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

Drawing Anime & Manga Pilus

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

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

A good arroyo to cartoon anime hair is to separate it into several different parts such equally the front end, sides and dorsum/elevation (as will be shown for each hairstyle below).

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

How to Draw Anime Characters Tutorial

For more on drawing anime pilus yous tin too run beyond:

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

Cartoon Long Anime Hair

Anime long hair drawing breakdown
Anime long pilus drawing breakdown

Long straight pilus is probably 1 of the well-nigh mutual hairstyles in anime and is fairly slice of cake to describe.

In a higher place you lot tin encounter the breakup of the long hair cartoon example into:

  • Cherry – Front Pilus
  • Light-green – Side Pilus
  • Blueish – Dorsum/Peak Hair

You can utilise a like breakdown to drawing other hairstyles as well. Thinking of the hair this fashion can make the drawing procedure a lot easier to manage.

Keeping this in heed we tin can motion on to the bodily cartoon procedure.

Anime long hair step by step drawing
Anime long pilus pace by footstep cartoon

Footstep i

Commencement past first making a drawing of the head and an indication of the hairline. While in this particular hairstyle the hairline is less important equally it'south full covered past the pilus it can still help you better approximate the overall length and position of the front and side hair sections. Make the head/hairline drawing fairly lite so you can hands erase parts of information technology later.

Footstep two

Describe the pilus right over the tiptop of the caput and hairline equally in the case in a higher place.

For this detail hairstyle where the front section of the pilus has been cut fairly short you tin can draw it in relatively pocket-size pointy clumps.

Make the "side hair" fairly long with information technology'southward overall shape slightly curved. Yous tin likewise split it into several smaller clumps towards the ends.

Depict the height part o the "back hair" pretty much following the shape of the head (a scrap of a altitude away from information technology) and and and then widening until it'southward finally subconscious behind the shoulders.

Step three

Erase the parts of the caput hidden by the pilus and add a few lines to testify the inner folds of the front and back pilus. Yous will mostly desire to position these folds in between the pilus clumps equally that is where these will ordinarily tend to form in real hair.

Footstep iv

Next add together some folds in the "back pilus" to give a bit more definition of it'southward shape as well and and then that it does non just await similar a apartment cut out.

Yous tin can too add some basic shading to brand the pilus stand out a little bit more than than in 1 example you lot finish the line drawing.

Cartoon Short Anime Hair

Anime short hair drawing breakdown
Anime short hair drawing breakdown

The brusque hair drawing case above is fairly similar to the long hair with the hair once again broken down into 3 basic parts of front, sides and back.

The actual breakdown of the cartoon process can exist every bit follows:

Anime short hair step by step drawing
Anime short pilus step past step cartoon

Footstep 1

Again start the brusk hair drawing with the caput and hairline. Same every bit the previous example the hairline will not be every bit important here every bit it is in other hair styles but can still be helpful.

Pace 2

Nonetheless again very similar to the long pilus depict the "front hair" section with a set of minor clumps. For this item instance the hair will be a bit more than than messy and and then the clumps will curve more than than in dissimilar directions. If y'all want neater looking pilus yous can depict them the aforementioned as the start instance.

Footstep three

Same every bit earlier erase any parts of the head hidden past the hair and describe the bottom portion of the back pilus. Mostly information engineering's a practiced idea to exit this section of the hair for the final role of the line drawing as in the front view of the head information technology will be in the back backside most of the other parts of the hair. If y'all endeavor and depict it first yous without the other pilus to sort of "frame" its position you lot will probably cease upward with some overlapping lines and take to exercise extra erasing.

Step 4

Add together the inner fords (just 1 in this case) and if yous like, some basic shading.

Cartoon Trimmed Anime Hair (Hime Cut)

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

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

For a neat await the unlike hair clumps should more than oftentimes than not be drawn pointing in the aforementioned direction as the clumps next to them and any shifts in direction should be gradual.

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

Pace ane

Get-go past drawing the pilus and indicating the hairline. For the "Hime Cut" the hairline will over over again be covered by the pilus.

Step two

For the initial drawing of the bodily pilus you tin start with the sides followed past the back. Y'all tin signal the front department of the hair with just one line.

Step 3

At present draw in some minor splits into the forepart and side parts of of the hair to make them look more natural. Erase the line in betwixt the splits when you lot are done. Yous can tin also erase any parts of the head that are covered past the hair.

Footstep 4

Finally once more like to the kickoff instance add some lines to the hair in the back to prove it'south various inner folds. Endeavour and draw these with fairly random spacing and slightly varying curves. If yous lot space everything evenly and make all the curves trace ane another too closely the pilus volition non look very natural.

Cartoon Long Messy Anime Hair

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

The long messy hair is somewhat similar to the first instance but with some actress hair clumps. Over once more information technology tin can exist divided up into 3 parts like all the other examples so far.

Depict the long messy pilus equally follows:

Anime messy hair step by step drawing
Anime messy hair stride by footstep cartoon

Step 1

As the other examples starting time by first cartoon the head and hairline. Drawing the hairline will help you make sure that none of the splits between the hair clumps for the "front pilus" become too far up.

Pace two

To make the pilus expect more messy draw the front hair clumps pointing into unlike directions and of varying shapes and curves. Y'all lot tin describe some that are wavy and some that juts curve in one management.

Draw the very middle portion of these clumps reaching farther downwardly. Y'all can practice the aforementioned with the outer clumps on the sides of the forepart department. This will again requite more of an impression of pilus that has non been well groomed.

Step 3

At nowadays draw in some additional pilus clumps randomly sticking out of the dorsum sections of the hair. This will brand the otherwise nifty looking dorsum hair look messy also. Yous can also add a pair (or more than than) clumps to the inner parts of the "side hair". You can either erase the outlines of the hair where you lot want to draw these or add them and erase the overlapping outline afterwards. Next you can add in some split up lines in between the hair clumps same as some of the other examples. To finish the line cartoon once again erase the parts of the face and head that are covered by the hair subsequently.

Step four

Equally this example besides has long dorsum hair you tin again draw in some of it's inner folds to make that section wait more like actual hair. Yous can also make them a fleck more wavy than the other examples to over again make the hair await more than than messy.

Drawing Anime Pony Tail /Tied Back Hair

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

Another fairly mutual anime hairstyle is the ponytail. You will notice that at that place is basically no side pilus in this particular example (other than the tiny bits of the hairline on the sides). And so the hair tin can can pretty much just exist splits into the front and back sections. The dorsum consisting of the pilus over the superlative of the caput and the pony tail.

Draw this blazon of hair every bit follows:

Anime ponytail hair step by step drawing
Anime ponytail hair step past step cartoon

Footstep 1

Depict the head and indicate the hairline which for this hairstyle is slightly more of import than the previous examples as some of it volition be visible in the last cartoon as already shown.

Pace 2

Yous lot tin can pretty much frame the front hair for this hairstyle with simply iii curves. Two for the sides and 1 for the bottom. As mentioned there is very little side hair in this instance as the hair is pulled dorsum revealing parts of the hairline.

Describe the dorsum pilus just slightly over acme of the head eventually merging into the sides.

Though usually pony tails will confront directly backwards for anime hair you lot lot tin tin describe it slightly more than than to one side then that it'southward shape is more than visible. Otherwise the pony tail tin can merely look like a bump on the head. You can draw the pony tail with a sort of question mark similar shape. You tin can also add a small-scale dissever at the terminate.

Footstep iii

Same equally for the "Hime Cut" depict in some small splits into the front department of the pilus and erase parts of the lesser line of the "front hair" to make spaces in between them. Likewise erase the parts of the head hidden by the hair.

Footstep iv

You can again give the hair some calorie-free shading if you like. You tin tin as well optionally draw in a few more lines into the hair to get in look a piddling more than separate up than the "Hime Cut" which tends to take more dense "forepart terminate pilus".

Cartoon Anime Pilus Over Ane Heart

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

For the hairstyle with pilus over i heart you tin yet again separate the hair into the front end, sides and back. In this mode the front department of the pilus will be adequately large and sort of merge into the "side hair" adjacent to the covered heart.

Anime hair over one eye step by step drawing
Anime hair over 1 eye step past footstep cartoon

Stride ane

Describe the caput and the hairline same every bit the other examples.

Footstep two

For this particular hairstyle describe the front pilus clumps going far enough downwardly the face to fully cover 1 center. For the "side hair" y'all tin describe the section on the side of the covered center somewhat blending into the front hair.

Depict the back pilus separate upwards into tow curves that pretty much hug the shape of the caput as they go down somewhen sticking out in clumps to each side.

Pace iii

For the very lesser department of the forepart end hair draw a few modest clumps sticking out around the pinnacle of the neck expanse. Erase any overlapping lines from the caput that should be subconscious by the hair when y'all are done.

Step iv

To wrap up the drawing yous lot tin can again add together a few lines to prove some splits and curves of the pilus going from betwixt the hair clumps.

Cartoon Anime Pigtails

Anime pigtails hair drawing breakdown
Anime pigtails hair drawing breakup

The pigtails are some other very common style of anime hair. Aforementioned equally the ponytail example you can run across that this particular drawing can pretty much exist cleaved downwards into the forepart and back department of the hair. With the "dorsum pilus" carve up into the hair covering the caput and the pigtails. In that location are really simply tiny $.25 of actual "side hair".

Anime pigtails hair step by step drawing
Anime pigtails pilus step by step drawing

Step 1

Depict the head and the hairline. In this case a large section of the hairline will be visible in the final drawing. Information technology volition also assist us identify the front end department of the pilus.

Pace 2

Though nigh of the pilus in this particular case volition be pulled back you lot lot can draw some clumps for the front department of the pilus to just i side to brand the hairstyle look a piddling bit more than interesting.

As already mentioned at that place will pretty much be no side hair other than the tiny $.25 around the acme of the ears. Draw the meridian/back department of the hair blending into that side pilus.

For the actual pigtails draw them similar to the "Ponytail" example vaguely resembling ii questions marks in their overall shape with ane beingness flipped over.

Step iii

At nowadays add together some random pilus clumps sticking out from the pigtails to make them wait a trivial more than interesting and erase any overlapping lines that this creates. Likewise erase the outline of the caput where it'due south hidden by the pilus.

Pace iv

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

Drawing Neatly Combed Anime Hair

Anime neatly combed hair drawing
Anime neatly combed pilus cartoon

This hairstyle can over again be separate into iii parts with the front, side and back hair. The front section of the pilus nonetheless is a niggling unlike from the previous examples.

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

Pace one

Depict the head and hairline. The hairline in this instance will be particularly useful for placing the forepart role of the pilus.

Pace 2

Depict the side sections of the pilus with steady cures somewhat hugging the shape of the face. Roughly from the eye of the hairline draw ii curves going downwards towards the "side pilus".

This volition exist the "front hair" tucked underneath the sides which will be combed downwardly over top of information technology. Draw the dorsum hair with a adequately obvious dissever in the eye with two curves going in each management. This will assist show that the hair has sort of been neatly combed to each side.

Pace iii

Add together some modest hair clumps for the bottom background hair.

Step 4

Finally you tin can add a lilliputian dodder of hair hanging downwardly from the middle of the forepart department of the hair. Every flake sometimes the hair in that area will exist to curt to exist tucked nether the sides and part'south of it may hang down. This will brand the hairstyle look a little more than natural and interesting. Finally add together some fold lines to the front sections of the hair going to the sides to aid show that the hair is tucked underneath in that location.

Cartoon Curly Anime Hair

Anime curly hair drawing breakdown
Anime curly hair drawing breakdown

Curly hair is probably the nearly challenging anime hairstyles to describe. This particular hairstyle can over again be carve up into the forepart sides and dorsum with the forepart hair existence similar to the previous instance.

Anime curly hair step by step drawing
Anime curly hair stride by footstep drawing

Step 1

Get-go the drawing the the caput and hairline sketch.

Stride two

From the hairline describe 2 lines going towards the sides of the head to betoken the front end hair. To show that the hair is curly you lot can draw these lines in lite waves.

The "side hair in this example will be completely curled. You can first describe some lines at the base of the curves to point the volume of the hair that will so transition into the sort of "spires" of hair below.

To draw the actual curls commencement draw the parts of them that are in the foreground. You can sort of think of them equally a cone that's been sliced on an angle and pulled apart.

Pace 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 can call up of these as the front parts filled over.

Finally you tin draw some splits at the end of each scroll.

Step four

For the final step you tin describe a fiddling squiggle of pilus hanging downwardly from the centre of the front end stop department and add together some lines to the bottom of the background hair to signal some inner folds. Make these lines more than wavy than in the previous examples to evidence that the hair is curly.

Drawing Anime Pilus Buns

Anime hair buns drawing breakdown
Anime pilus buns cartoon breakdown

The hair bun's are somewhat more rare but however popular way of anime hair. This fashion can besides be carve up into the front end, side and back hair.

Y'all can depict the hair buns hairstyle as described beneath:

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

Footstep ane

One time once again commencement the cartoon with the head and hairline.

Step 2

Draw the "front hair" in small clumps pointing towards the middle of the confront and the sides same as well-nigh of the other examples.

Draw the "side pilus" with low-cal curves somewhat "hugging" the face.

Make the "back pilus" pretty much curve effectually the shape of the caput.

Finally draw the actual pilus buns with somewhat of an oval shape for each with function of it subconscious backside the "back pilus".

Step 3

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

Step 4

Draw some o the inner curves of the hair bun. Y'all can pretty much describe these at random just effort and somewhat follow the outer curve of the bun with at to the lowest degree a few lines. This will assist create that sort of "brawl of yarn" expect that hair buns tend to have.

Cartoon Brusk Messy Anime Hair

Anime short messy hair drawing breakdown
Anime curt messy hair cartoon breakdown

The curt messy pilus is once more piece of cake to split into the front, side, and back sections.

You lot can draw it in the post-obit steps:

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

Step 1

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

Step ii

Draw the forepart section of the hair with the outer clumps sticking out to the sides instead of resting on the brow similar well-about other examples.

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

Draw the groundwork hair with a slightly split to 1 side and the ii curves that come out of it eventually transitioning into hair clumps on each side of the head.

Step 3

Now add a pair of wavy clumps to the upper cleave up are of the background hair and another pair of clumps to the inner areas of the "side hair". Erase the parts of the hair where you add the clumps and erase any parts of the caput/face lines covered by the hair.

Pace four

Add the bottom portion of the groundwork hair drawing in modest clumps pretty much the aforementioned as the other shorter hair examples in this tutorial.

Drawing Curt/Low Anime Pigtails

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

For the final instance of anime hair in this tutorial we take the brusk/depression pigtails. As well-nigh other examples in this tutorial these can again be dissever into the sides, front and back/top hair.

Describe this detail hairstyle equally follows:

Anime short low pigtails hair step by step drawing
Anime short low pigtails pilus footstep past footstep drawing

Footstep ane

Start past drawing the head and hairline every bit all the other examples.

Pace ii

Add together the front section of the hair first every bit in this example it volition exist sticking out a trivial more than to the sides overlapping the side sections. Describe the "front hair splitting into adequately pocket-size clumps and do the same for the ends of the "side hair".

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

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

Step iii

Make clean up the drawing past erasing the parts of the head subconscious past the pilus.

Step 4

Add some lines to show the heads inner curves and fold. In this case only 1 for the forepart hair dodder.

Hair Highlights

Pilus highlights can actually make hair stand out even without whatsoever additional complex shading and are fairly easy to add together.

For drawing them bank check out:

Different Means to Draw Anime Hair Highlights

Conclusion

When drawing hair information technology can be very helpful to organize it into dissever sections. Non only will this assist you go a meliorate grip on how to draw it but it will also let you to more than than easily modify the hairstyle by changing its diverse parts. For more hairstyles you lot can experiment by mixing unlike parts of the front, side, and dorsum sections of the hair in this tutorial or past calculation entirely new designs.

For shading these hairstyles see:

How to Shade Anime Pilus Step by Stride

For more on drawing anime and manga manner hair run beyond:

  • How to Draw Anime Hair Bravado in Different Directions
  • How to Describe Anime Pilus in three/4 View Footstep by Stride
  • How to Draw Wet Anime Pilus Pace by Footstep

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

How to Draw an Anime Girl's Caput and Face

For drawing hats and caput ware encounter:

How to Draw Anime Hats & Head Ware

This tutorial has been most completely redone and updated with new fine art but you tin encounter the ane-time examples below.

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