Creating dynamic graceful hair is one of the most challenging and fun parts of drawing Manga characters. While Manga, which is mainly black-and-white, doesn't present the bright rainbow colors of Anime coifs, it certainly has its share of extravagant do's. The reason for this is pretty clear. A unique hairstyle reinforces a character's identity. Manga faces are usually quite similar to one another, so hair is used to help us tell the characters apart.
The fact that many Manga faces look alike is a blessing to those of us trying to learn to draw them. The fact that hairstyles are so varied presents more of a challenge. Because there are many different designs for hair, each of them unique, it's hard to take a standardized approach. Still, there are a few very common types of hair, and some basic principles that apply to most of them.
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Step 1: Define the overall shape of the hair
Draw a single line (or a series of shorter lines if that's easier) around the head to block out the mass of the hair. In case you didn't catch it, this is a perfect example of the principle of defining your space before you divide it.
It may be helpful to think of the hair as a helmet, or a wig. Almost certainly it should not lay too close to the head. Manga hair is often quite thick, sometimes puffing up into implausible bouffants. Still, the shape of the hair should suggest the head underneath, in much the way water flowing in a shallow stream follows the contours of the rocks on the bottom. |
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| Pay particular attention to the thickness of the hair on the far side of the forehead. If your character has thick bangs, the hair will extend forward farther than you might at first think. |
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| Obviously there are many different shapes the hair can take. Here are a few common ones.
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