Manga hair can often be difficult to make. There are many different styles, each with their own specific techniques. However, with a basic understanding of how manga hair should be styled and look, you can tailor your skills to each hairstyle. Perhaps the best advantage of manga hair design is the possibility of choosing greater or lesser complexity, without taking anything away from the character. As with real life, the various manga hairstyles are too many for just one item. This article will teach you how to design simple hair for a male character, showing you the basic techniques. As your talent and awareness grow, you can try out the more complex styles that manga are known for.
Steps
Step 1. Draw the head of your manga character
You will need a basic structure to work on. Don't worry too much about the details, focus on the shape of the head. Remember, manga heads change based on gender - females usually have rounder, smaller, and softer faces than males.
Step 2. Think about what you want your hair to be like
Don't be afraid to make them a little crazy. A lot of famous manga characters have quite absurd and impossible hairstyles. Here are some key points to consider:
- Where will the line be.
- Whether the character will have a tuft, or a fringe, or nothing.
- How long the character's hair will be.
- If the hairstyle is matched to the character's personality.
- If the character will have a headband, a hat, a protection for the forehead or any other accessory that can alter the appearance of the hair.
Step 3. Trace the outline of the hair on your character's head
Traditionally, the distance between the forehead and the tip of the head should correspond to that from the tip of the head to the tip of the hairstyle. In addition, the same distance should be applied to the sides of the head to determine the distance from the side of the head to that of the hairstyle. It's just a general rule, and you can change it to your taste.
Step 4. Draw the essential outline of the hair
Watch out for the guide signs you drew earlier. It is easier to start from the fringe / tip of the forehead and proceed outwards, paying attention to the direction of hair loss.
Step 5. Define and shape the hair
Manga hair is made up of many strands, or 'tufts'. Hair is made more complex by adding more tufts, or by breaking up the largest into smaller tufts. Remember to pay attention to the direction of the hair.
Step 6. Color / blend the hair
Regardless of the choice of colors in your design, the shading / coloring of the hair follows the same techniques. Manga hair is always shiny and showy. Choose the direction of the light before starting. If the light is coming from the left, your character's hair should be lighter on the left. If the light is frontal, the front strands (the bangs and sideburns) should be lighter than those around the nape of the neck. Start with a 'basic' color, and add lighter or darker shades to the areas affected by the light.
Step 7. Complete the rest of your character's face
Hair gives personality to a manga; in fact, many manga characters will be identical without hair. Keep this in mind when choosing facial expressions and features. Color and blend the face, and finish the hair. Once satisfied with your character, trace the outlines, main strokes and shadows with a black pen. This process is known as "inking" and is very popular in manga drawings. Inking reinforces the lines and hides the pencil strokes, making your image stand out at the same time and giving the final touch to your character.
Advice
- Take a moment to view. Once you've established the process, you can start accelerating, but don't do it until you've got a style that suits you.
- Even with realistic manga, use your imagination! Hair is often what allows one manga character to be distinguished from another.
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Be patient. Notable designs don't come in a flash. Sometimes it takes more than an hour to complete a single person.
Make sure the pencil is sharp. Manga is made up of clean, crisp images, and a worn pencil will ruin your work
- Don't be afraid to erase any parts of the design that don't suit you.
- Be yourself! Who cares what others think of your design if you like it? Nothing else matters, and you never know: one day your drawing could be the most famous in the world!
- Consider phased drawing: draw until it looks decent, make a copy (or more than one) and print it. This will allow you to explore more possibilities, for example, to decide whether to include a beard, or hair color. Your backup copies will avoid having you start over.
- Don't get nervous. Otherwise what are the tires for?
- Don't skimp with construction lines. They help you immensely to visualize the finished work.
- Good luck!
