. It means that the areas are whiter in graphite drawing.

Step 3: Create the texture

When you know how to apply the value, this step can be easily done. You can mix the use of pencil and eraser to create the texture. Draw the steady strokes of lines and keep the flow of hair consistently.

In reality, we have a different head shape and hairstyle. To contour and shape the hair well, you can draw a strand of hair to practice the values of the light. Then apply this technique to your drawing.

More reference on how to draw hair:
How to Draw Hair by Matt Fussell in Pencil Drawing
https://thevirtualinstructor.com/how-to-draw-hair.html

How to draw realistic hair: The Ultimate Tutorial by Darlene Nguyen
http://rapidfireart.com/2015/06/17/how-to-draw-realistic-hair-the-ultimate-tutorial/

Our sketching pencils are out now. This set contains all the grades you need and we even double the most-used grades. The premium smooth lead can help you draw and blend the graphite nicely. You won’t experience constant breaking lead while drawing. You can buy them in below link.
https://bit.ly/2Zm9vjO