How to draw the hairline

Knowing how to draw the hair properly may contribute a lot to your fashion sketches. In this tutorial, we will go through the basics of drawing hair and pay attention to the things many illustrators and designers tend to go around (or skip) because they are not sure how exactly things are done. A well-drawn hairline is essential for drawing realistic hair. It is easier than you think.

4/10

12min

drawing paper
pencil
eraser

Step 1: Hairline for a front view face

Pull vertical lines from the endpoint of the eyes upwards. Then make a horizontal one to mark where the hair starts to grow from.

If you have issues with drawing the model’s face take a look at the how to draw a fashion face tutorial, where it is all explained.

After you have set the guidelines find the centerline of the face (in this case it’s the middle of the horizontal line) and go in the forehead a little bit. Try to make the curve symmetrical.
Connect the horizontal and the vertical lines via a curve, allowing yourself to go into the forehead again.
Note how the bulged part of the hairline ends just before it reaches the eyebrows and how the vertical line now has a delicate “S” curve. If you are going for a realistic look it is important not to leave it perfectly straight.

Step 2: Hairline for a profile face

Here is how to draw the hairline for the profile view face. You have the horizontal line, that marks the end of the forehead and the vertical one that stands very close to the ear of your model. Join those two lines via a curve. You can easily determine where to place this curve using the outer corner of the eye as shown in the illustration.
After you are ready, sketch the part of the hairline that goes in the forehead. It shows where the forehead ends and plays an important role in the realistic look of the hair. To draw this segment find the middle of the curve you just did. It should be close to 45 degrees from the outer corner of the eye. Its form is something like a triangle with a cut corner.
Pay attention to how the little segment of hairline behind the ear is drawn. It should follow the same direction as the other part of the hairline.
Don’t miss the little triangle detail in the Centerline of the forehead.

Step 3: Hairline for 3/4 fashion face

To draw the hair in a 3/4 perspective view you have to combine the front view face with the profile one. Firstly, as in profile view pull a horizontal line to indicate where the forehead ends and a vertical one close to the ear. Note how the space between the later and the ear is closed. Join the vertical and horizontal line via a curve. Draw the hair segment behind the ear, making sure that it doesn’t start exactly where the ear does. That way you give it the illusion it stands behind the ear.
Then find the head Centerline and come in with the hair as shown in the illustration. Go out where the curve was and in again close to the eye’s outer corner. The end result should be something similar to the letter “Z” with soft edges.

Step 4: Draw Hairline for 3/4 back view face

Drawing the hairline from this perspective is actually really easy once you understand the logic behind it. Mark the horizontal and vertical boundaries of the hair you’re already familiar with. Note that they both have a slight incline because of the viewpoint. Join them with a nice soft curve and then add the segment that is placed behind the ear. Notice that this segment starts about at the middle of the ear and that the horizontal part is perpendicular to the neck.
Then find the Centerline of the neck and give the hairline a more realistic feeling, adding a bit of volume.

Have in mind that in this perspective( as well in the face 3/4 view) the Centerline of the head seems moved towards the half of the head that is less visible.

Draw the bulged part of the hairline helping yourself with the eye’s outer corner and don’t miss the detail of incoming hair just where the ear stands.

Step 5: How to draw the hairline for back view

What you should know about drawing hair in the back view is that there are many variations, but the one shown here is very easy to draw and realistic enough. Starting from the ears draw two tilted lines and a horizontal one at the neck’s base. Give the horizontal one a curve and “close” the ears.

Enough with the first step of drawing the hair – The hairline. I hope it was interesting and useful for you! In part II you will learn how to draw the hairs, the roots and the ends, the light, and dark parts to make your fashion sketches absolutely fabulous! Check out “How to draw shiny hair” and “How to draw curly hair” for more useful tips on how to draw the hair.

Happy drawing!