3 Tips For Drawing Hair! I would like to share with you 3 tips for drawing hair and being a bit less
Tip #1
Draw the Shapes:
The thing about drawing hair is that we tend to look at the hair as individual strands of hair, rather than different shapes.
We all remember our first drawings, when we were drawing hair as wiry,curvy or straight lines around the heads of our stick figures…
When you draw hair, look at the various shapes in the hair in your reference picture and draw those first, following the curve and direction of the hair.
I just took some pics from a magazine to demonstrate what I mean by this. Recognize the shapes and start from there. Notice the direction the hair is growing in, or the flow of a curl or kink in the hair. It’s up to you what you would like to start on after that; you might like to start with the darkest tones first and then build up the mid-tones. Generally you would leave your hi-lights for last.
I prefer to lay down a base of mid-tones, filling in the shapes and gradually building up the darker shades and hi-lights.
Bonus tip: Look at your reference very closely; study the shapes in the hair rather than the individual hairs. It will be a lot less overwhelming!
Tip #2
Create Depth With Layers:
To create depth in the hair, work slowly. And by that I mean work in layers. Lay down pigment and blend it out. Now the next layer, lay down pigment and blend it out. Etc. etc. If you’re looking to create a realistic effect, it might take a few layers and a lot of practice, but just keep going. With every layer you will see the difference!
Tip #3
Go Darker!
Okay, this is going to be a bit scary at first, but don’t be afraid to go darker in the shadow areas. We’ve all been there; you get up to a certain stage in the drawing and then get stuck. Mostly because we‘re afraid we’re going to ruin our drawing by going a bit darker. Believe me, I know. BUT to achieve an overall realistic look, in almost any artwork, contrast is very important. And you get contrast by DARK darks and LIGHT lights!
Bonus tip: Start with a light sketch! It’s easier to go darker gradually than to try and remove unwanted pigment later :)
I really hope these tips will help you with your drawings of hair!
...follow your art...♥
