How To Draw Hair

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• Step 1

  SKETCHER’s corner seeing it
  1 Look for the overall shape of
  straight hair, which flows out and
  down from a central point on the
  parting line. 2 ‘Choppy’ hair is a
  mass of curves, but it is not totally
  random: sections of hair will flow in
  the same direction. 3 Natural
  African-American hair has a curly texture that does not flow; it is far
  more sculptural. 4 The ‘flow lines’
  in the linked sections of a plait
  travel in alternate directions.

• 

  Step 2

  First marks to tonal sketch
  1 When drawing hair that goes in lots of directions, you
  need to build up a sketch, picking out the various shapes
  and flow lines.

• 

  Step 3

  2 Hair is made up of lots of subtly
  different shades. It’s better to create the impression of
  brown: I have used tan and olive pencils alongside one
  another, with navy for areas where there is more shadow.

• 

  Step 4

  3 Blend the watercolour pencils with a waterbrush. This
  will begin to give the sketch body.

  4 Make sure that the
  brush marks also follow the flow lines of the hair. It’s
  good to leave some white paper highlights where the
  hair is lightest, even if, in truth, it is a paler brown rather
  than white.

• 

  Step 5

  Shading to Give Form
  A bob needs to be viewed as an overall shape,
  but the watercolour marks still follow the
  direction of hair flow. The build-up of shadow
  along the bottom lifts and rounds the bob. Note
  the touches of green and purple to gently
  dampen the yellows and oranges.
  Watercolour, rainbow pencil

• 

  Step 6

  Hair Direction
  This long hair was curly and wayward despite
  the ponytail. Too many lines would have quickly
  become a mess, so I drew only those that
  described a change of hair direction. The dark
  shadows against her back, at the nape of her
  neck and at the hair tie act as a contrast, pinning
  the hair in place and preventing confusion.
  Sailor fountain pen, black ink
  When hair is very black, navy blue can be
  a more attractive colour for the shadows
  than black or grey, and it is less likely to
  obscure your mark-making

• 

  Step 7

  Plaits
  The important thing to get right when drawing a
  plait is the angling of the sections up (or down)
  towards the middle. Note how the two sides are
  offset, with dark shadows where they meet,
  creating a zigzag shadow up the centre. The
  occasional pencil line for texture tells us it is hair.
  3B pencil

• 

  Step 8

  Short Hair
  The top edge of the hair is indicated by a series
  of soft, grey marks, but what really tells us the
  shape is the deep shadow in front and into the
  parting. The unpainted areas between the two
  keep the hair soft and prevent it from becoming
  a solid object.
  Watercolour

• 

  Step 9

  The Head Beneath
  The tangled dreadlocks and the springy texture
  of the hair is suggested by the frenetically
  scribbled marks. Despite this anarchy, the shape
  of the head is followed through, remaining
  strong and clear.
  Sailor fountain pen, black ink, watercolour pencil,
  Waterbrush

• 

  Step 10

  Mark-Making to
  Show Texture
  These four people had very
  different hair types. Though I
  have used the same pencil, the
  marks I have created are very
  different, so the four textures are
  clearly communicated.
  Rainbow pencil

  Note the greater intensity of marks
  at the neck, where the underside of
  the hair is in shadow

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