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

Drawing Anime & Manga Pilus

Anime hair different hairstyles drawing examples
Anime pilus with different hairstyles cartoon examples

Anime hair is often based on real hairstyles but tends to be drawn in clumps rather than private strands. I skillful reason for this is that if you are cartoon multiple frames of blitheness or multiple panels of a manga information technology will simply be too time consuming to draw annihilation overly detailed.

A practiced approach to drawing anime hair is to carve up it into several different parts such every bit the front, sides and dorsum/top (every bit will be shown for each hairstyle below).

For drawing characters that can go along with these hairstyles run into:

How to Describe Anime Characters Tutorial

For more on drawing anime hair you tin too see:

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

Drawing Long Anime Hair

Anime long hair drawing breakdown
Anime long hair drawing breakdown

Long straight hair is probably 1 of the almost common hairstyles in anime and is fairly like shooting fish in a barrel to describe.

Above y'all can see the breakdown of the long hair drawing case into:

  • Ruddy – Front end Hair
  • Green – Side Pilus
  • Blueish – Back/Top Hair

You can employ a similar breakdown to drawing other hairstyles as well. Thinking of the pilus this manner can brand the drawing procedure a lot easier to manage.

Keeping this in mind we tin can movement on to the actual cartoon process.

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

Footstep 1

Start by beginning making a drawing of the head and an indication of the hairline. While in this particular hairstyle the hairline is less important equally information technology's full covered by the hair information technology can still help you better gauge the overall length and position of the forepart and side hair sections. Make the caput/hairline drawing adequately lite and so y'all can easily erase parts of information technology later.

Step 2

Draw the hair right over the tiptop of the head and hairline as in the example higher up.

For this item hairstyle where the front section of the hair has been cutting fairly short yous can draw it in relatively small pointy clumps.

Make the "side pilus" fairly long with it's overall shape slightly curved. Y'all can also split it into several smaller clumps towards the ends.

Describe the top part o the "back hair" pretty much following the shape of the head (a flake of a distance away from it) and so widening until it'southward finally hidden behind the shoulders.

Pace 3

Erase the parts of the head subconscious by the hair and add a few lines to show the inner folds of the front and back hair. Yous volition more often than not want to position these folds in between the hair clumps as that is where these will usually tend to class in existent hair.

Step 4

Next add together some folds in the "dorsum pilus" to requite a bit more definition of information technology's shape equally well so that it does not only expect similar a flat cut out.

You can likewise add some basic shading to make the hair stand out a fiddling bit more once you end the line cartoon.

Drawing Short Anime Hair

Anime short hair drawing breakdown
Anime short hair drawing breakdown

The short hair drawing instance to a higher place is fairly similar to the long hair with the hair once over again broken down into three basic parts of front, sides and back.

The actual breakup of the drawing process tin can exist as follows:

Anime short hair step by step drawing
Anime short hair step by footstep drawing

Pace 1

Again start the brusque hair drawing with the head and hairline. Aforementioned as the previous example the hairline volition not exist as of import here as it is in other hair styles but can still be helpful.

Step 2

Yet once more very similar to the long hair depict the "front hair" section with a fix of small clumps. For this detail example the hair volition exist a bit more than messy and so the clumps will bend more in dissimilar directions. If you want neater looking hair you can describe them the same as the first example.

Step 3

Same as before erase whatsoever parts of the head subconscious past the hair and draw the bottom portion of the back pilus. Generally information technology'southward a good idea to get out this section of the hair for the last part of the line drawing as in the front end view of the head information technology volition be in the back backside nigh of the other parts of the hair. If you effort and draw information technology outset you without the other hair to sort of "frame" its position you will probably stop upwards with some overlapping lines and have to do extra erasing.

Step iv

Add the inner fords (just 1 in this instance) and if you lot like, some basic shading.

Cartoon Trimmed Anime Hair (Hime Cutting)

Anime hime cut hair drawing breakdown
Anime "Hime Cut" hair drawing breakdown

For trimmed hair draw the pilus dodder with flat ends that look like they've been cutting off by sissors.

For a neat look the different hair clumps should by and large be fatigued pointing in the same direction equally the clumps next to them and any shifts in direction should be gradual.

Anime hime cut hair step by step drawing
Anime "Hime Cutting" hair step past step cartoon

Step ane

Get-go by drawing the hair and indicating the hairline. For the "Hime Cut" the hairline volition again be covered by the pilus.

Step ii

For the initial drawing of the actual hair you can start with the sides followed by the back. You can indicate the front end section of the hair with just one line.

Step 3

Now describe in some small splits into the forepart and side parts of of the hair to brand them look more natural. Erase the line in between the splits when you are done. You lot can also erase whatsoever parts of the head that are covered by the hair.

Step four

Finally again like to the first example add some lines to the pilus in the back to show it'southward various inner folds. Effort and describe these with adequately random spacing and slightly varying curves. If you space everything evenly and make all the curves trace one another too closely the hair will not expect very natural.

Cartoon Long Messy Anime Pilus

Anime long messy hair drawing breakdown
Anime long messy hair drawing breakdown

The long messy pilus is somewhat similar to the showtime case merely with some actress hair clumps. Again information technology can be divided upwards into 3 parts similar all the other examples and so far.

Depict the long messy hair as follows:

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

Step 1

As the other examples start past showtime drawing the head and hairline. Drawing the hairline volition assistance you lot make certain that none of the splits between the hair clumps for the "front end hair" become too far up.

Stride two

To make the pilus wait more messy describe the forepart hair clumps pointing into different directions and of varying shapes and curves. You can draw some that are wavy and some that juts curve in i direction.

Draw the very middle portion of these clumps reaching further down. Yous can practise the same with the outer clumps on the sides of the front section. This volition again requite more of an impression of hair that has non been well clean-cut.

Stride 3

At present draw in some boosted hair clumps randomly sticking out of the back sections of the hair. This volition brand the otherwise keen looking back hair await messy as well. Yous tin too add a pair (or more) clumps to the inner parts of the "side hair". Y'all tin either erase the outlines of the pilus where you want to describe these or add them and erase the overlapping outline afterwards. Next you tin can add in some carve up lines in between the hair clumps same every bit some of the other examples. To terminate the line drawing again erase the parts of the face and head that are covered past the pilus subsequently.

Stride 4

As this example also has long back pilus you can once more draw in some of it'southward inner folds to make that department look more than like actual pilus. You lot tin also brand them a scrap more wavy than the other examples to once more make the hair look more messy.

Drawing Anime Pony Tail /Tied Dorsum Hair

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

Another adequately common anime hairstyle is the ponytail. You will find that in that location is basically no side hair in this particular instance (other than the tiny bits of the hairline on the sides). So the pilus can pretty much just exist splits into the forepart and dorsum sections. The dorsum consisting of the hair over the summit of the head and the pony tail.

Draw this type of hair as follows:

Anime ponytail hair step by step drawing
Anime ponytail pilus stride by step drawing

Step i

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

Stride 2

You lot tin can pretty much frame the front end hair for this hairstyle with merely three curves. Two for the sides and i for the bottom. Equally mentioned there is very piffling side pilus in this example every bit the hair is pulled dorsum revealing parts of the hairline.

Draw the back hair simply slightly over top of the head eventually merging into the sides.

Though normally pony tails will face directly backwards for anime hair you tin can draw it slightly more to one side so that information technology's shape is more visible. Otherwise the pony tail can but look similar a bump on the head. You tin describe the pony tail with a sort of question mark similar shape. You tin also add a pocket-size split up at the end.

Step iii

Aforementioned as for the "Hime Cut" depict in some modest splits into the forepart section of the hair and erase parts of the bottom line of the "forepart hair" to make spaces in between them. Also erase the parts of the head hidden by the hair.

Step 4

You tin can once again give the hair some light shading if you like. You can too optionally describe in a few more lines into the hair to brand it await a little more separate than the "Hime Cut" which tends to have more dense "forepart hair".

Drawing Anime Hair Over One Eye

Anime hair over one eye drawing
Anime hair over one eye cartoon

For the hairstyle with hair over one eye you can withal once again split the hair into the front, sides and back. In this way the front section of the hair will be fairly large and sort of merge into the "side hair" next to the covered eye.

Anime hair over one eye step by step drawing
Anime hair over ane eye step past step drawing

Step i

Depict the head and the hairline aforementioned equally the other examples.

Stride two

For this item hairstyle draw the front end hair clumps going far enough down the confront to fully cover i eye. For the "side pilus" you can draw the section on the side of the covered eye somewhat blending into the forepart hair.

Draw the back pilus dissever into tow curves that pretty much hug the shape of the head as they go downward eventually sticking out in clumps to each side.

Pace 3

For the very bottom section of the forepart hair draw a few small clumps sticking out around the height of the cervix area. Erase any overlapping lines from the head that should exist hidden past the hair when you are washed.

Pace 4

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

Drawing Anime Pigtails

Anime pigtails hair drawing breakdown
Anime pigtails pilus drawing breakdown

The pigtails are another very common style of anime hair. Same as the ponytail example you lot can meet that this particular drawing can pretty much be broken down into the front and back section of the hair. With the "dorsum hair" carve up 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 by step cartoon

Step i

Depict the caput and the hairline. In this case a large department of the hairline will be visible in the terminal drawing. Information technology will also help us place the front section of the hair.

Pace ii

Though most of the hair in this particular case will be pulled back you lot can draw some clumps for the forepart section of the hair to merely one side to make the hairstyle expect a little bit more interesting.

As already mentioned there volition pretty much be no side hair other than the tiny bits around the superlative of the ears. Depict the top/back department of the pilus blending into that side hair.

For the actual pigtails draw them like to the "Ponytail" example vaguely resembling 2 questions marks in their overall shape with i being flipped over.

Stride 3

Now add some random pilus clumps sticking out from the pigtails to make them await a fiddling more than interesting and erase any overlapping lines that this creates. Likewise erase the outline of the head where it'southward hidden past the hair.

Step 4

Add 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 can again be split into 3 parts with the front, side and back pilus. The front section of the hair however is a piddling different from the previous examples.

Anime combed hair step by step drawing
Anime combed hair stride by step drawing

Step 1

Draw the caput and hairline. The hairline in this example will be particularly useful for placing the front part of the pilus.

Step ii

Describe the side sections of the pilus with steady cures somewhat hugging the shape of the face. Roughly from the middle of the hairline describe two curves going down towards the "side hair".

This will be the "front pilus" tucked underneath the sides which will be combed downward over top of it. Draw the back hair with a adequately obvious split in the centre with two curves going in each direction. This volition assist evidence that the hair has sort of been neatly combed to each side.

Pace 3

Add some small hair clumps for the lesser background hair.

Pace 4

Finally you can add together a little clump of hair hanging downwards from the eye of the forepart section of the hair. Equally sometimes the hair in that area will be to short to be tucked under the sides and part's of it may hang down. This volition brand the hairstyle wait a little more than natural and interesting. Finally add together some fold lines to the forepart sections of the hair going to the sides to assistance prove that the hair is tucked underneath there.

Drawing Curly Anime Hair

Anime curly hair drawing breakdown
Anime curly hair cartoon breakdown

Curly hair is probably the most challenging anime hairstyles to draw. This particular hairstyle can once more be split into the front sides and back with the front hair beingness similar to the previous example.

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

Stride one

Outset the drawing the the caput and hairline sketch.

Step ii

From the hairline depict two lines going towards the sides of the head to point the front hair. To show that the pilus is curly you tin draw these lines in light waves.

The "side hair in this example will exist completely curled. You lot tin can first draw some lines at the base of the curves to bespeak the volume of the hair that will so transition into the sort of "spires" of pilus below.

To draw the bodily curls outset draw the parts of them that are in the foreground. You lot can sort of think of them as a cone that's been sliced on an bending and pulled autonomously.

Step iii

Now erase any parts of the head hidden by the pilus to avoid confusion and add the background lines of the hair curls. You can call up of these every bit the front parts filled over.

Finally you can describe some splits at the end of each curl.

Pace four

For the final pace yous can describe a niggling squiggle of pilus hanging down from the centre of the front section and add some lines to the bottom of the background hair to indicate some inner folds. Make these lines more wavy than in the previous examples to bear witness that the hair is curly.

Drawing Anime Hair Buns

Anime hair buns drawing breakdown
Anime hair buns drawing breakdown

The hair bun'due south are somewhat more rare but still popular style of anime hair. This style can also be divide into the front, side and dorsum hair.

You lot can draw the hair buns hairstyle as described below:

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

Footstep 1

Once again start the cartoon with the caput and hairline.

Step 2

Depict the "front hair" in small clumps pointing towards the eye of the face and the sides aforementioned every bit most of the other examples.

Describe the "side pilus" with lite curves somewhat "hugging" the face.

Make the "back hair" pretty much curve around the shape of the head.

Finally draw the actual hair buns with somewhat of an oval shape for each with part of it subconscious behind the "back hair".

Stride three

For this step only erase the parts of the head that are hidden past the hair

Step 4

Describe some o the inner curves of the hair bun. Yous tin pretty much draw these at random but try and somewhat follow the outer curve of the bun with at least a few lines. This volition assist create that sort of "ball of yarn" look that hair buns tend to have.

Drawing Short Messy Anime Pilus

Anime short messy hair drawing breakdown
Anime brusk messy hair drawing breakdown

The short messy pilus is once more easy to split into the front end, side, and back sections.

You can describe information technology in the following steps:

Anime short messy hair step by step drawing
Anime short messy hair pace by step cartoon

Step i

Same as other examples depict the head and hairline to start.

Stride 2

Draw the front section of the pilus 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 hair with a slightly split up to one side and the two curves that come out of it eventually transitioning into hair clumps on each side of the head.

Step 3

At present add 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 yous add the clumps and erase any parts of the caput/face lines covered by the pilus.

Step four

Add the lesser portion of the groundwork hair drawing in small clumps pretty much the same as the other shorter pilus examples in this tutorial.

Drawing Curt/Low Anime Pigtails

Anime short low pigtails drawing breakdown
Anime brusk low pigtails drawing breakdown

For the last example of anime hair in this tutorial we have the short/depression pigtails. As almost other examples in this tutorial these can again exist split into the sides, front and back/top hair.

Draw this detail hairstyle as follows:

Anime short low pigtails hair step by step drawing
Anime brusk depression pigtails hair step by pace drawing

Step 1

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

Step 2

Add the forepart section of the hair offset as in this example it will be sticking out a little more to the sides overlapping the side sections. Draw the "front end hair splitting into adequately modest clumps and do the same for the ends of the "side hair".

Brand the "back pilus" pretty much post-obit the shape of the head.

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

Footstep 3

Clean upwards the drawing by erasing the parts of the head hidden by the pilus.

Footstep iv

Add some lines to prove the heads inner curves and fold. In this case just one for the front end hair clump.

Hair Highlights

Pilus highlights can actually make hair stand up out even without whatsoever boosted complex shading and are fairly like shooting fish in a barrel to add together.

For drawing them cheque out:

Unlike Ways to Draw Anime Hair Highlights

Conclusion

When cartoon pilus it can exist very helpful to organize it into separate sections. Not only volition this help you go a better grip on how to draw it simply information technology will also allow you to more than easily alter the hairstyle by changing its various parts. For more hairstyles you can experiment by mixing unlike parts of the front, side, and back sections of the hair in this tutorial or by adding entirely new designs.

For shading these hairstyles see:

How to Shade Anime Hair Step by Step

For more than on drawing anime and manga style hair meet:

  • How to Draw Anime Hair Blowing in Different Directions
  • How to Draw Anime Hair in 3/four View Pace by Step
  • How to Describe Wet Anime Hair Step by Step

If yous would like to learn how to draw the head with all of the facial features cheque out the:

How to Depict an Anime Girl's Head and Face

For drawing hats and head ware come across:

How to Depict Anime Hats & Caput Ware

This tutorial has been almost completely redone and updated with new art but you can see the old examples beneath.

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