how to draw highlights in anime hair

by Christian Rempel 9 min read
image

How do you highlight your hair in anime?

The most basic type of hair highlight used in anime and manga can just be draw as one simple shape. For this type of hair highlight simply draw two lines to indicate the top and bottom of the hair highlight and then either leave the area white or color it in with a bright color.

How do you highlight and shade anime hair?

1:062:39EASIEST WAY TO COLOR ANIME HAIR - YouTubeYouTubeStart of suggested clipEnd of suggested clipThere's basically three main areas where shading is applied the first area is the banks. ApplyMoreThere's basically three main areas where shading is applied the first area is the banks. Apply shading at the bank's. Bottom half the second area is the side hair it's basically the same as the banks.

How do you add highlights to a drawing?

5:0114:47How to Add White Highlights to Art, Drawings and Coloring PagesYouTubeStart of suggested clipEnd of suggested clipYou can with your white pen. And add some white lines just to kind of indicate where the light isMoreYou can with your white pen. And add some white lines just to kind of indicate where the light is hitting. The hair and this is just something that you're kind of pick up as you draw.

How do you do highlights in hair art?

3:008:00Digital Art Tutorial on how to Shade and Highlight Hair! - YouTubeYouTubeStart of suggested clipEnd of suggested clipSo first we're going to blur it. And not too bad that you can actually see the shine. But to whereMoreSo first we're going to blur it. And not too bad that you can actually see the shine. But to where it's not and then we're going to color inside that just to give it that real shine.

What hair color means in anime?

Characters with red hair are often passionate, adventurous and enthusiastic. On the other hand, they can be hot-headed, aggressive and feisty. They portray leadership qualities with their headstrong personalities. Some male characters with red hair are more calm and disciplined.

How do you make an anime smile?

2:3138:54HOW TO DRAW SMILING HAPPY EXPRESSIONS (Real Time)YouTubeStart of suggested clipEnd of suggested clipThis will be doing the same sort of thing but just a little bit wider. And sweeping down to theMoreThis will be doing the same sort of thing but just a little bit wider. And sweeping down to the outside edge a bit more. And then i'm just going to come down. Here bring in that shape.

How can I streak my own hair?

1:445:56HOW TO HIGHLIGHT HAIR AT HOME FOR BEGINNERS - YouTubeYouTubeStart of suggested clipEnd of suggested clipAnd 30 volume developer that blue additive is going to go in and bleach and tone at the same timeMoreAnd 30 volume developer that blue additive is going to go in and bleach and tone at the same time that way the hair will be more of a golden color as opposed to an orange color.

Can you highlight over pencil?

If you need to highlight pencil, a wet highlighter might work better. Or stick to underlining. The yellow, green and orange colors worked best to highlight over writing.

What do artists use for highlights?

How to Add HighlightsWhite Pencils. This is very effective when you're drawing on a toned sheet of paper. ... Sharp Eraser Edge. I use this approach when drawing on white paper. ... Metal Stylus. This technique is a good way for depicting veins on a leaf or tiny hairs. ... Brush and White Paint.

How do you shade anime?

Top Lit Anime Face Shading Most of the face will be shaded with the lighter areas being placed as follows: Forehead – will be completely lit up as it curves towards the above light source. Nose – the upper side as it faces towards the light. Cheeks – the upper area of the cheekbones.

How do you color anime skins?

1:186:29How to Blend Anime Skin TUTORIAL - YouTubeYouTubeStart of suggested clipEnd of suggested clipSo if we're gonna pick a secondary color the first thing that we would do is to eye drop. And thenMoreSo if we're gonna pick a secondary color the first thing that we would do is to eye drop. And then we're gonna slide our hue all the way down here just a little bit to the left.

Why is drawing hair so hard?

Hair is very difficult to draw, because what we see is different than what we know. You can't simply draw all the hairs in the form of lines, because that's not what we see when we look at hair. What we see must be simplified to lines and shades, and there are many ways to do it.

How to draw anime hair?

To draw anime hair, start by drawing the outline of the head and the hairline. Next, draw the basic outline of your desired hairstyle, making sure to focus on which direction the hair strands flow. Then, add details to make the hair more realistic, and emphasize the outlines by tracing over them with a dark marker.

How to draw hair that blows one way?

Sometimes when I draw the hair, it looks like it blows one way, but then other strands are blowing the other way. Stand by a mirror, get your blow dryer or a fan, and test it out. Observe how your hair is blowing. If you have short hair, ask a friend or family member to stand in.

Can you use shadow hair to fall over eyes?

You could use the shadow of the hair to fall over the eyes giving it a gloomy look. Spiked hair can look evil sometimes. Slicked, oily hair can give the impression of being greasy in character as well as in hair. Check out cartoon character and movie villains for an idea of what might work.

Do you have to draw a character with bangs?

It's just where the hair starts. If you're drawing a character with bangs, where their hairline is not seen, you don't necessarily have to draw it - but it could help you get a clearer idea of the proportions of their face if you draw it and then erase it. Thanks!

Why do anime have hair and eyes?

Hair and eyes in anime are often used to express emotions and a character’s personality, so they’re usually given more details than in real life. But this is drawing, so there aren’t any complex rules for this! Let your hand flow, and practice your creativity. Take a look at your favorite anime drawings.

Do you need to overzoom to make a face on a screen?

You don’t need to over-zoom and glue your face on the screen to be sure the lines are perfect! To be quite honest, you are likely to be the only one that will be able to spot your small mistakes. The brush for lineart can be the same as for sketching, but this will depend on how you want it to look.

Can you airbrush white hair?

Yes, even white hair! I like to airbrush the skin color on the bangs, so when I add white highlights on top, it will show! If you don’t know which color to use, you can take the hair color, create a new layer, set the blending mode to Add (Glow), and then add blobs, triangles, lines, etc.

How to color line art in Photoshop?

This will give your painting a much more subtle and realistic feel. To do this, go to your ‘line art’ layer and click the padlock symbol to unlock it so you can work on it. Next, click the button near to the padlock symbol that says ‘Lock transparent pixels’ – if you have an earlier version of Photoshop, this might be called ‘Preserve transparency.’ Then, grab your Pencil Tool, zoom in on your painting and start thinking about the various colors you want to use to color your line art. Basically, you want to be using shades that are slightly darker than the areas you’re working on. For example, the line art for the hair would look good if you used a slightly darker shade of yellow.

How to lock transparent pixels in Photoshop?

To do this, go to your ‘line art’ layer and click the padlock symbol to unlock it so you can work on it. Next, click the button near to the padlock symbol that says ‘Lock transparent pixels’ – if you have an earlier version of Photoshop, this might be called ‘Preserve transparency.’.

What is the hairstyle in anime?

A typical hair style in manga and anime is spiky hair , which can be trickier to shade. The overall ball shaped surface is gone and replaced with spikes all over the place. Even though that is a case, try to imagine that ring around the head on which the highlights are placed.

How to make highlights look erratic?

A rule of thumb for highlights is to make them look erratic. Avoid repetition of the same strokes. You might want to base the highlights on the same type of strokes, yet try to add diversity. V-shapes are a good place to start when you want to add highlights.

Do highlights reflect light?

When the light comes from the side, then highlights should reflect that by not going all the way around the head. Highlights will not appear in shadow areas. Specific lighting setups can create interesting effects on the hair, such as backlighting, and can add a lot to the atmosphere of an image.

Do highlights show up in pictures?

Hair generally has a shiny surface and bounces off the light rather well. So highlights show up very well. Highlights are fun to draw, yet they can put down a picture if placed incorrectly. Always remember that hair has volume and that it has a shape.

Is there a right or wrong way to highlight hair?

When you look at different manga or anime you will discover that there are countless different styles when it comes to highlights in hair. There is no real right or wrong of how a highlight needs to look . BUT it needs to be coherent with the overall artistic style.

Does straight hair make it easier to add highlights?

Straight hair does make it easier to add highlights to. No distracting hair strands which go in different directions while breaking up the simple ‘ball’ shape of the head. Let the highlights follow the gentle curve. Add diversity to the strokes and let the highlights also follow the direction of the hair strands.

image

Using References

Sketching Tips

  • I start hair just thinking of the general outline without giving much attention to details: when sketching, only the general shape matters. If you don’t know where the hair starts in the head, think of the skull, and add some padding. A simple line in the middle should be enough to represent that. You can make the top part more complex as you learn...
See more on clipstudio.net

About Lineart

  • Depending on the drawing, I will clean up the sketch instead of creating lineart. By “clean up”, I mean I will erase the messy lines and go over them when necessary, giving it a different feeling than a perfectly clean line. I feel this helps me relax about art and not worry too much about details. You don’t need to over-zoom and glue your face on the screen to be sure the lines are pe…
See more on clipstudio.net

Shading

  • Once you have the base color added, define where your light source is. Remember your basic lessons about ball shading? Do exactly that. To do this, lay out a general shape with the shading color. Once you have the general shape defined, you can polish it until your liking. But as you are still learning, you don’t need to go fancy on the shading. Go slowly, within the scope of what you …
See more on clipstudio.net

Highlights

  • This part is very fun, and there are many ways to add shine to the hair. Yes, even white hair! I like to airbrush the skin color on the bangs, so when I add white highlights on top, it will show! If you don’t know which color to use, you can take the hair color, create a new layer, set the blending mode to Add (Glow), and then add blobs, triangles, lines, etc. Any shape works, so do what fits y…
See more on clipstudio.net

Conclusion

  • Maybe you’re still unsure how to draw hair even after this tutorial, but I don’t expect you to suddenly be a pro. As I always say, art takes time. So at the very least, take away this important point from this: use references! I can’t repeat this enough but make sure to use them mindfully. I believe you don’t actually need a step-by-step to learn something. Instead, try to understand thin…
See more on clipstudio.net