How to Draw an Anime with Curly Hair

A Sample Curl

Manga and anime style drawing have seen a major upswing in popularity in recent years, due to the influx of Japanese animation into the United States. Drawing the anime character may be as simple or complex as you care to make it, but the hair style of your character is the coup de grace. Whether short or long, tamed or wild, a hair style adds personality and speaks volumes about your character.

Things You'll Need

• Pencil
• Eraser
• Paper
• Pictures for reference

Instructions

Drawing the Character

1. Decide whether your character will be male or female and what style your character will be dressed in.

2. Draw the character's head. The top of the head will be rounded, curving downward to a slightly pointed chin.

3. Sketch in the eyes and mouth of your character. You may want to draw reference lines, one horizontal about 1/4 of the way from the forehead, and one vertical in the center of the face. This will help you draw the eyes symmetrically.

4. Draw the rest of your character's body, including clothing, beginning from the neck down. Don't worry about details just yet. You are looking more for the outline so you can keep your drawing to scale.

Drawing Curly Hair

1. Draw your hair style beginning from the front of the forehead. Add fringe or bangs and decide whether the hair style will be loose or tied back.

2. Draw a light outline of hair about a quarter of an inch off the sketch of your character's head. This will give you the general parameters for how big the hair should be. Even sleek hair styles need volume and movement.

3. Draw your first curl, starting from the front of the hair style and working your way to the back. Draw a swooping curvy line downward starting from the right. Then go back and in the swoops add lines that curve outward in the opposite direction.

4. Draw each curl individually for a more romantic hair style. If you are trying for more of an Afro look, draw a bumpy outline, with a few curvy detail lines in the depth of the hair. Vary your curl lengths as you draw, and don't forget you have an eraser for a reason!

5. Add splits to the ends of the curls, for realism.

Tips & Warnings

• If this is your first time drawing curls, try a few practice curls on a separate piece of paper.

• Draw lightly in case you change anything later. Light pencil marks are much easier to erase.