When you start watching a new cartoon, how do you tell one character from another? Many rely on the appearance of the character's hair. You can learn how to draw hair for your different characters with the help of these easy, step-by-step hair drawing tutorials.
Hairstyles can say a lot about a person. They can be a reflection of their personality and culture. Some hairstyles are more commonly associated with one gender or another.
Below, you will learn how to draw many popular hairstyles, including braids, ponytails, pigtails, curly and straight hair, afros, and dreadlocks. Then, you can use these skills to create even more hairstyles for your drawings.
You can also learn to draw men's facial hair - mustaches and beards.
There is also a tutorial for a specific hair-drawing art style - Japanese anime and manga hair. For decades, spiky, unruly hairstyles have been a hallmark of many male anime characters.
Anime and manga heroes are also known for their wild, unnatural hair colors.
Once you've completed each tutorial, you can use colored pencils to shade the hair. Blonde, black, brunette, red, gray, salt and pepper, or an experimental hair dye - the choice is yours.
10 Easy Hair Drawing Ideas
Manga Hair
Manga and anime characters are known for their pointed, jagged, spiky locks. You can learn how to draw this hairstyle - then check out our other anime drawing guides to finish this character's face!
Beard
Drawing a realistic beard relies on putting the facial hair in the right place. In this tutorial, you will learn about sideburns, mustaches, the soul patch, and the beard itself. Can you customize its length?
Afro Hair
An afro consists of tightly curled hair that is styled into a rounded shape resembling a halo around the head. Learn to style this woman's hair along with her jewelry and makeup.
Dreadlocks
Dreadlocks are a hairstyle that resembles braids. This interesting hairstyle has a long history. Today, its symbolism ranges from a statement of religion or culture to a simple fashion statement.
Ponytail
Ponytails are easy to apply to your own hair, and they are equally easy to draw! Pay attention to the texture of the hair and the unique perspective of the portrait as you complete this tutorial.
Curly Hair
Curly hair has a lot of variety, from tight ringlets to loose waves. You can draw this person with curly hair by following the simple steps. Then, draw in a face to complete your character!
Braid
Braids may look complicated, but they are actually very simple to draw. Use an overlapping pattern of teardrop or heart shapes to complete this age-old hairstyle.
Cartoon Hair
You learned how to draw one ponytail above. Now, learn to draw two to create the hairstyle known as pigtails. Then, draw in a face to complete this cute kiddo character.
Woman's Face
Hairstyles are an important part of drawing portraits like this one. In this tutorial, you will learn how to draw loose, straight hair. Note the curved lines that form locks and indicate how the hair falls on the shoulders.
Mustache
Mustaches come in many styles. This one is called a "petite handlebar." After completing this tutorial, can you use your newfound skills to sketch other mustache styles?
