The Secrets to Drawing: Hair

Lesson Description

Lesson Twenty-Five of The Secrets to Drawing Course focuses on the essential skill of drawing hair, an element that can add realism, character, and personality to any portrait. Hair is complex due to its texture, volume, and the way light interacts with strands, making it a challenging but rewarding subject. In this lesson, students learn to draw hair from start to finish using graphite pencils on white drawing paper, applying principles of shading, texture, and observation to achieve realistic results.

Introduction to Drawing Hair

The lesson begins with an introduction to the structure and characteristics of hair. Matt Fussell explains that hair is composed of individual strands, which collectively form the overall shape, flow, and volume of a hairstyle. Students are taught to observe the natural direction of hair growth, the way strands group together, and the effects of light and shadow on the hair’s surface.

Understanding hair as a combination of texture, value, and form helps students approach the drawing with both structure and creativity. Matt emphasizes that hair should be thought of as a three-dimensional object, not just a flat surface, to create depth and realism.

Step 1: Establishing the Hairline and General Shape

Students begin by lightly sketching the hairline and the general shape of the hair. This involves outlining the volume and flow of the hairstyle while maintaining proportional alignment with the head. Matt demonstrates how to observe the hair’s mass and contour before focusing on individual strands, emphasizing the importance of starting with the overall form.

By establishing the basic shape first, students create a foundation for adding details, texture, and highlights in later steps. Light guidelines are used to indicate the direction of hair flow and the division of hair sections, which will help in creating a natural and structured appearance.

Step 2: Blocking in Values

Once the general shape is defined, students begin blocking in values to create depth and dimension. Matt shows how to use a range of graphite pencils to define light, midtone, and shadow areas. The darkest areas are typically found beneath layers of hair or near the scalp, while highlights are reserved for sections where light reflects directly off the strands.

Blocking in values helps students establish volume and three-dimensionality before adding fine details. Smooth, consistent strokes are used to gradually build tonal transitions, ensuring the hair appears natural and cohesive.

Step 3: Drawing Individual Strands

With the values established, students move on to adding individual strands and texture. Matt demonstrates techniques for drawing hair in small groups or sections, following the natural direction and flow. Using varied line pressure and pencil grades, students create a combination of fine and bold strands, which adds realism and avoids a flat, uniform look.

Layering individual strands over the blocked-in values allows the hair to appear dense and lifelike. Matt emphasizes observing real hair or reference images to capture irregularities and natural variation, such as stray hairs, varying thickness, and changes in direction.

Step 4: Refining Highlights and Shadows

Next, students refine highlights and shadows to enhance the realism of the hair. Highlights are lifted or preserved using an eraser or lighter graphite, creating the illusion of light reflecting off the strands. Shadows are deepened in areas of overlap or where hair curves away from the light source, reinforcing the three-dimensional form.

Matt explains that the careful balance of light and shadow gives hair its volume and movement. Smooth blending in midtone areas helps unify the drawing, while maintaining visible strands ensures texture and realism.

Step 5: Final Detailing and Finishing Touches

In the final step, students add finishing touches to bring the hair to life. Matt demonstrates how to refine stray hairs, enhance contrast, and sharpen highlights to make the hair appear vibrant and dynamic. Students step back to evaluate the overall flow, texture, and proportional alignment with the head, making minor adjustments as needed.

Final detailing ensures the hair looks natural, cohesive, and integrated into the portrait, completing the drawing with a polished and realistic appearance.

Benefits of Studying Hair

Learning to draw hair develops observation, shading, and texture skills. It enhances students’ ability to render complex forms, understand light interaction, and create lifelike portraits. Mastering hair also builds confidence in handling detailed, layered drawing techniques and reinforces the application of prior lessons on value, proportion, and form.

Mastery of Drawing Hair

By the end of Lesson Twenty-Five, students have completed a detailed graphite drawing of hair from start to finish. They have learned to construct the hairline, block in values, draw individual strands, and refine highlights and shadows for realistic results. This lesson equips students with the skills necessary to depict hair convincingly in portraits, adding depth, texture, and personality to their artwork. Mastery of drawing hair prepares students to complete full facial and portrait studies with confidence and technical proficiency.

Lesson Materials

Graphite pencil, white drawing paper.

Lesson Resources

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