How to Draw Hair - Free Drawing Tutorial
Learn to Draw a Realistic Hair Strand - Easy Tutorial for Beginners
If you’ve ever struggled with drawing hair or making it look shiny, this exercise will help you reach that goal. You'll realize that drawing hair isn’t as difficult as it seems. This short and effective step-by-step guide will show you how to drastically improve your sketching skills within a few days. It’s an easy hair drawing method for beginners, but even advanced artists use it to add depth and dimension to their sketches. So, where does a complete beginner start? Even if you’ve never drawn before, just follow the instructions in this 6-step tutorial and take your hair drawings to the next level.
Let’s draw a strand of hair that can be applied to any hairstyle, even curly hair. First, use a 2B pencil and create hair-like strokes from the top to midway and from the bottom to midway, as shown in the image below. Vary your pencil pressure to create a mix of thick and thin hair strands, and use both sharp and dull pencil tips for a more realistic texture. Add longer and shorter strokes to avoid a uniform look. Slightly lift off the pencil before reaching the area where you want the highlight to be. Each stroke should gradually disappear into the white of the paper, creating a smooth, natural fade. With just this technique, the strands already appear smooth and shiny, even at the earliest stage.
Next, blend the highlight using a blending stump. Lightly go over the ends of the pencil strokes and shade the highlighted area. Ensure no part of the hair clump remains white, but avoid making the highlight too dark. Follow the direction of the hair flow while blending.
Now, use an HB pencil in the same way as you did with the 2B pencil. Lightly go over the areas drawn with the 2B, including a little bit of the highlights. When you go over the highlights, lift the pencil to avoid darkening them too much - they should remain brighter than the surrounding area. This will help soften the lines from the first step
Create darker lines with a 6B pencil (or darker) to add depth, focusing on the outer edges of the lock — the bottom and top areas, but avoiding the middle where the highlights are. Start at the base of the lines, drawing short strokes inward, and finish them farther from the highlight by gently lifting the pencil. This will make the hairs gradually blend into the mid-tone. You can even use a 9B or 14B pencil for the darkest values. If you're drawing the whole hair (not just a single strand as in this tutorial), use the darkest pencils between the locks, where the hair receives less light, and the locks cast shadows on each other. Notice how the locks now appear more bent, thanks to the added depth from the darker values.
Use a precision knife to create lighter hairs, particularly in the middle over the highlight. You can also use white charcoal, a white fine-tip ink gel pen, or a Gelly Roll pen for this. If you overdo the highlighting, simply go over it with the pencils you’ve used to darken it. Next, add highlighted flyaways over the darker areas with quick, confident strokes. When drawing hair, always include flyaway hairs, especially around the head if you're creating a full portrait. This helps break the edge between the hair and the background.
As the final step, add some darker flyaways around the hair lock. Use well-sharpened HB and 2B pencils to create variation in the darker flyaways. Randomly place the tip of your pencil on the hair and, using rapid, sudden strokes, draw in any direction. Place the flyaways randomly, as hair moves naturally, and individual strands can appear anywhere. This technique will give the hair a more natural look.
Next task: Try drawing the locks with different shades. For example, start with a 4B instead of a 2B pencil, or begin with an H4 to create blonde hair.