how to draw long flowing anime hair

by Laurianne Schroeder 8 min read
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Drawing Long Anime Hair

  1. Start by first making a drawing of the head and an indication of the hairline. ...
  2. Draw the hair right over the top of the head and hairline as in the example above. ...
  3. Erase the parts of the head hidden by the hair and add a few lines to show the inner folds of the front and back hair.
  4. Next add some folds in the “back hair” to give a bit more definition of it’s shape as well so that it does not just look like a ...

Part of a video titled How to Draw Manga: Long Hair 3 Ways - YouTube
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Next I draw long lines for the hair the strands start out thick and then come to a. Point. WhenMoreNext I draw long lines for the hair the strands start out thick and then come to a. Point. When drawing long hair I try to draw a lot of slightly s curving lines this helps the hair look more flowy.

Full Answer

How to draw anime hair?

How to Draw Anime Hair 1 Hair doesn't lie flat on the skull. 2 Next, sketch a simple outline of the hairstyle. How long is it? ... 3 Hair needs to reveal the face in some way. ... 4 Now sketch the inner outline of the hair. ... 5 Next, find the secondary rhythm in the hair. ... 6 Outline the rhythm lines, creating strands of hair. More items...

Why is hair blowing in different directions in anime and manga?

This tutorial explains how to draw anime and manga hair blowing in the wind in different directions from two different views with several examples. Hair blowing in different directions is often used in anime manga to add dramatic effects, to show the weather conditions or to indicate the direction (and sometimes speed) of a character’s movement.

How do you make anime hair look believable?

When creating believable hair, even outrageously big gravity-defying anime hair, you will need to consider hair direction. No matter the length or style, hair always has one end connecting to the character's head (as this is, obviously, how hair grows and works!), and will always flow together in blocks.

How do you draw an anime pony tail?

Draw the back hair just slightly over top of the head eventually merging into the sides. Though usually pony tails will face directly backwards for anime hair you can draw it slightly more to one side so that it’s shape is more visible. Otherwise the pony tail can just look like a bump on the head.

How to draw anime hair?

How to draw hair that blows one way?

Can you use shadow hair to fall over eyes?

Do you have to draw a character with bangs?

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Why is drawing anime hair so hard?

Hair is a very complex subject to draw, because it's like a substance that can take many shapes and forms. Because of this, manga artists have developed a special method of simplifying hair.

How do you draw long hair step by step?

0:1412:28DO'S & DON'TS: How to Draw Realistic Hair - YouTubeYouTubeStart of suggested clipEnd of suggested clipRight at the start rather than building up the layers. They just want to go in and put in all thoseMoreRight at the start rather than building up the layers. They just want to go in and put in all those darkest. Areas and they press really hard on the dark pencil.

How do you draw anime hair easy?

4:4819:20[TUTORIAL] How to DRAW Anime Hair! - YouTubeYouTubeStart of suggested clipEnd of suggested clipOne thing you also want to make sure that you're not doing is drawing the hair right on top of theMoreOne thing you also want to make sure that you're not doing is drawing the hair right on top of the head uh this can cause the hair to look super flat. And kind of really ugly.

How do you color anime hair?

0:032:39EASIEST WAY TO COLOR ANIME HAIR - YouTubeYouTubeStart of suggested clipEnd of suggested clipThe first step is to select the solid color of your preference. And use the bucket tool to fill theMoreThe first step is to select the solid color of your preference. And use the bucket tool to fill the entire area of the hair. This would be your base.

How do you draw ponytails?

5:1814:53How to Draw a Pretty Ponytail (Super Easy!) - YouTubeYouTubeStart of suggested clipEnd of suggested clipA few more little petals just to separate the main hair from the ponytail. Maybe this is like herMoreA few more little petals just to separate the main hair from the ponytail. Maybe this is like her fancy scrunchie for example so all the hair is being pulled back towards this point.

How can I realistic my hair?

4:0814:42How to Draw Realistic Hair with Graphite Pencils - Tutorial - YouTubeYouTubeStart of suggested clipEnd of suggested clipSkin I'm always like using lines that flow with the direction of the hair and I keep blending withMoreSkin I'm always like using lines that flow with the direction of the hair and I keep blending with that blending stump after each layer to make sure that it's really smooth.

How do you make anime hair?

1:2913:39How to Get ANIME Hair - TheSalonGuy - YouTubeYouTubeStart of suggested clipEnd of suggested clipSo it is an undercut. Right it is an undercut as you can see right through here so if you're gettingMoreSo it is an undercut. Right it is an undercut as you can see right through here so if you're getting any sort of anime type of haircut.

How do you cut anime bangs?

0:113:02How To Cut Bangs - YouTubeYouTubeStart of suggested clipEnd of suggested clipSo what you're going to want to do is just start by parting the bangs here in the front. And thenMoreSo what you're going to want to do is just start by parting the bangs here in the front. And then parting the sides. So I'll just go ahead and put this behind my ears and I'll clip it into place.

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 do you shade anime long hair?

Shading Anime “Hair Over One” Eye Step by StepStep 1 – Prepare a Line Drawing of the Hair. Anime hair over one eye line drawing. ... Step 2 – Color the Hair. Anime hair over one eye coloring. ... Step 3 – Add the Shading. Anime hair over one eye shading. ... Step 4 – Add the Highlights. Anime hair over one eye highlights drawing.

How do you make anime skins?

1:256:29How to Blend Anime Skin TUTORIAL - YouTubeYouTubeStart of suggested clipEnd of suggested clipSo as you can see it made the skin a bit more gradient just to add a bit more warmth i'm going toMoreSo as you can see it made the skin a bit more gradient just to add a bit more warmth i'm going to put some below the eyes on the ears on the nose. And on the lips.

How do you color anime eyes?

1:083:02EASIEST WAY TO COLOR ANIME EYES - YouTubeYouTubeStart of suggested clipEnd of suggested clipThen choose a light color to add a highlight for the eye. Now listen this is optional. But by doingMoreThen choose a light color to add a highlight for the eye. Now listen this is optional. But by doing this your enemy lies we tell to another level wash this literally.

Why is anime hair drawn in clumps?

One good reason for this is that if you are drawing multiple frames of animation or multiple panels of a manga it will simply be too time consuming to draw anything overly detailed.

What is the most common hairstyle in anime?

Long straight hair is probably one of the most common hairstyles in anime and is fairly easy to draw. Above you can see the breakdown of the long hair drawing example into: Red – Front Hair. Green – Side Hair. Blue – Back/Top Hair. You can apply a similar breakdown to drawing other hairstyles as well.

How to tell if your hair is curly?

From the hairline draw two lines going towards the sides of the head to indicate the front hair. To show that the hair is curly you can draw these lines in light waves.

What is the hardest hairstyle to draw?

Anime curly hair drawing breakdown. Curly hair is probably the most challenging anime hairstyles to draw. This particular hairstyle can again be split into the front sides and back with the front hair being similar to the previous example. Anime curly hair step by step drawing.

How many parts does anime hair have?

Anime neatly combed hair drawing. This hairstyle can again be split into three parts with the front, side and back hair. The front section of the hair however is a little different from the previous examples. Anime combed hair step by step drawing.

What is anime hair?

The pigtails are another very common style of anime hair. Same as the ponytail example you can see that this particular drawing can pretty much be broken down into the front and back section of the hair. With the “back hair” split into the hair covering the head and the pigtails. There are really only tiny bits of actual “side hair”.

Can you split hair over one eye?

For the hairstyle with hair over one eye you can yet again split the hair into the front, sides and back. In this style the front section of the hair will be fairly large and sort of merge into the “side hair” next to the covered eye.

Why do anime hair blowers blow in different directions?

Hair blowing in different directions is often used in anime manga to add dramatic effects, to show the weather conditions or to indicate the direction (and sometimes speed) of a character’s movement. Being able to show hair motion in a believable way while at the same time maintaining the anime style can be a little bit tricky.

What direction does hair curve?

Usually shorter hair will curve in the direction of the wind while longer hair will also start to wave. With this in mind you can draw the short front hair just curving in the direction of the wind while the longer back hair can have a more “wave” like shape.

Is it hard to draw anime hair?

Anime hair and hair in general can be quite difficult to draw especially if you want to show it being moved or blown in different directions. By using the breakdown approach as well as starting with just the essential parts of the hair you can make the drawing process a little less confusing and easier to manage.

How to draw a hairstyle?

Step 1. Draw the "helmet" to mark the distance from the head. Straight hair usually is not very voluminous, so you don't have to add a lot of distance. Advertisement.

Why is hair so complex to draw?

Hair is a very complex subject to draw, because it's like a substance that can take many shapes and forms. Because of this, manga artists have developed a special method of simplifying hair. In manga or anime, you draw hair as a mass or a cloth. This way it can be drawn quickly, with exaggerated shading that conceals the lack of detail.

How to make hair more detailed?

If you want to make the hair more detailed, you can add lines following the rhythm. Be careful when drawing these lines inside the wavy strands, though—they may look too heavy with long lines inside. Instead, try to pick your pen/pencil up from time to time to make the lines less continuous.

Does wavy hair add distance?

Although a wavy hairstyle may look quite voluminous at first, it doesn't add a lot of distance to the top (of course, feel free to modify it for an exaggerated effect!).

The basics of hair

In today’s article, we’re going to be splitting the basics of hair illustration into three steps – “hair growth”, “different sections of hair”, and finally “hair length and type”. The way hair is drawn can vary greatly depending on all those different points.

Consider the origin of the hair to get the flow right

This is the key point to drawing natural, believable hair styles! Think about where the hair is starting from on the head – the hair “whorl” and the crown of the head.

Draw the hair in bundles rather than individual strands

In anime illustration, we draw hair in bundles rather than drawing each strand separately. It’s also important to remember that the hair should not be glued down flat to the head – we want to give the hair room to breathe between “bundles”, to give the hair volume and movement.

What does hair type and length tell us about a character?

As I mentioned earlier, in manga and anime, we generally want our audience to be able to recognise our character from their outline alone! This helps make them a more memorable character. Hair forms a big part of a character’s all-important silhouette, so let’s take a look at some different types and styles.

What does fringe length tell us about a character?

C・・・A side fringe makes for a more intelligent, sensible or well-grounded character

1. Establishing a Hairline

When it comes to drawing hair, the very first thing you will need to establish is your character's hair line. This is where the hair begins, and making sure you have this in place before starting any sketching will ensure the hair you are creating will be placed correctly on the character's head.

2. Consider the Flow of the Hair

When creating believable hair, even outrageously big gravity-defying anime hair, you will need to consider hair direction. No matter the length or style, hair always has one end connecting to the character's head (as this is, obviously, how hair grows and works!), and will always flow together in blocks.

3. Gathered and Bunched Hair

Giving gathered hair volume and shape is a great way to add detail and interest to the hair, as well as making it look more realistic. In the drawing below, one bunch of hair (on the left) is gathered to a more rounded shape, which would be achieved by the character wearing a tight band or bead which pushes the hair above it up a little.

4. Environment and Gravity

The final point to consider before we begin the walkthroughs is gravity and environment. While anime characters are often known for having wonderfully big hair that defies gravity, there are a few things to take into account.

5. Preparing Your Base

On to the walkthroughs for the four hairstyles - the first thing you will need is the base, which you can download from the source files.

5. Create a Big Bushy Hairstyle

Starting with the big blue hair from the preview image - this type of hairstyle is popular in anime shows aimed at a slightly younger audience, with two examples being Beyblade and Yu Gi Oh!, whose main characters all sport big gravity-defying styles similar to this one.

5. Create a Twisted Bunches Hairstyle

Moving on to the next hairstyle, in which you will create twisted bunches, an effect which mostly relies on your shading techniques, so is great to practice on.

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!

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