This tutorial illustrates how to draw anime and manga hair with twelve step by step drawings of common anime and manga hairstyles for a female graphic symbol.

Drawing Anime & Manga Hair

Anime hair different hairstyles drawing examples
Anime hair with unlike hairstyles drawing examples

Anime hair is oftentimes based on real hairstyles but tends to be fatigued in clumps rather than individual strands. One good reason for this is that if y'all are drawing multiple frames of animation or multiple panels of a manga it will simply be too time consuming to draw anything overly detailed.

A good approach to drawing anime pilus is to separate it into several different parts such as the front, sides and back/top (as will be shown for each hairstyle below).

For drawing characters that tin can proceed with these hairstyles encounter:

How to Describe Anime Characters Tutorial

For more than on drawing anime hair you tin can also see:

  • How to Draw Anime Male person Hair Pace by Step
  • How to Depict Anime & Manga Male & Female Pilus

Drawing Long Anime Hair

Anime long hair drawing breakdown
Anime long hair drawing breakup

Long straight hair is probably i of the well-nigh common hairstyles in anime and is fairly easy to draw.

Above you lot can encounter the breakup of the long hair drawing instance into:

  • Crimson – Front Hair
  • Green – Side Hair
  • Blue – Back/Superlative Hair

Y'all can apply a similar breakdown to drawing other hairstyles besides. Thinking of the hair this manner can make the drawing process a lot easier to manage.

Keeping this in mind nosotros tin can motility on to the bodily drawing process.

Anime long hair step by step drawing
Anime long hair step past step drawing

Step one

Starting time by first making a drawing of the caput and an indication of the hairline. While in this particular hairstyle the hairline is less of import as it's full covered by the hair it can still help y'all better judge the overall length and position of the front and side hair sections. Make the head/hairline drawing fairly low-cal and so yous can easily erase parts of it subsequently.

Step 2

Draw the hair correct over the summit of the head and hairline as in the case above.

For this item hairstyle where the front department of the hair has been cut fairly brusque you can draw it in relatively small-scale pointy clumps.

Make the "side hair" fairly long with it'due south overall shape slightly curved. Y'all tin also split it into several smaller clumps towards the ends.

Depict the top part o the "back hair" pretty much following the shape of the head (a fleck of a altitude away from it) and then widening until information technology'south finally hidden behind the shoulders.

Pace 3

Erase the parts of the head hidden by the hair and add a few lines to prove the inner folds of the front and back hair. Y'all will generally desire to position these folds in between the hair clumps as that is where these will ordinarily tend to form in existent pilus.

Step 4

Next add some folds in the "dorsum hair" to give a bit more definition of it'due south shape as well so that it does not just look like a flat cut out.

You tin also add some basic shading to brand the hair stand up out a piffling bit more once you finish the line drawing.

Drawing Short Anime Pilus

Anime short hair drawing breakdown
Anime short hair drawing breakdown

The short pilus cartoon example above is adequately similar to the long pilus with the hair once more broken downwards into three basic parts of front, sides and back.

The actual breakdown of the drawing process can exist as follows:

Anime short hair step by step drawing
Anime short hair stride by pace drawing

Step 1

Again outset the short hair cartoon with the head and hairline. Same as the previous instance the hairline will not be equally important here as it is in other pilus styles just tin nonetheless be helpful.

Stride ii

Withal again very similar to the long hair draw the "front pilus" section with a set of small clumps. For this particular example the hair will be a scrap more messy so the clumps volition bend more in different directions. If you want neater looking pilus y'all can draw them the same every bit the kickoff example.

Footstep 3

Same as earlier erase whatsoever parts of the head hidden past the hair and draw the bottom portion of the back hair. Generally it's a good idea to leave this section of the pilus for the concluding part of the line drawing as in the front view of the head it volition be in the back behind most of the other parts of the hair. If you try and describe it first you without the other hair to sort of "frame" its position you volition probably end upwards with some overlapping lines and have to do extra erasing.

Pace 4

Add the inner fords (just i in this example) and if you like, some basic shading.

Drawing Trimmed Anime Hair (Hime Cut)

Anime hime cut hair drawing breakdown
Anime "Hime Cutting" hair drawing breakup

For trimmed hair depict the hair dodder with flat ends that wait like they've been cut off by sissors.

For a nifty look the different pilus clumps should by and large be drawn pointing in the same direction as the clumps side by side to them and any shifts in direction should be gradual.

Anime hime cut hair step by step drawing
Anime "Hime Cut" hair stride by step drawing

Step 1

Start by cartoon the pilus and indicating the hairline. For the "Hime Cut" the hairline will again be covered past the hair.

Footstep 2

For the initial drawing of the actual hair yous can start with the sides followed by the dorsum. You tin point the front department of the pilus with only one line.

Pace 3

Now draw in some small splits into the front and side parts of of the pilus to make them wait more than natural. Erase the line in between the splits when you are done. You can likewise erase whatsoever parts of the head that are covered by the hair.

Step iv

Finally again similar to the first example add together some lines to the hair in the back to show it's diverse inner folds. Attempt and draw these with fairly random spacing and slightly varying curves. If you lot space everything evenly and make all the curves trace one another as well closely the pilus volition not look very natural.

Drawing Long Messy Anime Hair

Anime long messy hair drawing breakdown
Anime long messy pilus drawing breakup

The long messy hair is somewhat similar to the first example but with some extra pilus clumps. Again information technology can be divided upwards into three parts similar all the other examples and so far.

Draw the long messy pilus every bit follows:

Anime messy hair step by step drawing
Anime messy hair footstep by step drawing

Pace 1

As the other examples outset by showtime cartoon the caput and hairline. Drawing the hairline will help you make sure that none of the splits between the hair clumps for the "forepart pilus" get too far up.

Step 2

To make the hair await more messy draw the front hair clumps pointing into unlike directions and of varying shapes and curves. You can draw some that are wavy and some that juts curve in ane direction.

Depict the very eye portion of these clumps reaching further down. You tin can do the same with the outer clumps on the sides of the front department. This will again give more than of an impression of hair that has not been well clean-cut.

Stride 3

Now depict in some boosted hair clumps randomly sticking out of the back sections of the pilus. This will make the otherwise neat looking back hair look messy as well. You can too add a pair (or more) clumps to the inner parts of the "side hair". Yous can either erase the outlines of the pilus where you lot want to draw these or add them and erase the overlapping outline afterwards. Next you tin can add together in some split up lines in betwixt the hair clumps same as some of the other examples. To stop the line drawing again erase the parts of the face and head that are covered by the pilus afterwards.

Stride four

As this instance also has long back hair you can again describe in some of it's inner folds to make that section wait more like actual pilus. Y'all can also make them a bit more wavy than the other examples to once more make the hair look more messy.

Drawing Anime Pony Tail /Tied Back Hair

Anime pony tail hair drawing breakdown
Anime pony tail hair drawing breakdown

Another adequately common anime hairstyle is the ponytail. You volition find that at that place is basically no side hair in this item example (other than the tiny bits of the hairline on the sides). So the pilus can pretty much just be splits into the front and back sections. The back consisting of the hair over the height of the head and the pony tail.

Draw this blazon of hair as follows:

Anime ponytail hair step by step drawing
Anime ponytail hair footstep by pace cartoon

Step one

Depict the head and indicate the hairline which for this hairstyle is slightly more important than the previous examples every bit some of it will be visible in the final drawing as already shown.

Footstep 2

You tin can pretty much frame the front hair for this hairstyle with only three curves. Two for the sides and i for the lesser. Equally mentioned there is very picayune side hair in this example as the pilus is pulled back revealing parts of the hairline.

Draw the back pilus just slightly over superlative of the caput somewhen merging into the sides.

Though normally pony tails will face straight backwards for anime hair y'all can draw it slightly more to one side so that it'southward shape is more visible. Otherwise the pony tail can just look like a bump on the head. You can describe the pony tail with a sort of question mark like shape. You tin can as well add a modest split at the end.

Step 3

Aforementioned as for the "Hime Cut" draw in some minor splits into the front section of the hair and erase parts of the bottom line of the "forepart pilus" to make spaces in betwixt them. Also erase the parts of the head hidden by the pilus.

Step 4

Yous tin again requite the pilus some light shading if you like. Yous can also optionally draw in a few more lines into the hair to make it look a footling more divide than the "Hime Cut" which tends to have more than dense "front pilus".

Drawing Anime Hair Over 1 Eye

Anime hair over one eye drawing
Anime hair over 1 eye drawing

For the hairstyle with hair over one eye you lot can nonetheless again carve up the hair into the front, sides and back. In this style the front section of the hair volition exist adequately large and sort of merge into the "side hair" next to the covered eye.

Anime hair over one eye step by step drawing
Anime pilus over one centre stride past step drawing

Step 1

Describe the head and the hairline same equally the other examples.

Step two

For this item hairstyle draw the front hair clumps going far enough downward the face to fully cover one eye. For the "side hair" you lot tin can describe the section on the side of the covered eye somewhat blending into the front hair.

Depict the back hair split into tow curves that pretty much hug the shape of the head as they get down eventually sticking out in clumps to each side.

Step 3

For the very bottom section of the front end hair depict a few small clumps sticking out around the tiptop of the neck expanse. Erase any overlapping lines from the head that should be hidden by the hair when yous are done.

Step 4

To wrap up the drawing you can again add a few lines to prove some splits and curves of the pilus going from between the hair clumps.

Drawing Anime Pigtails

Anime pigtails hair drawing breakdown
Anime pigtails hair drawing breakdown

The pigtails are another very common fashion of anime hair. Same as the ponytail example you tin see that this particular drawing can pretty much be cleaved down into the front and dorsum section of the hair. With the "back hair" separate into the hair covering the caput and the pigtails. There are really only tiny bits of actual "side hair".

Anime pigtails hair step by step drawing
Anime pigtails hair step past step drawing

Step 1

Draw the head and the hairline. In this example a large section of the hairline will be visible in the concluding drawing. Information technology will also help us place the front department of the hair.

Stride 2

Though virtually of the hair in this particular example will be pulled back you can describe some clumps for the front section of the hair to but one side to make the hairstyle look a little bit more interesting.

Every bit already mentioned there volition pretty much be no side hair other than the tiny bits around the tiptop of the ears. Draw the meridian/back section of the hair blending into that side hair.

For the actual pigtails draw them like to the "Ponytail" example vaguely resembling two questions marks in their overall shape with i beingness flipped over.

Stride 3

Now add some random hair clumps sticking out from the pigtails to make them wait a footling more than interesting and erase any overlapping lines that this creates. Also erase the outline of the head where information technology'southward subconscious by the hair.

Footstep iv

Add together a few more lines to indicate some folds in the hair to the pigtails and optionally some shading.

Cartoon Neatly Combed Anime Hair

Anime neatly combed hair drawing
Anime neatly combed hair cartoon

This hairstyle tin over again exist split into iii parts with the front end, side and dorsum hair. The front department of the pilus notwithstanding is a little different from the previous examples.

Anime combed hair step by step drawing
Anime combed pilus pace by stride drawing

Step one

Depict the caput and hairline. The hairline in this example will be particularly useful for placing the forepart role of the hair.

Stride ii

Draw the side sections of the pilus with steady cures somewhat hugging the shape of the face. Roughly from the center of the hairline depict two curves going downwards towards the "side pilus".

This will be the "front hair" tucked underneath the sides which volition be combed down over top of it. Depict the back hair with a fairly obvious split in the eye with two curves going in each direction. This volition help testify that the hair has sort of been neatly combed to each side.

Step 3

Add some pocket-sized pilus clumps for the bottom background hair.

Step 4

Finally you can add together a footling dodder of pilus hanging down from the middle of the front section of the hair. As sometimes the hair in that area will be to brusque to exist tucked under the sides and part's of it may hang down. This will make the hairstyle look a little more natural and interesting. Finally add some fold lines to the front sections of the pilus going to the sides to help show that the pilus is tucked underneath in that location.

Cartoon Curly Anime Pilus

Anime curly hair drawing breakdown
Anime curly hair drawing breakdown

Curly pilus is probably the nigh challenging anime hairstyles to draw. This item hairstyle can again be carve up into the forepart sides and dorsum with the front hair beingness similar to the previous example.

Anime curly hair step by step drawing
Anime curly hair stride by step cartoon

Stride 1

Starting time the drawing the the head and hairline sketch.

Step 2

From the hairline depict two lines going towards the sides of the caput to indicate the front end hair. To show that the pilus is curly you can describe these lines in calorie-free waves.

The "side hair in this example will be completely curled. You can commencement draw some lines at the base of operations of the curves to indicate the volume of the hair that will then transition into the sort of "spires" of pilus below.

To draw the actual curls first depict the parts of them that are in the foreground. Yous tin sort of think of them as a cone that's been sliced on an angle and pulled autonomously.

Step 3

Now erase any parts of the head hidden by the hair to avoid defoliation and add together the groundwork lines of the hair curls. You tin can think of these as the front parts filled over.

Finally yous tin can draw some splits at the end of each whorl.

Step four

For the concluding step you tin describe a lilliputian squiggle of hair hanging down from the middle of the front section and add some lines to the bottom of the background pilus to point some inner folds. Brand these lines more wavy than in the previous examples to prove that the hair is curly.

Drawing Anime Hair Buns

Anime hair buns drawing breakdown
Anime hair buns drawing breakdown

The hair bun's are somewhat more rare but still popular fashion of anime pilus. This style tin besides be split into the forepart, side and back pilus.

You can describe the pilus buns hairstyle as described beneath:

Anime hair buns step by step drawing
Anime hair buns stride past stride drawing

Footstep i

Once again start the drawing with the head and hairline.

Step 2

Draw the "front hair" in small clumps pointing towards the middle of the face and the sides aforementioned as nearly of the other examples.

Draw the "side pilus" with light curves somewhat "hugging" the face.

Brand the "dorsum hair" pretty much curve around the shape of the head.

Finally draw the bodily hair buns with somewhat of an oval shape for each with office of it hidden backside the "dorsum hair".

Step 3

For this stride only erase the parts of the head that are subconscious past the hair

Stride four

Draw some o the inner curves of the hair bun. Y'all tin can pretty much depict these at random but attempt and somewhat follow the outer bend of the bun with at least a few lines. This will aid create that sort of "ball of yarn" wait that hair buns tend to accept.

Drawing Brusque Messy Anime Pilus

Anime short messy hair drawing breakdown
Anime short messy pilus drawing breakdown

The short messy hair is once again easy to split into the front end, side, and dorsum sections.

You can draw it in the following steps:

Anime short messy hair step by step drawing
Anime brusque messy pilus step by footstep drawing

Step 1

Aforementioned as other examples depict the head and hairline to showtime.

Step 2

Draw the front section of the hair with the outer clumps sticking out to the sides instead of resting on the forehead like most other examples.

Add the side sections with the splits at the ends sticking out in opposite directions.

Draw the background pilus with a slightly carve up to 1 side and the ii curves that come out of it eventually transitioning into hair clumps on each side of the caput.

Step 3

Now add together a pair of wavy clumps to the upper divide are of the background hair and another pair of clumps to the inner areas of the "side pilus". Erase the parts of the hair where you add the clumps and erase whatsoever parts of the head/confront lines covered past the hair.

Stride 4

Add together the lesser portion of the groundwork hair drawing in pocket-size clumps pretty much the same equally the other shorter pilus examples in this tutorial.

Drawing Curt/Low Anime Pigtails

Anime short low pigtails drawing breakdown
Anime short low pigtails cartoon breakdown

For the final example of anime hair in this tutorial we have the brusk/low pigtails. As nearly other examples in this tutorial these tin once more be split into the sides, front end and dorsum/top hair.

Describe this particular hairstyle as follows:

Anime short low pigtails hair step by step drawing
Anime short low pigtails hair stride by footstep drawing

Step ane

Outset by drawing the head and hairline as all the other examples.

Footstep 2

Add together the forepart section of the hair first equally in this example it volition be sticking out a trivial more to the sides overlapping the side sections. Draw the "front hair splitting into fairly small clumps and practise the same for the ends of the "side hair".

Brand the "back hair" pretty much following the shape of the caput.

Finally add together the pigtails at the bottom of the head with small splits at their ends.

Footstep 3

Clean up the drawing by erasing the parts of the caput hidden past the hair.

Step four

Add some lines to testify the heads inner curves and fold. In this instance just one for the forepart hair clump.

Hair Highlights

Pilus highlights can actually brand pilus stand out even without whatsoever additional circuitous shading and are adequately piece of cake to add.

For drawing them cheque out:

Different Ways to Describe Anime Hair Highlights

Conclusion

When drawing hair information technology can be very helpful to organize it into separate sections. Non only volition this help you get a better grip on how to draw it simply it will also allow you to more hands modify the hairstyle past changing its various parts. For more than hairstyles you tin can experiment by mixing different parts of the front, side, and dorsum sections of the hair in this tutorial or by adding entirely new designs.

For shading these hairstyles see:

How to Shade Anime Hair Stride by Pace

For more on cartoon anime and manga manner hair see:

  • How to Draw Anime Hair Blowing in Dissimilar Directions
  • How to Depict Anime Hair in 3/4 View Step by Step
  • How to Draw Moisture Anime Pilus Stride by Step

If you would like to acquire how to depict the head with all of the facial features check out the:

How to Describe an Anime Girl's Head and Confront

For drawing hats and caput ware run into:

How to Draw Anime Hats & Head Ware

This tutorial has been almost completely redone and updated with new art but yous can see the quondam examples below.

examples of how to draw anime and manga hair
Examples of how to draw Anime and Manga hair