How to Draw Different Types of Fashion Hair

By Lisa Arnold and Marianne Egan from Fashion Drawing For Dummies

Even though hair isn’t the main focus of a fashion illustration, it adds to the overall look and can portray a certain style. However, you don’t have to follow any specific hair rules. If you prefer wild-looking hair on your prim and proper fashion model, go for it!

Hairstyles shouldn’t distract from the fashion elements (clothes), but your model’s hair also shouldn’t be boring. Drawing great hair adds to the fashion mood, especially for an editorial look.

Enlarge 1 Draw a wild-looking crop of curls. Curly hair looks lively in fashion drawings! Wheather it’s for men or women, letting the curls do their own thing creates a fun and playful look. Curls can go anywhere from the red carpet to a college dorm to the basketball court. Draw a head, complete with the basic facial features mapped out and the central part of the hairline started. Using the side of your pencil, start by drawing several loose zigzag lines, beginning at the center of your figure’s head and working downward. Make sure to sketch in some hair next to the neck to represent the hair at the back of the head. For the best type of zigzag line, use both the side as well as the point of your pencil to show texture. If you want more dimension and volume, simply add more zigzag lines and use a range of dark and light lines. Add a curl coming down from the part to soften the look. Don’t make the zigzag lines even, or your hair will appear lifeless. Vary the lengths of the zigzags, and don’t be afraid to overlap your lines. End the hair between the chin and the shoulder line.	Enlarge 2 Draw loose, wavy curls. Draw an oval with a face grid in three-quarter view and add a curve to the back of the oval to represent the back of the head. Using a thin squiggly line, map out an irregular shape that shows where you’d like the hair to lie. Keep it away from the original oval and head for volume. Create a side part that starts on the forehead and goes to the top of the sketched circle. This type of hair can be huge! Feel free to take up space outside the head while also cutting into the original oval shape. To create a sense of movement, don’t connect all the squiggly lines. Erase the lines from the face and back of the head. For texture, add a few dots with the squiggly lines to outline of the hair. Add a few short lines by the side part on the head. Finish the drawing with various types of wavy lines inside the hair outline. Add some tight curly lines and some loose wavy lines, including both short and long and thick and thin lines.	Enlarge 3 Draw straight, voluminous hair. Long, straight hair looks sleek, which can be a plus for all types of designs, ranging from formal to casual for women and men. Make sure you master long, flowing straight hair. Sketch a head, complete with the basic facial grid and the hairline mapped out. Start a side part at the top of the head above the model’s left eye. Use a few long, slightly curved lines to wrap over the forehead to the other side of the head. Draw a few slightly curved lines down the side of the face and over the top of the shoulder. You can start erasing part of your original hair outline. Finish the look by adding a few shorter, darker lines by the ears and forehead, complementing the original lines. Keep the lines long and sparse. You can draw hair with a less-is-more attitude.
Enlarge 4 Make your fashionista’s hair shine. Add shine to your fashion figure’s hair when you want it to really gleam — which can be anytime you draw hair. After you’ve drawn a head with the basic facial features and hairline mapped out, you can create shine in two ways. Line technique: For the line technique, simply draw lines and leave blank areas on the paper to create shine. Shading approach: For the shading approach, use the side of your pencil as well as the eraser to vary the shading of the hair. Shade the hair vertically with a pencil and then drag your eraser in a horizontal line across it to create highlights.