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This article was reviewed by Kelly Medford and by wikiHow staff writer, Kyle Hall. Kelly Medford is an American painter based in Rome, Italy. She studied classical painting, drawing and printmaking both in the U.S. and in Italy. She works primarily en plein air on the streets of Rome, and also travels for private international collectors on commission. She founded Sketching Rome Tours in 2012 where she teaches sketchbook journaling to visitors of Rome. Kelly is a graduate of the Florence Academy of Art.
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This tutorial will show you how to draw male and female anime hair. Anime hair is what makes anime heroes unique and beautiful – as with real humans, it's the crowning beauty. Let's begin!
Steps
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Draw an outline of the head using a pencil, this will only serve as your guide in drawing the hair.
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Draw the hairline.Advertisement
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Imagine what type of hair style you want and to which direction the hair strands flow. Try drawing simple chunks of the hairstyle you want.
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Add more detailed lines to the initial style you envisioned to make the hair more realistic.
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Use a dark marker on the outlines of the hair you have drawn and erase all unnecessary lines and curves from your outline.
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Once you have drawn your desired hairstyle, you can now add more details to your drawing like the eyes, etc.
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Apply color as desired.
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Here are some examples of the most commonly used anime hairstyles for male characters.
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Draw an outline of the head using a pencil, this will serve as your guide in drawing the hair.
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Draw the type of hairline you want for your female character.
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Using your imagination, picture out the hairstyle you want. For most female characters, the hair is usually longer.
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Add more detailed lines to the initial style you envisioned to make the hair more realistic.
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Use a dark marker on the outlines of the hair you have drawn and erase all unnecessary lines and curves from your outline.
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Once you have drawn your desired hairstyle, you can now add more details to your drawing like the eyes, etc.
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Apply color as desired.
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Here are some examples of the most commonly used anime hairstyles for female characters.
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Draw an outline of the head using a pencil, this will serve as your guide in drawing the hair.
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Draw the type of hairline you want for your male character.
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Using your imagination, picture out a simple outline of short and spikey hair. You can draw zigzag lines along the head, or pointed angles for your hair.
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Add more detailed lines to the initial style you envisioned to make the hair more realistic.
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Use a dark marker on the outlines of the hair you have drawn and erase all unnecessary lines and curves from your outline.
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Once you have drawn your desired hairstyle, you can now add more details to your drawing like the eyes, etc.
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Apply color as desired.
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Draw an outline of the head using a pencil, this will only serve as your guide in drawing the hair.
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Draw the hairline.
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Imagine a long hair style you want and to which direction the hair strands flow. Try drawing simple long slanted and curved lines of the hairstyle you want.
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Add more detailed lines to the initial style you envisioned to make the hair more realistic.
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Use a dark marker on the outlines of the hair you have drawn and erase all unnecessary lines and curves from your outline.
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Once you have drawn your desired hairstyle, you can now add more details to your drawing like the eyes, etc.
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Apply color as desired.
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Draw a sketch for a man's head to provide framework for the hair.
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Draw the hair using simple curves or strokes which extend reaching the shoulders.
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Draw the details for the hair using short straight lines and also curve lines.
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Trace with a pen and erase unnecessary lines. Add details for the face.
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Refine and color to your liking!
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Draw a sketch for a woman's head to provide framework for the hair.
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Draw the hair using rounded curves which extend along the framework to the neck.
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Refine the hair using simple curves and strokes around the hair.
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Draw details for the face especially the eyes.
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Trace with a pen and erase unnecessary lines.
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Color the drawing as you like!
Community Q&A
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QuestionAre there hair types that look like they are evil?
Community AnswerYou 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. -
QuestionWhy do I need to draw the head?
Community AnswerIt is not exactly necessary, but solely drawing hair floating in the air is an image which is rarely drawn. Even for the purpose of practicing how to draw hair you should draw it with head so you get a feeling how hair, face, eyes and so on work together, so that your "real" drawings have a realistic and good looking outcome.
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QuestionWhat are some mistakes people commonly make with the hair?
Community AnswerIt's your choice what you want the hair to look like, there is no right or wrong. One thing you might want to look out for is not making the hair too flat, try to emulate human hair. Human hair has volume.
Video
Tips
Tips from our Readers 
- Draw different kinds of hair for different personalities. For example, in Adachi Avenue (an original comic of mine), there's a funny witch with pigtails, an immature grim reaper with a youthful hairstyle, and a sweet, creative mummy girl with a short pixie cut, almost a boy's haircut.
- Make the main shape of the hair first and don't worry about the details straightaway. You can go back and put those in later after you perfect the shape.
- Try tracing a few anime characters with cool hair to get started. It can help you get a feel for it.
- Have confidence when you draw the lineart. Confidence is key to creating good hair designs!
Reader Videos
Share a quick video tip and help bring articles to life with your friendly advice. Your insights could make a real difference and help millions of people!
Things You'll Need
- Paper
- Pencil
- Pencil sharpener
- Eraser
- Colored pencils, crayons, markers, watercolors, felt tip pen or Copic pens.
- Brush
- Reference image
About This Article
To draw anime hair, start by sketching the shape of your character’s head. Sketch a line where you want their hairline to be, usually about halfway between the brow line and the top of the head. Next, pencil in the character’s hair using simple lines and curves. In general, the hair should follow the natural curves of the head, but don’t be afraid to give your character spiky hair that sticks up or the occasional ahoge (cowlick of flyaway hair) to make their hairstyle more interesting. Don’t worry about drawing every individual strand—just add a few lines or spikes here and there to suggest the shape of the locks and the texture of the hair. Experiment with giving your character bangs that hang over their eyes or hair that’s brushed back away from their forehead, depending on the look you’re going for. You can also try giving your character a ponytail or braids if you like. When you’re done, erase the hairline, the outlines of the character’s head shape, and any other parts of the head and face that are covered by the hair. If you want, color the hair in and add some highlights.
Reader Success Stories
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"Well Im awful at drawing anime/manga hair, so after searching for a minute or two I found this article. I used it and it's amazing. I love the anime hair on this character I call Lavender."..." more
